Vegan Greek superfood breakfast (or dessert) bowls - Koliva (2024)

These Greek traditional superfood bowls are the perfect plant-based breakfast (or even dessert) full of antioxidants and health benefits

These vegan Greek superfood breakfast bowls are called Koliva. Koliva is a simple but amazing recipe full of superfoods which provide you enough energy and nutrients to start your day right. Wheat berries, raisins, almonds, sesame seeds, walnuts, pomegranate, cinnamon, and chickpea flour are all foods known for their many health benefits and for being rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and healthy fats. Traditionally, koliva is made with icing sugar as the sweetener but you can use maple syrup (or honey for non-vegans) for a more healthy option. Moreover, they’re so versatile, you can eat them for breakfast, snack or even dessert. And if you’re like me and think that hiding superfoods inside your desserts is a great idea, then you’ll find this olive oil babka bread with goji berries, saffron, and white chocolate filling very interesting!

It is tradition In Greece to offer koliva after memorials. In such cases, all the grains, nuts and fruits are put in large serving plates and then covered firstly with chickpea flour and then with icing sugar which is compressed in a way so that it forms a smooth white surface. This white surface is then decorated with almonds, cinnamon, and sugar coated nuts. And because according to the Greek tradition, the souls can only see the red and the green color, it is obligatory for this recipe to include ingredients of these colors. Pomegranate offers the bright red, almost ruby color while spearmint adds the green notes. From what I’ve seen till now, spearmint is mostly used in Crete, whereas in other parts of Greece people use parsley. You can choose whatever green suits your taste better, but please use spearmint! (or mint). Anyway, the fact is that there’s not one person who will hear the word koliva and will not salivate in anticipation and that’s why many people (myself included) make koliva often, just to have it for breakfast or snack.

Except for the spearmint, another difference between Crete and the rest of Greece is that in Crete we use chickpea flour from roasted chickpeas while in other regions they use plain flour. These chickpeas are called “stragalia” and are usually served with other nuts as a snack. If you have stragalia, you can process them in your food processor until they become powder (pass the flour through a sieve to catch any big chunks). Otherwise, you can use chickpea flour or all purpose flour which you will roast in the oven, inside a large pan. Roast it until it darkens in color and stir it often, every 5-10 minutes to avoid burning it.

Something you should be aware of when making koliva is the bacterium called Bacillus cereus, which can lead to food poisoning. This bacillus is a bacterium found in cereal and under certain conditions, it can multiply very quickly. There are two things you should keep in mind if you want to avoid any unpleasant situations. Add the sweetener only before serving and store in the fridge any koliva you have left. This is the reason why the typical Greek koliva is first covered with the flour and then with the sugar. That way the sugar doesn’t come in contact with the wheat berries.

Some notes/tips:

• Soaking the wheat berries is not necessary but it helps them cook in less time.
• Do not mix the koliva with the sugar (or another sweetener) and then let it at room temperature for a long time because this can lead to the development of harmful bacteria. It is best to keep it refrigerated and add the sweetener before serving.
• Substitute mint or parsley for spearmint.
• Substitute roasted all-purpose flour for chickpea flour.
• If you want to eat this for breakfast, you should prepare the wheat berries from the previous day and store them in the fridge. They will keep well for up to 2 days.

Similar recipes you may like:

Cretan almond biscotti (Kalorizika) – Vegan

Vegan tahini and olive oil chocolate fudge popsicles

Share this post if you liked it (share buttons at the top!) and don’t forget to subscribe for new recipes or follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook

📖 Recipe

If you like this recipe, Pin it!

More Breakfast and Brunch Recipes