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Buckwheat is a superfood that you may not know about. It’s definitely under-appreciated and under-utilized in the US, but everyone should know how healthy and scrumptious it is! I love it more than rice or quinoa. It’s also completely gluten free!
It’s name is a little deceiving because it’s called buckwheat but there is no relation to wheat – none whatsoever! It’s also just as simple to make as white rice. My son loves buckwheat with this mushroom gravy on it and I love it plain with butter (pickle on the side of course).
We’ll be rolling out some really yummy buckwheat recipes like this buckwheat with mushrooms so be sure to pin this one for later! Also, read on to learn why buckwheat is so good for you! 🙂
Ingredients for Basic Buckwheat:
1 cup toasted buckwheat groats
1 3/4 cups filtered water
1-2 Tbsp butter, to taste (I used unsalted butter)
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste (I used sea salt)
Note:
I love this buckwheat sold at the Russian store because it usually comes pre-toasted and is golden brown in color. If the buckwheat you buy is not toasted, you can quickly toast it on a dry skillet over medium heat 4-5 min until it is golden brown in color then remove from heat and proceed with the recipe.
How to Cook Buckwheat (Stove-top Method):
1. Rinse and drain buckwheat well.
2. In a medium sauce pan, combine buckwheat groats with 1 3/4 cups water, 1 Tbsp butter and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a simmer then cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer on low for 18-20 minutes. Just like with rice, you should hear hissing while it’s cooking and it will get quiet when it’s done. Stir in additional 1 Tbsp butter if desired.
How to Cook Buckwheat (Rice Cooker Method):
Transfer all ingredients to the rice cooker and set on the white rice setting. When it’s done, add an extra Tablespoon of butter if desired and stir in 1-2 tsp water to moisten up the kernels if they seem a little dry. Serve hot.
Buckwheat Nutrition info:
Buckwheat is a great source of Potassium, Fiber, Protein, Iron, and Vitamin B6. It is also a good source of manganese, magnesium, copper, and zinc, which are great for the immune system. Yeah it’s definitely good for you and much healthier than white rice. 🙂
How to Cook Buckwheat Kasha
Ingredients
- 1 cup toasted buckwheat groats
- 1 3/4 cups filtered water
- 1-2 Tbsp unsalted butter, to taste (I used unsalted butter)
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste (I used sea salt)
Instructions
Stove-top Method:
- Rinse and drain buckwheat well.
- In a medium sauce pan, combine buckwheat with 1 3/4 cups water, 1 Tbsp butter and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a simmer then cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer on low for 18-20 min. Just like with rice, you should hear hissing while cooking and it will get quiet when done. Stir in additional 1 Tbsp butter if desired.
Rice Cooker Method:
- Transfer all ingredients to the rice cooker and set on the white rice setting. When done, add an extra Tbsp of butter if desired and stir in 1-2 tsp water to moisten up the kernels if they seem dry. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition Info: Buckwheat is a great source of Potassium, Fiber, Protein, Iron, Vitamin B6 and Magnesium. It is also a good source of manganese, magnesium, copper, and zinc, which are great for the immune system. Yeah it's definitely good for you.
Do you get creative with buckwheat (grechka)? I’d love to hear how you prepare and serve it. Are you a gravy lover too? Let me know in a comment below. I’m always looking for new ways to cook this stuff up.
My Slovak partner told me how his mom prepared the roasted buckwheat so it wasn’t gooey. Boil it for only 3 minutes, then put a tight fitting lid on it and turn off the heat. Let it sit and finish cooking for 15-20 minutes. I like to ‘fluff’ my rice/kasha with a fork before serving to separate the grains and it is light and soft.
That is a great suggestion – thank you!! 🙂
Our family tradition is to make cabbage rolls (holubshi) with buckwheat, untoasted variety, fried salt pork and onions mixed in. A lot of work but well worth it!
Mmm that sounds great!!
Do you have a similar recipe where instead of water you’d use milk? In other words, it would simmer in milk for some minutes. I remember my mom used to make it, and it tasted better than the water version, though was a bit trickier to prepare as far as I remember. Thanks!
I don’t have anything like that unfortunately.
I’ve never heard of milk, but I have made kasha with sauerkraut juice instead of water. Then I mix in some sauerkraut after it’s done cooking. It makes the kasha about 20x tastier in my book.
Hi, In India we have two types of Buckwheat, one without peel other is peeled one. Please let us know for this receipe, we have use peeled buckwheat or without peal
I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen unpeeled buckwheat in stores here in the US. I believe it is the peeled one. Does your peeled one look like what I have pictured here?
I have been eating Buckwheat Groats for more than 50 years. My grandmother was Polish and always had it in the house.
I frequently have it for breakfast, but cook it a bit differently than outlined here. I usually brown up a 1/4 cup in a tablespoon of butter and then add a cup of hot water and simmer for 12 minutes. To serve it, I add lots of butter and salt.
Thank you for sharing your method! We are major buckwheat fans over here so I’ll be trying your method :).
Aha— just like the directions for Rice-a-roni. I’ll have to try that. Thx!
Hello Natasha; thank you for this insightful post. Going ‘buckwheat’ is a foreign concept to me but I now feel a little more comfortable, thanks to you. My question relates to the selection of buckwheat in the stores; the variety can be fairly intimidating. Whole Foods and Mom’s Organic carry a handful of varieties, to include hulled, dehulled, groats, roasted, etc. Can you clarify? Thanks in advance for your time.
Buy roasted buckwheat groats – they tend to stay firmer and are less likely to become mushy. Any buckwheat I’ve purchased from European markets (like this one with Russian writing on the package), have all worked great. We buy common buckwheat and not dehulled buckwheat.
Thank you for your response! I will look for those at our local shop.
Do you happen to have a picture of the buckwheat brand you bought? I live in Las Vegas, there are a few Mediterranean markets but no Russian markets. Can you please post a picture so i can see what brand it is so i can order it or have someone bring it to me from California? I have made buckwheat before and it came out mushy, probably because it wasn’t the correct kind. My husband loves Buckwheat (Greshka) so i want to make it soon.
Tina, check your email. I just sent you the picture. Hope this helps.
I received it, thank you!! =)
‘I love it more than…quinoa…’.
Whoa. Talk about damning it with faint praise. Sorry, I’m so not a quinoa fan. After several tries the mate and I gave it up as a lost cause.
This looks lovely though. Will be making it tonight to sample. Hoping to be able to sub it for rice (tired of brown rice), and eat it for cereal. Yours was the only ‘start here’ recipe I found in the first 3 pages Google threw at me. I’m not ready to be making blini or my own soba noodles just yet. So Thank You!
Welcome to the site, I hope you love cooked buckwheat groats. Our family eat this all the time. We eat it just as often as rice, if not more. 😄.
This was oddly the only thing I have been able to keep down in days (I’m in my first trimester). I smothered it with Brassica & Brine’s Four Thieves kraut (divine). Great recipe!
Oh and it’s so good for you too! I’m so happy it agrees with you in your first trimester. That kraut sounds fantastic (did you know sauerkraut is one of the best natural probiotics?)! Where do you purchase that brand?
Indeed! My tummy has been off all day. I opened the fridge to look for the pickles you recommended and eyed my kraut and my tummy went, “ding ding ding!”
😉
Brassica & Brine is a locally-made brand here in L.A. They sell at farmers markets. It’s probably the best kraut I’ve ever had! Very well-balanced and easy on the stomachs. They’re really great to just talk to about all things fermented 🙂
http://www.brassicaandbrine.com
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Buckwheat used to be a luxury to eat in many families in Belarus. It is one of my favourite porridge and I can eat every day. We do have special recipes when you put buckwheat and milk together overnight but it is mostly done for dieting by our women.
That’s interesting! Thanks for sharing that with us 🙂
I must be doing something wrong! I followed the instructions but the water got absorbed by the buckwheat really quickly so I added more and it all turned to mush! Help, please! Ps I used kasha roasted buckwheat
Hi Voy, where did you purchase your buckwheat? Some places (like Winco) just have really bad quality buckwheat and even if it says “toasted,” it turns mushy. Also, did you test your buckwheat when the water was absorbed to see if it was cooked?
