Plant-Based Proteins
Protein in Amaranth: Protein, Calories, and Meal Ideas
Amaranth is a vegan grain and pseudocereal with about 6.1 g protein per 45 g dry serving and 13.6 g per 100 g, plus a stronger amino-acid profile than many grains.
Protein per serving
6.1g
45 g dry amaranth / about 1/4 cup
Calories per serving
167
45 g serving
Protein per 100g
13.6g
371 calories per 100 g
Protein density
3.7g
protein per 100 calories
Amaranth Nutrition Snapshot
| Measure | Amount | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical serving | 45 g dry amaranth / about 1/4 cup | 6.1g | 167 |
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 13.6g | 371 |
| Protein density | 100 calories | 3.7g | 100 |
Representative source entry: Amaranth grain, uncooked. Use dry grain values when weighing before cooking. Cooked amaranth porridge absorbs water, so cooked weight is not interchangeable with dry weight.
Good for weight loss? Good
Amaranth can fit weight loss when portions are measured and toppings are controlled, but it works best as a fiber-rich grain base paired with a higher-protein food.
Good for muscle gain? Good
Amaranth supports muscle-gain meals by adding carbohydrates, calories, and complete plant protein, especially with soy foods, legumes, dairy, or protein powder.
Meal Ideas with Amaranth
Amaranth porridge cooked with soy milk and berries
Amaranth bowl with tofu, lentils, and vegetables
Mixed-grain pilaf with amaranth, quinoa, and edamame
Amaranth breakfast with Greek-style yogurt and seeds
How to Use Amaranth
Quick Answer
Dry amaranth has about 13.6 g protein per 100 g. A practical 45 g dry serving gives about 6.1 g protein before cooking, which makes amaranth a moderate-protein vegan grain and pseudocereal.
- Protein class: moderate by weight because it falls in the 5-14.9 g range.
- Protein quality: complete, with a stronger amino-acid profile than many common grains.
- Best format: dry grain cooked into porridge, pilaf, bowls, soups, or mixed-grain meal prep.
Best Use Cases
Amaranth works best as a nutritious carbohydrate base that contributes meaningful protein while leaving room for a stronger protein anchor when the meal target is high.
- Use cooked amaranth porridge with soy milk, berries, seeds, and protein powder when breakfast needs more protein.
- Pair amaranth with lentils, tofu, tempeh, edamame, beans, or Greek-style soy yogurt for higher-protein vegan meals.
- Use it in bowls where quinoa, oats, rice, or millet would normally be the grain base.
Dry Grain vs Cooked Porridge
The most important tracking detail is water. Dry amaranth absorbs water during cooking, so cooked porridge weighs much more while the total protein from the dry grain stays about the same.
- Weigh dry amaranth before cooking when you want the cleanest nutrition estimate.
- If you track cooked porridge, use a cooked amaranth entry or calculate the whole batch from dry weight.
- Log plant milk, dairy milk, sweeteners, nuts, seeds, butter, oil, and toppings separately.
How Amaranth Compares for Protein Density
Amaranth works as a plant-based protein source with about 13.6 g protein and 371 calories per 100 g. That equals 3.7 g protein per 100 calories, or about 27.3 calories per gram of protein. This density number is useful because two foods can both look high protein while one needs far more calories to deliver the same protein target.
Amaranth is less protein-dense than the related foods shown below, so portions, add-ins, and the rest of the meal matter more. Plant protein foods often bring fiber, carbohydrates, fats, or all three along with protein. That makes them useful, but it also means protein density can be very different from lean meat, fish, egg whites, or protein powder. Use the comparison table as a planning shortcut: choose the higher-density option when calories are limited, and choose the more calorie-dense option when appetite is low or muscle-gain meals need to be easier to finish.
Best Uses for Amaranth
For Weight Loss or Calorie Control
Amaranth can work for weight loss or maintenance when the serving is measured and the rest of the plate is planned. The easiest approach is to decide the protein target first, then add carbs, fats, and sauces around that target. For this page's representative serving, 45 g dry amaranth / about 1/4 cup gives about 6.1 g protein. If your meal target is 30 g protein, that is roughly 4.9 typical servings, or about 220.6 g by weight. This is why weighing the first few servings is useful: it turns a vague protein food into a repeatable meal component.
For Muscle Gain or Higher-Calorie Meals
Amaranth supports muscle-gain meals by adding carbohydrates, calories, and complete plant protein, especially with soy foods, legumes, dairy, or protein powder. When using amaranth for muscle gain, the question is not only whether it contains protein; it is whether the whole meal has enough total protein, carbohydrates, and calories to support training. If you need a leaner plant option, compare against tofu, seitan, tempeh, edamame, or pea protein powder. If you need more energy, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, pasta, oats, and quinoa can help. A practical muscle-gain plate is to keep the amaranth portion consistent, then adjust rice, pasta, oats, potatoes, bread, beans, oil, nuts, or dairy up or down depending on your calorie target.
For Meal Prep and Repeatable Tracking
Amaranth is easiest to track when the serving method stays the same from week to week. Choose one default serving, log it with the matching raw, cooked, dry, drained, or label-based entry, and then build meals around that known number. Good repeatable options include Amaranth porridge cooked with soy milk and berries, Amaranth bowl with tofu, lentils, and vegetables, Mixed-grain pilaf with amaranth, quinoa, and edamame, and similar meals where the protein portion is measured before sauces and toppings are added.
