Amaranth substitute

Best substitute

Teff

Use the same amount dry, same liquid and time as the amaranth you are replacing

Best for porridge

Close match

Teff is the closest substitute for amaranth grain because it is the only other common seed that is equally tiny and cooks to the same gelatinous porridge, and it swaps in 1:1 with the same liquid. Quinoa is the easiest to find and works 1:1 by weight, but it cooks up fluffy and separate rather than creamy, so a porridge made with it will need extra water and stirring. Millet is the mildest option, and for amaranth flour in gluten-free baking, sorghum or teff flour is the closest match.

Other amaranth substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Quinoa
Different texture
Use the same amount dry, but use ¼ cup extra water per cup for porridge
The Andean cousin, sold in every supermarket.
What changes
Best for
salads and grain bowls, pilafs, stuffings, when availability matters most
Same region, same protein-rich pseudo-grain family, and completely available, which is why most people reach for it. The texture is genuinely different: quinoa stays as separate springy beads with a little curl of germ, while amaranth turns into porridge. For a salad or a pilaf that is an upgrade. For a creamy breakfast bowl it is a problem, so add extra water, simmer longer and stir hard at the end to break some grains down. Flavor is milder and slightly more bitter, less peppery.
3Millet
Different taste
Use the same amount dry; use 1:3 grain to water for a creamy result
Small round gluten-free grain with a gentle corn-like sweetness.
What changes
Best for
porridge, polenta-style dishes, baby-friendly mild cooking, side dishes
The most flexible of these, because millet goes fluffy with less water and creamy with more, so you can steer it toward amaranth's texture by cooking it wet and stirring. Flavor is much milder and slightly sweet, so it loses amaranth's peppery bite entirely and the dish tastes plainer and more comforting. That makes it a good pick for children or for anyone who finds amaranth's earthiness strong. Toast it dry first for a couple of minutes to add back some depth.
4Buckwheat groats or kasha
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount dry, reduce cooking time to about 12 minutes
Triangular gluten-free seeds, sold raw or pre-toasted as kasha.
What changes
Best for
porridge, grain bowls, savory sides, stronger-flavored dishes
Cooks soft and can be made porridgey, so it works mechanically. The catch is flavor volume: buckwheat, and especially toasted kasha, is assertive, earthy and almost mushroomy, several times louder than amaranth. In a savory bowl that is fine or even better. In a sweet breakfast porridge with fruit it dominates. The grains are also much bigger, so the mouthfeel goes from fine and creamy to distinctly chunky.
5Steel-cut or rolled oats (porridge only)
Different taste
Use the same amount dry
The everyday porridge grain, if gluten is not a concern.
What changes
Best for
breakfast porridge, baked oatmeal, granola
Only worth using if you were making amaranth porridge specifically, in which case it is the easiest possible swap and gives you a creamier, more familiar bowl. Flavor is much milder and sweeter, with none of amaranth's pepperiness, and you lose the higher protein content. Crucially, oats are not gluten-free unless the package says certified gluten-free, so this is not a swap for anyone who was using amaranth for that reason.
6Sorghum, teff or quinoa flour (for amaranth flour)
Different taste
Use the same amount by weight in a gluten-free blend
Direct swaps when the recipe wants amaranth flour rather than the whole grain.
What changes
Best for
gluten-free bread and muffins, flatbreads, pancakes, blended flour mixes
Sorghum flour is the mildest and safest one-for-one, giving a slightly sweeter and less pronounced crumb. Teff flour is closest in strength and adds a malty depth. Quinoa flour is closest in protein but can taste bitter if it has not been toasted. All three behave similarly for moisture. Whichever you use, keep it to about a quarter of the total flour in a blend, exactly as you would with amaranth flour, because none of them has gluten and too much makes a heavy, crumbly loaf.

What is Amaranth?

Amaranth is Amaranth, known as kiwicha in Peru and rajgira or ramdana in India, is a tiny gluten-free pseudo-grain about the size of a poppy seed that cooks into a sticky, creamy porridge with a peppery, faintly grassy flavor.

