Popped Sorghum: Stove and Microwave Recipe

Popped sorghum has its origins in India and is now a popular snack worldwide. It’s similar to popcorn, albeit with smaller puffs: In this article, we’ll give you some easy tips on how to make your own sorghum popcorn at home.

Sorghum is related to corn, but contains fewer calories, less fat and is packed full of healthy antioxidants and vitamins. When popped, sorghum tastes similar to regular popcorn, albeit with a crunchier texture and slightly sweeter, nutty flavor. Even better, sorghum is naturally gluten-free and will pop over high heat just like corn. It is widely grown and available in the US and can be a more environmentally-friendly crop since it normally requires fewer resources than corn or wheat to grow. We recommend buying organic. 

Apart from the sorghum itself, you don’t need any special utensils to make sorghum popcorn at home – all you need is a stove, or a microwave.

How to Make Popped Sorghum Using The Stove

To make popped sorghum on the stove, get a large deep pot with a lid. Much like popcorn, sorghum grains are going to start jumping all over the place when placed on heat, so this will help in preventing a clean-up job afterwards.

1. Add a little oil to coat the bottom of the pot with a lid (this will prevent sticking or burning the grains) then just throw in one sorghum grain to begin. Heat on medium and once you hear a pop, add the remaining grains immediately.
2. Continue on low-medium heat, shaking the pot when needed to ensure the sorghum does not stick, burn and is cooked evenly. Once you hear popping, listen for it to slow down and then remove from heat.
3. Once you are sure the popping is completed, take off the lid, place the popped sorghum in a separate bowl, add your tasty choice of seasoning and serve.

Want to know more about another coveted healthy grain? Check out: Healthy Inca Grain? 9 Things You Need to Know About Quinoa

Popped Sorghum Using A Microwave

The other way to pop sorghum is of course in your microwave. This method is even easier than on the stove. Simply dump your raw sorghum grains in a sealable silicone bag (or sealed paper bag if you don’t have a silicone one), seal it up and just stick it in the microwave for a matter of minutes.

1. Add sorghum grains to a reusable silicone bag or paper bag with the top folded down securely to avoid grain spilling everywhere. Like on the stove, you can add a dash of oil to the bag in order to coat the sorghum with just a few shakes.
2. Microwave for 2-3 minutes on a reduced wattage – remember that sorghum grains are smaller than corn kernels and will burn more easily. Listen for popping and once the popping starts to slow, stop the microwave.
3. Add seasoning to the bag, give the popped sorghum another shake and you are ready to snack.

Seasoning Popped Sorghum

Once the simple process of popping your sorghum is over, now comes the really fun part: seasoning. Much like regular popcorn you can opt for a sweet option or something more savory. Here are just some suggested sorghum popcorn seasonings you could try out.

• Vegan parmesan
• Dried herbs
• Garlic or onion powder
• Curry powder
• Dried chili or chili powder
• Yeast flakes
• Salt & pepper
• Chocolate sauce
• Powdered sugar
• Date caramel

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