diff --git a/docs/resources/external_table.md b/docs/resources/external_table.md
index 8fac34ca66..3e91e2f131 100644
--- a/docs/resources/external_table.md
+++ b/docs/resources/external_table.md
@@ -14,10 +14,11 @@ description: |-
 
 ```terraform
 resource snowflake_external_table external_table {
-  database = "db"
-  schema   = "schema"
-  name     = "external_table"
-  comment  = "External table"
+  database    = "db"
+  schema      = "schema"
+  name        = "external_table"
+  comment     = "External table"
+  file_format = "TYPE = CSV FIELD_DELIMITER = '|'"
 
   column {
     name = "id"
diff --git a/examples/resources/snowflake_external_table/resource.tf b/examples/resources/snowflake_external_table/resource.tf
index 5868c2c5ca..68b9f47d04 100644
--- a/examples/resources/snowflake_external_table/resource.tf
+++ b/examples/resources/snowflake_external_table/resource.tf
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 resource snowflake_external_table external_table {
-  database = "db"
-  schema   = "schema"
-  name     = "external_table"
-  comment  = "External table"
+  database    = "db"
+  schema      = "schema"
+  name        = "external_table"
+  comment     = "External table"
+  file_format = "TYPE = CSV FIELD_DELIMITER = '|'"
 
   column {
     name = "id"
diff --git a/pkg/resources/external_table_test.go b/pkg/resources/external_table_test.go
index 087a6a9030..0cad818fc6 100644
--- a/pkg/resources/external_table_test.go
+++ b/pkg/resources/external_table_test.go
@@ -27,13 +27,13 @@ func TestExternalTableCreate(t *testing.T) {
 		"comment":     "great comment",
 		"column":      []interface{}{map[string]interface{}{"name": "column1", "type": "OBJECT", "as": "a"}, map[string]interface{}{"name": "column2", "type": "VARCHAR", "as": "b"}},
 		"location":    "location",
-		"file_format": "format",
+		"file_format": "FORMAT_NAME = 'format'",
 		"pattern":     "pattern",
 	}
 	d := externalTable(t, "database_name|schema_name|good_name", in)
 
 	WithMockDb(t, func(db *sql.DB, mock sqlmock.Sqlmock) {
-		mock.ExpectExec(`CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE "database_name"."schema_name"."good_name" \("column1" OBJECT AS a, "column2" VARCHAR AS b\) WITH LOCATION = location REFRESH_ON_CREATE = true AUTO_REFRESH = true PATTERN = 'pattern' FILE_FORMAT = \( format \) COMMENT = 'great comment'`).WillReturnResult(sqlmock.NewResult(1, 1))
+		mock.ExpectExec(`CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE "database_name"."schema_name"."good_name" \("column1" OBJECT AS a, "column2" VARCHAR AS b\) WITH LOCATION = location REFRESH_ON_CREATE = true AUTO_REFRESH = true PATTERN = 'pattern' FILE_FORMAT = \( FORMAT_NAME = 'format' \) COMMENT = 'great comment'`).WillReturnResult(sqlmock.NewResult(1, 1))
 
 		expectExternalTableRead(mock)
 		err := resources.CreateExternalTable(d, db)
diff --git a/pkg/snowflake/external_table.go b/pkg/snowflake/external_table.go
index 73f0b9abb6..c3f5394e0a 100644
--- a/pkg/snowflake/external_table.go
+++ b/pkg/snowflake/external_table.go
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ func (tb *ExternalTableBuilder) Create() string {
 		q.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf(` PATTERN = '%v'`, EscapeString(tb.pattern)))
 	}
 
-	q.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf(` FILE_FORMAT = ( %v )`, EscapeString(tb.fileFormat)))
+	q.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf(` FILE_FORMAT = ( %v )`, tb.fileFormat))
 
 	if tb.awsSNSTopic != "" {
 		q.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf(` AWS_SNS_TOPIC = '%v'`, EscapeString(tb.awsSNSTopic)))
diff --git a/pkg/snowflake/external_table_test.go b/pkg/snowflake/external_table_test.go
index 8eaa9a59fd..3e2ea06fd6 100644
--- a/pkg/snowflake/external_table_test.go
+++ b/pkg/snowflake/external_table_test.go
@@ -12,13 +12,13 @@ func TestExternalTableCreate(t *testing.T) {
 	s.WithColumns([]map[string]string{{"name": "column1", "type": "OBJECT", "as": "expression1"}, {"name": "column2", "type": "VARCHAR", "as": "expression2"}})
 	s.WithLocation("location")
 	s.WithPattern("pattern")
-	s.WithFileFormat("file format")
+	s.WithFileFormat("TYPE = CSV FIELD_DELIMITER = '|'")
 	r.Equal(s.QualifiedName(), `"test_db"."test_schema"."test_table"`)
 
-	r.Equal(s.Create(), `CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE "test_db"."test_schema"."test_table" ("column1" OBJECT AS expression1, "column2" VARCHAR AS expression2) WITH LOCATION = location REFRESH_ON_CREATE = false AUTO_REFRESH = false PATTERN = 'pattern' FILE_FORMAT = ( file format )`)
+	r.Equal(s.Create(), `CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE "test_db"."test_schema"."test_table" ("column1" OBJECT AS expression1, "column2" VARCHAR AS expression2) WITH LOCATION = location REFRESH_ON_CREATE = false AUTO_REFRESH = false PATTERN = 'pattern' FILE_FORMAT = ( TYPE = CSV FIELD_DELIMITER = '|' )`)
 
 	s.WithComment("Test Comment")
-	r.Equal(s.Create(), `CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE "test_db"."test_schema"."test_table" ("column1" OBJECT AS expression1, "column2" VARCHAR AS expression2) WITH LOCATION = location REFRESH_ON_CREATE = false AUTO_REFRESH = false PATTERN = 'pattern' FILE_FORMAT = ( file format ) COMMENT = 'Test Comment'`)
+	r.Equal(s.Create(), `CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE "test_db"."test_schema"."test_table" ("column1" OBJECT AS expression1, "column2" VARCHAR AS expression2) WITH LOCATION = location REFRESH_ON_CREATE = false AUTO_REFRESH = false PATTERN = 'pattern' FILE_FORMAT = ( TYPE = CSV FIELD_DELIMITER = '|' ) COMMENT = 'Test Comment'`)
 }
 
 func TestExternalTableUpdate(t *testing.T) {