Buckwheat is a gluten-free pseudocereal, which The Spruce Eats defines as "a plant that produces seed or fruit that is used or consumed as grains." Buckwheat is often ground into flour that can be used in gluten-free desserts, enhancing your sweets with its earthy flavor that pairs well with nuts, baked fruit, chocolate, and caramel.

Buckwheat flour is sold in two varieties: light, which is made from the hulled form of the plant, and dark, which is made from the unhulled seed. Since buckwheat hulls contain a hard shell, dark buckwheat flour has a richer texture, deeper color, and a more intense nutty and slightly bitter taste compared to light buckwheat flour.

Buckwheat flour can be found in most grocery stores, but if you have a flour miller, making it at home is "insanely easy and cheaper,” says Dish by Dish. When cooking with buckwheat, you may need to adjust the amount of liquid used in your recipe, since buckwheat flour can absorb moisture at a higher rate than other flours.

Buckwheat can make baked goods like breads, cookies, cakes, and muffins a bit crumbly, so it's best to replace around 25% of wheat flour with buckwheat and find another gluten-free flour for the remaining 75%. If you enjoy the result, you can add more buckwheat next time to enjoy a more robust flavor, plus plenty of fiber and protein.