Why Ancient Grains Are Becoming So Popular (And Why They're Worth Trying)

Walk down the grocery aisle today and you'll spot them everywhere — quinoa salads, millet porridge, sorghum crackers, teff flatbread. Ancient grains have quietly gone from health-food-store curiosities to mainstream pantry staples. But what exactly are they, why is everyone suddenly talking about them, and — since we're a gluten-free kitchen — which ones can you actually eat if you're avoiding gluten?

Here's everything you need to know.

What Are "Ancient Grains," Exactly?

"Ancient grains" isn't a botanical category. It's a marketing-friendly umbrella term for grains and pseudo-cereals that have remained largely unchanged for hundreds or even thousands of years, unlike modern wheat and corn, which have been heavily bred and hybridized for higher yields.

The category includes true cereals like farro, spelt, einkorn, and kamut, as well as "pseudo-cereals" — seeds that are cooked and eaten like grains even though they're not technically grasses — such as quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat.

This is the important part for anyone eating gluten-free: not all ancient grains are created equal. Farro, spelt, einkorn, and kamut are all ancient wheat varieties, which means they contain gluten and are unsafe for anyone with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, despite sometimes being marketed as "easier to digest." If you're gluten-free, the ancient grains worth getting excited about are the naturally gluten-free ones: quinoa, amaranth, millet, sorghum, teff, and buckwheat.

Why Ancient Grains Are Having a Moment

1. People want more nutrition per bite

Compared to refined modern grains, most ancient grains are nutritional heavyweights. Quinoa and amaranth are complete proteins, containing all nine essential amino acids — rare for a plant food. Teff is packed with iron and calcium. Sorghum and millet are rich in antioxidants and slow-digesting carbohydrates that help keep blood sugar steadier.

2. The gluten-free market keeps growing

As more people are diagnosed with celiac disease or choose to reduce gluten for other health reasons, naturally gluten-free grains have become essential building blocks for flours, snacks, and baked goods that don't rely on heavily processed starches.

3. They're better for the planet

Many ancient grains, especially sorghum and millet, are drought-tolerant and require far less water and fewer inputs than conventional wheat or rice. That makes them appealing to a generation of shoppers who care about sustainability alongside nutrition.

4. Texture and flavor variety

Ancient grains simply taste more interesting. Millet has a mild, slightly sweet, corn-like flavor. Buckwheat is earthy and nutty. Sorghum has a chewy, faintly sweet bite similar to farro but with none of the gluten. For anyone tired of the same rice-and-quinoa rotation, they open up a whole new world of textures.

Meet the Gluten-Free Ancient Grains

Quinoa — The best-known of the bunch, quinoa cooks quickly, works in both sweet and savory dishes, and delivers a complete protein profile plus magnesium and fiber.

Amaranth — Tiny, slightly peppery seeds that turn creamy and porridge-like when cooked, and pop like miniature popcorn when toasted dry. High in protein, iron, and calcium.

Millet — A staple across Africa and Asia for thousands of years, millet cooks up fluffy like couscous or creamy like polenta depending on the water ratio. Naturally alkaline and easy on digestion.

Sorghum — Popular in flour form for gluten-free baking because of its mild flavor and wheat-like texture. Whole sorghum berries also make a great chewy addition to grain bowls.

Teff — The tiniest grain in the world, and the base of Ethiopian injera bread. Exceptionally high in iron, calcium, and resistant starch, which supports gut health.

Buckwheat — Despite the name, buckwheat has no relation to wheat and contains no gluten. It's rich in rutin, an antioxidant linked to heart health, and makes excellent flour for pancakes, noodles, and crackers.

How to Start Adding Ancient Grains to Your Diet

You don't need to overhaul your pantry overnight. A few easy ways to start:

• Swap white rice for millet or sorghum as a side dish
• Use buckwheat or sorghum flour in place of a portion of regular gluten-free flour in baking
• Cook amaranth or teff into a warm breakfast porridge with fruit and nut butter
• Add cooked quinoa to salads, soups, or stir-fries for extra protein
• Look for snacks and baked goods made with ancient grain flour blends instead of refined rice flour or cornstarch alone

At Booch and Barbie, we're always exploring how these grains can make our gluten-free products taste better and go further nutritionally.

We have a few products that use these ancient grains:

1. Lime Lavender Millet Cookies

Made with almond and jowar flour, lavender, lemon zest and sweetened with khandsari, these light buttery cookies can be enjoyed as a light dessert or a sophisticated snack.

2. Cheesy Millet Chips

With the bold flavor of vegan cheddar. Made from a blend of amaranth and jowar flours, they are baked, not fried, and seasoned with nutritional yeast for that signature cheesy kick.

3. Berry Banana Ancient Grains Granola

Strawberry, banana and cacao crunch granola is made using amaranth puffs, cacao nibs, cacao powder and sweetened entirely with molasses, which makes it richer in calcium and nutrients and easier on the gut.

The Bottom Line

Ancient grains are popular for a simple reason: they deliver more nutrition, more flavor, and more variety than the refined grains most of us grew up eating — and for the gluten-free community, the naturally gluten-free varieties (quinoa, amaranth, millet, sorghum, teff, and buckwheat) offer a way to eat well without compromise.