📊 Full nutrition facts — per 100g
| Nutrient | Amount | % Daily value | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 371 kcal | 19% | |
| Carbohydrates | 65.3g | 22% | |
| Dietary fibre | 6.7g | 24% | |
| Protein | 13.6g | 27% | |
| GI | ~35 — Low | — | |
| Calcium | 159mg | 16% | |
| Iron | 7.6mg | 42% | |
| Magnesium | 248mg | 62% | |
| Phosphorus | 557mg | 56% | |
| Manganese | 3.33mg | 167% | |
| Zinc | 2.87mg | 24% | |
| Squalene | unique — up to 8% | — |
Based on Australian NRV. Source: FSANZ and USDA Food Composition Databases.
📈 Glycaemic index (GI)
💊 Key vitamins & minerals
✅ Health benefits
Amaranth provides all nine essential amino acids in good balance — making it a complete protein, unlike true grains. Most critically, it contains a meaningful amount of lysine (0.75g/100g) — the amino acid most deficient in wheat, corn and rice protein. This lysine advantage makes amaranth an ideal grain complement: mixing amaranth with wheat or rice creates a more complete amino acid profile than either alone. For plant-based diets, amaranth's 13.6g of complete protein per 100g makes it one of the most valuable base grains available.
Amaranth provides approximately 159mg of calcium per 100g — more than any true grain and approaching the calcium content of some dairy products (whole milk provides ~113mg/100g). Combined with meaningful magnesium (which regulates calcium transport) and vitamin K-supporting compounds, amaranth supports bone mineralisation more comprehensively than any other cereal grain. The calcium in amaranth has good bioavailability because the plant contains low levels of the oxalate and phytate that can bind calcium in some other plant sources.
Amaranth grain oil contains squalene at levels of up to 8% of oil content — one of the highest plant concentrations of this compound, which is more typically associated with shark liver oil (squalene's traditional commercial source). Squalene is a natural antioxidant and precursor to sterols that has demonstrated anti-cancer activity in laboratory studies, skin-protective properties (used extensively in premium cosmetics), and cholesterol-lowering effects. Amaranth's squalene content is a genuine nutritional distinction from other grains.
Amaranth provides a comprehensive cardiovascular nutritional package: 6.7g of dietary fibre (including both soluble and insoluble types) supporting LDL cholesterol reduction, 62% of daily magnesium (supporting arterial relaxation and cardiac rhythm), and plant sterols that compete with dietary cholesterol absorption. Several small clinical studies have found amaranth consumption associated with reduced total and LDL cholesterol and lower blood pressure. The WHO lists amaranth as a crop with significant potential for addressing nutritional deficiency and chronic disease in developing food systems.
⚠️ Who should limit or avoid
Amaranth leaves (used as a vegetable) are high in oxalates; the seeds have lower but still meaningful oxalate content. People with a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones should consume amaranth seeds in moderation and ensure adequate hydration. The seeds' oxalate content is lower than the leaves and comparable to spinach — reasonable servings as a grain substitute are generally well-tolerated.
Like most grains, amaranth seeds contain phytic acid that binds iron, zinc and calcium, reducing their absorption. Soaking overnight (and discarding the water), sprouting, and cooking all significantly reduce phytate content. Consuming amaranth with vitamin C-rich foods markedly improves iron absorption. Despite this, the absolute mineral content of amaranth is high enough that meaningful amounts are absorbed even with phytate present.
While whole cooked amaranth has a low GI (~35), popped amaranth (the light, crunchy preparation similar to puffed rice used in muesli bars and confectionery) has a high GI (~97) due to the disruption of starch granule structure by popping. People managing blood sugar should be aware of this distinction: whole grain amaranth is very different metabolically from popped amaranth products.
🛒 How to source & use amaranth seeds
Whole amaranth grain: highest nutritional value, lowest GI (~35) — cook as a porridge or like quinoa. Amaranth flour: gluten-free baking, combined with other flours for best texture (up to 25% substitution in most recipes). Popped amaranth: toasted in a dry pan at high heat until grains pop (like popcorn but tiny) — used in muesli bars, granola and as a crunchy topping. Note the high GI of popped form (~97). For blood glucose management, use whole grain. For gluten-free baking, flour is ideal.
