Breakfast Farro | Easy Instant Pot recipe
This Instant Pot Brown Sugar Raisin Farro is ultra creamy, satisfying, and full of whole grains for a delicious family breakfast on a chilly morning.
Why You’ll Love Farro for Breakfast
This is a flavorful morning porridge recipe made in a big batch that the entire family loves. It’s make-ahead friendly and freezes well, plus you can use any of your favorite mix-ins and sweeteners.
Farro is a healthy ancient grain that’s full of fiber and has a delicious nutty flavor. If you haven’t tried it for breakfast, you’re going to love this creamy porridge made in an Instant Pot with a touch of sweetness.
We love making farro in the Instant Pot, so be sure to read our how-to post for the best pointers and tips for making perfectly cooked grains every time.
Update: We make this delicious farro for breakfast all fall and winter, so we’ve updated the post with new photos and tips to help you make it at home!
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED
Here’s what you need for creamy and delicious brown sugar and raisin farro in the Instant Pot:
- Butter. Use unsalted to better control the seasoning of your porridge.
- Farro. We usually try to use par- or pre-cooked farro from Trader Joe’s, but see below for instructions if you can only find whole farro.
- Raisins. You can certainly use any dried fruit you like.
- Brown sugar. Light or brown both work well.
- Vanilla. Use the pure stuff for the best flavor.
- Cinnamon. This adds a touch of warming spice.
What are some other good toppings for breakfast farro?
I know not everyone is a fan of raisins. We love raisins, but try any dried fruit, such as chopped dehydrated apples (the soft ones), dates, apricots, golden raisins, cherries, or cranberries. Sliced fresh fruit also works really well.
For crunch, add chopped almonds, walnuts, pistachios, or hazelnuts. Or add a swirl of your favorite nut butter.
Instead of brown sugar, you can sweeten your breakfast farro with maple syrup, honey, or regular granulated sugar.
How to Make Breakfast Farro in an Instant Pot
✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
Start by toasting the farro grains. Melt the butter using the Sauté feature in the pressure cooking pot. Add the farro and cook, stirring the grains, until they’re toasty-smelling, about three minutes.
Next, pour in the water, along with the raisins, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Lock the lid on the pot and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Release the pressure naturally for 5 minutes, then finish with a quick pressure release.
Remove the lid and stir the porridge to combine everything well. Serve your farro with extra brown sugar and a splash of milk or cream!
Important Tips for Making Brown Sugar Farro
- We used to use Trader Joe’s farro here because it is parboiled, which means it’s partially cooked. However, it’s been much harder to find lately. If you can’t find pre-cooked farro, you can follow the recipe as written and simply use a 10-minute cook time with 3 cups of water.
- One of our readers, Shirley, sent us a helpful comment about freezing leftover farro: “When I make something like Farro or steel-cut oats the recipes usually make 4 to 6 servings. I live alone and that amount usually makes 6 or more servings for me. I freeze it in reusable muffin liners in a cupcake pan, usually overnight. When it’s frozen solid I dump them in a zip bag and can then take out one at a time.”
- Raisin haters can use any other dried fruit or omit them altogether. I especially love using chopped dried apple rings.
- Note that dried fruit absorbs liquids as it cools, so you may need to add extra milk if you’re reheating farro later.
Frequently Asked Questions about Instant Pot Breakfast Farro
Yes, you can cool and store the farro in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. To serve, you may need to add a splash of milk and reheat it on the stove.
The grain will also freeze well. Freeze cooled farro for up to 6 months, then defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat in the morning. This is a great make-ahead breakfast recipe!
You can use pearled, par-cooked (sometimes labeled pre-cooked), or whole raw farro in your Instant Pot. Raw, whole farro will have a slightly longer cooking time, though. Pearled farro simply means that the grains have been processed slightly more so they’re smaller and cook faster.
MORE Instant Pot Breakfast Recipes
Here are some other delicious ways to use your pressure cooker in the morning:
- Creamy Instant Pot Oatmeal is perfectly creamy, satisfying, and warm, plus you can use any toppings you like!
- Lemon Cranberry Breakfast Farro has a bright, fruity flavor from fresh fruit and sweet-tart dried cranberries.
- Breakfast Quinoa is a delicious porridge made from high-protein grains.
Do you LOVE this recipe?
