Favorite Greek Farro Salad

 Bob’s Red Mill, my longtime go-to for natural & whole grain foods. Bob’s Organic Farro is a PWWB pantry staple that I love using to bulk up any salad or grain bowl! All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Navigate This Post

• Classic Greek Salad with Our Favorite Hearty Grain
• Greek Farro Salad Recipe Highlights
• Key Ingredients
• Shop This Post
• How to Cook Farro Perfectly Every Single Time
• How to Boil Farro
• Other Farro Tips & Tricks
• Greek Farro Salad Assembly & Serving Suggestions
• Assembly
• Step-by-Step Video
• Serving Suggestions
• Easy Farro Salad Recipe Variations
• Mediterranean Farro Salad Make-Ahead & Meal Prep Tips

Classic Greek Salad with Our Favorite Hearty Grain

Hearty & healthy cold salads are one of our go-to warm-weather meals. They’re easy to toss together, perfect for meal prep, & dance the fine line between “light lunch” & “easy side dish for dinner” beautifully. That’s a win in my book! 🙌🏼

This Greek Farro Salad is one of our all-time favorite hearty cold salads. We first shared this recipe back in 2021 & it’s been a total hit with PWWB readers ever since! It starts with a base of a classic Greek salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, feta cheese), but we make it a little more substantial by adding hearty chickpeas & farro. It delivers crave-worthy light & bright Mediterranean flavor, but it’s also filled with tons of texture – crunchy cucumbers, creamy feta & chickpeas, &, of course, satisfying farro.

I make this Greek farro salad with Bob’s Red Mill Organic Farro, which has been a pantry staple in my kitchen for years. Bob’s is my longtime favorite natural food brand, who I count on for seriously high-quality staples that I can put to use in many different ways. It’s been especially fun to see more & more of their products pop up at my co-op & other grocery stores here in Minneapolis in recent years. I’m thrilled to partner with them to highlight some of my favorite products, starting today with this Mediterranean farro salad!

Greek Farro Salad Recipe Highlights

This easy Greek farro salad recipe is…

• A PERFECT HYBRID. Greek farro salad has everything you love about traditional Greek salad with the satisfying, hearty, & plant-powered addition of chickpeas & farro. A totally substantial vegetarian salad with amazing light & bright flavor!
• EASY TO MAKE. Chop the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, & roasted red peppers, then whip up a quick Greek vinaigrette while the farro boils. This farro salad recipe comes together in 35 minutes or less, with pantry staples & seasonal faves!
• TOTALLY VERSATILE. Serve Mediterranean farro salad warm or cold, as a side dish or plant-powered main, or meal prep for the best weekday lunches ever. With so many ways to love it, it’s the perfect any-occasion dish!
• Our warm weather fave! ♡ Read on to learn more about this Greek Farro Salad, or jump straight to the recipe & get cookin’!

Key Ingredients

Like many Mediterranean-inspired recipes, this Greek farro salad is made with simple, fresh ingredients that pack a punch of light, bright flavor. It’s a total flavor bomb & texture lover’s dream!

You need…

• Farro – Of course – it wouldn’t be a Greek farro salad without it! Farro is one of our favorite whole grains. If it’s new to you, you’re in for such a treat – learn more about farro in the Ingredient Spotlight below!
• Lots of veggies! – A combination of juicy cherry tomatoes, crunchy & cooling cucumber, roasted red pepper, & quickly pickled red onions keeps this dish true to its Greek salad roots. You can also make this farro salad recipe with whatever is in your refrigerator already, though, so feel free to use what you have & call it good.
• Feta – Another nod to classic Greek salad! Good quality feta is a must here. We prefer buying feta that’s packaged in brine & then simply dice it into bite-sized pieces. Feta in brine is richer in flavor & its texture is so much creamier than the pre-crumbled stuff.
• Chickpeas – My favorite easy plant-powered protein. Good ol’ canned chickpeas work perfectly here!
• Greens – We love adding a handful of peppery arugula to this Greek farro salad but feel free to use any other greens you have on hand, like romaine lettuce, spinach, or spring greens.
• Greek vinaigrette – Made with a simple but flavorful blend of olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, Dijon, & oregano. This dressing adds that final touch of light & bright flare to the Mediterranean farro salad! Learn more! ⇢ Easy Greek Dressing recipe.

How to Cook Farro Perfectly Every Single Time

While many grains can be a little temperamental to cook, farro errs on the simpler end of the spectrum. Some recipes may direct you to prepare farro like rice (i.e. gently simmering in a certain ratio of water until absorbed), but we always boil farro (much like the way you’d boil pasta). It couldn’t be simpler & yields perfect results every time.

