Buckwheat porridge – rich in niacin, fiber, magnesium and manganese, can be a deeply nourishing and warming breakfast treat. Any porridge makes a fantastic breakfast provided you tolerate grains well (if you don’t, don’t worry. See these 10 reasons to go Grain-free). This buckwheat porridge recipe, like my soaked oatmeal recipe, is largely sweetened by the dried fruit you mix into it with a little addition of molasses for its trace minerals and deep flavor. Recently, I served buckwheat porridge with a wild apricot compote. Of course, you can use any natural sweetener of your choice (check out this guide to natural sweeteners and how to use them).
Not precisely a cereal grain like wheat or barley, buckwheat is classified as a pseudocereal. Pseudocereals are not grasses like grains, but broad leaf plants whose seeds can be ground into flour or used in the kitchen in ways similar to classic cereals. Pseudocereals tend to be more nutrient-dense than grains and those prone to food intolerances are less apt to react to pseudocereals. Other pseudocereals include amaranth, quinoa and chia.
Buckwheat is rich in fiber, niacin, manganese and magnesium it is also a good source of the amino acid tryptophan which is well-known for its calming properties – particularly the post-turkey haze of Thanksgiving. Buckwheat is also rich in rutin which has anti-inflammatory properties and is thought to improve circulation.
I’m a huge fan of buckwheat, though I’ve never had it for breakfast except in baked goods (as a flour). I’m not sure I’d enjoy a buckwheat-only cereal, but mixed with something else (like those oats, or barley), I’d probably adore it. (Which would defeat the “no-grain” purpose, though, wouldn’t it?)
I find that buckwheat porridge is much improved by adding chopped walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg and, especially, ginger. Powdered ginger is OK but fresh ginger is better and not at all hard. Just keep a knob of the fresh ginger in the freezer in a plastic baggie. When it comes time to use it, take it out, peel it as required and grate with the same grater that you would use for making zest. Even though the ginger is “frozen,” it grates very nicely. And if you return the ginger to the freezer right away, it will last for months.
I imagine that if you wanted to stay away from grain completely, that buckwheat would taste great mixed with quinoa. We do quinoa porridge from time to time too.
And if you like buckwheat / buckwheat flour, I’ve got a fantastic buckwheat/coconut/banana bread recipe I should post.
Hi Jenny
Can you please forward me your buckwheat/coconut/banana bread recipe?
My son is allergic to soya, wheat, gluten, rice, oats, dairy, eggs….. the list just goes on and on.
I would like to try your recipe and see if he likes it.
Thanks.
KAREN SWART
SOUTH-AFRICA
I love roasted buckwheat tea – most soothing to the digestion! So now, thanks to you, I have buckwheat porridge bubbling away for my breakfast with sultanas. I did not soak it as I needed to eat NOW! I will report back. (I think the buckwheat I am using is roasted so maybe does not need soaking?)
very good. I dont use much buckwheat in this kitchen…dont know why. I will have to pick some up after reading this, thanks!
Thanks for this recipe. I love buckwheat/kasha, and it’s gluten-free to boot!
I love buckwheat – it is my favorite “grain”. I made the soaked oatmeal for breakfast this morning, which was pretty good (although I have tried for years to like oatmeal, and have found this challenging). So naturally loving buckwheat, I was looking forward to making this one next – YUM.
Now we’re talking raw buckwheat groats? Or roasted – kasha? I eat a lot of soaked and dehydrated buckwheat groats as a krispie breakfast cereal.
I use the groats (unroasted), and we love them. Though I don’t see why kasha wouldn’t work well here.
ohhh…that looks incredible. I had soaked oatmeal this morning and am still going strong not long before lunch. I’m making a run to the health food store and will try it. It looks like it wants some butter.
Hi there! I just went to Whole Foods to purchase some buckwheat to make this recipe. They carried hulled and un-hulled buckwheat in the bulk section. Which should I use for this recipe?
I would like to know also. 8)
Are they hulled?
Did you ever get an answer to this? I can only find at Whole Foods organic buckwheat groats (hulled). Is this ok?
For breakfast I have sprouted buckwheat porridge: Buckwheat soaked and sprouted with a pear and some dried fruit, gojiberries and soaked nuts or seeds all put in a food processor. Most of the time I mix in a raw egg 🙂 yummy!
In small pan, pour about 1/2 to 1 cup 100% blueberry or 100% pomegranate juice. Add any of the following: fresh or frozen blueberries, cranberries, blackberries and/or raspberries. Stir in 1 tsp. honey. Simmer gently until fruit is piping hot. Pour over hot buckwheat cereal.
I’m trying to avoid fat and came up with this as a topping for hot buckwheat cereal. It is delicious.
can i use buckwheat flour to make porridge?
Just this morning discovered that buckwheat flour is also great in buffalo milk yogurt cookies.
Buckwheat porridge is of course amazing and I like your approach.
On a hot summer day it’s nice to just pour some lukewarm to cool milk over boiled buckwheat and throw in a couple of wild forest blueberries. A drop of butter would make sweeteners unnecessary, stealing the show by providing that lovely lactic buttery sweetness. Salt helps to bring it out.
Love your work!
Made this for my family this morning and they loved it! Thank you <3
I’ve been eating buckwheat porridge for a long time b/c my daughter is allergic to oats – had to find another hot cereal. I mix mine with amaranth – I prefer the taste of both grains, rather than just the buckwheat. I add: hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, molasses, walnuts, cinnamon, butter, coconut cream, and walnuts. I’m now going to try sprouting my buckwheat, according to your directions. Thanks!
Isn’t sprouted buckwheat toxic?
No, definitely not. Where did you hear that?
Like others commenting above, I was wondering if you are supposed to get hulled or un-hulled buckwheat for this recipe. I am learning about the Body Ecology way of eating and would love to learn how to make breakfasts that my kids will be excited about. My darlings have been troopers – we just finished with all the stages on GAPs and were planning on transitioning off…but I wonder if we achieved the healing I was hoping for. GAPs still allows honey and dried fruit and I think we were relying on those things to get us by. So I feel like I need to start giving them something they can look forward to until they learn to like the green smoothies. 🙂 I love them, now…but it does take a few days. LOL
I can’t see the recipe 🙁