How To Eat Amaranth: 8 Simple Ways To Include It In Your Daily Diet

Go into the health food aisle, and you will encounter the ingredients that are ubiquitous today, such as chia seeds, quinoa, oats, and millets. But among these trendy ingredients, there is one ancient grain that is slowly but surely making a comeback to our kitchens – amaranth.

Despite its thousand-year-old tradition of cultivation, amaranth is starting to get noticed by people who are looking for wholesome and nutritious alternatives to refined products. This ancient grain is naturally gluten-free, extremely versatile, and can be used from morning porridges to baking goods.

But despite all its benefits and rising popularity, people are still often wondering:

"What should I do with amaranth?"

In contrast to oats and rice, amaranth is not an easily recognizable ingredient. However, the good news is that adding this grain to your menu is not complicated at all. In order to help you with this process, we came up with a list of eight simple ways you can incorporate amaranth into your daily eating routine.

What Is Amaranth?

The amaranth plant is an ancient pseudocereal, which means that while it is consumed as a cereal, it is not technically a grain. This pseudocereal has been grown for many centuries in India subcontinent.

It has always been praised due to its rich nutritional profile.

Though very small in size, it contains numerous nutrients and has a mild taste with nutty hints.

Today, you can buy it in different forms:

Whole amaranth grain
Amaranth flour
Popped amaranth
Amaranth puffs
Granolas
Cereals for breakfast
Crackers
Cookies

That is why this pseudocereal is considered one of the most convenient ancient grains to include in your diet.

Why Include Amaranth In Your Diet?

There is a good explanation for the fact that amaranth has been consumed over many years.

This crop contains a variety of elements which will provide a balanced diet for consumers, such as:

Plants' protein
Fiber
Iron
Magnesium
Phosphorus
Manganese

Being naturally free of gluten, amaranth serves as an alternative grain source in a gluten-free diet. However, the most valuable aspect of this grain is its versatility.

As opposed to other products, which are suitable for just one or two dishes, amaranth can be included in a number of meals.

1. Start Your Morning With An Amaranth Breakfast Bowl

Yet another delicious option that can be used when integrating amaranth into your meal plan is granola.

The popping of amaranth adds a bit of crunchiness, which fits well with oats, nuts, seeds, and dried fruits.

If you are going to prepare granola on your own or buy one from the shop, the addition of amaranth will allow you to make your breakfast more diverse and balanced.

Enjoy your granola:

In yoghurt
In smoothie bowls
In milk
With fresh fruit

It is a very simple and efficient method of including amaranth in your diet.

2. Add Amaranth To Homemade Granola

Another tasty way of incorporating amaranth in your diet is through granola.

The popped amaranth provides a crunchy texture that blends well with oats, nuts, seeds, and dried fruits.

If you decide to make granola yourself or pick some from the store, the amaranth will help you diversify your breakfast and harmonize it with other nutritious components.

Eat your granola:

Mixed with yoghurt
On smoothie bowls
Mixed with milk
On fresh fruit

It is an easy routine for making your diet amaranth-rich without much effort.

3. Blend It Into Smoothies

If you are one of those people who loves smoothies, incorporating popped amaranth or cooked amaranth into your smoothies becomes easy.

Some options to blend it with include:

Banana
Almond butter
Oats
Cocoa
Milk or milk substitutes
Cinnamon

This would give you a smoothie that’s creamy as well as thick, thus giving you the option to have it for breakfast or after exercise.

Amaranth goes very well with fruits, nuts, and seeds, making its use quite simple.

4. Use Amaranth Flour In Everyday Baking

If you like baking at home, using amaranth flour can be a great way to introduce this ancient grain into your baking.

Its nutty taste goes well with such components as cocoa, cinnamon, vanilla, nuts, and fruits, thus being used both for sweet and salty baking.

Amaranth flour can be used when baking:

Muffins
Pancakes
Cookies
Brownies
Banana bread
Crackers

As amaranth flour is not the same as wheat flour, it usually needs to be mixed with other types of flour for better results.

5. Toss Cooked Amaranth Into Salads

The texture of cooked amaranth is delightfully soft and will be a wonderful addition to any salad.

Rather than relying solely on rice and quinoa, why not try combining cooked amaranth with:

Cucumber
Cherry tomatoes
Roasted vegetables
Chickpeas
Feta cheese (if you are able to eat dairy products)
Fresh herbs
Lemon vinaigrette

It makes your salad hearty and satisfying as well as adding another whole grain to your diet.

