HeySolids
Choking risk
Farro is a low choking risk cooked very soft - the grains clump together and press flat easily, which is what makes them manageable.
The catch is that farro cooks chewier than most grains: undercooked, the grains stay firm and springy, which is harder for a baby to handle. Cook it well past the chewy stage, and serve it moist and clumped or stirred into other foods, never as loose dry grains.See how to serve for age-by-age prep.
Allergens
Farro is a type of wheat - despite sometimes sitting on the shelf like an alternative to it - and wheat is a common food allergen. There's no reason to delay it, though: waiting doesn't prevent allergies, and allergens can start alongside other solids from around 6 months.[2]
If your baby has severe eczema or an existing food allergy, check with your pediatrician before starting allergens. Start with about 1/4 teaspoon of very soft-cooked farro mixed into a familiar food, earlier in the day, not near bedtime - and make sure everything else in the bowl is already familiar too, so wheat is the only new food that day. Watch for a reaction over the next couple of hours. Build up gradually from there, and keep wheat in the diet a few times a week.[3]
If baby refuses
If the chewy grains are tricky, cook farro softer with extra water and stir it through a mild sauce, a little olive oil, or mashed vegetables so it clumps and is easier to gather. Cooked as a porridge with baby's usual milk and a little fruit puree, it often wins them over.
How to serve
6+ months old
Moist farro blended or mixed into puree or mash
Spoon-fed, or pressed into a soft patty
Serve farro cooked very soft and moist, never as loose dry grains. Blend or stir it into a smooth puree or mash, or mix it with mashed vegetables so the grains cling together and scoop easily - or press moist cooked farro into a soft patty for baby to pick up, or pre-load a spoon.
Pearled farro cooks softest, which makes it the right bag at this stage. Skip the salt, and skip stock cubes and jarred sauces too - most carry a lot of it. If wheat is already in baby's diet through bread or pasta, farro needs no special introduction - just the soft cooking.
How to cook
Simmer in plenty of plain water - about 1 part farro to 2.5 parts water - until very soft: roughly 25 to 30 minutes for pearled, 40 to 45 for whole-grain, and well past the chewy stage either way. Drain, then blend or mash with a little cooking water or baby's usual milk so it stays moist.
9+ months old
Soft cooked farro clumped for scooping
Small spoonfuls or soft clumps
As the pincer grasp develops, keep farro very soft and clumped, stirred through soft vegetables, a low-salt sauce, or a risotto-style dish so it holds together for scooping and picking-up practice. Pressing the cooked grains together with the back of a fork helps them stick. Offer a spoon or fork to play with, but don't worry if baby still gathers it by hand.
How to cook
Simmer in plenty of plain water - about 1 part farro to 2.5 parts water - until very soft: roughly 25 to 30 minutes for pearled, well past the chewy stage. Stir through a little olive oil, butter, or a low-salt sauce so the grains stay moist and bind together. Cook it in plain water rather than stock unless the stock is homemade with no salt.
12+ months old
Farro as a side or salad with soft vegetables
Served as part of a meal
Serve farro as a side or a soft grain salad with cooked vegetables, herbs, and a little oil, or stir it into family soups, stews, and risotto-style bowls, and let your toddler practice with a fork or spoon.
One check when the pot is for everyone: farro served al dente for the grown-ups stays too chewy for a toddler - take baby's share out and simmer it a few minutes more, until it presses easily. Cook family dishes without added salt and season the grown-ups' bowls at the table.
How to cook
Simmer in plenty of plain water - about 1 part farro to 2.5 parts water - until very soft, well past the chewy stage, then stir through olive oil and soft cooked vegetables. Whole-grain farro keeps more of the bran and fiber but cooks much chewier, so if you use it, give it the full 40 to 45 minutes and then some. Cook it in plain water rather than stock unless the stock is homemade with no salt.