Meet the vibrant and elegant Red Amaranth Microgreens. With their striking pink-fuchsia stems and rich maroon-green leaf tips, they bring not only colour but subtle flavour to your plates. These microgreens are harvested at the young seedling stage, when the energy of the plant is concentrated and the texture is delicate. Their flavour is lightly sweet, earthy, and carries a hint of beet or chard, making them ideal for elevating fresh salads, sandwiches, or as a refined garnish.

Flavour Profile

  • TMild, clean earthiness reminiscent of young beet leaves, with a faint mineral note.
  • Slight sweetness that softens the vegetal tones, making it versatile for both savoury and fruit-based dishes.
  • Delicate texture—tender stems and feather-light leaves that dissolve easily on the palate.
  • Subtle nutty-grassy finish, especially noticeable when paired with citrus, creamy cheeses, or grains.

Nutrition

  • Rich in vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin E.
  • Good sources of minerals such as calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, manganese, copper.
  • High in antioxidants (thanks to the pigmentation) and amino acids, including lysine (relatively high for greens).

Usage & Plating

Red Amaranth microgreens are as much about visual drama as they are about taste. Their vivid magenta stems and tender leaves transform even simple dishes into artful compositions. Because their flavour is gentle—earthy with a hint of sweetness—they complement rather than compete. Use them sparingly as a garnish for colour contrast, or more generously to add texture and freshness to salads, bowls, and small plates. Whether scattered across a creamy base or perched delicately atop a main course, they turn every plate into a quiet little celebration of refinement.

Recipes

Roasted Beet Carpaccio with Whipped Goat Cheese & Red Amaranth

A vibrant plate of thinly sliced roasted beetroot topped with soft whipped goat cheese and a fresh tangle of Red Amaranth microgreens. Light, earthy, and quietly elegant — an easy small plate with beautiful colour and balance.

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

  • 2 medium beets, roasted until tender
  • 80 g soft goat cheese
  • 1–2 tbsp crème fraîche or Greek yogurt (to loosen the goat cheese)
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp high-quality olive oil
  • Sea salt & black pepper
  • A generous handful of Red Amaranth microgreens
  • Optional: crushed pistachios or toasted hazelnuts

Instructions

Slice the roasted beets into thin, even rounds. Arrange them in a circular “carpaccio” pattern on a flat plate.

Whip the goat cheese with crème fraîche/yogurt, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and a tiny drizzle of honey until smooth.

Spoon small dollops of the whipped cheese across the beets.

Drizzle lightly with olive oil and another touch of honey if you’re feeling indulgent.

Top the entire plate with a generous cloud of Red Amaranth microgreens.

Finish with crushed pistachios (highly recommended for colour contrast and crunch).

Plating

Serve on a white or matte slate plate so the pink tones explode visually.

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Red Amaranth Microgreens

A creamy, saffron-gold risotto folded with roasted butternut squash and finished with a bright scatter of Red Amaranth microgreens. Warm, seasonal, and quietly indulgent — a comfort dish with a refined, modern edge.

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

  • 1 small butternut squash, peeled + cubed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt & pepper
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 150 g arborio rice
  • 100 ml dry white wine
  • 600–700 ml hot vegetable stock
  • 40 g grated Parmesan
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • Optional: a touch of nutmeg
  • A generous handful of Red Amaranth microgreens (they love creamy dishes)

Instructions

Roast the butternut squash at 200°C with olive oil, salt, and pepper until caramelised around the edges.

Sauté the onion in olive oil until soft. Add garlic for 30 seconds.

Stir in the arborio rice until coated and lightly toasted.

Add the white wine and let it evaporate.

Slowly add hot stock ladle by ladle, stirring as you go.

When the rice is almost done, fold in half the roasted squash.

Finish with Parmesan, butter, and a whisper of nutmeg.

Plate it in a shallow swoosh, top with the remaining roasted squash, and crown the whole thing with a mound of Red Amaranth microgreens.

Seared Duck Breast with Blackberry Gastrique & Red Amaranth Microgreens

Seared duck with crisp golden skin, a glossy blackberry gastrique, and a fresh lift of Red Amaranth microgreens. Rich, vibrant, and beautifully balanced — a modern plate with unmistakable restaurant polish.

Ingredients (serves 4)

Duck

  • 1 duck breast, skin on
  • Salt & black pepper
  • Tiny pinch of five-spice (optional but devastatingly good)

Blackberry Gastrique

  • 100 g fresh blackberries
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 30 ml red wine
  • Tiny splash of stock (optional, but it rounds it out)

Puree (for the plate)

  • Choose one depending on your mood:
  • Parsnip purée (sweet, earthy)
  • Celeriac purée (clean, elegant)
  • Or a silky carrot ginger purée (colour contrast)

Plating Components

  • Red Amaranth microgreens (your star)
  • A few fresh blackberries (sliced in half lengthwise)
  • Micro-shards of crisped duck skin (optional, but extremely chef-y)

Instructions

1. Prepare the Duck

  1. Score the skin in a delicate crosshatch, like you actually care.
  2. Salt generously; fridge-rest 20 minutes.
  3. Start in a cold pan, skin-side down. Slowly render that fat until the skin is deep golden and crisp.
  4. Flip; cook 2–3 minutes.
  5. Rest under foil while you do your fancy sauce.

2. Make the Blackberry Gastrique

  1. Simmer blackberries, sugar, and vinegar until glossy.
  2. Add wine. Reduce to a thick, ruby glaze.
  3. Strain if you want perfection. Don’t strain if you enjoy chaos.
  4. Finish with a drop of duck fat from the pan. Magic.

3. Purée

Blend your chosen root veg with butter, salt, and a splash of cream until smooth enough to impress a Michelin inspector.
Warm it just before plating.

4. Plating (Haute Cuisine Style)

This is where Red Amaranth shines.

Wipe the rim of the plate like a sane human being who respects plating.

Swipe a thin, elegant streak of purée across the plate.

Slice the rested duck breast into even, sexy medallions. Fan them out with obsessive precision.

Dot or drizzle the blackberry gastrique around the duck.

Add three or four blackberry halves — asymmetry is sophistication.

Top the duck with a restrained tuft of Red Amaranth microgreens.

Optional: add a tiny crispy duck-skin shard for height and texture.