Learn how to cook with sorghum, including sorghum grains, sorghum flour, and even sorghum syrup, in this sorghum cooking guide, which includes sorghum cooking tips, sorghum benefits, and sorghum recipes.
You may not have heard of sorghum. In fact, sorghum is an underrated and certainly underutilized whole grain. This plant-based food originated in Africa, from there along the Silk Road to Asia and India, and finally to the United States via slave ships. Today it is mainly used as livestock feed and ethanol fuel. In Africa and Asia, however, its primary purpose is for human consumption. We should all pay attention and incorporate this grain into our diets regularly! It thrives in drought-like conditions and therefore requires very little water or maintenance, making it the perfect grain for Africa’s dry climate. It is also resistant to many plant diseases. Although it comes in many varieties, white, brown, and bronze sorghum kernels are the most common.
Sorghum Nutrition
This grain is a nutrient-dense grain. Unlike other grains, it does not have an inedible outer shell, which allows us to eat the whole grain and reap the benefits. Just ½ cup of cooked sorghum contains 6.4 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein! The high fiber content helps slow digestion and provides a steady source of energy without causing blood sugar spikes. Black sorghum is also rich in anthocyanins, an antioxidant not found in many other grains. It is rich in iron (15% DV) and phosphorus (13% DV), which promotes red blood cell development and bone health.
How to cook with sorghum
It has a hearty, chewy texture, making it a rich and satisfying addition to your whole grain rotation. It can be eaten as oatmeal or porridge, in cold grain salads, and is an excellent substitute for rice in risotto recipes, although it requires more water (a 3:1 ratio of water to sorghum when cooking ). When ground into sorghum flour, whole wheat sorghum is an excellent substitute for whole wheat flour and can be used to make pancakes or quick breads. You can even use sorghum syrup in place of liquid sweetener in cooking.
Check out five of my favorite ways to use sorghum.
5 Best Ways to Use Sorghum
1. Cook into whole wheat breakfast porridge
Instead of a bowl of steel-cut oats, you can sit down to a bowl of freshly cooked whole-grain sorghum, which is packed with protein, fiber, and other nutrients that help keep hunger at bay. You can even make overnight porridge in a slow cooker! Top it with seasonal fruit, a handful of nuts or seeds, and a splash of plant-based milk, and you’re ready to go!
2. Stir into soups and stews
Next time you’re making a big batch of soup, stew, or chili, add a handful of sorghum along with beans, vegetables, broth, and seasonings. It will add texture, nutrition and flavor.
3.Sprinkle on salad
Adding precooked whole grains, such as sorghum, is a great way to add slow-digesting carbohydrates, fiber, and nutrients to a light meal.
4. Stir it into baked goods
Instead of using 100% wheat flour in your next baking recipe, why not try replacing half with sorghum flour? You’ll be surprised how tender and moist this gluten-free flour turns out.
5. Use it as a healthy side
Skip the rice and potatoes for your next meal and have a hearty sorghum stew. It’s a great accompaniment to stir-fries, curries, nut breads and lentil pancakes.
Check out my video of cooking with sorghum here.
For additional tips on how to use plant-based foods, check out the following:
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How to cook all vegetables