Here’s how to cook millet and some top millet recipes! A tasty alternative to couscous or rice, it’s easy to make and versatile.
Looking for a new whole grain to add to your repertoire? Try millet! Millet tends to take a back seat to grains like quinoa and farro: possibly because it’s also used as bird food in the US! But it’s a diet staple in Africa, Asia and beyond, and holds its own when cooked. Instead of being extra chewy like many whole grains, millet has a light, almost couscous-like texture. It cooks in just 20 minutes, which is half the time of brown rice. Use it in grain bowls, grain salads, casseroles, soups, veggie burgers, and more!
What is millet?
Millet is a whole grain that looks like a tiny kernel of corn. It’s actually a seed that comes from plants in the grass family called Poaceae. It’s gluten-free and an excellent substitute for couscous or bulgur wheat. This seed is an important diet staple in Africa and Asia, and becoming more popular in the West for its nutritional content. Millet is fairly high in protein (1 cup cooked millet has 6 grams protein). It’s also a good source of various vitamins and minerals, like calcium, phosphorus and magnesium.
Millet comes in many different varieties, but your local grocery store most likely sells yellow proso millet. It has a slightly nutty flavor and makes for an easy side dish. It also works as a hearty breakfast cereal with milk and honey or sugar, much like oatmeal.
How to cook millet: tips
There are a few ways to cook millet: head to the recipe below for our master method! Here are a few tips on the basic method before you start:
- For a fluffy, light millet, use 1 part dried millet to 2 parts water. The instructions on your package of millet may differ from ours, but we’ve found this ratio works best for us.
- Toast the millet in a dry pan first. Stir it over medium heat for a few minutes until fragrant. This helps to bring out its nutty flavor.
- Add the water, olive oil and salt and simmer 17 to 20 minutes. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook until all the water has been absorbed.
Millet recipes
Millet is a versatile grain you can use in many different ways! Eat it as a side dish, in a bowl meal, throw it into soups and stews, eat it as a casserole or even in a veggie burger. Here are a few of our favorite millet recipes:
Use millet instead of rice in casseroles! This cheesy broccoli casserole is a cozy comfort food with a healthy spin. It features whole grain millet and roasted broccoli.
Millet is idea for grain bowls! Pair millet with chickpeas, Mediterranean veggies, and a creamy tahini sauce to make a healthy, fast and easy dinner.
Millet is ideal in grain salads! Use it here as a stand-in for couscous (use the same amount as listed). This colorful couscous salad recipe tastes irresistibly fresh with herbs, garlic, and lemon! It’s ideal as a side dish, lunches, picnics or potlucks.
Millet makes a great alternative to rice in stuffed peppers! These easy stuffed peppers boast a simple vegetarian filling that packs big flavor.
Try millet in a veggie burger or fritter! These veggie-packed curried millet cakes make a fun, unexpected, and delicious vegetarian dinner. via Love and Lemons
Want an alterative to oatmeal? Try millet as a breakfast creamy porridge. Top it with fruit and nuts for a filling, nutrient dense breakfast. via Naturally Ella
Add veggies to millet to make it into a one-pot meal! This one features carrot, celery, peas, spinach, and butternut squash. via Food 52
This millet recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Print
How to Cook Millet (& Millet Recipes!)
- Prep Time: 0 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 1x
Description
Here’s how to cook millet in 20 minutes with 3 ingredients! A tasty alternative to couscous or rice, it’s easy to make and versatile.
Instructions
- Pour the millet into a dry pan. Toast for about 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it smells toasted and you start to hear the millet pop.
- Pour in the 2 cups water (it will spit as the pan is hot, so take care). Add the olive oil and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for about 17 to 20 minutes, until the water has been completely absorbed.
- Allow to stand covered for 10 minutes. Fluff the millet with a fork. Add more salt to taste if desired. To serve as a side dish, add chopped herbs, spices, more olive oil or butter, or Parmesan cheese to taste.
