Food Ingredients Grains Buckwheat 12 Ways to Cook With Buckwheat for Blinis, Blecs, and Beyond Gluten-free buckwheat flour adds earthy, nutty flavor to blinis, pastas, salads, and more. By Food & Wine Editors Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on December 13, 2023 Trending Videos Photo: Photo by Greg DuPree / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer Buckwheat is a seed that when ground into a flour, has a nutty flavor and deep, rich brown color. Despite its name, buckwheat flour doesn't contain any wheat or gluten, and it does not fall under the category of grains. Naturally gluten-free, buckwheat flour makes a delicate pasta dough that stretches a little more than standard egg pasta when rolling. "Freshly stone-milled flour is a living ingredient, full of flavor, texture, aroma, nutrition, and nuance," says baker Graison Gill at Bellegarde Bakery in New Orleans. Nina Compton uses Bellegarde's freshly milled buckwheat flour for Lemon-Buckwheat Shortbread cookie sandwiches. See how chefs showcase the intensely earthy flavor of buckwheat in rustic dishes, from savory French crêpes to pasta, salads, and blinis, below. 01 of 12 Buckwheat Crêpes Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Christina Daley These nutty, savory crêpes (also called galettes de sarrasin) from the Brittany region of France are topped with ham, Gruyére, and a sunny-side-up egg. Get the Recipe 02 of 12 Buckwheat Crêpe Crackers Victor Protasio Chef Dominique Crenn uses a light buckwheat flour for the crispy crêpe crackers that top her Wild Mushrooms with Leek-Garlic Puree. Get the Recipe 03 of 12 Buckwheat Blecs with Chicken and Rosemary Photo by Greg DuPree / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer Blecs are handrolled pasta made from a mixture of wheat and buckwheat flours, that have a dumpling-like texture when cooked. 2005 F&W Best New Chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson tosses them with a savory blend of chicken and rosemary. Get the Recipe 04 of 12 Homemade Soba Noodles Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Paige Grandjean and Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Tender and supple with the perfect chewy texture, these from-scratch buckwheat soba noodles are easy to perfect. Get the Recipe 05 of 12 Lemon-Buckwheat Shortbread Victor Protasio Lemon filling highlights the nuttiness of buckwheat flour in these shortbread cookie sandwiches from 2017 F&W Best New Chef Nina Compton, who uses Bellegarde Bakery’s stone-ground flour. Get the Recipe 06 of 12 Buckwheat Soba Tiger Salad Abby Hocking / Food & Wine 2017 F&W Best New Chef Peter Cho combines two of his favorite dishes from Xi'an Famous Foods in New York City with these soba noodles and vegetables. Get the Recipe 07 of 12 Quick Buckwheat Blini © Fredrika Stjärne These mini blini (called oladyi or blinchiki, which is the diminutive of blini in Russian), get their nutty flavor from buckwheat flour and require no rising. Get the Recipe 08 of 12 Creamy Buckwheat Pasta with Wild Mushrooms © Tina Rupp 2014 F&W Best New Chef Matthew Accarrino tosses buckwheat pasta with creamy mascarpone, silky mushrooms, and runny eggs. Get the Recipe 09 of 12 Buckwheat Pasta with Summer Squash, Tomatoes and Ricotta © Dave Lauridsen Chef Travis Lett likes buckwheat for its added richness and texture. He cuts the fresh pasta into rough rag shapes and tosses it with summer vegetables. Simplify with dried pasta if desired. Get the Recipe 10 of 12 Gluten-Free Winter Squash Gnocchi © Anya Kassoff No need for eggs here; squash puree and nutritious buckwheat flour partner well, allowing for just the right soft structure. The gnocchi are gluten-free and can be vegan if ghee is substituted with coconut oil or vegan butter. Get the Recipe 11 of 12 Spring Buckwheat Noodle Salad © John Kernick British cooks Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley dress this vegetable-packed noodle salad with a deeply flavorful and tangy sun-dried tomato and Brazil nut pesto. Get the Recipe 12 of 12 Buckwheat Crust Pizza with Roasted Vegetables Photo © Anya Kassoff Buckwheat flour makes the base for this nourishing and tasty gluten-free pizza that you can top with your favorite roasted vegetables. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit