How to Cook Sorghum - Sharon Palmer, The Plant Powered Dietitian (2024)

How to Cook Sorghum - Sharon Palmer, The Plant Powered Dietitian (1)

Sharon Palmer

Published on March 5, 2024

How to Cook Sorghum - Sharon Palmer, The Plant Powered Dietitian (2)

Learn how to cook with sorghum, including sorghum grain, sorghum flour and even sorghum syrup in this sorghum cooking guide with sorghum cooking tips, sorghum benefits, and sorghum recipes.

Chances are, you might not have heard of sorghum. Indeed, sorghum is an undervalued and certainly underutilized whole grain. This plant food originated in Africa, and from there it traveled on the Silk Road to Asia and India, eventually making its way to the United States on slave ships. Today, it is primarily used as livestock feed and fuel for ethanol. In Africa and Asia, however, its primary purpose is for human consumption. We should all take note and include this grain in our diets more often too! It thrives in drought-like conditions, therefore requiring very little water or maintenance, making it a perfect grain for the dry African climate. It is resistant to many plant diseases as well. Though it comes in many varieties, white, brown and bronze colored sorghum grains are the most common.

How to Cook Sorghum - Sharon Palmer, The Plant Powered Dietitian (3)

Sorghum Nutrition

This grain is a nutritional powerhouse. Unlike other grains it has no inedible hull, which allows us to eat the entire grain and reap the benefits. Just ½ cup of cooked sorghum packs 6.4 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein! The high fiber content helps slow digestion and results in a steady source of energy without blood sugar spikes. Black sorghum is also packed with anthocyanin, an antioxidant that is not found in many other grains. It is rich in iron (15% DV) and phosphorus (13% DV), which foster red blood cell development and bone health.

How to Cook Sorghum - Sharon Palmer, The Plant Powered Dietitian (4)

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 like oatmeal or porridge or used in a cold grain salad, and is an excellent substitute for rice in risotto recipes, although it does call for more water (Use a 3:1 water to sorghum ratio for cooking). When ground into sorghum flour, whole grain 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 as a replacement for liquid sweeteners in your cooking.

Check out my five favorite ways to use sorghum.

Top 5 Ways to Use Sorghum

How to Cook Sorghum - Sharon Palmer, The Plant Powered Dietitian (5)

1. Cook it up as a Whole Grain Breakfast Porridge

Instead of a bowl of steel cut oats, you can hunker down to a bowl of freshly cooked whole grain sorghum, which is rich in protein, fiber, and other nutrients that help stave off hunger. You can even cook it in a slow cooker for overnight porridge! Top it with seasonal fruit, a handful of nuts or seeds, and a splash of plant-based milk and you’re good to go!

How to Cook Sorghum - Sharon Palmer, The Plant Powered Dietitian (6)

2. Stir it into Soups and Stews

The next time you make up a big batch of soup, stew, or chili, toss in a handful of sorghum along with your beans, veggies, broth, and seasonings. It will add texture, nutrition, and flavor.

How to Cook Sorghum - Sharon Palmer, The Plant Powered Dietitian (7)

3. Sprinkle it in Salads

Tossing in precooked whole grains, such as sorghum, is a great way to add slow-digesting carbs, fiber, and nutrients to a light meal.

How to Cook Sorghum - Sharon Palmer, The Plant Powered Dietitian (8)

4. Whisk it into Baked Goods

Instead of using 100% wheat flour in your next baked recipe, why not try substituting half of it with sorghum flour? You’ll be surprised at how tender and moist the results will be with this gluten-free flour.

How to Cook Sorghum - Sharon Palmer, The Plant Powered Dietitian (9)

5. Serve it as a Healthy Side

Skip the rice and potatoes at your next meal and serve a hearty side of simmered sorghum. It makes a great pairing for stir-fries, curries, nut loafs, and lentil patties.

Check out my video on cooking with sorghum here.

For other tips on how to use plant foods, check out the following:

How to Cook Kohlrabi
Persimmons 101: Health Benefits, Recipes, and More
How to Use Cherimoya
Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds
How to Cook All Greens

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  1. Can it be a substitute for rice?

    Reply

    • Yes, you can absolutely used cooked sorghum as a replacement for cooked rice in a variety of recipes, such as with stir-fries or curries, in grain bowls, and salads.

      Reply

  2. Hi,
    Can cooked sorghum be put in the fridge and eaten cold?
    Also can it be reheated from the fridge next day? Thanks

    Reply

    • Thank you for this question. Yes, you can precook sorghum and refrigerate it and eat it cold. I use cold sorghum in salads, such as my XX and I precook it and rewarm it in many dishes during the week. Just refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

      Reply

  3. Can I use Sorghum in a smoothie uncooked as I do with Flax seed?

    Reply

    • I don’t recommend using raw whole grains in cooking. They are difficult to digest without cooking. Flax seed is in a different category, and if they are ground, they can be digested. However, I love to use cooked grains in smoothies!

      Reply

      • Great to know. We’re trying to very slowly incorporate sorghum into my daughters diet. She has ulcerative colitis and I understand sorghum is highly starch resistant. If we understand correctly it tends to make it to the large colon where the starch resistant fiber can help feed the micro biome there.

