• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
The Healthy Home Economist

The Healthy Home Economist

embrace your right to a lifetime of health

Get Plus
  • Home
  • About
  • My Books
  • Shopping List
  • Archives
  • Log in
  • Get Plus
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Get Plus
  • Log in
  • Home
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Archives
  • My Books
  • Shopping List
  • Recipes
  • Healthy Living
  • Natural Remedies
  • Green Living
  • Videos
  • Natural Remedies
  • Health
  • Green Living
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Whole Grains and Cereals / Tiny Teff Grains Deliver Big on Nutrition

Tiny Teff Grains Deliver Big on Nutrition

by Sarah Pope / Affiliate Links ✔

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Traditional Teff Consumed for Thousands of Years
  • Is Teff Gluten Free?
  • Nutritional Information
  • Teff Contains a Special Kind of Fiber
  • Milling Teff Grains
  • How to Sprout Teff Grains
  • Teff Recipes +−
    • References

handful of teff grainsI first tasted the delicious, gluten free grain known as teff shortly after my husband and I were married. We met after work at an Ethiopian restaurant that we’d been wanting to try for quite some time. My husband was born and lived his early years in Uganda, and he was eager to introduce me to some of the flavors of his home continent.

I was immediately enthralled and delighted by the basket of soft, spongy flatbread that was brought to our table to use as an edible utensil for our meat stew.

Never having experienced the light, slightly nutty flavor of teff before, I asked the waitress about the bread’s origins. She proudly explained that injera is a traditional fermented bread that is a staple in Ethiopia.

Traditional Teff Consumed for Thousands of Years

According to the Whole Grains Council, teff is thought to have made its debut in the human diet around 4000 B.C. in what is today the country of Ethiopia. Ethiopians obtain approximately two-thirds of their dietary protein from teff. The ultra tiny grain, smaller even than a chia seed, is what Ethiopia’s famously competitive long distance runners credit for their energy and stamina.

The tiny size of the teff grain, which can appear dark reddish brown to yellowish brown to ivory, made it the ideal food for the semi-nomadic life common throughout Ethiopian history. Only a handful of seed as shown in the picture above will sow an average size field no matter whether water-logged or dry! Thus, this practical grain is a dependable staple no matter what the environmental conditions.

In addition to climate, teff will grow at a variety of altitudes – from sea level to nearly 10,000 feet (300 meters). Its incredible versatility and hardiness has resulted in cultivation in diverse areas around the world. This includes mountainous Idaho, dry Australia, and low lying, wet areas of the Netherlands and India.

Is Teff Gluten Free?

Teff is one of the most nutritious of all gluten free grains.

Despite its tiny size, teff leads all other grains, gluten free or not, in calcium by a wide margin. This includes nutritious einkorn and millet.

It leads Paleo friendly foods used to substitute for grains like cassava and buckwheat as well.

Nutritional Information

Teff is high in many critical vitamins and minerals.

Magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc, copper, and manganese round out the top six mineral nutrients.

Teff is extremely rich in B complex. It contains excellent amounts of choline, Vitamin B3 (niacin), Vitamin B6, Thiamin, Pantothenic Acid, and Riboflavin.

Teff Contains a Special Kind of Fiber

The biggest health benefit of teff may very well be its unique type of prebiotic starch.

Teff is high in resistant starch, a special type of dietary fiber only recently getting much attention from the research community. Resistant starch benefits blood sugar management, weight control, and overall health of the large intestine.

Up to 40% of the carbohydrates in teff are composed of gut strengthening resistant starches!

Milling Teff Grains

There is only downside to this amazing grain in my experience cooking and baking with it. Can you guess? It is so tiny that most grain mills can’t even grind it into flour!

Unless you have a special grain mill that can manage teff’s ultra miniscule size, it is best eaten in whole form as a delicious, mild, slightly nutty tasting porridge. Alternatively, you can add it to soups or stews to thicken and add texture.

freshly ground teff flourHow to Sprout Teff Grains

The tiny size of this gluten free grain requires only 36 hours or less to sprout – the shortest time of any grain. This is likely due to low amounts of mineral blocking phytic acid, although I was unable to find definite numbers on this to confirm.

If you would like to sprout your teff grains before cooking to add additional vitamins and render it even more digestible, follow these steps before cooking:

  • Place 1 cup in a glass sprouting jar (I use these).
  • Rinse the grains several times with filtered water until thoroughly wet. Drain completely.
  • Lay the sprouting jar on its side to allow the circulation of air.
  • Every few hours, rinse again and reset the jar on its side.
  • Anywhere from a few hours to at most 36 hours (depending on the time of year and warmth/humidity in your home), the tiniest of buds will appear (they are very hard to see) and the sprouted teff grains will be ready for cooking (see toasting step below).

Teff Recipes

Toasted or soaked teff porridge is my personal favorite for a hot breakfast cereal. It beats out even that old stand-by overnight oatmeal. It is easy to make and a great place to start with teff in your kitchen.

This is especially true if you don’t currently have a specialized appliance that permits easy grinding of the tiny grains into fresh flour. I don’t recommend purchasing the flour for baking, as much of the nutritional benefit is lost within a few days of grinding.

If you enjoy the taste of teff after trying it, I recommend gluten free soaked amaranth porridge too. Amaranth is also slightly nutty in flavor and offers an excellent plant protein profile.

