Injera: Nutrients, What Research Shows and Safety

Injera is a sour, spongy Ethiopian flatbread from fermented teff: USDA values for teff, what fermentation does to phytate and iron, gluten and celiac questions, and safety.

Content last updated October 24, 2026. This page has not been medically reviewed.

Close-up of injera: nutrients, what research shows and safety

Injera is a soft, sour, pancake-like flatbread from Ethiopia. It is traditionally made from teff (Eragrostis tef, a tiny grain in the grass family Poaceae). The teff flour is mixed with water and left to ferment for a day or more, then baked on a large griddle. [7] People eat it for its taste and as an everyday staple, and teff is often praised as gluten-free and rich in minerals. This page keeps the flatbread apart from the plain grain, and apart from hype.

Read this first

USDA does not list injera. The numbers below are for plain teff grain, uncooked and cooked. [1] [2] Injera is fermented and baked, so its water, acidity and some nutrients differ.
Gluten: teff is listed as a naturally gluten-free grain by the Celiac Disease Foundation. [9] In a Dutch survey of people with celiac disease, 17% reported symptoms after eating teff products, compared with 61% reporting symptoms on their usual gluten-free diet. [5] That survey does not prove teff is safe for everyone. Injera made in a kitchen that also uses wheat, or mixed with wheat flour, is not gluten-free.
Iron is not as simple as the label: in one Ethiopian study, 86 to 97% of the iron measured in teff batter was soil iron picked up in processing, and fermentation lowered phytate only modestly. [3] Soil iron may not be absorbed the same way, and the authors said more study is needed.
Evidence in one line: fermentation lowers some antinutrients in the lab; we did not find trials showing injera prevents or treats any disease.
Allergy: teff is not one of the nine major US allergens. [8] For trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat, call 911 (or your local emergency number).

What is in it (USDA values)

The values below are for teff grain, not injera. Uncooked teff is USDA FoodData Central item 169747 and cooked teff is item 168918 (SR Legacy, April 2018). [1] [2] The serving column is the USDA household portion of 1 cup cooked teff, 252 g. [2] The per-cup numbers are the per-100-g values multiplied by 2.52. A piece of injera is mostly water and teff, so use these as a guide to the grain only.

Nutrient	Uncooked teff, per 100 g	Cooked teff, per 100 g	Cooked, per 1 cup (252 g)	% Daily Value per cup
Energy	367 kcal	101 kcal	255 kcal	not set
Protein	13.3 g	3.87 g	9.8 g	20%
Total fat	2.38 g	0.65 g	1.6 g	2%
Carbohydrate	73.13 g	19.86 g	50 g	18%
Fiber	8.0 g	2.8 g	7.1 g	25%
Calcium	180 mg	49 mg	123 mg	9%
Iron	7.63 mg	2.05 mg	5.2 mg	29%
Magnesium	184 mg	50 mg	126 mg	30%
Phosphorus	429 mg	120 mg	302 mg	24%
Zinc	3.63 mg	1.11 mg	2.8 mg	25%
Manganese	9.24 mg	2.86 mg	7.2 mg	313%
Copper	0.81 mg	0.226 mg	0.57 mg	63%
Thiamin (B1)	0.39 mg	0.183 mg	0.46 mg	38%

% Daily Value uses the FDA 2016 Daily Values; values vary with variety, growing place, milling and preparation. Cooked-teff values are from USDA's cooked-teff entry, not baked injera. [2]

Plant compounds: a 2025 overview of teff says it contains phenolic acids and flavonoids. That review summarizes mostly lab and food-science work, so these are not proven health effects in people who eat injera. [6]

