This easy Greek farro salad recipe is perfect for lunch, picnics or anytime you want something delicious and full of healthy ingredients!
This recipe was originally published on 5/27/14
Enjoying time with my family is so important, and while fancy recipes are great from time to time, things that can be throw together quickly are my main choice.
But, just because it’s made up quickly doesn’t mean it has to sacrifice flavor or nutrition! This healthy dish is so simple and easy to create, and it’s great either warm or cold, making it a great make ahead option!
My favorite thing about farro is the texture. It is perfectly chewy and al dente which we love, and has a great almost nutty flavor. Plus, it’s high in protein, fiber, and calcium, perfect for adding more nutrients to your diet.
Ingredients
The items in this recipe for farro salad offer a great mix of fresh flavors and textures, here’s what you need:
- Farro
- Pepperoncini
- Greek olives
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
- Red onion
- Vegan Feta
- Fresh oregano
How To Make Farro Salad
I love the ease of this farro salad. It really couldn’t be easier! Here’s what to do:
- Cook the farro, drain, and rinse.
- Add farro and all ingredients to a bowl.
- Mix and serve!
Flavor suggestions
One of the many wonderful things about this dish is how easy it is to customize! Try adding in any of these other ingredients to mix up the flavor:
- Shredded spinach
- Other greens like arugula, kale, or chard
- Crumble up some Vegan Bacon
- Bell peppers- raw or roasted
- Chickpeas
- Dill
- Garlic
Serving suggestions
This tasty salad is hearty enough to be served as a complete meal, but it’s also great as a side dish along with any of these plant based recipes:
- Falafel Burgers
- Pulled ‘Pork’ Mushroom Sandwich
- Gluten Free Eggplant Parmesan
- Healthy Carrot Soup
- Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Make ahead suggestions
Probably the best thing about this farro salad recipe is that it can be prepped ahead of time, making it super easy to mix up in 5 minutes when you’re ready to serve!
- Clean and chop the veggies.
- Cook the farro.
- Store everything in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to mix up!
- If you’re serving it cold, you can serve right away.
- If you’d like to serve it warm, you can heat it up on the stovetop in a skillet, or quickly in the microwave.
More tips and tricks
A few more helpful hints to help you out:
- Make sure to rinse the farro before cooking.
- If you use whole farro instead of pearled, soak it before cooking to cut down on the cook time.
- To make this gluten-free sub the farro with rice. I love wild rice.
- You can use dried oregano, but only use 2 teaspoons as it is stronger than fresh.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, depending on how fresh your veggies are.
Common Questions
Farro is an ancient wheat grain that is really nutritious. It has both carbs and protein. While not gluten free, it is more digestible than other gluten filled grains. Both my husband and I digest it more easily.
1/4 cup of dry farro has about 6 grams of protein. It has 34 grams of carbs, but 5 of those grams are fiber.
Both farro and quinoa are healthy grains that offer nutritional benefits. Farro has slightly more calories than quinoa, 170 vs 156 per 1/4 cup serving. Both grains have a good amount of protein; quinoa has 6 grams per serving while farro has 7. Farro is also significantly higher in calcium, but quinoa is lower in carbs. So it really just comes down to what you’re looking for in nutrition as far as which would be considered healthier.
Yes you can! It’s delicious is a variety of cold salads like this one.
Yes. If you look at farro when you buy it, you’ll see that it is covered with a powder like substance. It should be rinsed off before cooking.
You can make a variety of salads with farro. This one features Mediterranean flavors like tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and feta.
Practically anything! It’s great mixed up with fresh veggies and herbs as a salad, but you can also make dishes like risotto, or even just served alone as a side to any entree.
More Vegan Salad Recipes
Whether you need a fresh and healthy meal, or a side to go along with your favorite dishes, these plant based salad recipes have you covered:
- Lentil Quinoa Salad
- Italian Vegetable Pasta Salad
- Grilled Romaine Caesar Salad
- Vegan Potato Salad
- Summer Fruit Salad
Greek Farro Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup farro , dry (use semi pearled or pearled, see note)
- 1/2 cup peperoncini , chopped (leave out if you don't want any spice)
- 1/2 cup Greek olives , sliced
- 1/2 cup cucumbers , chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh tomatoes , chopped
- ½ cup red onion , chopped
- 1/2 cup vegan Feta , I use my homemade version or you can use store bought
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano
- drizzle olive oil , optional or leave out for oil free
Instructions
- Begin cooking farro in a medium pot according to package directions (will cook for about 25-30 minutes).
- As farro is cooking, you can cut all the veggies if you haven't already.
- When farro is done cooking, drain and rinse with cold water.
- Transfer to a bowl and add all the other ingredients.
- Mix well and enjoy!
Notes
- If you use whole farro instead of pearled, soak it before cooking to cut down on the cook time.
- To make this gluten-free sub the farro with rice. I love wild rice.
- You can use dried oregano, but only use 2 teaspoons as it is stronger than fresh.
- If you make the vegan feta, use only the feta filling portion of the linked recipe.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Debi says
We loved the Greek farro salad. Making the “feta” was easier than I thought it would be.
I love using farro for so many things.
veggiesdontbite says
So happy to hear Debi!
Emilie says
Really delicious. Thank you. I think I’ll bring it to my next pot luck. I think even people who don’t eat healthy would like this.
veggiesdontbite says
So happy you like it!
Cassie Autumn Tran says
I love Greek salads, they are so yummy! Cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, salt and pepper, and fresh oregano are the best salad ingredients. It’s been a while since I’ve seen farro in a recipe, it sounds fantastic now that I’ve seen it!
veggiesdontbite says
Thanks Cassie! We love farro!
The Vegan 8 says
Wow girl, this looks and sounds amazing! I am salivating at the thought of all the rich briney flavors and salty bites of the olives and peperoncini, not to mention the spicy crunch of raw red onion. I love raw red onions so dang much! Awesome recipe!
steviefbillman says
This looks like such a fresh recipe for a perfect summer day. I can’t wait to try it!
M-R says
Farro, eh ? – Tell me, Sophia – would I have much use for it, apart from this ?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi there! We use farro often! We love it instead of pasta or quinoa from time to time. It’s nice to mix it up a bit. I often roast veggies and put them on top of farro, it is also great in soups or on top of salad! The list goes on! My very first recipe on here was farro stuffed in spaghetti squash, check it out but don’t judge the awful pictures I took back then, lol! http://veggiesdontbite.com/2013/11/18/double-baked-spaghetti-squash-bowls/
M-R says
Alas: recipes that require baking for any length of time will go by the board with any age pensioner in NSW: our gas prices are to rise by roughly 33% on July 1 ! I must restrict my cooking to things that use as little gas as possible – is that a ludicrous thought ? :-
veggiesdontbite says
You do what you have to do! But if you make a large batch of farro before then, it stores great in the fridge. You could even try freezing for future use. I like to store the farro plain then add to my meals throughout my week. Great protein too!
M-R says
Then that’s exactly what I shall do. Do you buy it in the grain by bulk, or in packets ?
veggiesdontbite says
I buy it online, but big amounts! You reminded me that I forgot to do the links I usually put in all my recipes, so I just updated with that. I buy mine from Amazon, link to it in the recipe, but I know there are other places you can buy it. Sometimes Costco has it too but I have not been able to find it there lately! Your local store may have it in the bulk bins too but you should ask before you go if it isn’t an easy stop! Let me know how it turns out!
M-R says
Thanks very much for your input !
veggiesdontbite says
You’re welcome! Any time!