Rinse whole amaranth seeds thoroughly (they are very small — use a fine-mesh sieve). Ratio: 1 cup amaranth to 2.5 cups water. Bring to boil, reduce to lowest simmer, cover, cook 20 minutes. The result is sticky, slightly porridge-like — more glutinous than quinoa or rice. Best served warm as a breakfast porridge with honey, cinnamon and fruit, or as a savoury porridge with salt, olive oil and vegetables. Cool and refrigerate for denser, sliceable cooked grain. Toast dry in a pan 3–4 minutes before cooking for a nuttier flavour and slightly less sticky texture.
Mexican alegría: popped amaranth mixed with honey or molasses, formed into bars — available at Latin grocery stores and health food stores. Indian rajgira ladoo: popped amaranth mixed with jaggery (raw sugar) and ghee formed into balls — a traditional Hindu fasting food. Gluten-free bread: amaranth flour combined with tapioca, rice flour and xanthan gum. Porridge: cooked with oats (1:3 ratio amaranth:oats) for extra protein and mineral boost. Soup thickener: a tablespoon of amaranth flour per litre of soup adds protein and body without gluten.
🧊 Storage tips & shelf life
Whole amaranth seeds store exceptionally well — their tiny size means minimal surface area exposure to air, and the intact seed coat protects oils from rancidity. Store in a sealed glass or plastic container away from heat and light. Check for any musty smell or signs of moisture intrusion. Amaranth flour is more perishable — treat like any wholegrain flour and refrigerate after opening in warm Australian conditions.
Refrigerating amaranth flour significantly extends freshness, especially in warm Australian summers. Cooked amaranth keeps 4–5 days refrigerated — it firms up considerably when cold (can be sliced like polenta) and reheats well with a splash of water. Cooked and cooled amaranth develops more resistant starch, further lowering its effective GI.
Both whole amaranth seeds and flour freeze with no quality loss — ideal for buying in bulk at good prices. Cooked amaranth also freezes well in portions. Reheat from frozen with a little water in a covered pan. The squalene and mineral content is fully preserved in freezing.
📖 About amaranth seeds — complete guide
Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) is one of the oldest cultivated food plants in the Americas — archaeological evidence from Mexico dates amaranth cultivation to at least 6,000–8,000 years ago. It was a cornerstone of Aztec civilisation: one of the three primary crops alongside corn and beans, and so important that it was used as currency and in religious rituals. The Aztec emperor Moctezuma received an annual tribute of approximately 200,000 bushels of amaranth from subject peoples. When Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec empire in the 1520s, he banned amaranth cultivation specifically because its ritual significance threatened to maintain Aztec cultural identity — making amaranth one of very few crops whose cultivation was forbidden by colonial powers as a tool of cultural suppression. This suppression drove amaranth to near-extinction in Mexico, where it survived only in remote mountain communities and as an ornamental plant in Europe (grown for its spectacular flowers). Its nutritional rediscovery began in the 1970s when NASA and the US National Academy of Sciences investigated high-protein, space-efficient food crops for astronaut diets.
The squalene content of amaranth grain oil represents one of its most commercially and nutritionally significant properties. Squalene (C₃₀H₅₀) is a natural triterpene compound that serves as a metabolic precursor to all steroid hormones and cholesterol in the body. In the cosmetics industry, squalene and its hydrogenated form squalane are premium moisturising and skin-protective ingredients used in high-end serums, sunscreens and anti-ageing products. Traditionally sourced from shark liver oil (which can contain 40–80% squalene), the cosmetics industry has increasingly sought plant-based alternatives due to sustainability concerns — and amaranth oil, with up to 8% squalene content, is one of the most viable plant sources alongside olive oil (0.1–0.7%) and wheat germ oil (0.1%). Multiple laboratory studies have found squalene demonstrates anti-cancer activity through multiple mechanisms including antioxidant protection of DNA, modulation of carcinogen-metabolising enzymes, and enhancement of immune surveillance. As both a cosmetic ingredient and a nutritional compound, squalene from amaranth represents genuine commercial and health value.