I get asked about sprouting buckwheat quite a lot: how to do it, how long to soak and sprout it and whether to measure the buckwheat in a raw food recipe before or after it’s sprouted.
I’ve answered all those questions and given you the full, easy method in this video.
Thanks for this Russell. My little sprout tails had a coating of ‘fir’ after 2 days. I’ve washed it off but just wondering if they are still edible?
That fir sounds like the small fronds on the sprouted part themselves. They grow little ‘hairs’ that are part of the sprouting process. If that’s the case, you’re not washing them off, you’re just wetting them so you can’t see them anymore. That’s totally fine, as it’s not mould.
Thanks a lot for this. Just some questions about toasted buckwheat as I’m not getting the right answer anywhere. I bought some toasted buckwheat seeds. Can I also sprout these? (they do definitely soak and get soft for porridge), and can toasted buckwheat also be used to make flour? Any difference in nutritional value?
Hey Josef, they won’t sprout because they’re toasted. Anything that has been toasted won’t grow 🙂 Buckwheat are seeds, so sprouting is essentially asking them to grow into a plant.
Hi. I used a cup and a half to make bread with bob’s buckwheat groats but I only let them soak in the fridge for 2 hours, is that okay? Does it always need the longer hours?
That’ll be fine
Do you actually have to sprout the raw buckwheat, or if I’m in a “hurry” (making a raw recipe so hard to hurry too much, but would love it to be less than a week..) can I just soak them and rinse them a few times? How much of a nutritional difference is there?
Hey Laura, I don’t know that anyone has done any testing on how much of a nutritional difference there is, but certainly soaking them and rinsing is fine to eat.
Hi, I was taught to soak grains, seeds, and nuts with salt and sauerkraut juice or whey. Why do you choose to use only water? Is it just for the buckwheat that you bypass the salt/kraut juice because it only needs 15 min to soak or do you have other reasons as well?
In all my years doing this I’ve never heard of soaking in salt, sauerkraut juice and whey. The reason we soak those ingredients is to get rid of enzyme inhibitors and other antinutrients. You only need water to do that.
Using salt or an acid like vinegar or whey helps to further break down the phytic acid. Buckwheat contains a good amount of phytase and is easily sprouted so it isnt necessary to use salt or acid in my opinion.
Hi Russel,
I have some buckwheat groats that are a llight tan colour- they are not white like quinoa. Is this the right kind to sprout?
Thanks,
Brooke
It depends what you mean by ‘light tan’ as they might be roasted, which are not able to sprout.
Russel how long can you store the sprouted buckwheat before you use it.
I’ve kept it for up to 5 days in the fridge, rinsing it each day.
We could have done with a closer look at the sprouts, just to see how far they need to grow.
Noted. The tails should be about twice the size of the body.
Brilliant. Thanks fro the very quick reply. Will give it a go!
Thanks for this…but how do you store it if you don’t use it immediately? Can I dehydrate the sprouted buckwheat?
It’ll store in the fridge pretty well, in a sealed container, washed every day for up to 5 days in my experience. Yes, it can be fully dehydrated and kept in a sealed container out of the fridge for much longer.
I’m a little confused about the buckwheat I bought. It says it’s dried buckwheat. It’s a tesco brand. Would it normally say roasted or would dried mean the same thing?
Great video really straightforward presentation of what to do!
Both of them are dried, but the roasted one is darker and would most likely say roasted.
I watched your video for a few tips before sprouting buckwheat and realized I have buckwheat sprouting seeds with the hulls on. I guess they will take longer to soak so will soak for 6-12 hours? I have 1/2 cup sprouts soaking in a 1/2 litre sprouting jar. Wondering if that is too much for the jar and should maybe use a sifter as in your video?
Yes, longer to soak, so 6 to 12 is good, but much longer to sprout. So you’ll need to keep rinsing and sprouting for over a week.
Hi there! Can you please tell me why some people say eating raw buckwheat can cause light sensitivity?
I have no idea 🙂
I realize that cooking after sprouted (ground for pancakes?) will cancel some of the nutritional changes, but still you have a product that is more
plant-like, maybe easier on digestion, or other benefits I would think. Makes me wonder if that is true also for brown rice, or other more traditional grains. I know in food
combining, a sprouted grain then moves to the vegetable/plant side rather than the grain side.
Thank you!! I’m glad I found you. I love your presentation and will look forward to learning more 🙂
I do a lot of sprouting & I really enjoyed your video, it was very
simple & informative.
I just purchased a Super Seed & Ancient Grain Blend from Trader Joe’s
& it is interesting cause it is a dried seed mixture of
Sprouted Buckwheat, Sprouted millet, Chia Seeds, Golden Flax Seeds,
Red Quinoa, Shelled Hemp Seed & Amaranth.
After seeing your video, I wonder how the
Sprouted Buckwheat in the product I just purchased has no tails?
Can all these other seeds be eaten raw?
How long did you sprout for? Buckwheat should grow tails if the seed is good.
Yes those seeds can be eaten raw.
Hi Russell,
Your video is extremely helpful; thanks so much.
Thanks for stopping by, Amanda 🙂
I sprouted millet quinoa and Buckwheat super greens from Aldie’s my buckwheat didn’t sprout but my millet and quinoa did. the buckwheat is mixed in there can I eat it anyways even though it didn’t sprout ?
It’s OK to eat even if it didn’t sprout, but as long as it doesn’t smell bad. Sometimes if you get seeds that don’t sprout after soaking and leaving for a day or two, they’ll go off.
I accidentally left my buckwheat sprouting for longer than I usually do and the sprouts are quite long. Maybe 3/4 of an inch. Is that still ok to eat?
Yes, that’s totally fine.
How do you dehydrate sprouted groats?
Hey Barrie, I dehydrate at 105 degrees F for at least 12 hours to make sure they’re fully dried.
I get sprouted buckwheat groats that are dried and come in a bag. Should I soak them before eating or can I just throw them on a salad dry? Thanks. 🙂
Technically you can throw them on a salad dry, but I 100% suggest soaking them so they’re softer and have had the enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid rinsed away, which makes them more nutritious and easier to digest.
If Jizmoddo is buying buckwheat that is already sprouted then dehydrated back to dry, wouldn’t that obviate the necessity to soak them again to remove the anti-nutrients that have already been flushed?
Hey Jonathan, you’re right, I missed the ‘sprouted’ part of the question, thanks for pointing that out 🙂
Do you have to cook it/bake it after sprouting? And I guess the actual sprouts don’t need to be removed? Thank you
Hey Kat, no don’t cook or bake it after sprouting, that’s the point 🙂 Just use as it is in a raw recipe, sprout included.
That’s great. Thank you
You’re welcome!
Hi I’ve been soaking buckwheat sprouts for 3 days now and still no sprouts. I’ve rinsed often, 2-4 times a day. Today there is a weird smell. I rinsed again. My house is quite cold. What am I doing wrong?
It’s almost certainly the quality of the seed. I’ve had some that didn’t sprout before, from one supplier. They may have had heat applied somewhere along the line.
can you still consume the buckwheat if it smells weird?
That’s a difficult question for me to answer, as ‘weird’ means different things to different people 🙂
Can you store the sprouted buckwheat and if so, how and for how long?
Around 3 days if you rinse every couple of days.
Do you rinse it before it sprouts during the 24-48 hours, or start rinsing it after?
Definitely during, that’s the most important time. Twice a day.