Hi Natasha
It was from a local Turkish shop I think. The water was absorbed within a few mins so I thought it was strange if you recommend 18-20 mins cooking.
That is odd. I’ve never had that happen before. Are you certain you used the same amount of water?
buckweat in a ricekooker comes out perfectly (only if it is pre-roasted)
Also – pre-roasted cooked buckweat is good then to stir fry with butter.. very tasty.. also for the good buckweat it is important to cover it after taking out from stove and wrap it in the blanket for an hour (similar effect in the pressure cooker on the “keep warm” option).. then it will come out all grain non stick together and very fluffy.. russian grandmas use to do this …
Thank you so much for sharing that! Wrapping it that way also makes it a great make-ahead option!
I buy toasted buckwheat at Nuts.com and mix it with raw hemp seed and chia seeds. I mix a tablespoon or 2 of this mixture into yogurt, oatmeal, or cottage cheese along with fresh fruit. It’s better if you let it sit overnight. The buckwheat stays somewhat crunchy and nut like. Great take along breakfast!
I also make delicious cabbage rolls with buckwheat and mushrooms instead of ground meat. One of my favorites.
That’s so interesting!! Does the buckwheat soften overnight in yogurt and can be eaten uncooked?
Yes, it is crunchy but not hard. I always used to put almonds or cashews in my oatmeal/yogurt/cottage cheese but am trying to cut calories. The buckwheat gives my the same crunch.
Hi Natasha,
I just found your blog while looking for a recipe for cooking buckwheat.. thanks for the tip about grilling it first, I popped it in the microwave and zapped it until brown, like I do when grilling nuts… it worked fine.. I really loved the taste of the cooked buckwheat.. I didn’t use butter, but added some oat/hazlnut milk at the end, which added a really nice flavour and texture, I also added chopped apple pieces to the water, yum ! and then I added blueberries and sunflower seeds with a stream of maple syrup at the end.. What a delish breakfast.. in every bite. I am surprised I have never cooked buckwheat kasha before, my grandfather was Ukranian!! I never met him, though.. Unfortunately.
But, I bet he ate this often.
Thanks… Leesa
Welcome to the site Leesa 😃. Thank you for sharing your delicious ideas with us! Buckwheat is definitely a staple among the slavic people. It’s wonderful that you can keep those traditions alive.
Hi Natasha!:) I’ve been wanting to try buckwheat for a while, but haven’t been able to find it at the store – a few days ago, I *finally* found some at the local Whole Foods:) However – their buckwheat was labeled as “Raw Buckwheat Groats”… Can I still use this for buckwheat recipes?
Oh gosh, wow – just noticed your note on how to toast it in the skillet! LOL! But now I can’t wait to try this!! Your recipes are absolutely fool-proof – they always come out fantastic!
Emily, thank you for the compliment and I hope you’ll find many more favorites here 😊.
I mix the dry,toasted buckwheat with one egg, let it soak for a few minutes, turn it into my iron skillet and toast until the egg coating is completely dry. Add stock or water, simmer for 20 minutes or so. Fluff it up nad let it rest with the lid askew while you finish supper. Delicious with pork roast and pork gravy.
Thank you for sharing your version 😀.
To avoid the development of ‘mush’ my mom used to toast the dry buckwheat with an egg in a skillet. This separated and coated each kernel of buckwheat. Then it got added to browned onions with water to boil it up. My mother-in-law added “bows” to it (semolina noodles in the shape of bows).
Linda, what a great tip, thanks for sharing. I would like to try it out, just need to buy more buckwheat 😁.
Anyone else cook the buckwheat in the rice cooker amd it was over cooked? I like tje convinience but it looks like porridge. Still tastes good.
A rice cooker usually works by cooking until all the water is gone. If you are getting overcooked buckwheat, the most likely reason is too much water. Cut back on the amount of water you are using and see if that fixes the problem.
my (late) dad used to luv this cold (next day) with cold milk & sugar 🙂
Isn’t it wonderful how food brings back memories of loved ones? 🙂 Thanks for sharing that with me 🙂
I mix it with my porridge every morning.