Amaranth Organic, SuperPail

Organic Amaranth Seeds, 40 lbs.

Pleasant Hill Grain's amaranth seed is certified organic, triple-cleaned and perfect for baking & cooking purposes. You can read much more about uses for amaranth further down in this description.

Convenient & safe storage

Our amaranth is certified organic and non-GMO, and comes in six-gallon buckets (or pails... another word for the same container), containing 40 lbs. net weight. When you store amaranth seed at home, it needs to be protected in a couple of ways. First, it needs to be protected from a variety of little critters who'd like to get to it before you do. Weevils and rodents, for example. You also need to protect your bulk amaranth from picking up excessive additional moisture, which can be drawn from the atmosphere. The buckets our amaranth grain/seed comes in provide full protection against these storage risks. They have airtight gasket-sealed lids and oxygen absorber packets that remove the oxygen from the air in the bucket after we put the lid on. The O2 absorbers leave an atmosphere of nitrogen in the bucket (because air is mainly oxygen and nitrogen). 

Beat oxidation

In whole-grain foods, the plant's cellular walls protect nutrients from oxidation. The process of oxidation begins to occur as soon as grain is ground, exposing the cell's contents to oxygen in the air. Flour that is several days (or more) old, has been exposed to oxygen that inevitably diminishes its nutritional value. The way to get full nutrition from whole grain foods is to mill them when you need them, right in your kitchen. Modern high-speed grain mills make it fast and easy to enjoy the freshest, best tasting and most nutritious food imaginable!

Super-cleaned

All of our organic amaranth seeds are triple-cleaned to ensure purity and protect your grain mill from any foreign objects. (Amaranth that isn't sufficiently cleaned may contain small stones that will damage or destroy a grain mill... not to mention that you don't want such things in your food!)

Shelf Life

Our organic amaranth has a shelf life of 10+ years when unopened and stored in a cool, dark, dry environment.

Non-GMO

All of Pleasant Hill Grain's whole grain products are natural (non-GMO). Also, PHG does not sell any grains, beans, lentils, pulses or seeds sourced from China.

Amaranth Uses & History

Amaranth (amaranthus caudatus) is a gluten-free, pseudo-cereal seed with an earthy, grassy flavor, similar to beets. Amaranth seeds can be cooked into porridge, ground into flour, popped or flaked. As a complete protein (containing 18 amino acids), amaranth was an energizing staple for the Aztecs and Mayans who used it to make tortillas, atole and sweets. This tiny seed is a rich source of calcium, iron, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium! Amaranth contains more protein than most other grains and pseudo-cereals.

Amaranth shares many characteristics with quinoa. Both are tiny seeds that are gluten-free, cook quickly, and are complete proteins. While both have a high protein content, amaranth has 9 grams in a 1-cup cooked serving, while quinoa has 8 grams. Also, amaranth has twice as much iron (5 mg in a 1-cup serving). Both quinoa and amaranth are a good source of magnesium and zinc, as well as Vitamin B6. Both have a fairly bland, earthy flavor, but quinoa is milder and can take on the flavor of a dish more easily than amaranth can. Quinoa can be cooked into a soft, fluffy side dish, whereas cooked amaranth has a much wetter consistency with a bit of a chew to it.

The earthy, beet-like flavor of amaranth pairs well with squash, corn, sesame, cinnamon, vanilla and chocolate flavors, offering endless possibilities!

Amaranth flour is delicious in pancakes, quick breads, crackers, brownies and much more. This tiny grain can also be popped and mixed into protein bars. While baked goods could be made with 100% amaranth flour, the results would be dense, so it’s best to combine it with other flours for a lighter texture. For quick breads and pastries, excellent results can be achieved by using amaranth flour for 25%-50% of the flour in the recipe.

Since amaranth flour is gluten-free it doesn’t lend itself well to yeast breads, or other recipes where gluten development is essential. In recipes where gluten development is desired, we recommend combining 20% amaranth flour with 80% gluten-containing flours.

Amaranth makes a wonderful addition to gluten-free flour blends. See our gluten-free cookbooks for a plethora of recipes and instructions on how to to use gluten-free grains.

To cook, simmer 1 cup amaranth with 2-3 cups liquid (broth, milk, water, apple cider, etc.) for 20 minutes. Cook uncovered for a drier consistency, and covered for a wetter, porridge consistency. Interestingly, cooked amaranth has a sheen to it, similar to caviar.

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