This farro salad is a fresh and colorful blend of grains, vegetables, olives, feta cheese and herbs, all tossed in a homemade dressing. An easy and unusual salad that’s healthy and can be made in advance.

I love a good salad, and sometimes the best salads don’t even involve lettuce. When I’m looking for a way to get my veggies in, I turn to orzo salad, chickpea salad and this fabulous farro salad.

Farro Salad Recipe | Healthy Salad #salad #healthy #cleaneating #farro #dinner #dinneratthezoo Farro Salad Recipe | Healthy Salad #salad #healthy #cleaneating #farro #dinner #dinneratthezoo

Farro salad made with cuucmber, feta cheese, olives and peppers, topped with parsley.

I love looking for new ways to get my veggies in, and this farro salad is a real winner. It’s a blend of fresh veggies, chickpeas, feta cheese and olives, all tossed in the most delicious homemade vinaigrette. This salad is healthy, full of protein and will earn you rave reviews from family and friends.

What is farro?

Farro is a type of ancient wheat grain that has the hull removed. Farro is sold in the rice area of most grocery stores, and can be prepared by boiling the grains in salted water for approximately 20 minutes. Farro has a pleasant, chewy texture and mild flavor.

Dry farro in a jar.

How do you make farro salad?

To make farro salad, you will combine cooked farro with cucumbers, roasted red bell peppers, chickpeas, kalamata olives, red onions and feta cheese. Everything gets tossed together with a simple savory dressing. From there, you can either serve your salad immediately or refrigerate it for up to 6 hours.

Cooked farro, roasted peppers, chickpeas, herbs, and olives in a bowl.

Tips for farro salad

  • I like to use the small Persian cucumbers for this salad. If you can’t find this variety, use a seedless English cucumber instead.
  • I use a bottle of pre-prepared roasted peppers for convenience sake, but you can roast fresh peppers if you prefer.
  • This salad calls for parsley because it adds a fresh flavor and many people always have it on hand. If you don’t have parsley, other great herb options are dill, chives or mint.
  • Make sure to cut all your veggies into small pieces so that they blend well with the tiny grains of farro.
  • If you’re looking to save time, cook your farro in advance, up to 3 days before you plan to make this salad.

Vegetables, chickpeas and farro topped with herb dressing.

Is farro healthy?

Farro is full of nutrients! It contains plenty of fiber, protein, magnesium and zinc. It also contains a variety of antioxidant compounds which help protect against diseases. It’s a great substitute for refined grains such as white rice.

A bowl of farro salad with a serving spoon in it.

Farro Salad Variations

There are so many different ways to flavor your farro salad! Here are some of my favorite optional additions to this recipe.

  • Grilled Chicken
  • Sun Dried Tomatoes
  • Marinated Artichoke Hearts
  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Baby Spinach

Farro salad makes a great side dish, vegetarian main course, or potluck offering. It’s unexpected and unique, yet full of flavor and texture. Every time I bring this salad to an event, I get a ton of requests for the recipe!

More great salad recipes

4.98 from 36 votes

Farro Salad with Feta

AuthorSara Welch
Farro salad made with cuucmber, feta cheese, olives and peppers, topped with parsley.
This farro salad is a fresh and colorful blend of grains, vegetables, olives, feta cheese and herbs, all tossed in a homemade dressing. An easy and unusual salad that's healthy and can be made in advance.
Time
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course Salad
Cuisine Mediterranean
Serves 6

Ingredients 

  • 2 cups cooked farro
  • 1 cup cucumber diced
  • 1 cup chickpeas canned, drained then rinsed
  • 1/2 cup roasted red peppers diced
  • 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/2 cup kalamata olives sliced
  • 1/4 cup parsley chopped
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Place the farro, cucumbers, chickpeas, roasted peppers, red onion, feta cheese, olives and parsley in a large bowl.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, oregano and salt and pepper.
  • Pour the dressing over the farro mixture. Toss to coat, then serve

Notes

Make Ahead: The farro can be made up to 2 days in advance and all of the vegetables can be prepped the day before.
Little Helpers: My kids love to assemble the salad and shake up the dressing!

Nutrition

Calories: 439kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 362mg | Potassium: 561mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 980IU | Vitamin C: 14.9mg | Calcium: 190mg | Iron: 3.8mg

This post was originally published on June 4, 2015 and was updated on February 3, 2019 with new content.

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Comments

  1. I love how you presented this salad! And even though I’m not a huge fan of tomatoes, the tomatoes you used in this recipe look amazing! xoxoxo

  2. 5 stars
    What a gorgeous salad!! I LOVE everything in it, around it, above it… uhm, I think I just fell in love with a salad!

  3. This is definitely a perfect & healthy salad I need to make. It looks so fresh and delicious!

  4. 4 stars
    I love all the colors in this salad and especially think the balsamic almond drizzle is special! What a fantastic salad!

  5. I LOVEEEE kalamata olives and my husband hates them so I never buy them but I think this salad gives me the perfect excuse to toss them in the cart next time. 😉

  6. This looks so amazing..cant wait to try it, has all the ingredients I love! Thanks for sharing!

    Valerie

  7. I haven’t tried farro yet, but it’s been on my list for a while now! This salad looks fantastic, love the mediterranean flavours! Isn’t it great when your kids surprise you and like something you don’t expect them too? So much better than the opposite! 🙂

  8. 5 stars
    What a plateful of deliciousness is this gorgeous salad! With lovely colors, amazing textures and great combo of flavors – I’d say it’s perfect!