Millet: Nutrition, Gluten-Free Status, GI and How to Cook

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By Nikola · Precision Nutrition L1 · Updated 4 November 2026

Millet is a small, round, naturally gluten-free grain from a group of hardy grasses that, as FAO notes, can grow on arid land with minimal inputs. Hulled millet cooks in about 20 minutes into a fluffy side dish or a soft porridge. Per 100 g raw it gives 378 kcal, 11 g of protein and 8.5 g of fibre, along with magnesium, phosphorus, iron, folate, thiamin and niacine. Cooked millet porridge has a glycemic index of 67, close to brown rice. It is a useful grain to rotate with rice and wheat, especially for people who avoid gluten.

Millet nutrition per 100 g and per portion

Nutritif	Raw, 100 g	Cooked, 100 g	Portion: 1 cup cooked (174 g)
Énergie	378 kcal	119 kcal	207 kcal
Protéine	11.0 g	3.5 g	6.1 g
Fat	4.2 g	1.0 g	1.7 g
Carbohydrate	72.8 g	23.7 g	41.2 g
of which fibre	8.5 g	1.3 g	2.3 g
Magnésium	114 mg	44 mg	77 mg
Phosphore	285 mg	100 mg	174 mg
Fer	3.0 mg	0.63 mg	1.1 mg
Copper	0.75 mg	0.16 mg	0.28 mg
Folate	85 µg	19 µg	33 µg
Thiamin (B1)	0.42 mg	0.11 mg	0.18 mg
Niacine (B3)	4.72 mg	1.33 mg	2.31 mg

Source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: “Millet, raw” (FDC 169702) and “Millet, cooked” (FDC 168871), checked 4 November 2026. The cup weight is from the USDA record; the portion column is calculated from the cooked values. Values rounded.

A note on the numbers: going by energy, 100 g of raw millet becomes a little over 300 g cooked. On that basis you would expect about 2.7 g of fibre per 100 g cooked, but the cooked record lists 1.3 g. The two records come from separate analyses, so read the cooked figure as the conservative one. Either way, a portion of millet gives some fibre rather than a lot.

Glycemic index

In the international GI tables, millet porridge has a glycemic index of 67 ± 5 (glucose = 100), in the same range as boiled brown rice (68 ± 4). Porridge is the softest way to eat millet; a firmer, fluffy side dish is not listed separately, so we do not give a number for it. One cup of cooked millet has about 41 g of carbohydrate. Adding yogurt, nuts or seeds to a millet porridge, or serving millet with legumes and vegetables, makes the meal more filling and balanced.

Health benefits: what the evidence says

Gluten-free. Coeliac UK lists millet (also called bajra) among the naturally gluten-free grains. Millet flour and flakes can be contaminated with wheat during milling or storage, so people with coeliac disease should choose products labelled “gluten free”.
A whole grain. Hulled millet is eaten whole. In a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies (Aune et al., BMJ 2016), every extra 90 g of whole grains a day was associated with a 19% lower risk of coronary heart disease and 17% lower risk of death from all causes. These findings cover whole grains in general, not millet specifically.
Magnesium, phosphorus and B vitamins. A cup of cooked millet gives 77 mg of magnesium, 174 mg of phosphorus and useful amounts of thiamin, niacin and copper.
Some plant iron. Raw millet has 3 mg of iron per 100 g. This is non-heme iron, which the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements says the body absorbs less well than iron from animal foods; eating it with vitamin C foods such as poivrons, tomates, citrus or brocoli helps.
A climate-resilient staple. The UN declared 2023 the International Year of Millets, and FAO highlights millets as resilient to changes in climate and as a possible part of a healthy diet. That makes millet an interesting grain to know, not a miracle food.

Ayurveda: millet in the traditional system

In Usha and Vasant Lad’s food guidelines, millet is favourable for Kapha and on the avoid list for Vata and Pitta. In practice, this puts millet among the grains the tradition recommends for people with a Kapha constitution, while for Vata and Pitta the same guidelines favour rice instead (all kinds for Vata, white and basmati for Pitta). This is a traditional view, not a clinical finding.

How to cook and use millet

Rinse and toast: rinse the grains in a fine sieve. For a nuttier taste, dry-toast them in the pot for 2-3 minutes before adding water.
Fluffy side dish: 1 part millet to about 2 parts water or stock and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer on low heat for about 15-20 minutes, then rest 10 minutes and fluff with a fork.
Porridge: use 3-4 parts milk or water and stir now and then until creamy. Top with grated apple, cinnamon, walnuts ou pumpkin seeds.
Salads and bowls: cooled millet works like couscous with concombre, tomates, persil, lemon et huile d'olive.
Stuffing and patties: mix cooked millet with grated carotte, oignon, an egg and herbs, then bake as patties, or use it to stuff poivrons ou citrouille.
Storage: keep dry millet in a closed container in a cool, dry place.

Who should be careful

Coeliac disease. The grain itself is gluten-free, but flours, flakes and mixed products need a “gluten free” label.
Diabetes. Millet porridge has a GI similar to brown rice. Watch the portion, add protein and fat, and check your own glucose response if you measure it.
Digestive comfort. If you are not used to whole grains, start with smaller portions and build up.

FAQ

Is millet gluten-free?

Yes. Coeliac UK lists millet as a naturally gluten-free grain. If you have coeliac disease, buy millet flour, flakes and mixes labelled “gluten free”, because they can pick up wheat during milling.

Is millet healthier than rice?

Per 100 g raw, millet has more protein (11 g vs 7.5 g) and more fibre, iron and folate than long-grain brown rice in the USDA data, while the GI of millet porridge (67) is close to that of brown rice (68). Both are good whole grains, and rotating them is a sensible choice.

How do you cook millet so it is not mushy?

Rinse it, toast it dry for a few minutes, then cook with about 2 parts liquid to 1 part millet on very low heat, covered, without stirring. Let it rest off the heat for 10 minutes before fluffing. More water and stirring give you porridge instead.

Sources

USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Millet, raw (FDC 169702). fdc.nal.usda.gov
USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Millet, cooked (FDC 168871). fdc.nal.usda.gov
USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Rice, brown, long-grain, raw (FDC 169703), for the comparison in the FAQ. fdc.nal.usda.gov
Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International Tables of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values: 2008. Diabetes Care 2008;31(12):2281-2283. PMC
Coeliac UK: Grains (gluten-free and grains to check). coeliac.org.uk
Aune D et al. Whole grain consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all cause and cause specific mortality. BMJ 2016;353:i2716. PubMed
NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Iron – Fact Sheet for Consumers. ods.od.nih.gov
FAO: International Year of Millets 2023. fao.org
Lad U, Lad V. Food Guidelines for Basic Constitutional Types, from Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing, 2nd ed. The Ayurvedic Institute. ayurveda.com

This page is for information only and is not medical or dietary advice.

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