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This Instant Pot Amaranth Porridge is a quick and easy healthy breakfast that is gluten-free and dairy-free. I’ve included stovetop instructions too!
What is Amaranth?
Amaranth is not a well known grain. It is one of the pseudograins like buckwheat and quinoa. It is gluten-free and can be served as a breakfast porridge or as a savory dish. You can cook amaranth either in a pressure cooker or on the stovetop, I’ve included instructions for either method. If you want to prepare it in a traditional manner, you can soak the uncooked grain in filtered water for 8-24 hours before rinsing and cooking it.
How Long to Cook Amaranth?
Amaranth only takes 5 minutes to cook in a pressure cooker. You use 1 cup of amaranth with 2 1/2 cups of liquid.
To prepare amaranth on the stovetop, combine 1 cup of the uncooked grain with 3 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover the pot, and cook for about 25 minutes on low heat.
Amaranth Nutrition
Amaranth has some great nutritional properties. It is very high in plant-based protein and iron. While it is actually a seed and not a grain, it cooks up like a grain and tastes like a grain. I would describe its cooked texture most like cream of wheat. I like this brand of organic amaranth.
Amaranth is naturally gluten-free, so it is a great addition to gluten-free diets. Read about the health reasons to consider going gluten-free. You might also like my article with tips for starting a gluten-free and dairy-free diet. This is the diet that I follow to manage my PCOS and autoimmune disease.
Instant Pot Amaranth Porridge
This recipe is so easy to make, and it is done in 30 minutes. Most of that time is hands off. Here’s how to make it.
- Combine 1 cup of uncooked amaranth with 2 1/2 cups of unsweetened almond milk or water in your Instant Pot.
- Lock on the lid and set to high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Once the cooking time is complete, let the pressure come down naturally for about 10 minutes.
- Release any extra pressure and remove the lid. Stir in the ground cinnamon, your protein powder (optional), and serve with fruit or your favorite toppings.
Here’s the printable recipe for this Instant Pot Amaranth Porridge:
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Instant Pot Amaranth Porridge
Prep Time: 5 minutes- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Instant Pot pressure cooker
- Cuisine: gluten-free, dairy-free
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
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Pin RecipeDescription
This Instant Pot Amaranth Porridge is a quick and easy healthy breakfast that is gluten-free and dairy-free. This recipe is also sugar-free.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked amaranth
- 2 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 2 ripe bananas, sliced
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, for topping
- 2 scoops collagen peptides* or your favorite protein powder (optional, for extra protein)
Instructions
- For pressure cooker: Combine amaranth, almond milk, and bananas into a 3-quart pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes and let the pressure come down naturally for at least 10 minutes. Serve hot with cinnamon sprinkled on top and collagen peptides stirred in.
- For stove-top cooking: Bring almond milk to a gentle boil in a lidded pot. Stir in the amaranth and sliced bananas, lower the heat, and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until the grain has absorbed most of the liquid. Serve hot with cinnamon sprinkled on top (porridge will thicken as it sits).
Notes
Leave out the collagen for vegan.
READ NEXT: INSTANT POT STEEL CUT OATS
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Suzanne @ hello, veggy! says
I am eager to try amaranth! This recipe looks super easy tool thanks Carrie!
Kate says
Amaranth is one thing I haven’t gotten into yet! I’ll have to try this recipe 🙂 thanks for sharing!
Carrie says
It’s yum, Kate, and there are some cool nutritional benefits to amaranth as well. It’s high in iron and lysine, I remember those specifically when I was reading about it.
Veronica @ Veggie V says
Wow. I didn’t expect that texture after cooking. Interesting.
Question: Your recipe says serves four, but you only use one cup of amaranth. How much is a serving? One of the problems I have with grains/cereals for breakfast is that I like to eat a lot at one meal, so even one cup of something doesn’t work for me.
