Amaranth greens substitutes

Full-size spinach sold in bunches with the stems attached, rather than bagged baby leaf.

Best for

Jamaican callaloo, Indian bhaji and dal, Chinese garlic stir-fry, West African stews, soups, fillings for pies and patties

The safe default in any cuisine, because amaranth is mild, faintly earthy and slightly sweet, which is roughly what mature spinach tastes like. Two differences matter. Spinach carries far more water and collapses to almost nothing, so cook it uncovered at the end to drive the liquid off, and buy about a third more than you think you need. And spinach has that chalky, tooth-coating mineral quality from oxalates that amaranth has much less of, so a spinach version tastes slightly more astringent. Chop and use the stems; they are the part that keeps some texture. Baby spinach is the weakest version of this swap because it turns to slime in under two minutes.

Long hollow-stemmed green with arrow-shaped leaves, sold in Chinese, Vietnamese and Filipino grocers.

Best for

garlic and fermented bean curd stir-fry, Chinese and Southeast Asian dishes, quick sautes, soups

The best swap for a stir-fry, and often sitting on the same market table. Amaranth's appeal in a wok is the contrast between silky leaves and stems that keep a slight snap, and water spinach reproduces exactly that because the hollow stems stay crunchy. The flavour is greener and cleaner, with none of amaranth's mild beetroot-like earthiness, and it does not bleed the pink colour that red amaranth does. Cut the stems into two-inch lengths and start them thirty seconds before the leaves.

Broad-leaved chard with thick coloured stems, in almost every supermarket year round.

Best for

callaloo, West African and Caribbean stews, braised greens, gratins and pies, Indian saag

The closest relative on this list, since chard, beetroot and amaranth all sit in the same plant family, and it shows in the flavour: earthy, faintly mineral, a little sweet. Chard is sturdier and more bitter than amaranth and its stems need three or four minutes head start. Red or rainbow chard bleeds colour into coconut milk and pale sauces, which is worth knowing but is also exactly what red amaranth does, so it can be an advantage. The best choice when you want greens that still have presence on the plate rather than collapsing.

Tender small-leaf collards or turnip tops, shredded fine with the thick ribs cut out.

Best for

long-simmered stews, West African egusi and peanut stews, callaloo soup, greens with smoked meat

Sturdy and cheap, and genuinely good in anything that simmers for half an hour, at which point they go silky and sweeter. Not a match for a quick stir-fry: they stay chewy and taste distinctly of cabbage and sulphur, where amaranth is mild. Turnip greens add a peppery, mustardy bite that collards do not, so use them where you want that and use collards where you do not. Shred them thin and shave the central rib out, or they will read as a different vegetable entirely.

Thick glossy Malabar spinach from Asian and Indian grocers, or the leaf tops cut from a bunch of beetroot.

Best for

Indian and Sri Lankan curries, soups and dals, sauteed greens, callaloo

Two useful niche options. Malabar spinach has thicker, almost succulent leaves and turns slightly slippery when cooked, which is a plus in a soup and a minus in a dry stir-fry, and it tastes mild and faintly peppery. Beet greens are the closer flavour match of the two, being a near relation with the same sweet earthiness, and they cost nothing because you probably threw them away last time; they are more bitter than amaranth and stain everything a deep pink. Both cook in about the same time as amaranth.

Peppery, assertive greens sold fresh in most supermarkets and as sarson ka saag in Indian shops.

Best for

long-cooked stews, Indian saag, greens with pork or smoked fish, soups with strong seasoning

The honest least-good option for a plain dish, and worth explaining why: amaranth's whole character is mildness, and mustard greens are the opposite, sharply peppery with a horseradish bite that dominates anything delicate. Used as half the volume with spinach making up the rest, they work well in a heavily seasoned stew where that pungency reads as complexity. Straight, at full volume, in a garlic stir-fry or a simple steamed callaloo, they turn the dish into something else. Long cooking tames them considerably.