Simple Chocolate Buckwheat Porridge

Start your day with a cosy bowl of chocolate buckwheat porridge! Ready in under 15 minutes, this vegan and gluten-free breakfast needs just 4 simple ingredients and tastes like eating dessert for breakfast. Perfect when topped with fruit, nuts and nut/seed butter.

Hello from university! As of last Monday, I’ve officially started my History degree. It’s been a week of so many exciting things happening at once I could hardly keep up, and I’m having a great time settling into a new rhythm and routine.

I don’t want to overwhelm you all too much with my cheesiness, but my heart is full of gratitude because I get to study my favourite subject at an amazing institution. After not the easiest gap year, I’m glad that I’m finally here, more than ready to soak up the student experience. Anyway, if you’d like to learn more about my educational journey, how I picked my course, etc do let me know. I haven’t done many personal posts on this blog, but would love to share if any of you are interested!

Vegan chocolate buckwheat porridge

Now, let’s talk a little bit about this buckwheat porridge recipe. The inspiration came from the fact that I loved buckwheat as a child, but have hardly eaten it over the last few years. So, that needed to change as soon as I spotted buckwheat groats at the store. I wanted to use them to make a breakfast recipe that’s nutritious, quick and yummy. Aka, perfect for students like myself!

My favourite thing about this breakfast buckwheat porridge is just how unique it is. It’s chocolatey, it has a brilliant texture. The banana acts as a natural sweetener. While getting bored of conventional oats is hard, it does happen. So, using buckwheat is a great way to get out of a breakfast rut.

Why should you try this buckwheat porridge?

It’s:

• Chocolatey! And who doesn’t love chocolate for breakfast?
• Sweet and indulgent – the sort of meal that makes you feel like you’re eating chocolate cake first thing in the morning.
• Whole food plant based.
• Naturally gluten-free.
• Nutritious and made from wholesome, minimally processed ingredients.
• Ready in under 15 minutes, if you don’t count the time it takes to soak the buckwheat.
• Great for meal prep! You can make this in the evening, store it in a jar and have breakfast waiting for you in the morning.
• Delicious with a variety of toppings.

I know that breakfasts can get repetitive very quickly, so I’d totally recommend making something like this buckwheat porridge to keep mornings interesting!

How to make buckwheat porridge

You will find that there are two types of buckwheat available in the store. There are buckwheat groats, which is the raw version, and kasha, which is the roasted variety. I personally prefer the former, but there’s not that much of a difference between them except for flavour and cooking time.

Start by soaking the buckwheat in twice the amount of water for at least 4-5 hours, preferably overnight. Drain and rinse it well before you start cooking.

Because the buckwheat would have absorbed the water, you don’t need that much liquid to cook these. A 1:1 ratio works well – for example, 1/2 cup plantbased milk to 1/2 cup buckwheat – but I usually add a little extra because I don’t want it to get too dry.

Add the buckwheat groats and plant milk to a saucepan together with cacao powder and a mashed banana for some sweetness. Avoid adding too much liquid at the start – if it gets too dry, simply pour in more milk or water as you cook the porridge. It should take around 12-15 minutes of simmering on a low-medium heat before it’s ready. Simply start testing for softness after the 12 minute mark.

Serve straight away with toppings of your choice, or leave in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Toppings

The great thing about toppings for any sort of porridge is that you can have whatever you want. As you can see, I went for banana, blueberries, apple, pecans, coconut, peanut butter and more almond milk. However, other delicious options for chocolate buckwheat porridge are any nuts and seeds of your choice, fresh or frozen fruit and berries, and a generous amount of melted vegan chocolate!

Other recipes you might like…

• If you’re a fan of savoury breakfasts, why not try white bean skillet potatoes?
• Tofu ‘egg’ muffins are great for breakfast on the go!
• A protein smoothie bowl can be a great way to start the morning.

Let me know in the comments: have you ever tried buckwheat? If you give this buckwheat porridge a go, be sure to tag me on Instagram (@earthofmariaa) so I can see your creations!

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