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Buckwheat and Chia Breakfast Pots with Berry Compote and Persimmon

Soaked buckwheat blended into a creamy pudding with chia, layered with a quick berry compote and topped with persimmon and seeds. Vegan and gluten-free. About 20 minutes of work, after an overnight soak.

Breakfast

20

Serves 2

A glass layered with creamy buckwheat and chia pudding and a dark berry compote, topped with nuts and slices of orange persimmon, with pumpkin seeds scattered on a wooden board

Ingredients

  • 80g/3oz/scant ½ cup raw (untoasted) buckwheat groats, labelled gluten-free if you need it
  • 200ml/generous ¾ cup unsweetened coconut drink, or another plant milk without soya or nuts if you avoid them
  • 2 tsp (10ml) maple syrup: 1 tsp for the pudding, 1 tsp for the compote
  • Half a tsp ground cinnamon
  • 25g/1oz/2 tbsp chia seeds: 20g for the pudding, 5g for the compote
  • 150g/5oz/1 cup frozen mixed berries
  • 1 small ripe persimmon (sharon fruit, about 100g/3½oz), sliced
  • 2 tbsp (15g) pumpkin seeds and 1½ tbsp (15g) hemp seeds

Method

  1. The night before, cover the buckwheat with plenty of cold water and leave to soak for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
  2. Tip the buckwheat into a sieve and rinse well under cold running water until the water runs clear; soaked buckwheat releases a slippery gel, and rinsing removes it.
  3. Blend the buckwheat with the coconut drink, 1 teaspoon of the maple syrup and the cinnamon until smooth. Stir in 20g of the chia seeds and leave for 10 minutes, stirring once, until thick.
  4. Meanwhile, put the berries and the remaining maple syrup in a small pan over a medium heat and cook for 5 minutes, until soft and juicy. Mash lightly, take off the heat and stir in the remaining 5g of chia seeds. Leave to cool and thicken for a few minutes.
  5. Layer the pudding and compote in two glasses or jars and top with the persimmon, pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds.
  6. Covered, the pots keep in the fridge for up to 2 days; add the persimmon and seeds just before eating.

Why it works

A pot gives you about 13g of fibre and 13g of protein for 391 calories, from the buckwheat, chia and seeds.

Buckwheat is not wheat. Despite the name, buckwheat is the seed of a plant related to rhubarb and is naturally gluten-free. Buy groats labelled gluten-free if you need to avoid gluten, as they can be processed alongside wheat. Use raw, pale green groats; toasted brown ones (kasha) will not blend smoothly.

Why soak it. Soaking softens the groats so they blend into a creamy, porridge-like pudding without cooking. Rinsing afterwards removes the slippery gel they release.

Why it is tagged for blood sugar. The fruit and a little maple syrup bring sweetness, but with 13g of fibre, chia, and protein from hemp and pumpkin seeds, this breakfast is unlikely to cause a sharp rise in blood sugar. It has 47g of carbohydrate.

Free from gluten, dairy, soya, eggs and nuts as written. Contains coconut, which is not classed as a tree nut in the UK or EU; check if you react to it. The photo shows almonds on top, so leave them off if you avoid nuts. For another make-ahead breakfast, try the chia pudding with mango and lime.