Farro Pilaf is a delicious change from a traditional rice pilaf with a nutty texture and lots of flavor!
Pilaf complements all kinds of proteins from chicken and beef to pork; it even stands alone as a hearty vegetarian entrée.
What is Pilaf?
We love all kinds of healthy grains and love to share new and interesting recipes for grains outside of the typical white rice, brown rice, or quinoa.
Farro, also known as emmer wheat is an ancient wheat grain that has a unique chewy texture and nutty flavor. It’s a healthy, whole wheat grain loaded with fiber and vitamins, and an excellent alternative to pasta salads.
- Similar to barley, farro holds up well in soups, and stews and is great served cold in a salad.
- It’s great served hot or warm but we love leftover farro with veggies and dressing as a salad too.
- We keep it simple but feel free to add in your favorite flavors like mushrooms or extra herbs.
Ingredients
The term “pilaf” means any grain that is cooked with broth and an assortment of vegetables and seasonings.
GRAINS Our Farro Pilaf is cooked with a bit of orzo for added texture and contrast. Orzo is a small, tender, rice sized pasta.
BROTH For ease, chicken broth can be from a carton, but feel free to use homemade chicken stock if you have some on hand.
VEGETABLES & SEASONINGS Shredded carrots and a handful of savory herbs and spices give our Farro Pilaf all the right flavors.
Variations
We also like to add colorful vegetables like chopped broccoli or cauliflower, sliced mushrooms, green peas, even sun-dried tomatoes.
How to Make Farro Pilaf
Farro Pilaf is as easy to make as 1, 2, 3!
- Sauté onion & garlic in butter. Add farro & orzo, broth, & carrots.
- Simmer per recipe below, until liquid is absorbed & farro is tender.
- Allow to rest, then fluff with a fork & stir in almonds, chopped parsley, & salt.
Farro Pilaf in an Instant Pot
- Set Instant pot to sauté, cook onion & garlic in butter until soft. Add Farro & orzo, toast until the grains are lightly browned & nutty smelling, about 6 minutes.
- Add broth & shredded carrots. Secure lid & set on manual mode (high pressure) for 4 minutes.
- Natural release steam for about 12 to 15 minutes. Open lid & add almonds & parsley. Let pilaf rest for about 5 minutes, fluff with a fork, & serve immediately.
Tricks for Perfect Pilaf
- Thoroughly rinse farro before using—like dry beans, small bits of debris can end up in the bag.
- Toast almonds in a sauté pan before adding to the pilaf. Toasting nuts intensifies their flavor and burns off some of their natural oil so they stay crunchy!
- Cooking or toasting farro in the pan before adding other ingredients intensifies its flavor.
Leftovers
Keep Farro Pilaf in an airtight container in the refrigerator and it will last about 5 days. Reheat in the microwave.
Leftovers can be added to a soup or a stew or mixed in with a bag of vegetable medley for a whole new side dish!
And as a cold salad, serve on top of a bed of greens, or tucked into a pita pocket with some of our Tzatziki Cucumber Yogurt Dip.
What to Serve with Farro Pilaf
- Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin – so juicy & tender
- Chicken Souvlaki – with homemade marinade
- Perfect Sirloin Tip Roast – a 5-star recipe
- Grilled Lamb Chops – only 10 minutes on the grill
- Sheet Pan Greek Chicken – easy one-pan meal
Did you enjoy this Farro Pilaf? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Farro Pilaf
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ onion finely diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¾ cup farro
- ⅓ cup orzo
- 14.5 ounces chicken broth 1 can
- 2 tablespoons shredded carrot
- 2 tablespoons slivered almonds toasted
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Rinse farro under cold water and drain.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add farro and orzo and cook until lightly browned and nutty smelling, about 6 minutes.
- Add broth & carrots.
- Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a low simmer for 30-35 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and farro is tender.
- Remove from the heat and cover. Rest 5 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork and stir in almonds, parsley, and salt.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Side Dish
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Can I make this pilaf ahead & reheat? Looks & sounds amazing!
Yes, you can. This recipe reheats well.
Easy to prepare however 30 minutes cook time was too long for the orzo. I may add the orzo after 15 minutes if I prepare this again.
Thank you for posting this recipe.
Hi Al, we found 30-35 minutes to be required to cook this pilaf. Thank you so much for sharing your experience!
Your recipe sounds good. You give measurable quantities for every ingredient except for the onion which could be small, medium or large. Could you be more specific than 1/2 an onion? Thanks.
Hi Lorene, you will want to use about ½ cup of finely diced onions in this recipe.
Five stars. One of the best sides ever. I make it just as written and every person in the family (even picky kids) loves it.
I am so glad, Kristin! Thank you for trying our recipe.
Excellent and very tasty
I also added mushrooms. Will definitely be making this again!
Glad you enjoyed it, Deborah! Thank you for trying out recipe.
This is an excellent recipe, and as good as any pilaf I’ve ever had
So happy to hear that, Patti! Thanks for leaving a comment ❤️
This was tasty and easy to make plus it’s healthy, I will be making this a lot in the future!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Jamie!
What can be substituted for the orzo? Thanks
Hi Julie, you could replace with more farro. Enjoy!
Bought my first bag of farro today for this recipe. Soooo delicious – the bag will not last long!
So glad you loved it Ali! I love the nutty taste it has too.
I really liked this one. Already had farro on hand. I was a little short on time so I used dried minced onion and sliced almonds and it worked fine.
when you add the nutrition info…you never give the serving size…the serving size says how many carbs..sodium..etc..
your ingesting….thanks i don’t have e.mail,,,
The serving size for the farro is approximately ¾ cup. Enjoy Rosemary!
Farro has recently become my favorite super healthy grain. This Farro Pilaf sounds delicious to me, & I’ll be making it very soon, to accompany some of my chicken dishes. Thanks so much .