Leave us a review below to tell us why!
Breakfast Farro | Instant Pot recipe
Ingredients
Regular pearled farro
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup pearled farro rinsed well and drained
- 3 cups water
- 1/4 cup raisins optional
- 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup packed brown sugar plus more for serving
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus more for serving
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Splash of milk optional, for serving
Parcooked Farro
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 package 8.8 oz. pre-cooked Farro (we use Trader Joe’s)
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup raisins optional
- 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup packed brown sugar plus more for serving
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus more for serving
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Splash of milk optional, for serving
Instructions
- Select Sauté and melt the butter in the pressure cooking pot. When melted, stir in the farro and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
- Add water, raisins (if using), brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Select High Pressure and 10 minutes cook time (5 minutes if using parcooked farro). When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes (5 minutes if using parcooked), then finish with a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove lid. Stir until smooth.
- Serve topped with additional brown sugar and a splash of milk.
Nutrition
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I loved the flavour but found 3 cups of water to be far too much! The farro (not the parboiled variety) was well-drained after rinsing, but when the NR time was up there was at least an extra cup of liquid. Not wanting to lose the flavour by draining it, I sautéed it for a while to reduce the liquid. I also found 2 T of brown sugar to be pretty sweet, but that’s just personal preference. In checking other recipes, most recommend only 1.75 cups to 2 cups of water to 1 cup of farro, so I’ll know for next time. The bag of farro recommended 3 cups water to 1 cup farro for stovetop cooking, so it must need less for the instant pot since there is no moisture loss during cooking. Thanks for the recipe. With the adjustments, it will be a nice change from oatmeal!
Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, change up the recipe to suit your tastes.
I found the Farro on Amazon
i DONT HAVE AN iSTANT pRESSURE COOKER, BUT i DO HAVE MY REGULAR pRESSURE COOK, TELL ME HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIOPE IN MY OKLD RESSURE COOKER?? lUCY 1405@AOL.COMER THAT i HAVE BEEN USING FOR 10 YEARS, cvAN COOK THIS FARRO RECIPE IN MY OLD PRESSURE COOKER, IF SO
,
Yes, you can cook electric pressure cooker recipes in a stove top pressure cooker. Just start a timer when your pressure cooker is at pressure because an electric pressure cooker doesn’t start counting down the time until it’s a pressure. You may need to add more liquid depending on how much steam is released while regulating your pressure cooker because electric pressure cookers lose very little and regulate the pressure cooker automatically.
What modifications to the recipe are recommended for uncooked farro?
Hi Jeff – here’s a link for my recipe for uncooked farro https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-lemon-cranberry-breakfast-farro/ – it uses a 20 minute cook time. Enjoy!
I finally tried this recipe and it was absolutely delicious! It’ll be my new go-to breakfast, I can cook up a batch and eat it during the week for breakfast. It would make a nice dessert too, the flavor is so yummy.
That’s great – thanks Sheila!
When I make something like Farro or steal cut oats the recipes usually make 4 to 6 servings. I live alone and that amount usually makes 6 or more servings for me. I freeze it in re-usable muffin liners in a cupcake pan, usually overnight . When it’s frozen solid I dump them in a zip bag and can then take out one at a time.
HI. I AM ALREADY SIGNED UP. THERE IS SOMETHING “BOTHERING ME” IN THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE FARRO. YOU START OUT WITH THE BROWING/SAUTÉ BUTTON, I AM NOT SURE I HAVE THAT BUT THERE IS A SAUTÉ BUTTON. NO PROBLEM. THEN WHEN YOU ADD THE REST OF THE STUFF AND SEAL IT UP AND COOK FOR FIVE MIN., HI PRESSURE, DO YOU LEAVE IT ON SAUTÉ/BROWNING, COVERED AND SEALED, FOR THOSE FIVE MINUTES?
Hi Vilma – no, use a pressure cooking button to pressure cook it on high pressure for 5 minutes. If you have an older Instant Pot you can use the manual button or the pressure cook button on newer Instant Pots and Fagors. If you don’t have a pressure cook button on yours, any of the pressure cooking buttons with a 5 minute cook time will work. Enjoy!
I’ve seen farro at the grocery store but never tried it. Now that I know it can be made in the pressure cooker and used for breakfast I’ll look and see what all they have to choose from. Thanks Barbara!