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    Home » Recipes

    Easy Heartwarming Buckwheat Chili

    By: Thomas Published: 10 Dec, 17 Updated: 2 Sep, 20 27 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    Easy Buckwheat Chili

    Let's bring back the comforting bowls!

    There is nothing cozier than a warm, spicy chili to fight those dark and cold winter days. I mean, it's already dark at 4 pm, and we are having 32°F on most days. No doubt I'm craving hearty and satisfying meals! I wanted to make a chili with more grains than beans this time, so I made it with one of my favorite grain: buckwheat groats. Let me tell you it exceeded my expectations, buckwheat makes this chili thick, slightly chunky and just delicious.

    It is definitely becoming a regular here this winter, and I have no doubt it will become one for you too. It's that kind of recipe that is too delicious considering how easy it is. Sometimes the easy way is the best way, this is the perfect example.

    Easy Buckwheat Chili

    This 1-pot chili starts with the onions and garlic that are fried until golden brown.

    Then you add the diced vegetables: celery, carrots, and red bell peppers. Sautée for a few minutes, and add the buckwheat groats, spices, water, and diced tomatoes, or tomato purée, depending on what you have on hand. I tried both and each came out delicious, diced tomatoes will give you a more chunky texture, while tomato purée will give more tomato flavor to the chili.

    Buckwheat Chili Bowls

    After about 20 minutes, the buckwheat should be cooked, it should be soft but not mushy. At this time you can stir in the cooked red kidney beans and some nutritional for a subtle cheesy flavor. Transfer to serving bowls, drizzle with lime juice, a few slices of avocado, and a spoonful of coconut cream!

    What I love about this chili is that it reheats very well, make a big batch and your dinner is ready for the next 3 to 4 days.

    Easy Buckwheat Chili

    This buckwheat chili is the comforting food par excellence, it's spicy, hearty and becomes your best friend on cold winter nights. Now take your favorite bowl, fill it generously with this buckwheat chili, add your toppings and you're ready to go!

    Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!

    Easy Buckwheat Chili

    Easy Heartwarming Buckwheat Chili
    Print

    Easy Buckwheat Chili

    Easy Buckwheat Chili
    Print Recipe

    ★★★★★

    4.2 from 9 reviews

    Comforting 1-pot chili that is perfectly spiced, smoky, and a bit sweet. Easy to make and heartwarming!

    • Author: Full of Plants
    • Yield: 4 1x

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 tbsp (15ml)  olive oil
    • 1 onion, diced
    • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
    • ½ cup chopped celery (about 1 stick)
    • ½ cup chopped carrot (1 carrot)
    • ½ cup chopped red bell pepper (1 red pepper)
    • 1 cup (170g) buckwheat groats
    • 2 cups (480ml) water
    • 1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes (or 1 and ½ cup (360ml) tomato puree)
    • 2 tsp ground cumin
    • 1 and ½ tsp chili powder
    • ½ tsp smoked paprika
    • 1 tsp oregano
    • ½ tsp salt
    • 1 tbsp (15ml) maple syrup
    • 1 15-ounce (425g) can red beans, drained and rinsed
    • 1 tbsp (3g) nutritional yeast
    • toppings: sliced avocado, fresh parsley, coconut cream, tortilla chips

    Instructions

    1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and garlic. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly until onions are soft and start to caramelize.
    2. Add the chopped celery, carrot, and red bell pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes.
    3. Next, add the buckwheat groats, water, diced tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and maple syrup. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Check regularly to make sure there is still enough water. After 20 minutes, taste it, the buckwheat groats should be cooked, soft but not mushy.
    4. Finally, stir in the red kidney beans and nutritional yeast. Cook for another 3-5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed, adding more chili powder for a spicier chili, or more maple syrup for a sweeter one.
    5. Serve hot topped with avocado slices, coconut cream, and a drizzle of lime juice.
    6. This buckwheat chili will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 2 months in the freezer.

    Notes

    For a more soupy chili, increase the water to 2 and ½ cups.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1
    • Calories: 329
    • Sugar: 10.5g
    • Fat: 5.4g
    • Carbohydrates: 62.1g
    • Fiber: 12.5g
    • Protein: 13.8g

    Did you make this recipe?

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Régine

      December 10, 2017 at 9:17 pm

      This was easy and heartwarming as promised. And a nice change for the all beans chilis. I am not a fan of kasha, but this was the perfect use for it. I made one small change: I added a bit of Bragg's liquid aminos to round up the flavour and add that umami taste (I am no big fan of Bragg's either, and I only use it in minute quantities to replace meat or fish flavours).

      ★★★★

      Reply
      • Thomas

        December 11, 2017 at 4:48 pm

        Thanks for the feedback Régine! Adding some liquid aminos or soy sauce is a great idea!

        Reply
    2. Albert Bevia

      December 14, 2017 at 11:15 pm

      That is one beautiful looking chili! nice combination of ingredients and flavors

      Reply
      • Thomas

        December 18, 2017 at 6:34 am

        Thanks Albert!

        Reply
    3. Karly

      December 15, 2017 at 2:51 am

      YUM. This looks absolutely delicious so hearty and filling and exactly what I want at the end of a long cold day. Love!

      Reply
      • Thomas

        December 18, 2017 at 6:36 am

        Thank you Karly! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Kathleen

      December 25, 2017 at 4:50 pm

      Thomas, we had your buckwheat chili as Christmas dinner tonight. We love buckwheat so I was very pleased to find this recipe. But I don't like our food to be too liquid so I kept the water in the recipe under control. It was really very nice. A good recipe! I'm a strict vegetarian for more than 70 years (yes, you read it well) and nowadays I often varying the meals with vegan dishes. Took some pictures of the dish tonight but cannot attach them. (Wanted to show it to you!). I wish you a merry Christmas!

      Reply
      • Thomas

        December 26, 2017 at 10:02 am

        Glad to hear you liked the chili 🙂 Don't worry about it, I'm sure it looked amazing!
        Wow vegetarian for over 70 years, that is incredible. Thanks for your feedback and Happy Holidays!

        Reply
    5. Rosa Mackenzie

      June 30, 2018 at 8:08 am

      Hi, just wondering if we should use roasted or unroasted buckwheat groats ?

      Cheers from Scotland, cant wait to make this 😉

      Rosa

      Reply
      • Thomas

        July 05, 2018 at 6:00 am

        Hi Rosa,
        Both will work! Roasted groats will have a slightly nutty flavor but it won't make much difference here honestly.

        Reply
    6. Dina

      September 08, 2018 at 6:06 pm

      I absolutely adore buckwheat! As for any Russian leaving abroad, this is my most missed Russian food and it’s not easy to find right “kasha” (funny you called it kasha, kasha means any mushy porridge and buckwheat is “grechka”:-)) in the shops here! But I had managed to find it in a Russian grossery shop:-) I’m religiously following the cooking rules for buckwheat since I hate it mushy. So I have a question: can I cook buckwheat separately from the sauce and then mix it with beans and buckwheat afterwards and cook for another 5 minutes?
      Thanks Thomas, your blog is my discovery of the year!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Thomas

        September 09, 2018 at 6:18 am

        Thanks for the kind words!
        Buckwheat is so underrated! 🙂 I had no idea kasha was the name of the cooked buckwheat!
        Regarding your question, yes that should work too! I cook it with the sauce so it only requires one pot but you can cook it on the side if you prefer.

        Reply
      • R. B.

        November 24, 2019 at 11:55 pm

        I used to hate buckwheat groats - until I bought some from a Polish store. What a difference! Now I am a fan.

        ★★★★

        Reply
      • David

        January 02, 2022 at 11:26 pm

        Yes cool Kasha and add when done

        Reply
    7. Sylvia

      October 01, 2018 at 3:34 am

      Delicious - and so easy!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Thomas

        October 06, 2018 at 11:14 am

        Thanks Sylvia! 😉

        Reply
    8. Régine

      October 01, 2018 at 8:02 am

      I think this delicious recipe is also gluten-free. It would be great, Thomas, if you included this mention in the recipe. Thanks you.

      ★★★★

      Reply
    9. Michael

      January 29, 2019 at 3:33 pm

      Thank you, it's a very good recipe. I wish I liked the taste of buckwheat better, then I would rate it five stars - but this is the tastiest way I've found yet to eat buckwheat, which I definitely believe is healthy for me. I used pinto/Borlotti beans, which I prefer to kidneys. I also cooked the beans from dry and used garden tomatoes from the freezer, so we saved two cans 🙂 Thanks again.

      ★★★★

      Reply
      • Thomas

        January 30, 2019 at 3:27 pm

        Happy to hear you liked the recipe, even if you are not a fan of buckwheat!
        Thanks for your feedback Michael!

        Reply
      • R. B.

        November 25, 2019 at 2:09 am

        You should try and procure buckwheat groats from an Eastern European grocery store (Russian, Polish, Ukrainian). The kind that is sold in health food stores cooks like mush, and I don't care for the taste, but the real kind is actually very good.

        ★★★★

        Reply
    10. Pamela Jackson

      November 24, 2019 at 10:23 pm

      This is a great recipe. As a non-vegetarian I made a few alterations (used turkey stock, added 1.5 ounces of chorizo, and sauteed everything in butter). It made a wonderful winter meal with lime crema and toasted sourdough-rye bread. Will be making it again.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Thomas

        December 02, 2019 at 11:36 am

        Thanks for your feedback Pamela!

        Reply
    11. Mary

      May 20, 2020 at 10:11 pm

      My buckwheat groats remained uncooked, even after an hour. They had the texture of "old maids" - unpeopled popcorn kernels. So unpleasant. Where did I go wrong?

      ★★★

      Reply
      • Thomas

        May 22, 2020 at 3:12 am

        Humm...what kind of buckwheat groats are you using?
        Buckwheat groats should be completely overcooked after an hour.

        Reply
    12. Sebastian

      September 09, 2020 at 7:59 am

      Great recipe! I usually am not a fan of chili as I find it too heavy but the buckwheat worked really well to keep it feeling a bit lighter. Even so, I wouldn't have this as a meal by itself but worked great with a couple of leftover salads.

      Reply
      • Thomas

        September 13, 2020 at 8:36 am

        Thanks Sebastian!

        Reply
    13. David

      January 02, 2022 at 11:23 pm

      Cook the Kasha first. I fry 1 cup kasha with 2 eggs. Fry and stir. When fully cooked add to chili .
      I added 6 ounce can of tomato paste and only 1 1/2 cups of water.

      Reply

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