Cooking tips

Amaranth is not fluffy and is never going to be. Use one part grain to two and a half or three parts liquid, simmer covered for about 20 minutes, and expect a thick creamy porridge with a little pop from the seed coats. Recipes that promise separate fluffy grains are describing quinoa, and if you cook amaranth expecting that you will think you did something wrong.
Toast it dry in the pan for two minutes before adding liquid. The seeds smell nutty almost immediately and the finished dish gains a real depth that untoasted amaranth lacks. This matters more with amaranth than with most grains because its own flavor is fairly grassy.
Use a bigger pot than seems necessary and stir near the end. Amaranth releases a lot of starch, foams up and sticks to the bottom, and it will boil over a small saucepan. For the same reason, rinse it in a very fine mesh sieve or a coffee filter, because the seeds slip straight through a normal strainer.
Two tablespoons of dry amaranth per quart of soup is an excellent thickener, and this is one of the best reasons to keep it in the cupboard. It dissolves into the liquid, adds body and protein and disappears visually, which is something quinoa cannot do.
Popped amaranth is a different ingredient and worth knowing about. Drop a tablespoon at a time into a hot dry pan and it pops like miniature popcorn within seconds, which is how Peruvian and Mexican sweets like alegrias and Indian ramdana laddu are made. Work in small batches, keep the pan moving, and pull it off the heat the moment popping slows or it scorches.

Frequently asked questions

Is kiwicha the same thing as amaranth?

Yes. Kiwicha is the Quechua and Peruvian name for the same tiny grain sold as amaranth in North America and Europe, and rajgira or ramdana in India. If a Peruvian recipe calls for kiwicha, buy amaranth and you have the right thing. There are small varietal differences in color and size between regions, but nothing that changes how you cook it.

Can I substitute quinoa for amaranth one for one?

By weight, yes, and in salads, pilafs and stuffings the result is arguably better. Where it fails is texture in anything creamy. Amaranth breaks down into a thick porridge; quinoa stays as separate beads. If you need the creamy result, add a quarter cup more water per cup of dry grain, cook it a few minutes past done and beat it with a spoon to break some of the grains open.

Why did my amaranth turn out gluey?

Because that is what it does. Amaranth is exceptionally high in soluble starch relative to its size, so it thickens whatever it is cooked in and sets almost like a pudding as it cools. It is not overcooked or spoiled. If you want it looser, use more liquid and serve it hot, since it stiffens noticeably as it drops in temperature. If you want it distinctly grainy, you want a different grain.

Is amaranth gluten-free?

Amaranth itself contains no gluten, which is a large part of why it turns up in gluten-free baking and in Indian fasting food. As with any grain, cross-contamination during milling and packing is possible, so anyone who is coeliac should buy a package labeled certified gluten-free. Note that oats, listed above as a porridge substitute, are not gluten-free unless specifically certified.

Is this the same as amaranth greens?

No, though they come from related plants. Amaranth greens, sold as callaloo, een choy or Chinese spinach, are leafy vegetables cooked like spinach. Amaranth grain is the seed. A recipe asking for amaranth in a porridge, a flour blend or a granola means the seed; one asking for a bunch of amaranth means the greens.

Can I leave amaranth out of a gluten-free flour blend?

Usually yes, by replacing it with the same weight of sorghum, teff or brown rice flour. What amaranth contributes to a blend is protein, a little extra moisture retention and a distinct earthy flavor. Swapping in rice flour gives a milder and lighter result; sorghum keeps more of the body. What you should not do is simply omit it and reduce the total flour, since that changes the hydration of the whole recipe.

Related substitutes

More grains & starches substitutes

Amaranth substitute

Other amaranth substitutes

2Quinoa

3Millet

4Buckwheat groats or kasha

5Steel-cut or rolled oats (porridge only)

6Sorghum, teff or quinoa flour (for amaranth flour)