This spring buckwheat salad is not only rich in plant-based protein and fibre, but also brimming with essential nutrients like iron, potassium, and vitamins A and C. Quick to prepare and perfect for meal prep, it’s an ideal choice for a wholesome lunch, light dinner, or a delightful side.
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💚 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Packed with fibre – one serving provides nearly half of your daily needs.
- Delivers a hearty 13 grams of plant-based protein per serving.
- Loaded with essential nutrients like iron, potassium, and vitamins A and C.
- Ideal for meal prep – prepare the buckwheat and veggies in advance and store it in the fridge for quick, healthy meals later on.
🥕 Ingredients and Substitutions
- Carrots – When available I like to use rainbow carrots, which come in different colours, such as purple, yellow and pale white, for a more vibrant salad. If you don’t have any rainbow carrots at hand, you can substitute them with regular carrots.
- Red peppers – These are the sweetest variety of bell peppers and also the most nutritious one, because they’ve been on the vine longest. You can also replace them with yellow bell peppers.
- Red onion – It’s very similar to yellow onion in flavour when cooked and slightly milder when served raw. I like to use it in this salad mainly because of its vibrant colour, so if you don’t have any at home, you can easily swap it for yellow onion.
- Olive oil, fresh orange juice, ground cumin seeds, ginger – Used for the marinade. You can omit ginger if you don’t like the taste, but cumin seeds give the salad its distinct flavour.
- Buckwheat – Cook it according to the package instructions, but make sure you keep an eye on it throughout the process, as it can get too mushy really quickly. Check it after about 10 minutes and cook for longer if needed. If you’re using raw buckwheat (not toasted), I recommend toasting it yourself (more details below) for added flavour.
- Fresh coriander and parsley – It’s essential to use fresh herbs for the full flavour of this salad. Mixing both fresh coriander and parsley gives it an extra boost, but if you only have one, you can simply double the quantity of the herb you do have.
- Baby rocket leaves – Also known as arugula, roquette and rucola. It adds freshness to the salad. You can also swap it for spinach or mixed greens.
- Roasted almonds – Optional but highly recommended for topping the salad.
- Red wine vinegar, olive oil and maple syrup – Used for the dressing.
🗒️ Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Drizzle the prepared carrots, red pepper and onion with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and roast for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk orange juice, cumin, ginger and maple syrup in a small bowl. Drizzle over the veggies and roast for further 20 minutes, or until tender.
Step 2: Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of water to the boil over high heat. Add buckwheat, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes or until al dente. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Spread over a tray lined with paper towel to dry.
Step 3: Prepare the dressing by whisking vinegar, oil and maple syrup in a bowl. Set aside.
Step 4: Assemble the salad. Toss roasted veggies with cooked buckwheat, fresh coriander, parsley, rocket, and dressing. Serve topped with roasted almonds.
💡 Expert Tips on How to Cook Buckwheat
- When cooking buckwheat, it’s essential you don’t use too much liquid so you don’t overcook the groats. This results in very mushy buckwheat that can’t be used in a salad.
- Read package instructions carefully before starting to cook. Most would instruct you to use a 1 to 2 ratio of buckwheat and water.
- For extra flavour, you can toast buckwheat before cooking it. To do this, heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add buckwheat and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until toasted. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
How Long Should I Cook Buckwheat?
It’s best to check the package instructions, as this can differ from brand to brand. My best advice would be to use slightly less water than recommended on the packet’s instructions, and start checking if the buckwheat has reached the desired consistency about 2-3 minutes before the recommended time is up.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
This spring buckwheat salad can be served warm or cold. You can cook the buckwheat groats and roast the vegetables in advance, let them cool and keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
You can serve the salad:
- As a Main Dish – Enjoy it as a light lunch or dinner topped with avocado slices or a dollop of hummus for added creaminess and healthy fats.
- With Grilled Protein – Pair it with grilled tofu, tempeh, or your favourite plant-based patties for a more filling meal.
- In a Wrap or Pita – Spoon the salad into a whole grain wrap or warm pita with leafy greens and a drizzle of tahini dressing.
- As a Side Dish – Makes a perfect companion to soups, grilled veggies, or falafel.
Spring Buckwheat Salad FAQs
The recipe makes 4 servings.
Yes! You can cook buckwheat ahead of time and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can also roast the vegetables 1-2 days ahead and assemble the salad when you’re ready to eat.
Once the salad is fully assembled, you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container for a day or two.
🥗 More Salad Recipes to Try
- Winter Salad with Pomegranate
- Grilled Corn Salad with Avocado
- Smoked Tofu Salad
- Balsamic Lentil Salad
- Cucumber Lemon Orzo Salad
- Quinoa Salad with Black Beans
Spring Buckwheat Salad
Ingredients
for the salad
- 4-5 carrots, scrubbed and cut into wedges
- 2 red peppers, coarsely chopped
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 ⅔ cup raw buckwheat, rinsed and dried
- ½ cup fresh coriander, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup baby rocket leaves
- ¼ cup roasted almonds, coarsely chopped
for the dressing
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Spread the carrots, red pepper and onion over prepared trays. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. Roast for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk orange juice, ground cumin, ginger and maple syrup in a bowl. Remove the tray from the oven, drizzle the marinade over the veggies and roast for a further 20 minutes or until tender.
- While the vegetables are roasting, cook buckwheat according to package instructions. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Spread over a tray lined with paper towel to dry.
- Assemble the salad. Toss roasted vegetables with cooked buckwheat, fresh parsley, coriander and rocket, and the dressing. Divide among plates and top with roasted almonds.
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