I’ve fallen hard for this easy farro salad recipe made with cooked farro, sweet apples, arugula, and a zippy lemon dressing.
The lemony dressing for this salad is fresh and bright, which works so well with the nuttiness of the farro and the sweetness of the apples. If you have not cooked with farro much in the past, this easy salad is a great place to start.
Below, you’ll find all my tips for how to cook farro. If you can cook pasta, you can cook farro. You can also easily substitute the farro for other grains like quinoa (see how to cook quinoa), wild rice, brown rice, or pearl couscous, which we use in our arugula couscous salad.
Key Ingredients
- Farro: Farro is an ancient whole grain derived from wheat. It’s not gluten-free, but it’s rich in protein and fiber and has a wonderful nutty flavor. We use whole farro in the recipe below, but see the tips for other varieties like cracked farro. Wild rice, fluffy quinoa, pearl couscous, or orzo pasta are all excellent substitutes.
- Lemon Dressing: The dressing for this is almost identical to the one we use for our couscous salad. It’s made with fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, olive oil, salt, and pepper. It’s zippy, fresh, and perfect with the other ingredients.
- Apple: Sliced apples really make this salad fresh and delicious. The crunchy apples against the chewy farro is such a great combination. Pear would be lovely, too.
- Arugula: I love peppery arugula here, but you can swap it with your favorite greens like spinach, bok choy, or kale.
- Fresh herbs: These are optional, but I love tossing in a handful when I have them. Parsley, mint, basil, and dill are all excellent choices.
- Nuts and Dries Fruit: I list pecans and golden raisins in the recipe below, but use what you have. The nuts add crunch, and the dried fruit adds a chewy sweetness that makes the salad more interesting. I use the same trick in our arugula couscous salad.
- Goat Cheese (optional): I love scattering crumbled goat cheese into this salad, but feta, grilled halloumi, or even shaved parmesan are great, too. You can also leave the cheese out to keep this dairy-free.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Our Favorite Farro Salad
Tip 1: Cook the farro. I love whole farro, which is what’s shown in our photos. To cook it, add it to a saucepan with water, a bay leaf, and a pinch of salt, then simmer with the lid partially covering the saucepan until tender. It takes a bout 35 minutes.
Tip 2: Make the dressing and salad in the same bowl. To make the salad, I start by whisking my dressing in the bottom of a large bowl. When the dressing is ready, I toss in the cooked farro, apples, nuts, dried fruit, lots of fresh herbs, and some greens. Making your dressing in the same bowl you plan to serve it in saves you dishes!
Tip 3: Make it ahead. This salad holds well, use an apple variety that doesn’t brown as much, like Honeycrisp and Pink Lady, and choose a heartier green like kale or spinach instead of the more tender arugula. Another option is to keep the greens to the side of the salad and mix them in just before serving.
More Dinner-Worthy Salad Recipes
- White Bean Salad with Prosciutto
- Tahini Kale and White Bean Salad
- The Best Quinoa Salad
- Easy Chickpea Salad
- Easy Cauliflower Chickpea Salad
Our Favorite Farro Salad
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
We’ve fallen in love with this delicious salad made with cooked farro, sweet apples, arugula, and a bright salad dressing. You can buy whole farro, cracked, and pearled farro. All will work in this salad, but the cooking time will change depending on what you have. Check the package directions for guidance on actual cook time and liquid requirements.
You Will Need
1 cup uncooked whole farro, rinsed (200g)
3 cups water, veggie broth, or chicken broth (709ml)
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (60ml)
1 apple, cored and sliced into 1-inch pieces
3 cups arugula or salad greens
Handful of fresh herbs like parsley, mint, and dill, roughly chopped
½ cup pecan halves, toasted and chopped (50g)
½ cup golden raisins or other dried fruit (75g)
1 ½ ounces crumbled goat cheese, optional (40g)
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
1Cook farro: Add water or broth, farro, bay leaf, and a big pinch of salt to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, until the farro is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Drain.
2Make dressing: Whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, and honey or maple syrup in a large salad bowl until blended. Gradually add the oil, whisking constantly, until the dressing looks well blended and creamy. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
3Make the salad: Add the sliced apples, cooked and drained farro, arugula, herbs, nuts, and the raisins. Toss well. Crumble goat cheese on top, and then serve.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Keep the salad for up to 24 hours in an airtight container. Make sure the apples are well coated in the dressing so they do not brown.
- Types of farro: Whole, cracked, and pearled farro can be used interchangeably in this recipe. Be sure to take note of the cooking instructions on the package you purchased in order to gauge cook time and liquid requirements. The whole farro will take the longest.
- Toasted nuts: Spread them in an even layer on a sheet pan, and slide them into a 350°F. Toast for 6 to 8 minutes or until they smell toasty, shaking the pan halfway during cooking.
- Fresh herbs: Fresh herbs are lovely in this salad, but if you do not have any, you can leave them out. When I have them, I love a combination of fresh mint and parsley. Dill and basil are also delicious.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Do you think buckwheat work as a substitiue for farro in this recipe?
Definitely!
Served it today at an office potluck. Big success with numerous requests for the recipe. The dressing is so easy, but it’s just perfectly balanced. I used a little of both maple syrup and honey in the dressing and found a good quality local goat feta. I think quality ingredients really shine in a simple salad and the fresh herbs were the stars in this dish. My husband and I love farro, so I know I’ll make this again. The only thing I omitted was the bay leaf listed in the ingredients list. It’s not included in the directions, so I left it out.
So glad you enjoyed it! Good catch on the missing bay leaf in the instructions. Just fixed it 😀
Made this today for a bring a dish lunch. It was delicious and I will definitely be making this again. I didn’t have any mint or parsley but will try these next time too.
can Quinoa be used instead of farro?
Sure! Quinoa would be excellent.
I want to make this for a party- about 16-20 people. How do you think I should adjust the recipe? Also is this served warm? I have to make it the day before- any suggestions
Hi Jill, The recipe makes 4 main servings. It depends on how many other dishes you are planning to serve. If this will be the only dish served, you probably want to multiply the ingredients by 4 (or 5). If this is one of multiple dishes, I’d just double the recipe. We like the salad served warm or cold. It’s up to you. If you are making it the day before, make the salad, and toss it really well so that the apples are well coated in the dressing, but leave the arugula out (it wilts slightly over time). Then toss in the arugula before serving.