On another note, I have issues with oats, too. Even the gluten free ones! What kind of sensitivity do you mean? For me, I find my breathing is a bit inhibited after eating a larger amount of oats, like after a big bowl of oatmeal. They don’t seem to bother me if I eat a small amount, though. I don’t feel like my throat is swollen or anything after eating the oatmeal; it’s more of a lunch issue. Weird, I know, but it wouldn’t be me if it wasn’t 😉
By the way, we’re expecting a high of 12F today, and we get 1-2 inches of snow a day. Winter on Lake Michigan isn’t exactly fun :-/
Carrie says
Hiya, Veronica! Thanks for the questions. Re: the serving size, amaranth is like quinoa or rice, it grows after cooking. That said, one cup cooked might be more like 2-3 servings if you are hungry (I’m the same way, I eat pretty big portions of everything). 🙂
Let’s see, about the oats thing, I can’t remember where I found out about the protein sensitivity thing, but it wasn’t anything published like a study. Try Google’ing “oat protein sensitivity” and see what you can find. I only thought to do it after someone mentioned to me her sensitivity with eating oats and wondered what was up with that and if that could be the cause for my husband’s recent issues. For him, it’s more of a GI issue than what you described. Again, I have no hard research to show on this, but I was pretty surprised when I came across something about the protein and gluten-sensitive people maybe being more at risk.
Ack! Your comment about the weather where you are certainly makes me think twice about complaining about it being too warm here. Stay warm!!!
Cat says
Hey Carrie, just a little note on the cooking times on the stove – I cooked it for 20 minutes and it was nowhere near ready. My packet said to simmer for 35 minutes and rest for 15 so I think it may need a longer time. Are there different varieties of amaranth that have different cooking times?
Thanks for the recipe!
Carrie says
Hi Cat! Oh darn, I’m sorry about the misinformation on my recipe. I found the cooking time for the stovetop online, so that was obviously incorrect. I’ve amended the recipe to reflect a longer cooking time. I hope you still liked it and it didn’t mess up your schedule too much having to cook it longer! How was the liquid to grain ratio?
Sarah says
Looks delicious as always!!!! I too am someone who is gluten sensitive and have trouble with some oats – though sometimes I think our sensitives can come up as our body’s way of telling us it’s time to try something new – which in this case I’m kinda glad so now we have a new recipe to try 😉 There is a company called Montanna Gluten Free that actually has bred an oat variety with less of the avenin peptide – that can be one of the culprits behind oat sensitivities. I’ve been using their oats for a few months now and find them to be the most delicious ones I’ve ever eaten – especially the whole oat graots which are extra nutty tasting! I also find that I tolerate them much better than the other gluten free varieties. So if you are looking for something new to try I highly recommend checking them out! I’d be curious of you guys tolerate them any better…
Carrie says
Sarah, thank you SO much for this resource!!! I had no idea that I could buy oats lower in the bothersome protein (I didn’t even remember its name) and this makes me so happy. I am going to order some ASAP. You are a wealth of information and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the referral and info!
Sarah says
Yay! It’s science experiment time 🙂 I am glad to share what little I can with you since you share so much with all of us! I’m glad we can all help eachother out 😉
Carrie says
Sarah, you’re also the brilliance behind the Max Tahini find, right? That is still my #1 favorite nut butter brand!
Sarah says
I wish I could take credit for the Eden Nuts find, but it was indeed someone else. But I did order it the same day you posted about it (I think you had it in your notes from a Fuhrman gathering of some sort as being one of the only brands that uses unhulled sesame seeds for their tahini’s). It’s my #1 favorite nut butter brand too! I’m seriously addicted to the Almondie and even eat it off the spoon!!! But it’s you I have you to thank for adding this deliciousness to my life 🙂
Linda says
Please let us know if the specialty oats work for you guys! I still miss oats more than any other single food my body cannot properly digest. With me it’s an inflammation trigger; and with Crohn’s disease, inflammation is my mortal enemy, so I just can’t go there. But if your husband can tolerate the specialty oats, then perhaps it’s worth risking a try for myself.
Selfish of me, but it makes me feel better knowing that I’m not the only one who can’t eat oats; with Dr. F loving them so much, I’ve felt kinda isolated by my food intolerances sometimes.
Carrie says
I will def let you know, Linda. I just placed my order yesterday (the same day I learned about this type of specialty oats) and I can’t wait to try them out. Even though it’s only been about 3 weeks since we stopped eating oats, I already miss them. I had no idea that there was this type of intolerance. How wonderful that this alternative exists and that Sarah shared the resource.
