Instant Pot Buckwheat

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Chef Abbie Gellman RD

If you are looking for a new grain to add to salads and side dishes my Instant Pot Buckwheat is IT! Fluffy and earthy, this gluten-free grain—that is actually a seed—is full of fiber, protein and flavor.

Buckwheat, the New Quinoa?!

Quinoa has been a healthy staple for years and I don’t know about you, but I need a new grain in my life!  It’s delicious and all, but variety is essential and my Instant Pot Buckwheat, also known as kasha is just the solution.  Quinoa has a neutral flavor, and its small size can make it feel like you are eating nothing at all. My Instant Pot Buckwheat is earthy and has a more hearty, satiating mouthfeel.

My Instant Pot Buckwheat is in the groat form, which is the term to refer to the hulled kernel of any grain.  Buckwheat in the groat form is a whole grain that has not been processed to remove the nutrient dense germ and bran.  If you enjoy my Buckwheat Banana Bread you will be using buckwheat flour instead of groats.

Cooking buckwheat groats right has eluded me, they always seemed to turn out too mushy or too hard.  Until coming up with my Instant Pot Buckwheat, I just could not seem to cook this grain right! Preparing buckwheat on the stove top, lead to a mushy oatmeal like texture or it would stick to the pot and burn.

Instant Pot Buckwheat makes for a fluffy, perfect-every-time grain that is ready to be eaten by itself or added to so many things that I will get into later.  Two additional steps that are common with preparing buckwheat are cooking in butter and toasting before cooking.

Add Butter

Adding butter…because butter is delicious, need I really say more?  When cooking buckwheat with butter, I would set the Instant Pot to “sauté,” add  2-3 tablespoons of butter and allow it to melt. Then follow the rest of the recipe as written.

Toasted Buckwheat

Cooking buckwheat that has first been toasted brings out its nutty, earthy flavor.  It also helps prevent the individual groats from sticking together. It is the same reason it is recommended to toast nuts and seeds before adding them to salads and other dishes.

Set the Instant Pot to “sauté” and once it is warm add the 1 cup of buckwheat.  The “sauté” setting on my Instant Pot has just one heat setting, and it is HOT. So if you have a similar situation, make sure to stir the buckwheat frequently to avoid burning for 3-5 minutes. Then, follow the rest of the directions as written.

If you want the ultimate flavor and texture, toast AND add butter to my Instant Pot Buckwheat! First, toast the buckwheat then add the butter and follow the rest of the directions for cooking buckwheat as written.

A Healthy Dish 1, 2

Buckwheat is a whole grain, which means all of the nutrients are intact when you make my Instant Pot Buckwheat.  Only the inedible, outer shell or hull is removed.  Buckwheat and all whole grains are an excellent source of fiber, protein and micronutrients.

One cup of cooked buckwheat, which is about 2 servings has about 155 calories, 4.5 grams of fiber, 5.6 grams of protein. For reference, my recipe for Instant Pot Buckwheat is 4 servings, about 2 cups of cooked buckwheat.

Buckwheat is also a great source of B vitamins, especially the B vitamin niacin which is important for digestive health, skin and nerves. It also contains magnesium, phosphorus, copper and manganese.

How to Enjoy

My Instant Pot Buckwheat is fluffy and delicious and goes great paired with a variety of vegetables, a few of my favorite combinations are:

  • Buckwheat with Roasted Eggplants and Peppers
  • Summer buckwheat salad with zucchini, sweet corn, tomato and avocado
  • Black Bean and Mango Buckwheat salad—try it with my Cilantro Sauce

Let’s Get Cooking!

Cooking buckwheat in the Instant Pot is by far the best method I have found to prepare this nutritious whole grain.  By following the directions you truly can set it and forget it!  Unlike using the stove top method, where you need to keep an eye to make sure it does not boil over or burn on the bottom.

Go ahead and add my Instant Pot Buckwheat to the recipes I suggested above or anything that you would use grains like quinoa, farro or wheat berries with.  For some extra flavor boost try toasting the buckwheat and/or adding butter. Enjoy!

Similar Pages

Looking for more delicious Instant Pot recipes? Try my Instant Pot Beets, Instant Pot Pinto Beans, and Instant Pot Polenta.

References

  1. FoodData Central. Accessed March 25, 2021. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170686/nutrients
  2. Buckwheat as a Functional Food and Its Effects on Health | Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Accessed March 26, 2021. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jafc.5b02498
Side Shot Instant Pot Buckwheat

Instant Pot Buckwheat

4.21 from 24 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Keyword: buckwheat, gluten free, instant pot, kasha
Prep Time: 13 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
release: 5 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Chef Abbie Gellman RD

Equipment

  • pressure cooker

Ingredients

  • 1 cup buckwheat
  • 1 Âľ cups water
  • ÂĽ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

  • Mix buckwheat, water, and salt in the electric pressure cooker. Secure the lid, and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes.
  • After cooking, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes then quick release the remaining pressure. Unlock and remove the lid.
  • Fluff with fork and taste for doneness.

Video

Notes

general ratio for IP buckwheat is 1 cup buckwheat: 1 Âľ cups water

2 thoughts on “Instant Pot Buckwheat

  1. 5 stars
    I made this and topped with sautéed onion, mushroom, chopped green chilies and two soft eggs. Really good. I had not toasted the buckwheat previously and it made a huge difference. Thanks for the recipe

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