Pressure Cooker Farro and Cherry Salad

Pressure Cooker Farro and Cherry Salad showcases farro’s nutty chewy texture and the sweet-tart flavor of fresh and dried cherries. Bits of piquant mint and green onion and a lemon dressing balance this vibrant satisfying salad. Making farro in an Instapot is quick and easy! This farro salad recipe is perfect to serve on its own or as a side dish.

Hi there. I’m Letty from Letty’s Kitchen, the blog about seasonal vegetarian cooking and desserts with a healthier twist. Thanks Barbara for sharing some of my pressure cooker recipes here!

What is Farro?

Farro is the Italian word for ancient hulled wheat. This old-world grain looks a lot like wheat or spelt or einkorn berries, all of which are capturing the attention of food lovers these days, and all of which require long cooking times to soften the kernels. A pressure cooker cuts the cooking time of farro in half.

How to make Farro in an Instant Pot

An Instant Pot is one of the most popular brands of electric pressure cookers. They are easy to use and your Instant Pot can help you create this delicious Farro and Cherry Salad recipe! If you are a new Instant Pot user, these tips on Getting Started with Your Electric Pressure Cooker will help you master your new (and soon to be favorite) appliance.

To make the pressure cooker farro salad recipe, I used organic, whole grain Emmer farro, from Bluebird Grain Farms in Washington State. The farro cooks into a plump chewy berry with hints of cashew nuts and cinnamon—the best! You can substitute spelt berries or wheat berries in this recipe.

I love cherries! My husband Robbie loves how the tender farro nuggets feel on his tongue. This unusual salad surprised us both. With every component adding a different flavor note, we kept singing farro and cherry salad praise. I’m excited that this is the first Instant Pot recipe I get to share with you here on Pressure Cooking Today.

Pressure Cooker Farro and Cherry Salad Recipe Notes:

• Cooking time depends on which farro you use. Without a pressure cooker, whole grain farro, the most nutritious, takes at least 2 hours to cook.
• Plan ahead, and soak the grains overnight for even faster (about 20 minutes) pressure cooking. (I’ve read that soaking makes the grain more digestible as well, though I’ve never soaked farro before cooking.)
• Pearled or semi-pearled farro have all or some of the germ and bran, the outside husk, removed. Follow the package instructions for pearled farro—using the pressure cooker cut the cooking time in half.
• I cooked my farro the day before—so it was ready when it was time to make the salad.
• You can order organic Emmer Farro direct from Bluebird Grain Farms. Sometimes Whole Foods carries it.
• You might also enjoy this Summer Harvest Salad with Chickpeas and Farro. Or this Farro and Hearty Greens Soup.
• Inspiration for this recipe comes from a recipe for Fruited Grain Salad in Mollie Katzen’s Still Life with Menu cookbook.

Continue to Content

Pressure Cooker Farro and Cherry Salad

Yield: 4 ½ cups salad

Print

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw whole grain farro
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
• ¼ cup finely minced chives or green onions
• 8 or 10 mint leaves, minced
• 2 cups cherries, pitted and cut in half

Instructions

Rinse farro. Put in the pressure cooker pot with 3 cups water. Lock the lid in place and cook on high pressure 40 minutes. Quick release the pressure. The grain should be plump and tender, but chewy.

Drain the farro. (If you wish, save the extra liquid for soup stock.) Put the cooked farro in a bowl. Stir in vinegar, lemon juice, oil, salt, dried cherries, chives and mint. Refrigerate until cold. Just before serving, stir in fresh cherries.

Pin It: