My Whole-Food Plant-Based Answer for Cold Cereal Cravings + Cold Grain Cereal (Instant Pot & Stove Top Instructions)
By Molly Patrick
Jul 25, 2020,
I have gone through various cereal phases in my life.
When I was little my mom used to dish up leftover brown rice for breakfast, and add fruit, raisins, and rice milk. She would sometimes cook buckwheat and millet for breakfast as well.
When I started going to sleepovers, my love of Rice Krispies made me smitten. And then it made me barf.
When I was in college, I was all about Chex.
In my 20’s I loved French Vanilla Almond granola from the bulk bin.
When I went vegan I liked Nature’s Path Flax cereal.
When I went Whole-Food Plant-Based all boxed cereal activity stopped and I realized that my mom was onto something back in the 80’s with her damn cold rice cereal, buckwheat, and millet. So, I started to revisit my childhood breakfast.
I played around with steel cut oats, quinoa, millet, and every other grain out there. I came up with some yummy recipes, but none of them satisfied that cold-cereal-from-a-box craving. So I always had a box of Ezekiel or Engine 2 cereal on hand, but even for a plant muncher like myself, these boxed cereals taste like the love child of cardboard and stale raisins.
One day I asked Luanne if she wanted a bowl of my breakfast porridge and she said she would have a bowl if it was cold. I was like, huh? That sounds like an awkward mouth experience from my childhood! But I made her a bowl anyway, thinking it was going to suck. She ate it and loved it.
I took a bite and holy shit, it was fucking delish.
I took a bite and holy shit, it was fucking delish. I have been eating it ever since. And you know what? When the cold-cereal-from-a-box craving hits, I make a bowl of this, and it satisfies that craving perfectly. I’ve cracked the damn code! And today, I’m sharing the code with you.
Before you get to the recipe I made a quick video with a time-saving tip for after the grains have cooked. Oh, and heads up that I called this “porridge” in the video, but I call it “Cold Grain Cereal” here on the blog. It’s all the same thing, I use the terms interchangeably.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
Instant Pot Ingredients
- ¼ cup steel cut oats (45 g)
- ¼ cup black rice (50 g / can sub brown rice)
- ¼ cup toasted buckwheat (aka Kasha / 45 g)
- ¼ cup brown or green lentils (50 g)
- 2 ½ cups water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Stove Top Ingredients
- ¼ cup steel cut oats (45 g)
- ¼ cup black rice (50 g / can sub brown rice)
- ¼ cup toasted buckwheat (aka Kasha / 45 g)
- ¼ cup brown or green lentils (50 g)
- 3 ½ cups water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Place the oats, rice, buckwheat, and lentils into a mixing bowl and cover with water. Soak for an hour and up to overnight. When you're ready to cook your grains, transfer the grains to a fine mesh strainer and rinse well with water. Tap the strainer against the sink to remove as much excess water as possible.
- Press the saute setting on your Instant Pot and heat up the inner pot for 2 minutes. Transfer the rinsed grains to the Instant Pot and saute for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Turn off the Instant Pot and add the water. Stir, and then lock the lid into place, making sure the nozzle is in the sealing position.
- Use the Manual (or Pressure Cooking) mode and set the timer for 12 minutes. Use the natural release method when the timer goes off.
- Remove the lid and add the vanilla. Cool to room temperature, then store in your fridge in one container, or separate portions (see video).
- When you’re ready to eat, put some cold porridge in your bowl and mash it with a potato masher until there are no clumps.
- Add some chopped apple, raspberries (or any type of berry), sliced banana, chopped walnuts, and raisins. Pour some unsweetened non-dairy milk on top and dive in.
- Watch your craving for cold cereal disappear!
Stove Top Instructions
- Place the oats, rice, buckwheat, and lentils into a mixing bowl and cover with water. Soak for an hour and up to overnight. When you're ready to cook your grains, transfer the grains to a fine mesh strainer and rinse well with water. Tap the strainer against the sink to remove as much excess water as possible.
- Heat up a large pot for 2 minutes on medium, then transfer the rinsed grains to the pot and saute for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the water, stir, and then place a lid on the pot at an angle. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often, so that things don’t start to stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Turn off the heat, add the vanilla, stir and allow to cool. Store in your fridge in one container, or separate portions (see video).
- When you’re ready to eat, put some cold porridge in your bowl and mash it with a potato masher until there are no clumps.
- Add some chopped apple, raspberries (or any type of berry), sliced banana, chopped walnuts, and raisins. Pour some unsweetened non-dairy milk on top and dive in.
- Watch your craving for cold cereal disappear!
Notes
Wishing you a happy week. May it be filled with quenching your cravings in a way that supports your beautiful body.
Xo
Molly
33 Comments
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I bet that would be good on toast with a little hot sauce.
Does it make a difference if I buy toasted buckwheat or use buckwheat groats and toast them myself?
Hi Robin – You can definitely toast the groats yourself. ~Karen
You can toast them yourself. I like to buy kasha (pre-toasted) just to save a step.
You can also use straight up buckwheat groats. I like the toasted buckwheat because it adds a nice nutty flavor.
Have fun and let me know what you think!
xo
Molly
I know the point of this is cold cereal, but I prefer, warm, so would this still be good out of the IP into my bowl?
Thank you ! I see the buckwheat is toasted, how do I get toasted buckwheat?
I’ve been eating this since Molly first published the recipe. I make up enough grains for about 4 – 5 weeks and put each portion into a bag. A portion for me is 1 cup uncooked grains. Then, I just grab a bag and cook it in my instant pot and transfer it to the frig. Since I’m single, this does usually last me a week. I used varied grains as I go, but always have rice, lentils and steel cut oats with whatever other grain I have on hand. I add a lot of fruit such as apples, blueberries and whatever I have on hand like Molly suggested. And, toasted walnuts or whatever as well. enjoy!!
I love this stuff so much; warm in the winter and cold in the summer! I mix up grains and lentils every week (just made it with mung beans). I also do 2 1/2 cups of grain/lentil Mix with 2 1/2 cups of water. That lasts me for the week.
I agree, it has gotten me completely off cold cereal. I add a teaspoon of molasses when I feel like it and always lots of fruit and seeds and flax.
I cannot have buckwheat, what would be a good substitute grain?
Oh, this is perfect! I’m gearing up to go full on Nutritarian (a la Dr. Furman) at the end of the week, and I know I’m going to love it, but I will have to plan ahead. I’ve gotten away from my cooked cereal breakfasts since the pandemic knocked everything askew, and I never thought about eating it cold in the summer.
I vary my grains and legumes when I make my weekly batch. After it cools, I put it in a storage container and top it with flaxseed meal, cardamom and cinnamon. Put it in the fridge and slice it into portions. For serving, I mash a banana, and top with berries, toasted nuts and almond milk. I never liked breakfast much til this!
YES!!! Porridge (or whatever you call it!) for the win! Since I first saw Molly’s recipes I’ve made it both ways. Loaded with plant milk, nuts, fruit, flax…. keeps me full for hours!
Need to try it cold,,,
Right?? So very filling. You MUST try it cold!
xo
Molly
BROL. Think I have seen this somewhere but with barley. Your version is more gluten free friendly. There are also black lentils Which are easier to find where I live than black rice. I love ? this but had never thought to eat it cold. Thanks!!! ?
Hi Molly, Don’t know if I can handle the lentils in this breakfast cereal (will try it though!) but I just want to tell you I love your t-shirt and soooo appreciate your efforts to be kind to the less privileged. Thank you!
Hi Julie,
Leave out the lentils! No biggie 😉
xo
Molly
Thank you for sharing! I learned from someone in the Facebook CFDG group that you can eat old fashioned oats raw with milk poured over them like cereal. I had no idea! As someone who can’t stand cooked grains for breakfast, this has been a life saver for me. I use 1/3 or 1/2 cup of old fashioned oats, then ground flax seed , chia seeds, sliced almonds, cinnamon, blueberries and/or other fruit, nut milk, and boom, best breakfast ever in 30 seconds flat. Yay!
Is this possible to make in my rice cooker?
Hi Christine! We haven’t tested this recipe using a rice cooker, but we think it could work. Feel free to try it out and let us know! We would suggest using the stovetop ingredient measurements to start out with, but you may have to add more liquid or strain some out, depending. Happy eating!
Thanks for this! Tried the raw rolled oats with mango, sliced almonds, cinnamon and almond milk this morning and it was terrific! Its been forever since I had an old fashioned bowl of cold cereal. Can’t wait to try Molly’s cold porridge too. Breakfast is back, people!
Wow, Molly! You came up with a winner. This porridge will change my first-meal-of-the-day forever—the variations seem endless. I’m doing an IF program (8-16) and it’s so filling and satisfying that I often wind up having only two meals a day. Thanks so much for your humor, creativity and generosity.
Just made this, mixed in some almonds and a ginger fig compote that I made yesterday. OMG, so good! My new go-to breakfast now that it’s getting hot.
I love this! Thank you so much for the recipe. ❤️
OMG, I can’t focus on the video because I’m absolutely in love with your shirt❤️ You go, girl! Love watching you.
MUAH!
I could live off of this!!
How would you triple this. I tried and I ended up with a pot of mush.
Hi Alexandra,
To triple the recipe, you’ll want to increase the ingredients, but keep the cooking time the same. If the grains aren’t done after the specified time and you have to add time, start small, no more than a few minutes at a time.
Feel free to email us here if you have any more questions.
Stephanie
This sounds like a great combo. Would you say it’s really more like hot cereal but you eat it cold??? I’m curious to know what to expect from the mouth feel.
Ellen, here’s what Molly had to say: It’s different from cold cereal and hot cereal! It has its own fabulous thing going on. Whatever you do, be sure to add lots of toppings. Try it out and let us know what you think!
This cereal packs a protein punch! I’ve made it countless times and it’s tasted great in various forms – warm, cold, mashed, and not mashed. I always double or triple the recipe, because it freezes so well. I’ve also substituted mung beans and sometimes leave out one of the grains if I don’t have it on hand. The key for a great taste is the mix-ins: nuts are great for the crunch and adding a bit of molasses or honey really helps the kids to enjoy it as well. We even add toasted amaranth or stir in some nut butter. Thank you for taking the time to create this wonderful recipe!
Dana, we are thrilled you find this recipe so useful! We also love the flexibility of mix-ins. Interesting mung bean substitute – I’ll have to try that sometime.
Thanks so much for this! I’ve been making steel cut oats and portioning them out, but since I felt the need to cut gluten, a few weeks ago, my diet has been kind of bland. I’m concerned about nutritional deficiencies and feel the need to mix things up. I can’t do buckwheat straight up, because it spikes my blood sugar. But, I’m hoping that if I mix it with oats and brown lentils and then soak that, before cooking it, that will temper the blood sugar response. I’m with you re: portioning it out, before putting it in the fridge. That makes it so easy to just grab a container and assemble with fruits, nuts, cinnamon, soy milk, or whatever.