How to Boil Farro

1. Rinse the farro well. Place uncooked farro in a fine mesh sieve & rinse with warm water for a good 30 seconds. Why? ⇢ Raw farro has a powdery coating, which we find makes the cooking liquid pretty starchy & gives the cooked farro a gluey texture. A quick rinse washes the coating away altogether.

2. Boil the farro in salty water. Season a large pot of water with a few tablespoons of kosher salt & bring it to a roaring boil. Add the rinsed farro to the pot & cook until tender with a lovely chewy al dente bite. Pearled farro cooks up in about 30 minutes. Quick tip! ⇢ Because of farro’s lengthy cook time, you’ll need to use quite a bit of water so it doesn’t boil off before the farro finishes cooking. I typically cook 1 cup of pearled farro in a 4-quart Dutch oven.

3. Drain. Once the farro is cooked, simply drain off the starchy cooking liquid through the same fine mesh sieve you used to rinse the farro. Now it’s ready to use in your Greek farro salad – easy!

Other Farro Tips & Tricks

💥Season while it’s warm. My #1 farro tip is to season your farro while it’s still warm. Warm farro soaks up whatever dressing or seasoning you’re using, making for an even more flavorful final dish. Toss it in the Mediterranean farro salad vinaigrette right away!

💥Farro triples in volume as it cooks! For example, 1 cup of dry farro yields 3 cups of cooked farro. Keep this in mind as you decide how much farro to use. This Greek farro salad calls for ¾ cup of dry farro.

💥Make-ahead & storage. Cooked farro will keep for up to 1 week, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also freeze cooked farro in a freezer container for up to 1 month, which is ideal for batch cooking & meal prepping.

Greek Farro Salad Assembly & Serving Suggestions

One of the best things about farro salads is that cooking farro is nearly entirely inactive. That means you can easily chop your veggies & whip up a simple Greek dressing all while the farro boils on the stove. Then once the farro is cooked, all you have to do is toss it all together in a big bowl. Pretty easy!

Assembly

Once all the Greek farro salad components are ready, it’s time to assemble. Toss the warm farro with the Greek vinaigrette, then add it to a large bowl with the chopped veggies, diced feta, rinsed chickpeas, & greens. For a little more freshness, feel free to add in a handful of fresh herbs like fresh parsley, basil, or mint!

Serving Suggestions

We love enjoying this hearty Mediterranean farro salad on its own for a light & fresh vegetarian meal. The combination of hearty farro & chickpeas makes it super satisfying!

That being said, it also doubles as a great side dish for warm weather dinners. Serve your Greek farro salad with other favorites like…

• Grilled Greek chicken, which has the best flavor thanks to a lemony yogurt marinade. For a shortcut, try this Grilled Lemon Chicken. It doesn’t require as long of a marinate, but still packs a big punch of light & herbaceous flavor.
• Turkey or chicken burgers. Greek farro salad is also fantastic with these Mediterranean-inspired Falafel Burgers.
• Greek-Inspired Lemon Chicken Wings, served with the best whipped feta!
• Grilled leg of lamb or grilled steak for a full-on feast.
• Plus a side of grilled veggies!

Easy Farro Salad Recipe Variations

Prep Tips

A quick 15-minute meal prep makes this Greek farro salad recipe come together even faster. A few days ahead of time, you can prep any or all of the components. At dinnertime, all you have to do is toss them all together & serve (aka, the best part):

Chop the veggies. This is most of the active prep work in this farro salad recipe! Dice the red onion, cucumber, & roasted red peppers & halve the cherry tomatoes & you’ll take most of the leg work out of this dish.

Make the Greek vinaigrette by whisking together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, finely diced garlic, & dried oregano. You can also add all the ingredients to a mason jar & shake to combine, then simply store the jar in the fridge until assembly.

Cook the farro & simply let it cool before storing. If you’ve already made the Greek dressing then toss it on the farro while it’s warm & store the grains for later. They’ll soak up all the bright & garlicky flavor!

This Greek farro salad is also a fantastic meal to make ahead & enjoy throughout the week. We love to toss it together at the beginning of the week & keep it on hand as an easy meal or side dish. It is best served within 3 days of assembly, though it’ll keep for up to 5 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

I can’t wait for you to try this Greek Farro Salad recipe! I’m pretty sure that once you do, you’ll understand why it’s our fave – its light & bright flavors & hearty, crunchy textures are simply unbeatable!

If you do give it a try, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! Happy cooking!