This post is a collection of the best millet recipes that are not only healthy but also tasty enough to include in your daily breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Also, I showed you an easy and fail-proof method for cooking millet in less than 20 minutes. With just two ingredients - millet grain and water, you can cook the perfect fluffy millet every time and use it for different recipes.
What is millet?
Millet is a cereal grain, commonly known as poor man's food, are nutritional powerhouses. These are rich in B vitamins, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Potassium, fiber, and protein.
Unlike wheat, these are gluten-free and can grow efficiently with less water. There are many varieties of millet, and some of them are Jowar (Sorghum), Ragi(Finger), Korra (Foxtail), Sama (Little), Bajra (Pearl).
How do you eat millet?
Generally, people eat millet as a rice substitute with everyday curries, dal, or rasam. Or we can make pulihora or fried rice or breakfast porridge or any rice item with this cooked millet.
This cooking millet method is applicable only for small millets called siridhanyalu, like foxtail millet, proso millet, little millet, browntop millet, and barnyard millet.
Pearl millet or Sorgham will take more time and water, and I haven't cooked them using this method.
Some common faqs related to millet
One cup of raw millet will yield around 4 to 4.5 cups of cooked millet.
I always wash them as there might be dirt in them. If you get pre-washed millet, then it is not necessary to wash millet.
Like all other grains, pulses, and plant seeds, Millets also contain phytic acid. Phytic acid is an anti-nutrient that impairs the mineral absorption from foods. Soaking, sprouting, and fermenting will remove this phytic acid and makes nutrients from these foods bio-available. So I always soak millets before cooking. Unsoaked millets take more water and time to cook.
It depends on the cooking method, but millet can be cooked under 20 minutes using any technique. Check the recipe card on all modes of cooking.
Millets are healthy and take less water to grow when compared to rice, so they are a sustainable choice. Though millets are nutritious, they contain goitrogens. People with thyroid disorders should eat them in moderation.
Moderation is the key, and we should try to include all types of grains (like rice, wheat, buckwheat, cassava, amaranth) in our day-to-day cooking. Along with grains, the right amount of pulses, legumes, and vegetables makes the complete meal.
Eat it like rice, with curry or chutney as a side dish. You can use millet to make fried rice, lemon rice, salad, porridge, and many more.
You can have millet for any meal. Portion control and balancing it with veggies and other foods is the key.
Millet water ratio for cooking millet:
| Cooking method | Pre soaked millet | Unsoaked millet |
|---|---|---|
| Stovetop | 1 cup millet: 1.5 cups of water | 1 cup millet: 2 to 2.5 cups of water |
| Instant Pot | 1 cup millet: 1.25 cups of water | 1 cup millet: 1.75 cups of water |
| Pressure Cooker | 1 cup millet: 1.5 cups of water | 1 cup millet: 2 cups of water |
How to cook millet:
- If you are soaking the millet, do it for 6 to 8 hours.
- Wash the millet a couple of times to make sure there is no dirt. If you are not soaking, you may need to rub it with your hands to remove the dirt completely.
- Drain the water from the millet entirely and keep it aside.
Stovetop instructions:
- Heat a cooking pot. Add the drained millet, water to the cooking pot, and close it partially with the lid. Check the millet water ratio section for the amount of water.
- Increase the heat to high and let the water come to the boiling, around 5 minutes.
- Now reduce the flame to low and close the lid completely.
- Let the millet cook until all the water is absorbed. It will take around 6 to 8 minutes for pre-soaked millet and 10-13 minutes for un-soaked millet.
- Please switch off the flame and let it sit for ten more minutes.
- Fluff it up with a fork, and the cooked millet is ready to use.
Instant Pot instructions for cooking millet:
- Add drained millet, water, and a tsp of oil to the inner pot. Check the millet water ratio section for the amount of water.
- Close the lid properly, move the steam releasing valve to the SEALING position.
- Select manual and cook it on HIGH PRESSURE for 4 minutes if using pre-soaked millet. Cook it for 8 minutes if using unsoaked millet.