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Millet, How to cook millet, millet recipe
I adore millet! I’ve only made the “creamier” version, so I’ll totally have to try this fluffy version. The first time I ever made it I just added some goat cheese, olive oil, and pea shoots cooked with garlic, and it was pretty tasty. This recipe is also absolutely phenomenal: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/farro-and-millet-risotto-recipe.html .
Random side note; the bowl in your millet picture is too cute!
Oh, that sounds delicious – what a great idea! Thanks on the bowl – it is on loan from a friend, so we can’t take any credit :)
I love millet! I recently postes a millet cooked like it was risotto, with beetroot, and I like it also in place of rice in milk pudding!
I just took a look at the beet risotto – that looks awesome! Great idea on substituting in rice pudding too — we’ve never made rice pudding, but will definitely consider this when we do!
I love throwing cooked millet into my usual falafel mixture. Makes it so hearty and awesome!
Wow, that is a great idea! We’re still working on a perfect falafel recipe, so we’ll have to consider that in our testing :)
I use millet flour to make sometimes since I am GF. they are great for baking scones because it is a pretty hefty flour. I’ve also had Ethiopian stew with millet added as a grain which was pretty delicious.
Gosh, the last time I ever had anything to do with millet was feeding it to my pet budgie when I was about 10 years old. This looks great though, and a great substitute for couscous or quinoa – I can’t wait to try it.
Sue :-)
The thought of budgies eating millet made my day! Let us know if you try it as human food :)
I just made this millet for your stuffed peppers recipe, and my millet didn’t come out fluffy at all … it was quite mushy. After 17 minutes there was still a lot of water left in the pan, so I turned up the heat a little and cooked it uncovered for a bit. Any pointers?
We loved the flavor of the stuffed peppers, but really want to get the millet right for next time. Thanks! Love your recipes!
Hmm, how interesting! I tried this several times and 17 minutes worked every time! However, it does depend on the heat setting that you use, so it’s possible that you used a lower heat setting than I did. You did the right thing though — just cook until the water is all absorbed (you can leave it covered for the entire time if you’d like)!
I’ll try it again and see if I see if I can find out anything else – thanks for the note! Let me know if you try it again at all (perhaps at a tad higher heat?). Do you remember how long it took overall?
Amanda — wanted to let you know that I tried this again with some different millet and I also had to cook it longer! I talked to Alex and we’re thinking it must depend on the type of millet! I ended up having to cook it about 5 minutes longer. I did notice it was barely simmering, so I’m going to make sure to keep it at a constant simmer next time and see what that does for the timing. Thanks again for mentioning this!
Thanks for sharing =) I cook mostly based on recipes, so links ahead. I’ve been making Vegetarian Times’ Millet Tabbouleh: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/11670 I was so excited to have a replacement for couscous when I saw it. Millet also comes as a cereal which can be used to make protein bars: http://www.fitfoodiefinds.com/2011/06/big-news-x-3-bird-food-balls.html I liked the flavor, but mine weren’t that cohesive.
Millet tabbouleh is a great idea! I’ve heard of quinoa tabbouleh too — but I am such a fan of the traditional bulgur wheat that I haven’t made it to any variations yet :)
I had no idea millet came in a puffed cereal form – thanks for the tip! And I love the bird food concept – that’s right up my alley :)
I used to loathe millet because my super healthy mom used to make me eat it every morning for breakfast (I have always thought of it as a breakfast food and not as a replacement for rice or pasta). Recently I went home and my mom made me millet early in the morning, served warm with milk, blueberries and some maple syrup – I LOVED it! Now I make it for myself in the mornings and have a nice little reminder of home and being fed by my mom every day :)
Great post! I bought some millet and so far have just used it to add some crunch to my pumpkin bread. I’m excited to try cooking some and using it in place of couscous.
“Couscous-like” is not really fair – for the first millennium of its existence couscous was made with millet. Only during the 20th Century did wheat couscous become the common variety, and in North Africa, where couscous is thought to have originated around 1000 A D, couscous is still usually made with millet.