Sarah says
I really hope they work for you guys. I should have mentioned that the oats are also not “stabilized” like most brands do – so no heat has been applied to them at all. I have noticed that this seems to make it more difficut to digest when using the oats raw in recipes (but I also have a super sensitive tummy). I’ve tried adding hot water to the oats and letting them soak for a bit (or I bet just warming any liquid that is being used would work), which does seem to help. I haven’t tried them for classic overnight oats, but I’ve really been liking cooking the whole groats in the instant pot for 1 minute with a little extra water. When it comes down from pressure I throw in some of the rolled oats with the water still warm and let it cool down covered. By morning they are soft enough and have soaked up enough water that they are okay, but it seems some heat is necessary. Anyway, just wanted to give you a heads up that they are a bit different than normal oats. I really can’t wait to see how you like them and how they like you! They ship super fast so I expect a report by the end of the week 😉 And Linda I really hope they could work out for you too!
Carrie says
Thanks for the note on cooking the oats, Sarah! I’ve had issues with uncooked oats so I will definitely cook the new ones.
Carrie says
Sarah, the oats are amazing!!! I am beyond thrilled (and my husband is too) that the oats are so delicious and neither one of us have had any reactions. I am basically in love with the oat “rice” from the company, not to mention the standard rolled oats. I also bought the creamy oat cereal or whatever they call it, but I haven’t made that yet. I’ll do a dedicated blog post soon so everyone can learn about this amazing product. Thank you soooooo much for sharing this great resource!
Sarah says
Oh my gosh Carrie, this make me SOOOOOO Happy 🙂 🙂 The groats have been my favorite too! I can’t wait to read about your experiments with everything! I want the world to know about them as well so I am so glad you’ll be able to spread the word! Yay. This really made my day 🙂
Carrie says
Thanks again, Sarah! I am going to make the cream of oats tomorrow morning and I can’t wait. 🙂
kimmythevegan says
Oh great recipe! I’m going to try this out this week. I have amaranth, but I don’t use it very much. I should use it more, rotate my gf grains more. And thanks for including the stovetop method =)
It has been very warm here too (not as hot as where you are mind you). I’m enjoying it… but the drought has me concerned :/
Enjoy your long weekend!
Carrie says
Hi Kimmy! I’m also very sad about the drought, I wish it would RAIN!!!
Paula says
Hi Carrie
It sure has been COLD here in WI. I am going to try this for breakfast. Usually I have been eating berries (black or blue) and a banana w/ almond butter, but I am ready for something warm. Besides, my natural health Dr has put me on a gluten-free diet since she feels I might have hashimoto’s thyroiditis and this recipe fits the bill!!
Carrie says
Oh yes, Paula, do give it a try. And, way to go with your doctor recognizing the possible connection b/w Hashi’s and gluten…mine never said a word until I got the nodule which then turned out to be cancerous. I only went gluten-free b/c I started getting hives after eating wheat a few years ago. It turns out, eating gluten-free isn’t that hard for me; there are so many other options. Good luck and stay WARM!!!
Oly Jacobsen says
Oh, I have amarenth in the cupboard, so will try this tomorrow morning, since it’s around freezing point here in Denmark 🙂
Carrie says
Let me know what you think of this recipe, Oly! I’d love to hear your thoughts. Stay warm!!!
Oly Jacobsen says
Carrie, I liked the porridge, had to get used to the taste, but then I thought it was a very good alternative.
On my bag it said 1 part amarenth to 2 part almond milk, so I did that, and cooked it for 20 minutes, and it was perfectly cooked. Thanks!
Carrie says
Oh good, glad to hear it, Oly. That’s interesting that there is so much variation with cooking amaranth. I’m glad you liked it. It is a little bland and my husband didn’t like it very much, but I really enjoyed the texture.
swetha says
Hi Carrie, Where do you buy the Amarnath from?
Carrie says
Hi there! You can purchase amaranth online or at most health food stores. Let me know if you would like a link to the brand I buy. Take care!