- Switch it off once done, wait for 10 minutes and do a normal pressure release.
- Fluff it up with a fork, and the millet is ready to use.
Pressure Cooker instructions:
- Add millet, water, and tsp of oil to the pressure cooker. Check the millet water ratio section for the amount of water.
- Close the lid and let it for 1 to 2 whistles on medium-high flame for pre-soaked millet. It will take around 5 minutes. For unsoaked millet, cook it for 2-3 whistles, about 7 to 8 minutes.
- Once done, take it out of the heat and let the pressure release naturally.
- Once the pressure is released, fluff it up with a fork.
Are you making this recipe for your lunch? Check out 25+ healthy lunch ideas and tips that can help you to prepare a healthy meal easily at home.
Tips to get fluffy millet:
- Soaking the millet will yield fluffy millet, so if you do not have time, soak it for at least an hour or so in hot water.
- Add a tsp of oil along with water while cooking it.
- It's tempting to stir it often, but avoid it as stirring will break the grains and make them lumpy.
- Fluff it up with a fork after 10 minutes of cooking and let it cool down before using it.
Millet recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner:
All these millet recipes are
- Vegetarian and mostly vegan (if not vegan, I have included the best possible vegan replacement)
- Gluten-free
- Simple
- Easy to adapt to your daily diet
- Whole-grain
- Plant-based
- Diabetic friendly
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Recipe card:
How to cook millet and 11 best millet recipes for your breakfast, lunch or dinner
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup millet
- 1.25 to 2 cups water exact quantity depends on the cooking method
- 1 tsp oil or butter optional but recommeded for fluffy millet
Instructions
- If you are soaking the millet, do it for 6 to 8 hours.
- Wash the millet a couple of times to make sure there is no dirt. If you are not soaking, you may need to rub it with your hands to remove the dirt completely.
- Drain the water from millet completely and keep it aside.
How to cook millet on Stovetop
- Heat a cooking pot. Add the drained millet, water to the pot, and close it partially with the lid. For presoaked millet, use 1.5 cups of water for 1 cup of millet. Use 2 to 2.5 cups of water for unsoaked millet.
- Increase the heat to high and let the water come to the boiling, around 5 minutes.
- Now reduce the flame to low and close the lid completely.Let the millet cook until all the water is absorbed. It will take around 6 to 8 minutes for pre-soaked millet and 10-13 minutes for un-soaked millet.
- Switch off the flame and let it sit for 10 more minutes.
- Fluff it up with a fork and cooked millet is ready to use.
Steps for cooking millet in Instant Pot
- Add drained millet, water, and a tsp of oil to the inner pot. For presoaked millet, use 1.25 cups of water for 1 cup of millet. For unsoaked millet use 1.75 cups of water.
- Close the lid properly, move the steam releasing valve to SEALING position.
- Select manual and cook it on HIGH PRESSURE for 4 minutes if using pre-soaked millet. Cook it for 8 minutes if using unsoaked millet.
- Switch if off once done and do a normal pressure release after 10 minutes.
- Fluff it up with a fork and the millet is ready to use.
Steps for cooking millet in a Pressure Cooker
- Add millet, water, and tsp of oil to the pressure cooker. For presoaked millet, use 1.5 cups of water for 1 cup of millet. Use 2 cups of water for unsoaked millet.
- Close the lid and let it for 1 to 2 whistles on medium-high flame for pre-soaked millet. It will take around 5 minutes. For unsoaked millet, cook it for 2-3 whistles, around 7 to 8 minutes.
- Once done, take it out of the heat and let the pressure release naturally.
- Once the pressure is released completely, fluff it up with a fork.
Notes
- This method will yield fluffy millet. If you want porridge consistency then use 1:3 millet to water ratio.
- By using this method, we can cook foxtail millet, little millet, proso millet, kodo millet and barnyard millet.
Yuvraj
Very good details on cooking millets. Thank you. Keep up the good work!
Sravanthi
Thank you so much, Yuvraj for your encouraging words.