Creamy Buckwheat Hot Cereal
A delicious way to start the day
Since discovering that my son can’t tolerate oats (they give him a reaction similar to wheat), I’ve been on a mission to find alternative hot cereals. Creamy buckwheat to the rescue. It’s like Cream of Wheat, but safe for celiac and gluten-intolerant folks. This isn’t a difficult recipe, but cooking the buckwheat does take a bit of time, so plan accordingly.
It’s important to note that Bob’s Red Mill and Pocono both sell a cream of buckwheat hot cereal. I’ve had both and they’re wonderful. They’re also kind of expensive and the texture isn’t as creamy as I would like.
This recipe does require an immersion blender, but it’s a kitchen tool that often comes in handy, so it’s worth it.
Note: The buckwheat groats you want for this recipe shouldn’t be roasted.
Creamy Buckwheat
30-40 minutes
Serves 3-4 adults or two teenagers
Ingredients
1 cup of buckwheat groats (I buy Anthony’s brand from Amazon)
3 cups of water
1/4 tsp kosher salt (I use Morton because it’s what I can find in my grocery store)
Toppings of your choice (milk, berries, nuts, butter, sugar, etc.)
Instructions
In a small saucepan (mine is 1.5 qt), add the buckwheat groats and salt.
Cover with the 3 cups of water.
Bring to a boil on the stovetop, stirring occasionally.
Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the buckwheat no longer has any bite to it. I left mine uncovered and it took twenty minutes to reach this stage.
Remove from the heat and use an immersion blender to blend the buckwheat into a smooth consistency. If too much liquid evaporated during cooking, your hot cereal might get a little thick. If this happens, add the milk of your choice (mine is almond) until desired consistency is reached.
Sweeten to taste and top with additional toppings. For the bowl pictured, I added cinnamon, brown sugar, a little pat of vegan butter, and walnuts. I love adding blueberries to this, but I didn’t have any on hand.
This is best eaten the morning of. If you happen to find yourself with leftovers, know that this will get thick in the fridge. Not to worry. You can get it back to a smooth consistency by heating it up and adding milk until it thins out.
