For the past 15 years I have been on a quest to make the perfect granola. Admittedly, some years that pursuit has looked more like roaming the shelves of the natural food store, searching for the perfect blend of nutty crunch – a granola that could stand up to milk without getting soggy. A radical shift in my granola making occurred when I was introduced to the idea of using raw buckwheat groats in place of rolled oats. For those that have only experienced the very distinctive flavor of toasted buckwheat, raw buckwheat groats are totally different – subtle, yet hearty, substantial, but not overpowering. Plus, buckwheat is gluten-free, low glycemic, and packed with essential amino acids and minerals. What’s not to love about that?
This raw buckwheat granola recipe has been my go-to for about two years now, and I never tire of it. I am most definitely a protein-in-the-morning gal, so I like my granola packed with nuts and seeds. If you prefer a less hearty granola, simply reduce the amounts of nuts and seeds. In fact, change it up as much as you want – that’s what recipes are for! Add dried fruit. Replace part of the oil with some orange juice. Add different combinations of nuts or seeds. Try it as a hot porridge. It’s all tasty.
RAW BUCKWHEAT GRANOLA (makes approximately 4 quarts)
4 cups Raw Buckwheat Groats
1/2 cup each: Cashews, almonds, and walnuts (or your nuts of choice), chopped
1 1/3 cup of a mix of your favorite seeds (try sesame, flax, pumpkin, sunflower)
1 cup Coconut Flakes
1 tbsp Cinnamon
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
1/2 cup Almond Butter
1/2 – 1 cup Honey
1) Soak buckwheat groats in water overnight. Rinse and drain well.
2) Place buckwheat in a large bowl. Add chopped nuts, seeds, coconut flakes, and cinnamon, and stir to combine.
3) On very low heat, melt coconut oil, almond butter, and honey, stirring until smooth, creamy and evenly mixed. Add to the buckwheat mixture and stir well.
4) Spread granola evenly onto 2-3 cookie sheets. Bake on the lowest possible temperature setting in your oven (mine is 170 degrees F) for a few hours, until lightly toasted. Some people prefer to use a food dehydrator to bake on an even lower temperature. Stir occasionally to ensure even baking, and remove from the oven BEFORE the buckwheat groats have hardened. Cool completely before transferring to storage containers.
Enjoy this hearty morning treat!
Gluten-free Raw Buckwheat Granola Recipe
A fantastic and easy to make raw buckwheat granola that is gluten-free and tastes great!
Ingredients
- 4 cups raw buckwheat groats
- 1/2 cup each: cashews, almonds, and walnuts (or your nuts of choice), chopped
- 1 1/3 cup of a mix of your favorite seeds (try sesame, flax, pumpkin, sunflower)
- 1 cup coconut flakes
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1/2 – 1 cup honey
Instructions
- Soak buckwheat groats in water overnight. Rinse and drain well.
- Place buckwheat in a large bowl. Add chopped nuts, seeds, coconut flakes, and cinnamon, and stir to combine.
- On very low heat, melt coconut oil, almond butter, and honey, stirring until smooth, creamy and evenly mixed. Add to the buckwheat mixture and stir well.
- Spread granola evenly onto 2-3 cookie sheets. Bake on the lowest possible temperature setting in your oven (mine is 170 degrees F) for a few hours, until lightly toasted.
- Stir occasionally to ensure even baking, and remove from the oven BEFORE the buckwheat groats have hardened.
- Cool completely before transferring to storage containers.
Notes
Some people prefer to use a food dehydrator to bake on an even lower temperature.
*This recipe was shared on The Homestead Barn Hop, Homestead Bloggers Network, Natural Living Monday, The Backyard Farming Connection, From the Farm Blog Hop, and The Homestead Resource Guide.
Hi Teri, could it be made without the almond butter? Love your blog btw, which we have been following for a little while from New Zealand 🙂
Yes! Absolutely – tailor the recipe to make it fit your needs or tastes. I love adding almond butter because it gives a bit more protein and I like the flavor. My husband hates the flavor, so when i make bigger batches, I leave it out. Thanks for following the blog!
YUM! I can’t wait to try this recipe. I was talking to a mom at my son’s swim lessons this morning and she was eating raw buckwheat granola in mug and I thought I would google some recipes and found your blog! I love meeting and talking to like-minded people who are conscious about what they put in their bodies, can’t wait to check out more of your blog. I just started a blog as well, http://www.easyrealfood.com enjoy!
Great to meet you!
I hope you enjoy this recipe. It’s easy to make and very customizable to whatever your tastes are.
Look forward to checking out your blog too.
Teri
I just made this yummy granola this weekend, and I’ve eaten it every day since I made it!! I substituted a touch of maple syrup for the honey, and it is so delicious. I will also try an overnight-type situation, and soak some of this in a jar with almond milk, greek yogurt, berries, chia seeds, etc etc. I bet it will make a really delicious sludge in the morning!!
I am so happy to hear this! I have also tried maple syrup and really love the taste, but not the price tag! This is also really good cold with yogurt and the maple syrup drizzled over the top! Oh, you’re inspiring me with the idea of almond milk and chia seeds. Yum!
so funny – i JUST took a batch of granola out of the oven before reading this post. would you believe i am still using the recipe i learned during my interndship at Aprovecho?? definitely time to switch things up -i’m really excited to try your recipe! also excited because my sister, who is a health coach, was recently asking me about granola recipes. i think she’ll be really excited about this too…
That is so great that you still use the Apro recipe! I have enjoyed your granola many times! Definitely send your sister the link to this recipe – it is a really good one for people trying to be completely gluten-free. Sometimes oats are not certified G.F.
xoteri
Hooray for gluten free granola..without oats! I have tried something similar with quinoa, but it was just too hard to chew. I think I soaked my grains first, then cooked them as usual, then baked it with the remainder of my ingredients. Thank you for bringing me the correct techniques without any more experimenting!
Quinoa would be interesting. I wonder if the long, slow cooking time would make quinoa less chewy.
It is really important to take this granola out of the oven sooner, rather than later, or else it can get too chewy. My last batch was a total failure because I forgot I had granola in the oven and started to preheat to bake at 350 degrees! They were almost inedible as granola, but that’s when we discovered that if you added water and cooked it like porridge, that it was delicious! So all was not lost!
Let me know how it goes for you!
Teri