What Is Amaranth?

When I was a kid, if we had a grain served with a meal, it was almost always rice. And if there was some sort of choice in the rice, it was white rice or brown rice. And if we were going out to eat, sometimes there was fried rice. But these days, there’s a whole slew of grain options. By now you’ve probably heard of quinoa or farro, but there’s still more to discover—like amaranth! What is amaranth grain? What is amaranth used for? How do you eat amaranth? Let’s dig into this!

What is amaranth?

Amaranth is basically an edible weed. Sounds tasty! Amaranth is sometimes called pigweed or Chinese spinach. It was a staple crop of the Incan, Mayan, and Aztec civilizations. It grows as a leafy vegetable in hot, humid climates and, today, is popular in Africa, India, China, Russia, and South America. It’s nutrient rich, but you have to cook those greens before you eat them.

That’s amaranth the plant, but what is amaranth grain? 

Amaranth grain is technically not a grain, it’s a seed. Amaranth seed is technically a pseudocereal used like a grain. Buckwheat and quinoa are also pseudocereals. Amaranth seeds can be used whole or ground down into a flour. Amaranth flour is pretty popular these days because it’s gluten-free. That’s right, amaranth is gluten-free. 

What is amaranth used for?

Amaranth is popular in grain-free recipes. It’s also popular because it’s so freaking nutrient rich. Amaranth has more protein than wheat and it is high in fiber while staying low in calories. All that is great, but how do you eat amaranth? You can cook the seeds and eat it the same way you would rice or quinoa. You can also cook it in more liquid and make a breakfast porridge. You can even pop amaranth like popcorn! Put some of that popped amaranth on your salad. 

Amaranth flour can be used in baked goods, the same way you would use any other flour. But make sure you use less amaranth flour, as it’s pretty dense and will make your baked goods heavy as heck. Or just put a little amaranth in whatever gluten-free flour you’re using for some extra flavor.

What does amaranth taste like?

Amaranth tastes nutty and herbal with a hint of pepper. Amaranth seeds have a nice, crunchy texture that is a lot like quinoa. Popped amaranth tastes even nuttier. If you somehow manage to find amaranth leaves, they have their own, unique, kind of swampy taste. Cooked amaranth leaves are very much like broccoli rabe without the bitter flavor.