This is also perfect for meal prepping because the cooked amaranth can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

6. Add It To Soups And Stews

Searching for an even simpler way to cook amaranth?

Combine the cooked amaranth in your soups, lentils or vegetable stews.

It will soak up the flavors perfectly while giving you a texture that adds to the fullness of your dishes.

Some suggestions of combinations are:

Tomato soup
Lentil soup
Mixed vegetable soup
Pumpkin soup
Vegetable stew

The reason being, amaranth does not have much flavor on its own.

7. Snack Smarter With Amaranth-Based Foods

A nutritious diet doesn't stop at dinner and lunch but requires careful choices of snacks, which could be easily included in the daily schedule.

Here is an extensive list of various snacks containing amaranth nowadays:

Granolas
Crackers
Cereals for breakfasts
Energy bites
Cookies
Snack bars

It becomes much more comfortable to include amaranth snacks in the diet on those days when preparing food from scratch does not seem possible.

While selecting packaged snacks, spend a couple of minutes reading the label and select products made of natural ingredients.

8. Experiment With Amaranth In Desserts

Is there any reason why ancient grains cannot be used for making desserts?

Amaranth is perfect for baking desserts due to its light, nutty taste.

It can be easily used in:

Fruit crumbles
Homemade snack bars
Cookies
Brownies
Breakfast bakes
Energy bites

Combinations of amaranth and other natural ingredients like nuts, seeds, dark chocolate or dried fruits result in tasty and nutritious desserts.

Introducing whole grains into the desserts is an easy way to try something new.

Easy Ways To Enjoy Amaranth With The Cinnamon Kitchen

Consuming amaranth need not involve cooking from scratch every time. This is where The Cinnamon Kitchen (our bakery website) comes in by introducing innovative amaranth products which are easily incorporated in your daily meals.

Our unique Berry & Banana Millet Granola contains amaranth puffs along with other healthy grains like oats, freeze-dried berries and cacao nibs. It makes a crunchy and nutritious meal that can be had with milk or yoghurt or sprinkled on top of smoothie bowls or eaten as is on the go. We also have Amaranth & Cacao Millet Cake, which is sweetened with honey and perfectfor your celebration.

For those who prefer convenient and healthier gluten-free snacks, some of our products are made using wholesome ingredients like amaranth, millets, oats, nuts and seeds. Produced in a 100% dedicated gluten-free facility and made available in various versions that include plant based and no added preservatives and artificial flavors, our products are a healthy way of eating every day.

Here's the good news! Incorporating amaranth in your diet does not necessarily require you to alter your whole dietary habits. Small changes such as including a granola with ancient grains or consuming a healthier snack can prove to be very easy for this purpose.

Small Changes Make A Big Difference

It is often assumed that making healthy dietary choices involves significant shifts.

However, it is typically the small, regular practices that matter most.

Introducing one serving of amaranth in your breakfast a couple of times a week, opting for an ancient grain snack rather than something overly processed, or trying out a new recipe are only some of the easy ways to expand your eating habits.

Eating healthily is not about following fads but finding foods that will complement your lifestyle.

Conclusion

Incorporating amaranth into your daily menu doesn’t have to involve complex procedures. You can have this versatile food in a hot breakfast bowl, sprinkled over granola, mixed into your smoothie, or incorporated in baking without many complications. It is not about changing your entire diet but rather about adopting small changes in it to enable you to consume different kinds of nutritious foods. Incorporating amaranth together with other whole foods allows you to prepare nutritious and tasty meals.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can You Eat Amaranth Every Day?

Yes, you can eat amaranth as a part of your balanced diet. Just like any other whole grain, it is better if consumed with different foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and other whole grains.

2. Does Amaranth Need To Be Soaked Before Cooking?

Soaking amaranth is optional. In fact, some people prefer to soak their amaranth grains before preparing the dish, as it allows them to save some time and enhances the quality of the recipe. Either way, it is recommended to wash the grains before cooking.

3. Is Popped Amaranth As Nutritious As Whole Amaranth?

As popped amaranth retains much of its nutritional value, it is possible to eat popped grains. But whole grains of amaranth will provide a more substantial meal due to the higher content of water. Both variants can become a part of a healthy diet depending on your needs.

4. Where Can I Buy Snacks Made With Amaranth?

Nowadays, it is not difficult to buy snacks made from amaranth in health food stores and even supermarkets. If you would like to try something more convenient, it is worth trying The Cinnamon Kitchen's Berry & Banana Millet Granola made with amaranth puffs.

So good, you’ll forget it’s

8 Simple Ways To Include Amaranth In Your Daily Diet