Cooking Farro in a Rice Cooker is so easy and such a time saver! It's the best way to get consistent results each time. Switch up the usual rice routine and make this healthy ancient grain instead.
Farro is a healthy ancient grain, made from wheat, with high fiber and its filled with vitamins, like iron and magnesium. Farro is fantastic for digestion and it keeps you full longer.
Farro has a long history back into Egyptian times and Mediterranean culture, and has been a staple in Italian cooking for centuries. This ancient grain is grown in many Italian regions.
If you haven't tasted farro before, it's a little bit like brown rice, but it has this slightly chewy texture, almost like barley. It tastes amazing plain with butter and salt, in salads, soups or toss the cooked grain into veggies, like these Smoked Vegetables or Caramelized Brussels Sprouts.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- It's a hands off approach to cooking farro and perfect in this ancient grains salad
- The rice cooker does all the work
- You get the same product every time, which never happens on the stovetop when cooking grains
Looking for more healthy recipes? Try these Sautéed Chickpeas, Vegetable Rice Soup, and Couscous Stuffed Peppers.
Ingredients:
Farro-Farro comes in different forms. This version is labeled ancient grains farro, which is the traditional version, also called whole wheat or unprocessed, and this is recommended for this recipe. Pearl or semi-pearl farro is also okay, but it cooks a bit faster.
Water-To aid in the cooking process. The package usually has a 2:1 ratio of water to farro, but I add in ½ cup extra water for the rice cooker method.
Olive Oil-Optional, but I believe it does help to prevent sticky farro.
*Full recipe ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Cook Farro in a Rice Cooker:
Step 1: Rinse the farro in a fine mesh strainer with cold water to clean off any debris and extra starch. Shake out excess water.
Step 2: Add the drained farro to the rice cooker. Pour in 2.5 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Close the lid.
Step 3: Set the rice cooker to the brown rice or whole grain setting. If the rice cooker doesn't have these settings, set the timer to 45 minutes.
Step 4: Once the farro is cooked, fluff with a fork to separate. It's ready to serve!
Expert Tips:
- Don't skip rinsing the farro. It is important to rinse the dust or debris off the grains. Plus, it helps to separate the grains and avoid sticking to each other in the rice cooker.
- Use room temperature or cold water to pour into the rice cooker for the best results.
- Once the farro is finished, fork fluff the grains versus stirring to encourage more separation and less sticking.
For more grain recipes, try this Mediterranean Yellow Rice, Coconut Jasmine Rice, and Blackstone Fried Rice.
Recipe FAQs:
Yes! Rice cookers can cook ancient grains like farro, quinoa and other variations and produce great results.
Use cold or room temperature water, unless the recipe calls for warm or hot water, or the model of rice cooker recommends hot water.
1 cup of uncooked farro will result in about 3 cups of cooked farro, which is enough for 4 people.
Just like rice, farro needs to be rinsed to remove excess debris or dust, and excess starch to avoid the grains from sticking together. Rinse in a large mesh strainer to avoid losing any farro in the sink.
Farro is a whole grain and will cook at a similar time to brown rice, typically about 45 minutes.
More Easy Healthy Recipes You Will Love:
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Cooking Farro in a Rice Cooker
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
Description
Cooking Farro in a Rice Cooker is so easy and such a time saver! It's the best way to get consistent results each time. Switch up the usual rice routine and make this healthy ancient grain instead.
Ingredients
- 1 cup farro (sometimes labeled ancient grains/whole wheat)
- 2 and ½ cups water (cold or room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse the farro in a fine mesh strainer with cold water to clean off any debris and extra starch. Shake out excess water.
- Add the drained farro to the rice cooker. Pour in 2.5 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Close the lid.
- Set the rice cooker to the brown rice or whole grain setting. If the rice cooker doesn't have these settings, set the timer to 45 minutes.
- Once the farro is cooked, fluff with a fork to separate. It's ready to serve!
Notes
- Don't skip rinsing the farro. It is important to rinse the dust or debris off the grains. Plus, it helps to separate the grains and avoid sticking to each other in the rice cooker.
- Use room temperature or cold water to pour into the rice cooker for the best results.
- Once the farro is finished, fork fluff the grains versus stirring to encourage more separation and less sticking.
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: grains
- Method: rice cooker
- Cuisine: mediterranean
Keywords: cooking farro in a rice cooker
Josie
Such an easy way to cook farro and it came out perfect! Thanks!
★★★★★
Tara Smithson
Yay, thanks Josie! So glad it worked for you.