Farro Salad with Apples and Arugula

We’ve fallen in love with this delicious farro salad made with cooked farro, sweet apples, greens, and a bright salad dressing. Farro is a nutty whole grain that’s absolutely perfect in salads like this one.

Related: We love this simple arugula salad with couscous, cucumbers, and feta!

What is Farro?

In recent months, farro has become one of our favorite grains to keep stocked in our pantry. Farro is an ancient whole grain derived from wheat. Farro is not gluten-free, however, it is a tasty whole grain that’s rich in protein and fiber.

Farro tastes nutty and has a slightly chewy texture when cooked. It’s a similar size to rice, but has much more flavor. It is simple to prepare and can be added to a variety of dishes including soups, sides, and salads like this recipe.

From our experience, we have seen farro sold in the following ways:

• Whole farro — The grain is left completely in tact, which means when cooked, whole farro has a bit more flavor and the texture is a bit chewier. Whole farro also requires the longest cook time, about 40 minutes.
• Cracked, Semi-Pearled or Pearled Farro — Some of or all of the bran has been removed, which means the cook time will be a bit less and the texture less chewy.

Whole, cracked, and pearled farro can be used interchangeably in this farro salad recipe, as well as most other farro recipes. Be sure to take note of the cooking instructions on the package of the farro you purchased in order to gauge cook time and liquid requirements.

Farro Substitutes

If you are unable to find farro or would like to use a different grain in its place, try these substitutes in our salad.

• Wild rice or regular rice
• Quinoa, we love quinoa in salads, especially this black bean quinoa salad
• Wheat berries
• Orzo pasta, here’s another salad that calls for orzo
• Couscous, we especially love pearled couscous and use it in this easy couscous salad

How to Make Farro Salad

We’ve fallen pretty hard for this simple salad with farro and apples. The dressing is fresh and bright, which works so well with the nuttiness of the farro and sweetness of the apples.

For crunch, we add nuts. I love toasted pecans or walnuts, but other nuts like hazelnuts, almonds, and even peanuts will work as well. For a little extra sweetness and a chewy texture, we add some dried fruit. It’s up to you as to which dried fruit you add, but we especially enjoy golden raisins.

To make the salad, I start by whisking my dressing in the bottom of a large bowl. When the dressing is made, I toss in cooked farro, apples, nuts, dried fruit, lots of fresh herbs, and some greens. We added arugula to the salad pictured, but you can use any salad green. If you have any apples leftover, try making a batch of homemade applesauce!

Make ahead tip: If you are making this ahead of time, I’d go for a heartier salad green like kale or collard greens instead of the arugula. Arugula is delicious in this, but it does wilt quickly. Another option is to keep the greens to the side of the salad and mix them in just before serving.

More Hearty Salad Recipes To Try

• Lemony White Bean Salad with Prosciutto — This Mediterranean inspired bean salad has creamy white beans, salty prosciutto, parmesan cheese, peppery arugula, and a punchy lemon dressing.
• Kale and Bean Salad with Tahini Dressing — This easy kale and bean salad is packed with good for you ingredients, is crave-worthy and can be made in advance.
• Seriously Good Quinoa Salad — Our ultra-flavorful and satisfying quinoa salad recipe is packed with superfoods. It’s vegan, easy to make, and tastes incredible.
• Easy Chickpea Salad with Lemon and Dill — An easy salad with lemon, fresh dill, crisp cucumber and tomatoes that’s quick to make and you can make it in advance.
• Herby Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas — Thanks to a light lemony dressing and lots of fresh herbs, this simple cauliflower salad tastes surprisingly delicious and lasts in the fridge for days.