References

The Whole Grains Council

Nutritional Facts

How to Mix and Use Gluten Free Flour

Boma:  A Taste of Africa (Best Restaurant at Disney World)

How to Sprout Grains

Why White Rice is Healthier than Brown

FacebookPinEmailPrint
Category: Whole Grains and Cereals
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: Amazon #1 bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

You May Also Like

GMO wheat and hybrid varieties in bowls on wooden table

Hybrid vs GMO Wheat

No, Your Oatmeal is Not Gluten Free (no matter what the label says)

Why Your Oatmeal is Not Really Gluten Free

small white bowl of pearl millet on a cutting board

Beware of Millet

Cooking White Rice. Is Soaking Really Necessary?

Cooking White Rice. Is Soaking Really Necessary?

How to Enjoy the Benefits of Soaked Oatmeal Without the Soaking

Why We Should Be Eating Wild Rice (even if grain free)

Why We Should Be Eating Wild Rice (even if grain free)

Going to the Doctor a Little Too Often?

Get a free chapter of my book Traditional Remedies for Modern Families + my newsletter and learn how to put Nature’s best remedies to work for you today!

We send no more than one email per week. You will never be spammed or your email sold, ever.
Loading

Reader Interactions

Comments (57)

  1. Emjay

    Apr 12, 2020 at 3:37 pm

    I can’t even imagine how one could soak – and then drain – teff. Coffee filter, maybe? We enjoy the toasted porridge. No soak, no drain, not sprouted, not sure it matters that much

    .

    Reply
  2. Maggie Calmels

    Jan 23, 2020 at 2:02 pm

    Hi sarah you know how much i love my Jovial flour, but i got a package of teff I grind it myself and i did the Injera, ,amazing, and easy to do, now im hook to it

    Reply
  3. Samuel

    Jun 12, 2019 at 1:16 pm

    Hi Sarah,

    My Name is Samuel, and I grow up eating Teff in the form of Injera ( it’s like a bread baked and sour). Personally, I don’t have that much of the nutrition value of Teff, in-fact this is for most Ethiopian’s we just eat it as a culture. These day’s I am very much interested in reading the nutrition details, and thanks for sharing this article, If you want to get Teff couldn’t verify its organic state, but I don’t think there any concept inorganic back home in Ethiopia yet, anyways let me know if you want, and I can share you a couple of contacts.

    Sam

    Reply
  4. Beth

    Apr 14, 2019 at 1:27 am

    Any idea if the very high manganese levels would pose a problem? Like aggravating adhd or autism.
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope MGA

      Apr 14, 2019 at 10:26 am

      If you have autism in your household, best to consult with a practitioner who specializes in this to determine if teff is right for them or not.

  5. Jared

    Feb 20, 2019 at 9:56 am

    Hi Sarah,

    I cannot find organic Teff. Do you have source?

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope MGA

      Feb 20, 2019 at 10:06 am

      I haven’t found an organic source yet either!

  6. Ella

    Dec 25, 2018 at 9:36 am

    My finest seive allows teff to fall through it. So I’ve given up on teff..

    Reply
  7. Rebecca

    Sep 30, 2018 at 7:49 pm

    Hi Sarah!
    I don’t see the instructions on how to soak the teff. Shouldn’t teff be soaked similar to oats?

    Reply
    • Sarah

      Sep 30, 2018 at 8:38 pm

      I don’t soak mine. Teff is not really a grain .. it is a pseudo cereal.

  8. Tom

    Mar 28, 2018 at 5:55 pm

    5 stars
    What type of resistant starch is in Teff? Rs1, 2, or 3? Does making porridge out of it destroy all the resistant starch, or what percentage is left over?

    Reply
    • Sarah

      Mar 28, 2018 at 9:49 pm

      I haven’t seen any studies on teff specifically, but on potato starch, RS is destroyed over 130 F although a portion of it is regained after it is cooled.

  9. Gayle

    Mar 17, 2018 at 1:42 pm

    I recently tried teff for the first time but I found it very gritty.
    The cooking instructions on the package did not say to rinse it first. Are you supposed to?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Sarah

      Mar 18, 2018 at 8:55 pm

      I’ve never rinsed it first. Perhaps you didn’t cook long enough? Mine has never been gritty.

  10. jan rune eriksen

    Feb 5, 2018 at 7:46 pm

    Hello Sarah!
    I tried to sprout red Teff seeds the same way as other seeds with soaking overnight in water and rinsing two times a day, but nothing happened. Doesn´t these seeds sprout that way? And how may days will they grow before I need to stop the prosess?
    Sincerely
    Jan R Eriksen

    Reply
    • Sarah

      Feb 6, 2018 at 8:50 am

      Sometimes the seeds are irradiated. Did you get organic? Usually organic ones will sprout as they haven’t been harmed.

« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Sidebar

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

5 Secrets to a Strong Immune System

Loading

The Healthy Home Economist

Since 2002, Sarah has been a Health and Nutrition Educator dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. Read More

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Check Out My Books

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

5 Secrets to a Strong Immune System

Loading

Contact the Healthy Home Economist. The information on this website has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. By accessing or using this website, you agree to abide by the Terms of Service, Full Disclaimer, Privacy Policy, Affiliate Disclosure, and Comment Policy.

Copyright © 2009–2025 · The Healthy Home Economist · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.