Apple Spinach Farro Salad
Gorgeous Apple Spinach Farro Salad made with hearty farro, crisp apples, fresh spinach, crunchy pecans, and sweet cranberries, all tossed in a zesty lemon vinaigrette. This vegetarian dish is full of flavor and easy to customize with your favorite protein. A fall-inspired recipe that’s perfect as a light lunch or a festive side dish.
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A Note from Kim
Fall in a Bowl
This Apple Spinach Farro Salad is really getting me in the mood for all things fall! It has all the right blends of contrasting textures and flavors — crunchy and chewy, sweet and sharp. Crisp, slightly tart apples are combined with chewy farro, sweet cranberries, and crunchy chopped pecans for an incredible dish. Every time I bring this salad to a gathering, I get a ton of requests for the recipe! And you better believe, it will be on my holiday table!
Looking for more apple recipes? Try a warm and buttery apple crisp, a fluffy stack of apple pancakes, or soft and chewy apple cookies. For an easy make-ahead option, my apple cinnamon overnight oats are always a cozy favorite!
With love (and lots of good eats), 
Loved this! I did a mix of farro and brown rice since I didn’t have enough farro. I added arugula and apple and sweet potato and chickpeas. Soooo goood and cleaned out the fridge. Thank you!
— Jenn
Ingredients Needed
For this farro salad recipe, we’re using seasonal ingredients that are so delicious this time of year! Here’s everything you’ll need to make it:
- Farro. The wonderful nutty flavor and chewy texture pairs so well with all of the other ingredients. You can definitely sub another favorite grain, such as rice, quinoa, or barley for the salad base.
- Spinach. There’s something about apples and spinach together in this salad that just makes sense. Feel free to do half arugula and half spinach for a little more zing if you’d like!
- Apple. Grab your favorite super juicy apple to add natural sweetness. We like pink lady or Honeycrisp apples best. Chop the apple into small bite-sized pieces instead of slices, if preferred.
- Pecans. For the perfect, nutty crunch.
- Dried cranberries. The chewy sweetness is SO delicious in every bite. Use craisins or dried cherries, if that’s what you have.
- Green onions. A nice savory balance to the sweetness of the apples and cranberries. Red onion or shallots can stand in for a stronger punch.
- Parsley. Fresh herbs always add that something special to any dish. Fresh basil or mint would also add a fun, herbaceous note depending on the flavor direction you want.
- Feta. The creamy, salty flavor feta gives to the salad is absolutely fabulous. You can also use goat cheese for a little more tang, or even gorgonzola or blue cheese crumbles. Omit to keep this recipe dairy free and vegan.
- Homemade lemon vinaigrette. An easy dressing made with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, dijon mustard, salt & pepper. Swap lemon for apple cider vinegar if you’re out, or add a drizzle of honey for extra sweetness.
Flavor Remix Ideas
There are so many different ways to customize your farro salad! Here are some of my favorite easy swaps.
- Dried fruit. Instead of cranberries you could also use dried cherries or even golden raisins.
- Nuts. Feel free to use pistachios, walnuts or almonds instead of pecans for a different flavor.
- Add protein. If you’re not vegan or vegetarian and you want to add a bit more protein to this salad, you could add diced or shredded cooked chicken.
- Other mix-ins. Feel free to add in other ingredients you may have in your kitchen. Roasted chickpeas, diced avocado, marinated artichokes would all be amazing added to this dish!
Apple Spinach Farro Salad
Ingredients
For the farro
- 1 1/2 cups farro, (not quick cooking, sometimes called Pearled Italian)
- 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
For the lemon vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, (juice from about 1 lemon)
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 cup olive oil
For the salad
- 3-4 cups cooked farro, from above
- 2 handfuls baby spinach
- 1 medium pink lady, gala, or honey crisp apple, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries or craisins
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions, including mostly green stem
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup feta, shaved parmesan, or blue cheese, optional
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Instructions
- Rinse farro in cold water with a fine mesh sieve. Cook all farro ingredients in a rice cooker on brown rice setting, or bring all ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan, then reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer 30-45 minutes until liquid is absorbed and farro is light, soft and fluffy. Drain any remaining liquid, but don’t rinse. Allow farro to cool slightly.
- While farro is cooking, whisk the dressing ingredients together until well blended.
- To make the salad, add cooled (room temp or slightly warm is best) farro to a large bowl. Mix in salad ingredients, except cheese. Drizzle dressing over the salad a little at a time while stirring salad. You may have a little dressing leftover. Top with cheese and mix.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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How to Cook Farro
Making farro for farro salad is really easy. You’ll just need to make sure you allow time for it to fully cook, since it can take up to about 40 minutes, depending on the variety of farro. It’s similar to cooking quoina, but takes a bit longer.
