Instant Pot Farro

Farro is a delicious whole grain that can be used in soups, salads, risottos, and breakfast recipes. Learning how to cook it in the Instant Pot, or pressure cooker, is a really easy way to prepare this nutritious ingredient. Your farro will be ready to use in just about 20 minutes.

Farro is a member of the wheat family and is known as an "ancient grain" because it has been consumed for centuries. In fact, sometimes it is called the "mother of all grains" because it is considered the original ancestor of all other wheat species. This grain is still popular in Italian dishes and used throughout the Mediterranean area.

Uncooked farro looks similar to wheat berries, but is a softer grain with a much shorter cooking time. When cooked it is slightly chewy with a nutty, warm flavor. It can be used similarly to wheatberries, barley, or bulgar.

You should be able to find farro in the bulk section of your grocery store. Sometimes it is simply labeled "farro," but you might also see it called "Italian farro" or "pearled farro."

Let's learn how to cook farro in the Instant Pot!

📖 Instructions

Start by rinsing your farro under cold water. This removes any dust or extra starch that has settled on the grains in storage.

Add 1 cup of farro and 3 cups of water into the pot of your pressure cooker. Close and seal the lid on the Instant Pot.

Using the "pressure cook" setting, set the pressure to "high" and the cooking time to 7 minutes.

After the 7 minutes of cooking is up, allow the pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes. Then release the remaining steam by moving the vent button on the top of the Instant Pot to "venting."

Open the lid and drain away any remaining water. Your farro is ready to be enjoyed!

✨ Top Tips

You do not need to soak farro before cooking it. Pre-soaking an ingredient is usually done to help speed up cooking time. Farro already cooks up pretty fast, so soaking is unnecessary.

Steam burns are real and they HURT, so I recommend using a hot pad or towel while venting your pressure cooker and removing the lid.

💪 Nutrition

Farro is a very nutritious whole grain and is full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. One serving of cooked farro equals ⅔ cup. It provides 25% of the daily recommended fiber intake! It's also high in protein, containing 7 grams of protein. Farro is low in fat and has 200 calories in ⅔ of a cooked cup.

I created this nutrition label using Very Well Fit's Recipe Analyzer.

Farro is a member of the wheat family, so it does contain gluten. Also, like all whole grains, Farro is high in carbohydrates. Therefore, those eating a low-carb diet, such as people with diabetes, should consume farro in small portions.

🥣 Storage

Cooked farro should be stored in an airtight container, in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Farro can also be frozen for up to 6 months. This is great if you'd like to make a large batch and freeze it in smaller portions for quick use later on. Make sure your grains are cool before transferring them to a freezer-safe container. This will help prevent freezer burn.

To defrost, you can quickly thaw grains in the microwave or on the stove.

• Microwave: place grains in a microwave-safe bowl. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of water. Cover the bowl and cook in 1-minute increments, stirring between minutes, until warmed through.
• Stove: place grains in a small saucepan, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of water. Cover the pan and heat over medium-low heat until warmed through. Stir occasionally.

You can also add frozen farro straight into soup recipes and just add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.

👪 Serving Size and Ratios

One cup of uncooked farro makes about 2.5 cups of cooked farro.

The ratio of water to farro in a pressure cooker is 3 cups of water for 2 cups of uncooked farro.

I would recommend only cooking 1 cup at a time in a 6qt Instant Pot, and 2 cups at a time in an 8qt Instant Pot.

The recommended serving size, according to Bob's Red Mill, is ⅔ cup cooked.

🥘 Uses

Here are some of my favorite farro recipes from around the internet.

Warm Farro Breakfast Bowl with Cinnamon Apples from Foolproof Living

Easy Mushroom Farro Risotto by A Beautiful Plate

Warm Farro Salad with Roasted Root Vegetables from Dietician Debbie

One-Pot Tuscan Farro Soup from Cheerful Choices

🍽️ Equipment

Here are some items you'll need to make this recipe. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying orders, at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting The Incredible Bulks!

There are A LOT of varieties of Instant Pots and pressure cookers on the market. My favorite is the Instant Pot Ultra because I love making yogurt in it. However, 99% of the time I use my Instant Pot I just use the "pressure cook" setting. So if you are looking for a less expensive model, you will get just as much bang for your buck with the Instant Pot Duo. I've also been hearing great things about the Ninja pressure cooker if you want a different brand

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Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker

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Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1

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Ninja OL501 Foodi 6.5 Qt. Pressure Cooker

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If you don't have a fine mesh strainer I highly recommend getting a metal one. They are great for rinsing small grains, like rice and quinoa, because they can't fall through the mesh. The metal mesh strainers are a lot more durable than plastic or fabric ones. I've had holes rip in the plastic ones before.

Highly Rated Metal Strainers

Cuisinart Mesh Strainers, 3 Count

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Bellemain 5 Qt Metal Colander with Handle

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Bellemain 5 Qt Metal Colander with Handle

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I hope that your pressure cooked farro turns out great. Let me know what your favorite way to use it is! I'm always looking for more ways to eat this tasty whole grain.

✌️Ems

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