Exact Serving Conversions
Serving conversions help when your food scale, recipe, or tracking app uses a different unit than this page. For Amaranth, 1 oz is about 28.35 g and provides roughly 3.9 g protein and 105.2 calories based on the representative per-100-g values. Half of the typical serving gives about 3.0 g protein and 83.5 calories, while a double serving gives about 12.2 g protein and 334 calories.
Use gram targets when precision matters. To get 25 g protein from amaranth, you need about 183.8 g, which is roughly 682.0 calories. To get 30 g protein, use about 220.6 g and 818.4 calories. To get 40 g protein, use about 294.1 g and 1091.2 calories. These estimates are based on the USDA or representative source entry listed below, so the label on your exact product should win when there is a difference.
| Target | Approx. amount | Calories | Typical servings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25g protein | 183.8g | 682.0 | 4.1x |
| 30g protein | 220.6g | 818.4 | 4.9x |
| 40g protein | 294.1g | 1091.2 | 6.6x |
Raw, Cooked, Dry, or Label Weight?
The best tracking rule for Amaranth is simple: match the database entry to the state of the food when you weighed it. This page uses Amaranth grain, uncooked as the representative source entry, with the serving shown as 45 g dry amaranth / about 1/4 cup. Use dry grain values when weighing before cooking. Cooked amaranth porridge absorbs water, so cooked weight is not interchangeable with dry weight.
For plant foods, dry versus cooked weight and brand formulation matter. Beans, grains, pasta, seeds, butters, and powders should be tracked using the form you actually weighed. If you batch cook, portion after cooking only when your tracker entry is also cooked. If you weigh before cooking, use a raw or dry entry and divide the finished batch into servings after cooking. If you are eating a packaged product, the label is normally the most specific source because brands can change water, sodium, sugar, fat, fortification, and serving size.
The most reliable workflow is to choose one method and repeat it: weigh the food, choose the matching raw, cooked, dry, drained, or packaged entry, then log oils, sauces, toppings, sides, and drinks separately. This avoids the most common protein tracking error, which is accidentally counting a prepared meal as if it were a plain serving of amaranth.
Common Mistakes with Amaranth
Most mistakes with Amaranth are not about the protein number itself; they are about matching the wrong food form, ignoring preparation, or forgetting the extra ingredients that travel with the serving. Avoid these issues before comparing your intake against a daily target from the protein calculator.
- Using a generic amaranth entry when the actual food is cooked, raw, flavored, breaded, sweetened, packed in oil, or from a specific brand.
- Counting Amaranth as the entire meal even when the real calorie load comes from oil, dressing, sauce, bread, rice, tortillas, cheese, nuts, or toppings.
- Estimating by eye instead of weighing the first few times. A small portion change can move the meal by 5-15 g of protein or by a few hundred calories for calorie-dense foods.
- For plant foods, dry versus cooked weight and brand formulation matter. Beans, grains, pasta, seeds, butters, and powders should be tracked using the form you actually weighed.
- Weigh amaranth dry when using dry-grain nutrition values.
- Track cooked porridge with a cooked entry or calculate the batch from dry weight.
- Log milk, sweeteners, nuts, seeds, oil, and toppings separately.
Building a High-Protein Meal with Amaranth
Start with the protein target, not the recipe name. A light snack might only need 10-20 g protein, while a main meal often works better at 30-45 g protein depending on body size, meal frequency, and training. With Amaranth, a 30 g protein meal is approximately 220.6 g of the representative food before sides and toppings. If that portion feels too large, combine a smaller amount of amaranth with another protein from the related-food list.
A balanced plate usually needs more than protein. Pair amaranth with a fiber source, a carbohydrate source if you train or need energy, and enough fat to make the meal satisfying. For lower-calorie meals, keep sauces light and increase vegetables. For higher-calorie meals, add rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, oats, beans, dairy, nuts, seeds, avocado, or oil depending on the type of food and your goal.
If the meal is meant to be repeated, write down the exact version that worked: the grams of amaranth, the cooking method, the sides, and the sauce. That gives you a reusable meal template instead of a one-time estimate, and it makes future protein targets easier to hit without redoing the math every day.
Tracking Tips
- Weigh amaranth dry when using dry-grain nutrition values.
- Track cooked porridge with a cooked entry or calculate the batch from dry weight.
- Log milk, sweeteners, nuts, seeds, oil, and toppings separately.
Compare Similar Protein Foods
Common Questions
How much protein is in 45 g of amaranth?
A 45 g dry serving of amaranth has about 6.1 g protein before cooking. Cooking adds water, so the cooked bowl is heavier but does not gain extra protein from the water.
How much protein is in 100 g of amaranth?
Dry amaranth has about 13.6 g protein per 100 g, which makes it a moderate-protein grain and pseudocereal by weight.
Is amaranth a complete protein?
Yes. Amaranth is commonly treated as a complete plant protein and has a stronger amino-acid profile than many grains, although total serving protein is still moderate.
Is cooked amaranth porridge high in protein?
Cooked amaranth porridge contributes protein, but it is diluted by water. For a high-protein breakfast, cook it with soy milk or add Greek-style yogurt, protein powder, tofu scramble, seeds, or another protein source.
Sources reviewed
- USDA FoodData Central: Amaranth grain, uncooked - U.S. Department of Agriculture
- International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise - Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition