All of these warm spring mornings have brought back my cravings for no-cook parfaits. Parfaits are one of my favourite summer foods because they are virtually effortless, don’t require a stove, and are different every time I make them.
Lately, I’ve been enjoying this breakfast quite a bit and it only dawned on me recently that maybe I should share it with you. Ok, well I knew I wanted to share it with you, but my real problem was stopping myself from inhaling it before I could snap some pictures! It was nothing short of a miracle that I restrained myself enough this morning to snap a few pics.
At night, I soak raw buckwheat groats in water separately from the chia seed, almond milk, and banana mixture. I did this because buckwheat groats get super slimy when soaked and I wanted to be able to rinse them very well before adding them to my breakfast. Soaking also makes it more digestible, but be sure to really chew the buckwheat. It’s easy to just swallow it down and then it doesn’t digest well, if you catch my drift.
After rinsing the buckwheat in the morning, I stirred it into my chia mixture. The soaked buckwheat remains crunchy and gives the overnight mixture a completely different texture than regular overnight oats. Mind you, it’s not crunchy in a break-your-tooth kinda way, but crunchy-soft if that makes any sense.
If you want, you can throw your toppings on and enjoy it in a bowl or you can layer it into a parfait like I did this morning. Whatever floats your boat!
In today’s parfait:
- overnight buckwheat mixture
- blueberries
- strawberries
- sliced banana
- crumbled up Rustic Banana Oat Cake (made it yesterday and thought it would be nice in here…it was!)
- cashew nut butter
- Strawberry nut cream
- Maple syrup drizzled on top
I tried hard to make my layers pretty for the camera. :)
Other things you can add into your own parfait:
- granola
- crumbled up muffins/loaves
- crumbled up granola bars
- nuts/seeds
- nut or seed butter
- apple/pumpkin butter
- dried fruit
- shredded coconut
- other fresh fruits
- smoothies
- banana soft serve
- carob powder
- mini dark chocolate chips
- homemade chocolate sauce
- chocolate avocado pudding
- protein powder
- etc
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Easy Overnight Buckwheat Parfait
Yield
1 serving
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
Similar to vegan overnight oats, but with a fun, crunchy texture. Roll out of bed and enjoy this no-cook parfait all summer long with barely any effort at all. Buckwheat and chia seeds are both high in protein and fibre and chia seeds contain all kinds of healthy omega fats. Add in some fruit and you have yourself a well-balanced breakfast.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup raw buckwheat groats (I buy them at Upaya Naturals and Whole Foods bulk bin), soaked in water overnight
- 3/4 cup almond milk (I used 1 cup, but it was a bit too liquid-y)
- 2 tbsp chia seeds (no subs)
- 1 ripe large banana (mash half, chop other half)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon and vanilla extract, optional
- rolled oats (optional)
Directions
- Add the buckwheat groats into a bowl and cover with water. Stir. Place in the fridge overnight, or for at least a few hours, uncovered is fine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the chia seeds, almond milk, banana, and optional cinnamon and vanilla. Whisk well until no chia clumps remain. Place in fridge overnight, uncovered is fine.
- In the morning, rinse the buckwheat with cold water in a strainer until no slimy bits remain. Add rinsed and strained buckwheat into the chia mixture and stir well. Top with your desired toppings or make a parfait. Just before serving, drizzle a small amount of pure maple syrup on top to bring it all together.
Feel free to make this into a breakfast, snack, or even jazz it up for dessert.
Then grab a spoon and dig in!
Ok, so maybe I couldn’t wait after all…
For other no-cook summer breakfast recipes, check out my Raw Buckwheat breakfast Porridge (a big batch made in the processor), easy vegan overnight oats, and VOO Parfaits.
Happy breakfast!
Crunchy-soft..yes! And those berries are gorgeous. I want to just cherry pick those right off the top :)
Hi Angela,
This looks really good! My husband and I have had your buckwheat porridge recipe multiple times and we both love it! Do you ever cook it? I was thinking of putting it in a pot the night before, bringing it to a boil, and then shutting it off and letting it sit that way overnight. I just thought it might soften it even more…let me know if you have any insight. Thanks!
I’ll definitely be trying this out this weekend!
I seriously just bought buckwheat for the first time so I’m glad to have something to do with it! I love me some parfaits, and overnight stuff makes life so much easier – I can think and prepare recipes much better at night when I’m wide awake than first thing in the morning ;).
Ooh I have been wanting to try buckwheat for awhile now, looks like this may be the recipe to get me to try it! It looks sooo good, especially the parfait! Yum!!!
I love doing these with barley. I’ll have to try buckwheat next. I like to mix in some almond flour or crushed hazelnuts with a pinch of cardamom and orange zest.
Yum – LOVE all the variations on vegan overnight oats I’ve been seeing! I love that they’re portable, too! Fresh blueberries and bananas for me :)
I would TOTALLY get up in the morning for one of those!!! :D
I could never do overnight oats, but I like the idea of trying it with something with a little more texture. Thanks!
Looks great, Ange. Have you ever tried to dehydrate the soaked buckwheat? I’ve done that and it is perfect for chia breakfasts! They become super crunchy and totally unlike the cooked stuff, and perfect because no need to soak!
Wow! it’s yummy.Thanks for these tips on how to prepare it. I love to try this also.
This looks amazing, I don’t blame you for eating it before taking photo’s. It must have taken some serious self control!
Thanks for sharing x
Who wouldn’t want to wake up to that? It looks AMAZING and SO healthy.
Thanks for sharing the recipe. Berries are so gorgeous and delicious this time of year!
I really need to start switching up my breakfasts because these look absolutely delicious!
Hmm–I’ve heard a lot about overnight oats and even chia seeds, but never buckwheat! Will have to give it a try–probably with some of the new & exciting summer fruit. :)
That looks so amazing! I love how vibrant those berries look!
Looks wonderful!! so cheery for the morning :) I’ve been experimenting with oat groats and have to try buckwheat groats now!
Amazing, something I can eat all day every day for eternity. :-)
I just recently discovered overnight oats, and they have quickly become a favorite. I also love buckwheat groats, so I know I’m going to love this breakfast! I make something similar to this and it’s really good – I like to soak buckwheat groats overnight and put them on top of a bowl of popped amaranth with some fruit and almond milk in the morning.
I’m going to try this….it looks really good. And strawberry season is here…perfect!!
So i can use whatever floats my groat? get it? hahaha…..yea…i’m cheesy…. the non dairy kind of course…okay…i’m stopping now….