- Rinse the farro.
- Add broth (or water) in a 1:2 ratio of farro:liquid to a medium saucepan. I like to also cook the farro in a bit of butter for extra flavor, but this is optional.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 30-45 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Alternatively, if you have a rice cooker you can cook the farro in that on the brown rice setting.
- Remove from heat and allow farro to cool slightly or completely before adding it to the salad.
How to Make Farro Salad
Once the farro is cooked and the vinaigrette is made, this salad comes together in under 5 minutes!
Step 1. To make the farro salad, add cooled (room temp or slightly warm is best) farro to a large bowl. Mix in salad ingredients, except cheese.
Step 2. Drizzle dressing over the salad a little at a time while stirring salad. You may have a little dressing leftover. Top with cheese and mix.
Kim’s Recipe Tips
- Cooking the farro. Cook times vary depending on whether you’re using pearled, semi-pearled, or whole farro. Always check the package directions, and start testing for doneness around the 15-minute mark.
- Multitask while it cooks. While the farro simmers, whisk up the dressing, slice the apple, chop the parsley, and measure out the cheese and cranberries.
- Toast the pecans. Heat them in a dry skillet over medium, stirring often, until golden and fragrant (about 4–6 minutes). Keep an eye on them, they can burn fast! Freshly toasted nuts add incredible flavor and crunch.
- Make ahead friendly. You can cook the farro up to 3 days in advance. Store it in the fridge until you’re ready to toss the salad together.
- Dress it your way. Use as much or as little vinaigrette as you prefer. A light drizzle is often all you need.
- Serving options. Enjoy this salad warm, at room temperature, or chilled for up to 8 hours after assembling. It tastes amazing no matter how you serve it!
Frequently Asked Questions
Pearled farro cooks the quickest and is most commonly found in stores, while semi-pearled and whole farro take longer but have a chewier texture and slightly nuttier flavor. Any type works—just adjust the cooking time.
Yes! Swap farro with gluten-free grains like quinoa, brown rice, or wild rice for a similar hearty texture.
Yes, the first step when cooking farro is always to rinse it to remove any dust remaining after processing. The dust left in the grain can make it get gummy or sticky when cooked.
Leftovers & Meal Prep
Once dressed, this apple spinach farro salad doesn’t stay fresh much more than about a day. The dressing makes the spinach soggy and the apple slices may begin to brown and lose texture. I’d recommend only dressing what you will enjoy the same day.
Meal prep tip. To make this salad in advance for the week. Store ingredients separately and then add them together just before enjoying. Alternatively, mix all ingredients except for the dressing and use a heartier salad green, like kale or collard greens instead of the spinach. Spinach is delicious in this, but it does wilt quickly. Another option is to keep the greens to the side of the salad and mix them in just before serving.
More Tasty Salad Recipes
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Loved this! I did a mix of farro and brown rice since I didn’t have enough farro. I added arugula and apple and sweet potato and chickpeas. Soooo goood and cleaned out the fridge. Thank you!
Such a colourful and hearty salad. I loved the crnaberries and nuts in it.
Every time I take this to a potluck at least one person will ask for the recipe. It’s always a hit. I usually use shaved Parmesan simply because of personal preference. Sometimes I will put a bowl of pomegranate arils on the side for added topping if desired. Also, another farro salad recipe I tried recommended adding apple cider vinegar to your water or broth when cooking your farro. I have been doing this ever since and love it this way. I don’t measure but I would say I add about 1(ish) Tablespoons of vinegar.
That’s so awesome to hear! Thanks so much for your feedback!
A delicious hearty salad that’s fit for entertaining.
I made this for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it! Such a great recipe!
This salad was a huge hit with my family and I’ve made it several times. Love all the different flavors and textures.
I made this last night. It was absolutely delicious. The dressing was perfect and it is so adaptable to whatever you have on hand.
Had this for lunch today. So yummy and healthy and filling.
Made this for Thanksgiving! So delicious. Held up for leftovers too.
This salad is amazing. I make it every year for an annual fall party I throw and it’s the highlight of the night. All my friends say they look forward to this salad each year. This is definitely on my favorites list.
I made this tonight as a side dish for chicken. We loved it! Thank you for this recipe. It’s a new family favorite.
Looks delicious. Saving this one! Just curious–why do you recommend not using quick-cooking farro?
You can definitely use quick-cooking Farro… I just really like the extra chewiness of longer cooking farro. Hope you get a chance to give it a try.
This salad was the perfect fall salad! And a great way to make use of our apples after apple picking!!