If you’ve never made puffed amaranth at home before, this is the recipe you need. It’s light, crunchy, nutritious, and comes together in minutes.
Making puffed amaranth at home is so much easier than most people expect, and once you see how quickly the seeds pop on a hot pan, you’ll start finding ways to use them in everything. They make for an amazing snack as they’re healthy, full of good dietary fiber, potassium, iron, and antioxidants.
If you already snack on our air fryer roasted makhana regularly, puffed amaranth gives you another really good option that’s just as quick and nutritious.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The pan isn’t hot enough. This is the most common reason. Amaranth needs very high, direct heat to pop, much hotter than what you’d use for regular cooking. Heat the pan on high for a few minutes before adding the seeds, and test with a couple of seeds first. If they don’t pop within a second or two, the pan needs more time.
No. Amaranth needs a very high, direct heat source and constant stirring to pop evenly, and the air fryer can’t provide either. The seeds are tiny and will fall through most air fryer baskets, and without the ability to shake and stir constantly, they’ll burn before they pop. A heavy-bottomed pan on the stove is the only reliable way to do this.
A lot more than just bhel. You can sprinkle it on smoothie bowls, yogurt, or porridge for crunch. Mix it into homemade granola or energy bars. Toss it with melted chocolate and nuts for a healthy version of our chocolate makhana bark. Or just season it with chaat masala and eat it on its own as a light snack. Once you have a batch made, you’ll find yourself reaching for it constantly.
Yes. Amaranth is naturally gluten-free, which makes this bhel a great snack for anyone avoiding gluten. Just make sure the other ingredients you’re using, like the chaat masala, don’t contain any gluten-based additives.
Richa’s Top Tips
- The pan has to be very, very hot before you add the seeds. If the pan isn’t hot enough, the seeds won’t pop, and you’ll end up with hard, unpopped amaranth that’s unpleasant to eat. Test with a couple of seeds first, and if they pop within a second or two, the pan is ready.
- Only add 1-2 tablespoons of seeds at a time. If you dump all the seeds in at once, the pan temperature drops and they won’t pop evenly. Small batches give you the best results.
- Shake the pan continuously and transfer the popped seeds immediately. Amaranth burns very quickly once popped, so you need to keep the pan moving and get them out within 5-6 seconds. Even a few extra seconds can turn them bitter.
Storage Tips
Store in an airtight jar at room temperature for up to a week. It stays crunchy as long as no moisture gets in.
Serving Ideas
This puffed amaranth is a great snack on its own, but here are a few ways to enjoy it:
- Turn it into a bhel: Check this recipe for how to turn it into a bhel. It’s crunchy, tangy, and the perfect healthier replacement for puffed rice.
- As an evening snack with Masala Chai: A bowl of this crunchy bhel with a hot cup of chai is the most satisfying 5 pm combination.
- As a topping: Sprinkle the puffed amaranth and roasted makhana over yogurt, smoothie bowls, or salads for extra crunch and nutrition.
- During fasting days: Amaranth is commonly eaten during Navratri and other fasts. Skip the peanuts and chaat masala, season with rock salt and cumin instead, and it becomes a great vrat-friendly snack.
Did You Know?
Amaranth was a staple food of the Aztec empire and was so important that it was used in religious ceremonies. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 1500s, they banned amaranth cultivation because they saw it as a threat to their efforts to convert the Aztec population to Christianity. The ban lasted nearly 500 years, and amaranth almost disappeared as a food crop. It survived only because small farming communities in remote parts of Mexico and Central America quietly continued growing it. Today it’s experiencing a global comeback as a superfood, but for thousands of years before that, it was simply dinner.
This popped amaranth has become our go-to healthy snack, and I hope it becomes yours too. And now that you know how to puff amaranth at home, the possibilities are really endless. Tag me on Instagram @my_foodstory when you try it.
Watch How to Pop Amaranth Recipe Video
Puffed Amaranth | How to Pop Amaranth
Ingredients
- ¼ cup amaranth seeds
Instructions
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Heat a heavy bottomed pan or kadai until very hot, add 1-2 tablespoons of amaranth seeds and heat on high heat. Within 1-2 seconds the seeds will start popping, shake the pan continuously for 5-6 seconds till the seeds have popped and immediately transfer the popped amaranth to a bowl as they tend to burn. If the pan is not very hot, the popping process will not occur and it is a very quick process. Follow the same steps to quickly pop the seeds and add to the bowl.
Video
Nutrition
This article was researched and written by Harita Odedra.
The post Crunchy Puffed Amaranth | How to Pop Amaranth appeared first on My Food Story.