Amaranth on a Gluten Free Diet

Amaranth is a pseudocereal grain, which means that it doesn’t belong to the Poaceae grass family like “true” cereal grains (such as oats and millet), but it has a similar nutritional profile and is used in much the same way. It is indigenous to the Americas (Mexico, Central America and the South American Andes), where it has been cultivated for 8000 years. 

Botanically, amaranth is a distant relative of the renowned superfood spinach, which is perhaps where its remarkably iron-rich content comes from. Nutritionally, however, amaranth is a superfood in its own right, as not only does it contain an impressive array of essential vitamins and minerals, but, like its pseudocereal siblings quinoa and buckwheat, it is a protein powerhouse: it contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a complete protein.  

As a crop, amaranth’s weed-like properties mean it can thrive in less-than-ideal soil and drought-like conditions. This hardiness and low need for water give amaranth yet another advantage: it is eco-friendly too.  

Amaranth flour is the edible flour made from milling amaranth seeds into a fine powder. As whole grain amaranth seeds are used to make the flour, it is just as nutritious as the grains themselves. Using amaranth flour in your dough mix, therefore, is an excellent way of boosting the nutrient value of your bakes. 

Also like its pseudocereal siblings, amaranth is 100% naturally gluten free. So we can add “fully safe for coeliac patients” to the already long list of health and environmental benefits that this ancient super grain offers. 

You can find amaranth in seed, flour and flake form. Amaranth seeds are tiny. At one millimetre in diameter, they are the second smallest grains behind teff. They are usually sand-coloured when raw and resemble a light brown caviar when cooked. 

However, that small size is not representative of amaranth’s impact in taste. The ancient superfood has a mild, nutty, earthy, slightly peppery flavour that’s great for adding a subtle je ne sais quoi to any meal. 

Amaranth is highly versatile and is widely used in its intact seed form, as a flour and even popped like popcorn. In fact, popped amaranth is the main ingredient alongside honey in a popular sweet snack known as Alegría (“Joy” in Spanish) in Mexico, where it’s often eaten as a traditional day of the dead treat. Popped amaranth is also gaining popularity for its use as a breakfast cereal, in granola bars and as a nutritious salad topping.  

As a whole grain it can be used to make porridge and polenta-style recipes, served as a side and blended into soups as a thickener. As a flour it can be used to fortify most bakes, while its seeds can also be used to extract amaranth oil. 

Just like the grains that go into it, amaranth flour is 100% naturally gluten free, and its mild taste makes it a popular option for gluten free breads, muffins, crackers and pancakes. Amaranth flour is best used in combination with other gluten free flours to get the optimum consistency and texture. We recommend mixing it with a blend of maize, rice and buckwheat flour, which is the way we use amaranth flour in our own recipes. 

You will find amaranth flour and flakes in some of your favourite Schär products. From breakfast through to dinner, we’ve got your amaranth needs covered. Amaranth flakes are part of what makes our fruit and choco müslis so wholesome and delicious.

Amaranth is a great way to boost the nutritional content of any meal, but only if you cook it first. Raw amaranth contains components that block the absorption of certain nutrients, but which can be removed through heating. So either toast the whole amaranth seeds or boil them in twice their volume of stock for around 35 minutes to get the full goodness out of this grain. Even with the boiling method, toasting beforehand can bring out an extra flavour and crunchiness to the cooked dish. If you prefer popped amaranth, heat the whole amaranth seeds in a pan and watch as they pop. 

In terms of what to pair it with, amaranth works particularly well with other rich and spicy native Andean and Mesoamerican ingredients, such as squash, corn, avocado, beans, chillies, vanilla and chocolate. Rustle up a no-rice amaranth and squash risotto, sprinkle popped amaranth over an avocado salad, stir cocoa powder into your breakfast amaranth porridge or simply sub in boiled amaranth as a healthy side to your main meal.  

Amaranth flour and flakes are just as easy to cook with. Mix them into your batters to bolster the nutrient content of your pancakes, Yorkshire puddings or even fish and chips; fold them into your gluten free bread flour mixes; or blend them with your pastry doughs. For an easy starter recipe, try our gluten free tortilla wraps – a simple classic that you can use anytime with anything. 

With so many options available, we’re sure that amaranth will soon become a favourite in your gluten free cooking too.