Thankfully, there are a few ways to incorporate amaranth into your diet. You can eat it in its whole form or ground as a flour. It’s a naturally gluten-free grain, so people with gluten sensitivities or celiac disease can eat it safely. Jackson does warn that if you choose to use amaranth flour, you’ll want to mix it with another type of flour, such as wheat, rice, or tapioca, to make it suitable for leavened breads. The blend will also mellow out the nutty flavor of amaranth, making it more palatable and less grainy.
To cook amaranth, you’ll use a method similar to cooking rice. “Amaranth cooks best with a ratio of one and a half cups of liquid to half a cup dry amaranth,” Harlow suggests. You will boil the water, add the grain, and cook it until the liquid is absorbed into the grain, which is about 20 minutes.
Jackson says a few go-to ways to include amaranth is to use it as a natural thickener for stews, soups, and chilis. “It also makes a highly nutritious breakfast porridge if simply cooked and topped with nuts, fruit, and honey.”
We love amaranth in a chocolatey, coconutty breakfast dish like this mood-boosting breakfast bowl. Or add a scoop of amaranth to a salad like this tuna Niçoise variety. Or if you want to keep it plain and simple, serve a cup of this grain alongside your favorite protein and veggie for a nutritionally dense dinner. The options are endless!
