Is farro gluten-free?

Updated November 9, 2026

Why farro isn’t gluten-free

Gluten is a mix of proteins in wheat, barley, rye and crossbreeds of those grains. Farro isn’t a relative of wheat or a look-alike: it is wheat. The Whole Grains Council describes emmer, the grain most often sold as farro, as an ancient strain of wheat. In Italy the name stretches to two more: einkorn is farro piccolo, “little farro”, and spelt is farro grande, “big farro”.

The Celiac Disease Foundation lists farro, emmer, einkorn and spelt by name among the wheat varieties that contain gluten. And the FDA’s rule for the words “gluten-free” on a package starts with the grain: a food made with a gluten-containing grain can’t use them.

Is pearled farro any different?

No. Whole farro has its bran, semi-pearled has some of it polished off, and pearled has none, which is why pearled cooks fastest. None of that changes what the grain is. Soaking it overnight or cooking it longer doesn’t either.

What to use instead of farro

Farro is usually in a dish for its chew, so the best swaps are grains that stay firm. Here’s what Gluten’s recipe checker says about each one for three diets that often end up at the same table.

• Sorghum is the closest to farro: round and chewy, and it holds its shape in soup. It takes longer to cook, so start it first.
• Brown rice is the easy one for a skillet or a grain bowl. Short-grain is the chewiest.
• Buckwheat groats aren’t wheat, despite the name. They cook quickly and turn soft, so they suit a warm breakfast bowl better than a salad.
• Quinoa is smaller and lighter, and good in a cold salad. See is quinoa gluten-free? for what to check on the bag.
• Wild rice and millet stand in well in soups and pilafs.
• For AIP, which leaves out every grain, use cauliflower rice or cubes of roasted sweet potato. The AIP food list has the rest.

Not swaps: barley, spelt, freekeh and bulgur. Barley has gluten of its own, and the other three are wheat. For celiac disease, buy the gluten-free grains with “gluten-free” on the bag, which in the US means under 20 parts per million of gluten, and skip bulk bins. The Celiac Disease Foundation advises against them because of cross-contact.

Is farro low-FODMAP, or OK for a wheat allergy?

Not for a wheat allergy: farro is wheat. US labels have to name wheat when a food has it, either in the ingredient list or in a “Contains” line, so look there. Treat the words farro, emmer, einkorn and spelt as wheat wherever you read them.

For low-FODMAP, Gluten’s checker rules farro out with the rest of the wheat family. Monash University says the main FODMAPs in grain foods are fructans, and names wheat-based foods among those rich in them. Low-FODMAP goes by serving size, so if you’re working through it with a dietitian, go by them and the Monash app.

Where farro turns up

• Grain bowls and salads at restaurants and deli counters, where there’s no label. Ask which grain it is.
• Soups. Farro and barley both go into bean and vegetable soups. The Celiac Disease Foundation notes that many soups contain barley.
• “Ancient grain” blends, multigrain breads, cereals and pilaf mixes. Read the ingredients for farro, emmer, einkorn, spelt, kamut and freekeh, which are all wheat.
• “Wheat-free” isn’t the same as gluten-free, and it works the other way too: a bag that doesn’t say wheat on the front can still be farro.

Our farro recipes, and what to cook instead

We have three farro recipes, and Gluten’s checker marks each one “Not as written” for celiac disease: blueberry almond breakfast farro, a vegetarian farro skillet and a roasted beet and farro salad. In the skillet, farro is the only ingredient the checker stops at for celiac disease, so a gluten-free grain is the one change to make. Cook it by its own package time, and read the broth’s label.

Or start from a recipe that’s gluten-free already: a sorghum bowl with black beans and avocado, a chickpea, squash and quinoa pilaf, a turkey and brown rice skillet, or a mushroom risotto for nights you’d have made farro risotto. There are more under celiac recipes and gluten-free dinner ideas.

When only one person at the table can’t have it

You don’t need two dinners. Cook the grain everyone can eat, or keep the farro in its own pot with its own spoon and strainer. Add your family to the Gluten app with each person’s allergies and diets: it checks every recipe for each of them and tells you what to change for anyone who can’t eat it as written. To check one food or an ingredient list right now, use the free food allergy checker.