An ancient wheat with a firm, nutty bite, sold whole, semi-pearled or pearled depending on how much bran has been abraded away. Pearled cooks in 15 to 20 minutes; whole needs soaking and closer to 40.
What it does in a recipe: A robust chewy wholegrain that holds its shape in soups and salads without going soft. Pick the swap that covers that job - the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.
Also called: Emmer wheat, Pearled farro
4substitutes
2close matches
Grainscategory
Quick answer
Pearl barley
1 cup pearled farro, boiled 15 to 20 minutes = 1 cup pearl barley with 3 cups liquid, simmered 25 to 30 minutes
All substitutes, best first
4 ways to replace farro
Pearl barley
Closest match
1 cup pearled farro, boiled 15 to 20 minutes = 1 cup pearl barley with 3 cups liquid, simmered 25 to 30 minutes
Barley has almost the same chew and nutty flavour, but more free starch and a slightly tougher structure, so it takes longer and thickens its liquid.
Trade-offSlicker and starchier, and it will thicken a soup noticeably where farro leaves the broth clear.
Allergen checkBarley contains gluten, as does farro, so this swap does not help anyone avoiding it. For a gluten-free equivalent chew, use brown rice or buckwheat groats and check the packaging for a certification rather than relying on the grain name alone.
Spelt berries
Closest match
1 cup pearled farro, boiled 15 to 20 minutes = 1 cup pearled spelt, boiled 20 to 25 minutes
Spelt is another ancient wheat with a nearly identical grain structure, so pearled spelt behaves almost interchangeably with pearled farro.
Trade-offSlightly sweeter and a touch softer. In a finished salad most people would not tell them apart.
Allergen checkSpelt is a species of wheat and contains gluten, despite occasional claims to the contrary. It is unsafe for coeliac disease and for wheat allergy. Verify the label and speak to a clinician rather than experimenting.
Wheat berries
Reliable
1 cup pearled farro, boiled 15 to 20 minutes = 1 cup wheat berries, boiled 50 to 60 minutes
Wheat berries are the intact grain of common wheat with all the bran attached, so the flavour is very close but the cooking time roughly triples.
MethodAn overnight soak cuts the time by about a third. Boil them like pasta in plenty of salted water and drain.
Trade-offFirmer and more stubbornly chewy, and they never soften into a dish the way pearled farro will.
Allergen checkWheat berries are whole wheat and contain gluten. This is not a substitution for anyone with coeliac disease or a wheat allergy - those are medical conditions requiring a genuinely gluten-free grain and verified labelling.
Brown rice
Reliable
1 cup pearled farro, boiled 15 to 20 minutes = 1 cup brown rice with 2 1/4 cups liquid, simmered 45 to 50 minutes
Brown rice offers a comparable wholegrain chew and is the standard gluten-free replacement, but it cooks by absorption rather than being boiled and drained, and it takes far longer.
MethodCook it separately and stir it in at the end rather than adding raw rice to a soup - otherwise it soaks up the broth.
Trade-offSofter and rounder in flavour, and the grains break more readily under a fork.
Packets rarely say clearly whether farro is whole, semi-pearled or pearled, and the cooking time varies from 15 minutes to nearly an hour between them. If in doubt, boil it in abundant salted water like pasta and start tasting early.
At a glance
Farro in summary
Farro at a glance: category, its job in a recipe, the diets it suits, the diets its substitutes can satisfy, and how many substitutes there are.
1 cup pearled farro, boiled 15 to 20 minutes = 1 cup pearl barley with 3 cups liquid, simmered 25 to 30 minutes. Barley has almost the same chew and nutty flavour, but more free starch and a slightly tougher structure, so it takes longer and thickens its liquid. Slicker and starchier, and it will thicken a soup noticeably where farro leaves the broth clear.
Can I use spelt berries instead of farro?
1 cup pearled farro, boiled 15 to 20 minutes = 1 cup pearled spelt, boiled 20 to 25 minutes. Spelt is another ancient wheat with a nearly identical grain structure, so pearled spelt behaves almost interchangeably with pearled farro. Slightly sweeter and a touch softer. In a finished salad most people would not tell them apart.
Can I use wheat berries instead of farro?
1 cup pearled farro, boiled 15 to 20 minutes = 1 cup wheat berries, boiled 50 to 60 minutes. Wheat berries are the intact grain of common wheat with all the bran attached, so the flavour is very close but the cooking time roughly triples. Firmer and more stubbornly chewy, and they never soften into a dish the way pearled farro will.
Can I use brown rice instead of farro?
1 cup pearled farro, boiled 15 to 20 minutes = 1 cup brown rice with 2 1/4 cups liquid, simmered 45 to 50 minutes. Brown rice offers a comparable wholegrain chew and is the standard gluten-free replacement, but it cooks by absorption rather than being boiled and drained, and it takes far longer. Softer and rounder in flavour, and the grains break more readily under a fork.
Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter - confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.