        Reply

        • If you’re interested in further nutrition guidance, I offer 1:1 consultations, so please feel free to book an appointment if this would be helpful for you and your daughter.

          Reply

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How to Cook Sorghum - Sharon Palmer, The Plant Powered Dietitian (2024)

FAQs

Do you need to soak sorghum before cooking? ›

Sorghum benefits from 6-8 hours of pre-soaking to help make it more easily digestible. However, it is not essential for cooking as the sorghum will cook without pre-soaking within 1 hour on the stove or ½ hour pressure cooking. Is sorghum gluten-free?

How do you prepare and eat sorghum? ›

Stovetop Cooking

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let cook for approximately 40-55 minutes or until the sorghum is tender. Drain any remaining liquid and serve. Substitute the water for chicken, vegetable or beef stock or add spices and seasonings to add variety to your dishes.

Can you eat uncooked sorghum? ›

The desi weight loss food apart from being consumed as roti, dosa or cheela, can also be eaten in its raw form and doesn't need much cooking. For diabetics, it is a healthy choice as it is considered a complex carbohydrate and takes time to digest thus not shooting up blood sugar levels.

Can I eat sorghum like oatmeal? ›

Similar in texture to instant oatmeal, flaked sorghum can be used in granola and as a cereal. Syrup. Similar to molasses, sorghum can be used in the place of corn syrup, maple syrup, honey, and even sugar in most foods.

Does sorghum need to be rinsed before cooking? ›

Before cooking, drain soaked sorghum through a very fine mesh strainer, a colander lined with a kitchen towel, or a nut milk bag. Rinse well with cool water. Give the strainer a shake to ensure that there is no excess liquid.

How do you remove phytic acid from sorghum? ›

Fermentation was also more effective than malting in reducing phytic acid in sorghum and finger millet. Simple traditional food processing methods can therefore be used to increase mineral availability.

Is it safe to eat sorghum everyday? ›

The USDA recognizes sorghum as 100% gluten-free, meaning it's safe for people with Celiac's Disease and gluten intolerance to eat on a regular basis. Both sorghum flour and whole-grain sorghum are great substitutes for wheat-based recipes.

Is sorghum better than quinoa? ›

Nutritious. Whole grain sorghum is an excellent source of 12 essential nutrients. A serving of cooked whole grain sorghum provides more than double the amount of protein as a serving of quinoa. One half-cup serving of cooked whole grain sorghum has nearly double the iron as a 3-ounce sirloin steak.

How do Africans eat sorghum? ›

Food Products

There are multiple ways sorghum is consumed in Africa, Awika said. It has gone from being consumed in a village as a porridge or as bread, but it is also served as a liquid that is either fermented or unfermented (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), which you can pick up at a corner store.

What are the side effects of sorghum? ›

The patient can even faint in a severe case. There are some other symptoms of allergy to Sorghum consumption, which are tingling or itching around the mouth and the lips; swelling in and around the throat, the abdomen, and the eyes; nausea, vomiting, and fainting.

Should sorghum be refrigerated after opening? ›

Do I Need to Refrigerate Sorghum? No, sorghum is a natural sweetener and can be treated just like honey. Although refrigeration will not hurt your sorghum, it will make the consistency thicker and harder to spread. Storing at room temperature will keep your product ready to use at all times.

Is sorghum good for gut bacteria? ›

Most of the starch in sorghum is either slow-starch or fully resistant to digestion in the small intestine, which offers a banquet bounty of prebiotics for your good gut flora down in your colon.

Which is healthier corn or sorghum? ›

Sorghum grain is higher in protein and lower in fat content than corn, but does not contain carotene as corn does.

Does sorghum raise blood sugar? ›

Sorghum is rich in phytochemicals that have been reported to have glucose-lowering (7) and cholesterol-lowering properties (8).

Which is healthier, sorghum or molasses? ›

Sorghum molasses contains higher amounts of some nutrients than molasses, such as phosphorus and zinc, and it is lower in sodium.

How is sorghum traditionally prepared? ›

Sorghum is used to make both leavened and unleavened bread. In Sahelian Africa, it is primarily used in couscous. Various fermented and unfermented beverages are made from sorghum. It can be steamed or popped and is consumed as a fresh vegetable in some areas of the world.

Does sorghum need to be processed? ›

Stalks, leaves, and grain left after processing could be used for pelletizing for energy, digested for energy, or ensiled into a feedstuff. One issue with sorghum is that the material needs to be processed soon after harvest unlike other graincrops used for biofuel.

Does sorghum need water? ›

Because of its ability to survive in unfavorable con- ditions, sorghum is often relegated to poor soils and poor management. However, to be profitable, a sorghum crop needs sufficient water at critical points in its develop- ment. Therefore it is vital that growers manage irri- gation properly.

Does sorghum ever get soft? ›

You can cook whole grain and pearled sorghum on the stove, in a slow cooker, or in a pressure cooker. You will end up with a soft, hearty grain you can substitute for couscous, quinoa, rice or other grains.

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