What research says

Health goal	What the sources found	Strength of evidence	What was studied
Lower phytate (an antinutrient)	In 30 Ethiopian households, phytate in teff batter fell from 0.87 to 0.58 g per 100 g dry matter after 48 hours: a modest drop. [3] A starter with a selected bacterium lowered phytate in cooked injera by 68%, versus 42% for traditional fermentation. [4]	Lab or animal only (food measurements, not a health outcome)	Teff batter and injera, household and lab
Iron intake and absorption	Most iron in the batter was from soil, and phytate-to-iron ratios indicated low iron availability, especially when soil iron was left out. [3]	Insufficient evidence that injera improves iron status	Household batter samples, 10 children's intake estimate
Celiac disease	In a Dutch survey of members of a celiac society, 66% of the 1,545 respondents with biopsy-proven celiac disease used teff, and 17% reported symptoms after it. This was a questionnaire, not a trial. [5]	Mixed (self-reported, no control)	Teff products in people with celiac disease
Gut health, blood sugar, cholesterol, bone health	A 2025 overview says teff may help with these, but we read only the abstract. [6] A review of Ethiopian fermented foods says fermentation can improve digestibility and gut health, while also noting a lack of standardization. [7]	Insufficient evidence	Overviews, not injera trials
Metal contaminants	One study of teff from the Ethiopian Rift Valley found lead and arsenic higher than in wheat and maize, and one white teff sample over the Codex lead limit (362 versus 200 micrograms per kg). [10]	Mixed (single region survey)	Teff grain samples

Eaten as food vs taken as an extract. The studies above used food, either grain, batter or injera. We did not read a trial of a teff extract or supplement.

How much is a normal serving

The USDA household portion for cooked teff is 1 cup (252 g), about 255 kcal. [2] There is no official serving for injera that we could find. That is information from the USDA data, not a prescription. A serving of injera in a meal is shared with stews, so the whole plate matters more than the bread alone.

Safety, allergy and medicines

Celiac disease and gluten: celiac disease is triggered by gluten from wheat, barley and rye. [11] Teff is naturally gluten-free, but some celiac guidance notes grains can pick up gluten during harvest and processing, and advises buying versions tested for under 20 parts per million. [9] Injera sold in restaurants may be made with some wheat or cooked on a shared griddle. Ask, and check the label. FDA regulates "gluten-free" claims. [12]
Antinutrients and iron: phytate can block iron and zinc absorption. Teff injera has a lot of phytate, and traditional fermentation lowers it only partly. [3] [4] This is a concern mainly for people with low iron or diets with little else to supply it. Ask a clinician if you have anemia.
Soil and metals: soil can end up in teff during threshing, which raises measured iron. [3] Teff in one Rift Valley study had more lead and arsenic than wheat and maize, with one sample over a lead limit. [10] See heavy metals and contaminants in foods.
Allergy: the nine major US allergens are milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy and sesame. Teff is not on the list. [8] Allergy to any food is still possible. Call 911 for trouble breathing or swelling of the face, lips or throat.
Medicines: we did not read any source describing a direct interaction between injera and a medicine.
Kidney disease: USDA lists phosphorus and potassium in teff (see the table). [2] People on a kidney diet should ask their care team. See foods and kidney disease.
Diabetes: we did not find a glycemic index for injera in the sources we read.
Pregnancy and children: we did not find official advice that singles out injera.

Choosing, storing and food safety

Look for injera made only from teff and water if you need it gluten-free, and ask how it was cooked. [9]
Fermenting at home: official guidance says salt and acidity are safety controls in vegetable ferments. [13] We found no official guidance for teff batter, so keep it clean and discard batter that smells rotten or shows mold.
Store injera as you would other bread: dry and cool. We did not read a source on injera shelf life.

Fermented foodEragrostis tef

Health connections for Injera

What research links to eating or drinking this food, and how strong the evidence is. Many studies are observational or use juice, powder, oil or extracts rather than the food as eaten; each card says which.

Fermentation and phytate in injera

Lab or animal research only

In 30 Ethiopian households, phytate in teff batter fell from 0.87 to 0.58 g per 100 g dry matter after 48 hours, a modest drop. A selected lactic acid bacterium cut phytate in cooked injera by 68% versus 42% for traditional fermentation in the lab.