This farro arugula salad with veggies, quick vegan parmesan cheese, and lemon-balsamic dressing is a delicious oil-free vegan salad that takes 35 minutes to make. It's made with nutritious plant-based ingredients and is perfect for a quick dinner or make-ahead lunches.
This hearty salad recipe is my vegan version of Charlie Bird's Farro salad, with several modifications. The vegan parmesan melts into the salad for a salty, cheesy flavor, and the oil-free dressing is a simple mix of lemon juice with sweet white balsamic vinegar.
With its nutty flavor and chewy texture, Farro is a great way to add whole grains to salads. It's up there with favorites like wheat berry peanut salad, quinoa cranberry salad, and lemon freekeh salad.
Table of Contents
What is Farro?
Farro is a high-fiber, high-protein, whole-wheat ancient grain. There are 3 types of farro - emmer, spelt, and einkorn. Whole farro is healthiest because it includes the nutritious bran part of the grain, but you can make this recipe with pearled or semi-pearled.
Like cooking barley or rice, the time needed to cook whole, semi-pearled, or pearled farro varies from 35-40 minutes to 15 minutes.
Ingredients and Substitutions
This is a partial list of ingredients and suggested substitutions.
Farro. Nutty farro is the heart of this salad. Use 1 cup. Ideally, use whole-grain farro. The best substitute for farro is barley (try my Instant Pot barley recipe), wheat berries, spelt, or quinoa.
Apple juice. Apple juice adds a sweet flavor to the cooked farro. In traditional Charlie Bird's salad, apple cider is used to cook the farro, which is a great substitute. If you skip the apple juice, use vegetable broth or more water.
Arugula. Peppery arugula, also known as rocket, is perfect for this salad because of its distinctive flavor. It stays crisp a little longer than other greens. Substitute with mixed greens, kale, or chopped Romaine.
Parsley and Mint. Fresh herbs add nutritious zest and flavor. You can experiment by adding different combinations of fresh herbs, such as basil or cilantro.
White balsamic vinegar. Also known as white balsamic condiment, it's thick, sweet, and flavorful. Red balsamic vinegar will change the color and flavor, so I recommend using white rice vinegar as a substitute.
Cashews. Raw cashews make the best vegan sour cream and dressings. Same goes for vegan parmesan. If you want to skip the nuts, make vegan parmesan with sunflower seeds or make a batch of my favorite hemp parmesan cheese.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Cook the farro with apple cider, water, salt, and bay leaves.
Add the cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt to a spice grinder or small blender. Blend until the cashews are broken down.
Mix lemon juice and white balsamic vinegar in a small dish.
Combine cooled farro, arugula, fresh herbs, cashew parmesan cheese, and the rest of the ingredients in a medium salad bowl. Add the dressing and mix well.
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Pro Tips
Consult the package directions before cooking farro. Cooking times will vary depending on the type, brand, and processing.
How to Cook Farro - 3 Ways
- Stovetop: Cook 1 cup of farro with 3 cups of liquid. Plan 30-35 minutes for whole-grain farro and 15-25 minutes for semi-pearled or pearled farro.
- Rice Cooker: I've had great success with the rice cooker. 1 cup farro to 3 cups liquid. As soon as the liquid evaporates, turn off the rice cooker. Stir and let the farro cool.
- Instant Pot: Cook whole farro on High Pressure for 10 minutes with 5 minutes of natural pressure release. Cook semi-pearled and pearled for 7 minutes with 5 minutes of natural pressure release.
Serving Suggestions
Serve farro salad with soup. I recommend creamy potato leek soup, hearty lentil vegetable soup, vegan asparagus soup, or Italian white bean kale soup. It's also delicious with baked chickpea patties, mushroom kale burgers, or huli huli tofu.
Frequently Asked Questions
Farro is a whole wheat ingredient and is not gluten-free. The best gluten-free substitute for farro is quinoa.
The best substitute for whole-grain farro is whole-grain barley or wheat berries. For semi-pearled or pearled farro, consider spelt or for salads, giant (Israeli) couscous is a good substitute.
Farro salad is best when eaten fresh the same day. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 1-2 days.
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Farro Arugula Salad
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Ingredients
- 1 cup farro - rinsed (see note 1)
- 1 cup apple juice
- 2 cups water
- 2 medium bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups arugula - chop the bigger leaves
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes - halved
- 4 medium radishes - sliced thin
- 4 medium green onions - sliced thin
- 1 cup mint - roughly chopped
- 1 cup parsley - roughly chopped
- ¼ cup cashews
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Add the rinsed farro 1 cup apple juice, 2 cups water, 2 bay leaves, and ½ teaspoon salt to a medium saucepan. Bring the ingredients to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook for 30-35 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the farro is tender. For semi-pearled or pearled farro, allow 15-20 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid if necessary. (see note 2 for rice cooker and Instant Pot instructions)
- While the farro cooks, make the vegan parmesan cheese. Add the cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt to a spice grinder or small blender. Blend until the cashews are broken down.
- Mix the lemon juice and white balsamic vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.
- Prep the arugula, tomatoes, radishes, green onions, parsley, and mint. Add them to a medium salad bowl.
- When the farro is done, remove the lid, stir it, and let it cool for a few minutes. Then, add it to the salad bowl.
- Toss the ingredients, then mix with half the parmesan.
- Add the dressing, mix with the salad, and sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese over the salad.
Notes
- This recipe was made with whole-grain farro. You will also find it in semi-pearled or pearled varieties.
- Rice cooker farro: Add all the ingredients to your rice cooker. Set your rice cooker and cook until the liquid absorbs.
Instant Pot farro: Cook whole farro on High Pressure for 10 minutes with 5 minutes NPR. Cook semi-pearled and pearled for 7 minutes with 5 NPR. - Farro salad is best eaten fresh or within 1-2 days of making it. If you plan to eat it later, add the dressing right before serving.
- Farro is derived from whole wheat and is not gluten-free. Quinoa is the best gluten-free substitute for this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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