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You are here: Home » Food Preparation » Recipes » Beans, Grains, & Vegetables » How To Soak & Cook Gluten-Free Grains

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How To Soak & Cook Gluten-Free Grains

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Ideally, grains should be soaked overnight prior to cooking. This will reduce the cooking time and aid in digestion. Combine the grains and full amount of water along with an acid, such as: Kombucha, raw apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, buttermilk, kefir, whey, yogurt, etc. Use 1 tablespoon of the acid per cup of liquid. Start the soaking the night before, so the grains will soak at least 7 to 8 hours. After the soaking time has passed, begin the cooking process.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil or unrefined virgin coconut oil per cup of grain (optional). Add 1/4 to 1 teaspoon of sea salt per cup of grain (optional). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Allow to simmer for time listed, or until tender and all water is absorbed if you soaked it. Do not lift lid during cooking time, except very quickly once or twice to make sure it is simmering gently. After time required, turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner. Let stand, covered, for about 15 minutes. Fluff with fork. All done!

Also see All Grain Cooking Chart.

Gluten-Free Grain Cooking Chart

RICE (1 cup) WATER COOKING TIME YIELD
Brown Rice (long grain) 2 cups 35 to 45 minutes 3 1/2 cups
Brown Rice (short grain) 2 cups 35 to 45 minutes 3 3/4 cups
Brown Basmati Rice 2 cups 45 to 50 minutes 4 cups
Brown Jasmine Rice 2 cups 45 to 50 minutes 4 cups
Black Japonica Rice 2 cups 45 minutes 3 1/2 cups
Wehani Rice 2 cups 45 minutes 3 cups
Wild Rice 2 1/2 cups 1 1/4 hours 4 cups
Manitok Wild Rice 2 1/2 cups 50 to 60 minutes 4 cups
GRAIN (1 cup) WATER COOKING TIME YIELD
Amaranth 1 1/2 cups 25 minutes 2 cups
Buckwheat/Kasha 1 1/2 cups 10 minutes 3 1/2 cups
Cornmeal (Polenta) 2 1/2 cups 10 minutes 3 1/2 cups
Millet 2 cups 25 minutes 3 1/2 cups
**Quinoa 2 cups 25 to 30 minutes 4 cups
Teff 3 cups 15 minutes 3 cups

**Rinse first.

Not Just for Dinner

Don’t get me wrong. Grains are a staple ingredient in any dinner’s skillet dish. Or, using a cast iron skillet, they can be warmed up in oil and spiced up with salt, pepper and herbs, for a great “refried” side dish.

But don’t stop there! Cook a big batch so you can enjoy them for breakfast or lunch.

Create a tummy-warming hot breakfast cereal by warming up leftover rice, millet, quinoa or other grain in a pot on the stove with a little of your preferred milk (see Nut Milk) and comforting spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and/or Chinese Five Spice Powder. Then top it with fresh fruit, a natural sweetener such as raw honey or raw agave, and more of your favorite milk.

Combine a cooked and cooled grain with beans, diced vegetables, a good dressing, olives, and cheese, and serve it cold as a cold grain salad (see my Cold Quinoa Salad for an example).

We only recommend products and services we wholeheartedly endorse. This post may contain special links through which we earn a small commission if you make a purchase (though your price is the same).

Posted in: Beans, Grains, & Vegetables Beans, Grains, & Vegetables (Gluten-Free) Food Preparation Recipes

About Wardee Harmon

Wardee lives in the Boise area of Idaho with her dear family. She's the lead teacher and founder of the Eat God's Way online cooking program as well as the author of Fermenting, Sourdough A to Z, and other traditional cooking books. Eat God's Way helps families get healthier and happier using cooking methods and ingredients from Bible Times like sourdough, culturing, and ancient grains.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. kimm says

    August 28, 2007 at 10:43 am

    Thanks so much for this chart. The only thing we ever do is oatmeal and I would love to expand our grains. I have tried quinoa in the crockpot the way I do my oatmeal but it burned.

    Unfortunately for the time being we are just having to do granola and rice milk every morning since we have a baby coming soon and I am not well enough to cook in the mornings.

    I can’t wait until life settles a little after the baby so I can try some of your wheat free recipes. Thanks for posting so much on your allergy free recipes:)

    Reply
  2. Carrie says

    May 6, 2010 at 6:29 pm

    To clarify, do we use the amount of liquid in the cooking chart for soaking? Do we add any water after soaking for the cooking? I’m thinking for quinoa especially, since I think you’re supposed to rinse them again after soaking, right? Thanks for your help! Love your site so much!!

    Reply
  3. Lisa Holcomb says

    February 17, 2013 at 5:58 pm

    What a wealth of valuable information you website is. I can’t wait to explore it some more. 🙂

    Reply
  4. shelby says

    January 16, 2014 at 3:36 pm

    Hello! Im a bit confused on cooking after you soak. I tend to soak my grains and beans for a longer period of time. Im confused on how much water im supposed to add. If i do a cup of brown rice, and soak it in 2 cups of water, do i reuse the soaking water and thats it to cook it? Or drain the rice after soaking, then bring to a boil in the pot with another 2 cups water?
    I made black rice last night and it turned out very mushy.

    Reply
    • Wardee Harmon says

      January 17, 2014 at 2:15 pm

      Shelby — You can either cook it right in the soaking water –OR– drain the water and measure what’s left and replace just that amount (not the full soaking amount).

      Reply

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