Gluten-Free Grains

Interested in using more gluten-free grains? Here’s your list of the top 8 gluten-free grains, as well as common flours used in gluten-free baking.

Gluten is the name for the protein naturally occurring in some grains, such as wheat, barley, rye, and oats. There are also various varieties of these grains, such as spelt, durum, emmer, semolina, farina, farro, triticale, KAMUT, and einkorn wheat.

If you want to eat or need to eat a gluten-free diet, there are many gluten-free grains (and grain-like foods) you can use instead.

Gluten-free grains include:

Amaranth

Amaranth is a very, very tiny, highly-nutritious, grain-like food that becomes somewhat stretchy when cooked. It is high in protein, iron, calcium, and slimming fiber.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat a highly nutritious, gluten-free, triangular-shaped, grain-like seed. Even though it has “wheat” in its name, it is not related to wheat in any way.

> Get some recipes that use buckwheat

Corn (or polenta) and popcorn

Corn is a very common gluten-free grain, and includes the type of corn that is ground into flour, corn on the cob, popcorn, and grits.

> Get some recipes that use corn

Millet

Millet is a light-colored grain with a mild flavor. It is often enjoyed as a creamy cooked porridge.

> Get some recipes that use millet

Quinoa

Quinoa comes in several colors. It is often used to make quinoa salad and vegan burgers. Quinoa is high in protein, fiber, iron, and zinc.

> Get some recipes that use quinoa

Sorghum

Sorghum is a small, round, light-colored, grain that is versatile and loaded with nutrients, such as protein, iron, and B vitamins.

> Get some recipes that use sorghum

Rice

Another common gluten-free grain is rice. There are numerous varieties of rice, such as short-grain rice, long-grain rice, jasmine rice, basmati rice, Japanese rice, brown rice, black rice, white rice, and many more.

Rice is very versatile and can be used in many ways.

> Get some recipes that use rice

Teff

Perhaps my favorite gluten-free grains is teff. Teff is a very tiny, gluten-free grain that is highly nutritious. Just one cup of cooked teff offers 123 milligrams of calcium, 7 grams of fiber, and loads of other nutrients.

> Get some recipes that use teff

Gluten-free flours

Here is a list of common gluten-free flours and ingredients that are used as flour in gluten-free baking:

Amaranth flour
Buckwheat flour
Corn starch
Corn meal
Fava bean flour
Garbanzo flour
Masa harina
Potato flour
Potato starch
Quinoa flour
Rice flour
Sorghum flour
Teff flour