How to Soak, Cook, and Eat Millet

Welcome to the world of cooking with millet. With this recipe, you can easily make fluffy millet in less than 30 minutes, whether you are a pro or a beginner.

With just two ingredients - millet grain and water, you can cook the perfect fluffy millet every single time. And use this cooked millet to make your breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

What is millet?

Millet is a round-shaped cereal grain that belongs to the grass family Poaceae. This ancient grain is gluten-free and rich in protein, fiber, and antioxidants (1).

Unlike wheat, these are gluten-free and can grow efficiently with less water, even in hot temperatures. And hence these are grown extensively in Asian and African countries. 

There are many types of millet. Most common ones are Soghum, Proso millet, Pearl millet and Finger millet.

Millet is an excellent grain to use in cooking because it's vegan-friendly, gluten-free, and loaded with nutrients such as protein, fiber, and antioxidants. Having such a versatile ingredient in everyday meals is great.

Should millet be soaked before cooking?

Is soaking millet before cooking worth your time? Yes, and I highly recommend soaking millet for its numerous advantages.

Some of them are

• By soaking millet, you will get a delightful creamy texture in your millet porridge. The outer covering of millet can be slightly tough, but soaking helps soften it, resulting in a silky-smooth consistency.
• Soaking will yield fluffy millet, perfect for salads, stir-fries, and pilafs.

Soaking is optional. Even if you are out of time and skipped soaking, you can cook perfect millet with my recipe.

Ingredients

• Millet grain: This recipe works for any small grain millet. In this recipe, I used foxtail millet. But you can use other small millet - little millet, proso millet, barnyard millet, browntop millet.
• Water: We will need the right amount of water for cooking millet to perfection. If you intend to use millet for porridge, use more water. Else, take water in the exact mentioned quantity for the fluffy millet.

How to cook millet - the foolproof recipe

In this post, I will show you how to cook millet using three simple techniques. Whether you use a stove top pan, stove top pressure cooker, or Instant Pot, your millet will be perfectly cooked in less than 30 minutes.

Prep millet

Usually, millet from the supermarkets will be clean. If it's not, clean the millet and remove any dirt or debris from it.

Now wash the millet a couple of times with clean water. If you are not soaking, you may need to rub it with your hands to remove the dirt altogether. Finally, drain the water entirely from the millet and keep it aside.

Soak millet

Soaking millet is optional, but I usually soak the millet for 4 to 8 hours. If you are soaking for more time, do it in the refrigerator as millets ferment.

After soaking, rinse the soaked millet 2 to 3 times and completely drain the water. Using a colander makes the job easy, as millet grain is tiny and difficult to handle with bare hands.

Cooking the Millet

• Heat a thick-bottomed cooking pot or pan. Add the drained millet and the appropriate amount of water to the cooking pot, and close it partially with the lid. 

• For soaked millet, use 1.5 cups of water for every 1 cup of millet. The millet-to-water ratio is 1:2 for unsoaked millet. That means, for every 1 cup of millet, use 2 cups water.

• Increase the heat to high and let the water come to a boil, which usually takes about 5 minutes.

• Now reduce the heat to low and fully cover the pot with the lid.

• 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 unsoaked millet.

• Your millet will be perfectly cooked when all the water is absorbed. Turn off the heat and let it sit for an additional ten minutes.

• After 10 minutes, fluff it up with a fork, and the cooked millet is ready to be savored and enjoyed.

Millet water ratio

1 cup millet	Soaked millet	Unsoaked millet
	(Water)	(Water)
Stove top Pan	1.5 cups	2 to 2.5 cups
Instant Pot	1.25 cups	1.75 cups
Stove top Pressure Cooker	1.5 cups	2 cups
Rice Cooker	1.5 cups	2 cups

Recipe Notes

• Want to make flavorful millet? Instead of water, use vegetable broth or any other flavored broth for cooking the millet. 
• Adding a pinch of salt while cooking millet will also make it tasty. If you find millet bland, add a little salt. 
• You can use whole spices like bay leaves, cardamom, and cinnamon to flavor the millet.
• To make the creamy millet, use coconut milk instead of water to cook the millet. 
• I used coconut oil to cook the millet. You can even use butter, ghee, or other oils like avocado oil, vegetable oil, or olive oil.
• For extra nuttiness and depth, lightly toast the millet grains in the saucepan before adding the water. Heat the dry millet over medium heat for a few minutes until fragrant, then proceed with the recipe.
• Naturally, this recipe is vegan and gluten free.

Tips to get fluffy and perfect millet

• Soaking the millet will make it fluffy; if you have time, soak it.
• Though oil is optional, adding oil while cooking millet will make it fluffy. And millet grains will not stick.
• It's tempting to stir it often but avoid it, as mixing will break the grains and make them lumpy.
• Once you switch off the flame, keep the millet aside for 10 minutes. That residual steam will cook the millet thoroughly.
• After 10 minutes of cooking, fluff it with a fork and let it cool down before using it. Cooled millet will be more fluffy.

Storage

Once you have prepared millet, you can use it immediately for your breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Or you can store the millet for later use. 

Cooked millet keeps well at room temperature for about 8 to 12 hours. You can store it in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Here are some tips I usually follow to store the millet and use it later.

• Cool it down: Before storing the millet, let it cool down completely. This will prevent moisture buildup, and millet will not be spoiled.
• Portion-sized containers: I always put the millet in portion-sized airtight containers to freeze or store it in the refrigerator. This way, we can take only the required quantity from the fridge and use it immediately.
• Thawing and reheating: When using the refrigerated or frozen millet, thaw it in the fridge overnight. To reheat, add a little water or broth to a saucepan and gently warm the millet over low heat until it's heated. If you make stir-fries, you can directly add the millet and heat it with the veggies. If your millet is dry, add a tablespoon or two of water while heating it.

Serving suggestions

Now that you've mastered cooking fluffy millet, it's time to explore the delicious ways to enjoy this versatile grain. 

Breakfast: We can make a delicious and nutritious breakfast bowl using millet. Top a serving of cooked millet with fresh seasonal fruits and a sprinkle of your favorite nuts or seeds. Drizzle with honey or maple syrup for added sweetness. You could add a splash of milk as well.

To make a savory millet breakfast bowl, mix cooked millet with yogurt, chopped veggies, and spices of your choice.

You could add a dollop of nut butter to the millet breakfast bowl for added taste and texture.

Lunch: 

For a satisfying lunch, serve the millet salad along with any protein. It will be an easy and quick satiating lunch. 

You can stuff the bell peppers with a flavorful mixture of cooked millet, sauteed vegetables, and your choice of protein. Bake until tender, and enjoy a hearty and wholesome meal.

Or, you can use plain millet to substitute rice or quinoa and enjoy it with dal or curry. Here are some vegetarian curry recipes that go very well with millet.

Saag Chana

Black beans curry

Chickpea lentil curry

Dinner:

Use millet in stir-fries, pilafs, and soups to make a hearty and nourishing dinner.

After a tiring day, I use cooked millet to make the grain bowl. Add half a cup of cooked millet, beans, veggies of your choice, and some pesto sauce to a bowl to make millet grain bowls. You can use any leftover curry also to make this bowl. Black-eyed peas, curried adzuki beans, and curried chickpeas taste good with millet and make the millet grain bowl flavorful.

I have shared many millet recipes that can be part of your breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Do try them out.

Common faqs

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