Erin S says
I haven’t made porridge out of amaranth for ages! This recipe definitely inspires me to try it again soon. Thanks for linking it up to Minimal Ingredient Mondays, I’m featuring it this week 🙂 Hope to see you back soon!
Carrie says
Cool, thanks Erin!!! 🙂
Scotti says
Carrie, I was going back and reviewing your pressure cooker recipes and remembering your trails when starting to use one. Have you mastered the techniques of cooking with out oil in the pressure cooker? What has been your take on that? Especially with beans, can it be done without the oil to prevent the foaming? Sorry, a touch off subject. Thanks for your input, trying to decide if to invest in one or not.
Carrie says
Hi there, thanks for the note. You’re right, I have had a real issue with learning how to use the pressure cooker. But, to be fair, I rarely use it anymore except for cooking very simple dishes like this one or beans. As far as beans go, I find I do not need oil as long as I don’t overfill the pot. I do use pre-soak my beans, though, as well as cooking them with kombu. I think the kombu really helps prevent the foaming. If you are going to invest in a PC, I’d recommend one of the more inexpensive electric versions.
Julie says
Hi Carrie,
I made this this morning in my regular pressure cooker (non-electric) and when it should have started to steam, it spewed forth the milk and amaranth out of the seal. I let it cool down a little and peeked inside to see that the amaranth had covered the top steamer gadget not letting out any steam and thus, the seeping out the seal and gasket. So I removed all the mixture into a pot and continued cooking the conventional way and it turned out delicious. My question is this, what kind of pressure cooker do you use and have you made this is the kind that goes on the stove? I would like to continue to make this, but not sure how to on the stove with a regular PC.
Carrie says
Hi Julie, oh darn! I’m sorry this didn’t work for you. My PC is 3-quarts, how big is yours?
Julie says
It is 8 quarts. I did not double the recipe. Everywhere I read online it says that I must add oil or butter in order to keep the foam down. Do you have an electronic PC or a conventional one? Do you put oil in your grains?
Carrie says
Hi Julie. Nope, I do not add oil to my PC. I must say that I am still a novice, though, at using it. I have both a stovetop and electric PC, but for this recipe, I use the stovetop one.
Julie says
Maybe because I used soy milk instead of almond milk.
Scotti says
Thanks Carrie, very helpful.
FreakyChild says
Thank you Carrie, it was really yum!! From now on it’s definitely one of my favorite breakfasts
Trish says
Lovely breakfast this morning thanks to your recipe. I’ve made amaranth once before and it was an ok stovetop recipe. Love the instant pot version of yours and the simplicity of it. Couldn’t believe how perfectly sweet it was just letting it cook with the bananas. Only had unsweetened macadamia nut milk which worked well. Topped mine off with cinnamon and several raw walnuts. Thank you!!
★★★★★
Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition says
Awwwww, thanks Trish! I’m so happy you liked this recipe and the banana worked for you. XO!
ChihYu says
Love a good bowl of breakfast recipe especially made in Instant Pot. Simply amazing !
lisa says
simple and easy! I omitted the bananas and added frozen mixed berries in after cooking. Delicious!
★★★★★
Melissa says
I know you shared this a few years ago, but I wanted to say that I love this recipe. I get migraines from bananas and so I have made it a few times without any fruit. Today I peeled and chopped up two apples and threw them in to cook in the instant pot with the amaranth. It turned out great.
I’m also grateful to the person above who mentioned the Montana Gluten Free oatmeal. I absolutely love it. Oatmeal is my favorite breakfast but if I eat too much I get an inflammatory response. I haven’t had any problems with this company. I love their waffle/pancake/all purpose mix too.
★★★★★
Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition says
Awwww, thanks for sharing that Melissa! I’m so happy you like this recipe and I sure love your suggestion about using apples instead of banana. I’m going to have to try that! XO.
Kate Shel says
Just to give heads up that if you use frozen bananas in the recipe to reduce the amount of liquids. Mine turned out super soupy. The kids still liked it though.
★★★★
Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition says
Great, tip, thanks Kate!
Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition says
This is such an easy gluten-free breakfast option!
★★★★★