Quinoa is a whole grain that also happens to be a complete protein, packed with all nine essential amino acids that the body needs, as well as plenty of minerals and other nutrients. Some of these same qualities can be found in other ancient grains, like amaranth, which seems so similar to quinoa that it's easy to confuse the two for each other.

The first difference between quinoa and amaranth is flavor: quinoa is very mild, while amaranth has a sweet, nutty flavor. Secondly, both quinoa and amaranth are gluten-free and a great source of minerals, but a cup of cooked amaranth contains nine grams of protein — the highest protein content of any grain — versus quinoa’s eight grams.

Finally, amaranth is slightly higher in iron, with a little over five milligrams of iron per cup, whereas quinoa has almost three milligrams of iron per cup. If you want to up your protein intake and are looking for a more robust flavor in your grain dishes, amaranth is a decent swap for quinoa, though it doesn't work as well in milder recipes.