Is Farro Gluten-free?

Have you come across the whole grain farro in your gluten-free diet and aren’t sure if it’s safe to enjoy? Learn if farro is safe for a gluten-free diet in this post.

Note: I am a proud Amazon, Chomps, MunkPack, and Thrive Market affiliate and am happy to recommend their service and products to you. Please know that as an affiliate, I may receive a small commission on the products you purchase after clicking through my links. For more info, please see my disclosure policy here.

If you are trying out different whole grains to add more protein or fiber to your diet, you may have come across farro. Farro is an ancient grain that has gained a bit more popularity among the health food crowd as an alternative to rice.

When you find yourself looking at a package at the store or recipes online of different healthy salads or soups to make, be sure you know this important information about farro before you buy or get started cooking.

In this post, we’re going to discuss farro and find out if it’s safe for a gluten-free diet. As many grains contain gluten, it’s important to know which ones you can include in your diet and which you’ll want to steer clear of so you can always feel your best.

Let’s start with defining farro and gluten, then answer the question: is farro gluten-free?

What is farro?

Farro is an ancient grain that has a nutty taste and chewy texture. It is full of fiber and protein, and is considered a health food for many. Farro is a term that is used to encompass other wheat sources: emmer, spelt, and einkorn.

Farro comes in a few types: pearled, semi-pearled, and whole farro. You can also find it as farro flour. Many people use it in place as an alternative to rice for its fiber, antioxidants, and minerals.

Farro can be served both warm and cold in salads, soups, pilafs, and in other side dishes. You can use it in much the same way you’d use quinoa or other whole grains.

While it isn’t an entirely popular whole grain, it has gained more popularity as other ancient grains have come into the health world, like quinoa and buckwheat.

What is gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in most wheat products, and acts as the “glue” that helps to hold wheat, barley, kamut, spelt, farro, durum, bulgur, rye, and semolina together to maintain their shape. 

Gluten is naturally occurring, and therefore is impossible to strip away from the grain. If a grain naturally has gluten in it, there’s no way to make that food gluten-free.

Is farro gluten-free?

Farro is a grain that comes from the wheat family, so it contains gluten and is not gluten-free. If you follow a gluten-free diet, you’ll want to steer clear of this grain.

Farro is a term used to describe three different types of wheat: emmer, spelt, and einkorn. Unfortunately, none of these are gluten-free.

Farro Substitutes

If you find yourself with a recipe that calls for farro, you can opt to use another gluten-free grain in its place. Try rice, millet, quinoa, or buckwheat in your recipes instead in soups, salads, and side dishes.

If you’ve found yourself looking for different whole grains to add to your diet, you will want to steer clear of farro if you are on a gluten-free diet. 

While this grain offers plenty of health benefits, this ingredient contains gluten and you will likely feel sick if you have a gluten allergy or intolerance. Opt instead for an alternative to farro, like those listed above, to be sure you feel your best all the time.

If you loved this post, I hope that you’ll share it with your friends on Facebook and pin it for future reference on Pinterest.