This is the best homemade gluten-free vegan bread recipe which is egg-free, dairy-free, yeast-free, and nutritious! This German bread is actually healthy since it contains psyllium husk powder. It’s crispy on the outside and soft on the inside!
Homemade Gluten-Free Vegan Bread
I cannot tell you how many times I tried making the perfect gluten-free vegan bread… Actually, I lost count how many times I ended up throwing the towel because it’s damn hard to create good gluten-free bread without eggs.
But since I can be quite stubborn (haha) I actually never gave up and continued with the recipe testing…
Psyllium Husk Powder
One day, I started experimenting with gluten-free pizza crust that contains psyllium husk powder. The recipe turned out so good, that I got intrigued.
To make a long story short, I made an online search about homemade gluten-free vegan bread + psyllium husk and found a couple of different recipes that were using huge amounts of psyllium husk powder in their bread recipes.
One recipe was from a German blogger, and she inspired me to give psyllium husk a try. I tweaked her recipe and used a different flour blend and the bread turned out amazing!
I was shocked by how great it turned out, especially since the bread is wheat-free (and therefore gluten-free), and egg-free (vegan)! It did rise, even though it doesn’t contain yeast and it actually looked like German bread from a bakery.
Conclusion: Psyllium husk powder is a godsend for gluten-free vegan baked goods. It’s also very healthy, especially for our gut! So please do yourself and favor and buy it or order it online. It’s cheap and absolutely amazing!
How To Make Gluten-Free Bread?
Check the video in the post to see how I made this amazing bread.
Step 1: Make the psyllium husk gel first. Mix the psyllium husk powder and water in a bowl. Try to be quick, because it gels instantly, within SECONDS. I always use a whisk, it works the best. Set aside and measure the dry bread ingredients in the meantime!
Step 2: It’s time to measure/weigh all dry ingredients and add them to a big bowl. You can also preheat your oven to 390 °F (ca. 200 °C) now.
Step 3: Mix it all together: Add the psyllium gel to the big bowl and mix all ingredients with a hand mixer (use the dough hooks). You can also knead the dough with your hands or use a Kitchen Aid. It will take about 5-10 minutes until the dough comes together.
Step 4: Shape the dough and bake the bread in the oven for about 55-60 minutes. That’s it!
Add Seeds Of Choice
I love adding pumpkin seeds but you can also use sunflower seeds, sesame seeds or nuts of choice (e.g. hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, almonds, etc).
The Ingredients
You can find all the ingredients with measurements below in the recipe card! Please also check the recipe notes below where I list different substitutes.
My favorite flour combo is this:
- Buckwheat flour
- Rice Flour
- Chickpea Flour
- Tapioca Flour
Recipe Notes & Substitutes
- Some readers replaced the buckwheat flour with oat flour or sorghum flour (or a combo) and the bread still turned out amazing.
- Rice flour works great in this bread recipe, but feel free to experiment with lentil flour, teff flour, sorghum flour, or quinoa flour.
- You can use arrowroot flour instead of tapioca flour/starch. Cornstarch or potato starch will most likely work as well.
- Chickpea flour is the same as garbanzo bean flour. It adds plant-based protein and I love adding it to bread. Some readers had success using oat flour instead.
- Psyllium husk powder is the most important ingredient in this recipe and cannot be subbed by any other ingredient. Make sure to use psyllium husk POWDER. If you have psyllium husk (not the powder), you can blend it in a blender or electric spice/coffee grinder until it’s a fine powder.
Can I Freeze Gluten-Free Bread?
You can definitely freeze this gluten-free bread! Slice it and wrap all individual slices in wax paper or parchment paper. Put in zip lock bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature and then toast the bread once you want to serve it.
Other Gluten-Free Bread Recipes
You can serve the bread with stews, soups and all kinds of comfort meals. Make sure to also check out my other vegan and gluten-free bread recipes:
- Gluten-Free Baguette
- Gluten-Free Pita
- Gluten Free Naan
- Gluten Free Buns
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Pumpkin Bread
- Moist Vegan Cornbread
- Marbled Banana Bread
Should you give this gluten-free German bread recipe a try, please leave a comment and rating below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I love to see your remakes! 🙂
Gluten-Free Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 100 g (3/4 heaped cup) buckwheat flour (see notes)
- 100 g (2/3 cup) white rice flour
- 100 g (1 cup) chickpea flour
- 40 g (5 Tbsp) tapioca flour/starch (see notes)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4-1 tsp sea salt
- 50 g (3/8 cup) pumpkin seeds (optional - see notes)
Psyllium mixture:
- 450 ml (1.8 cup) water
- 30 g (3 Tbsp) psyllium husk powder (see notes)
Instructions
- I recommend using the metric measurements for this recipe (grams/ml). In a bowl, combine the water with the psyllium husk powder and whisk well. It will gel instantly and become thick. Set aside for 20-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, measure/weigh all the dry ingredients and add them to a large bowl. Preheat the oven to 390 °F (200 °C).
- Add the psyllium gel to the bowl and knead the ingredients with a hand/ stand mixer (use a dough hook). You can also knead the dough with your hands. It will take about 5-10 minutes for the dough to come together.
- If the dough appears too wet, sprinkle it with 1-2 Tbsp tapioca flour. If it feels too dry, add a little water.
- Shape the dough into a round or rectangular loaf and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (I sprinkled the paper with a bit of tapioca flour).
- Bake for 50-60 minutes. Let the bread cool completely, then slice and enjoy. The bread freezes well, for up to 3 months!
Notes
Video Of The Recipe
- Psyllium husk powder is the most important ingredient in this recipe and cannot be substituted by any other ingredient. Make sure to use psyllium husk POWDER. If you have whole psyllium husk (not the powder), you can blend it in a blender or electric spice/coffee grinder until it's a fine powder.
- A few people mentioned a weird smell in the bread (I didn't, and most other people didn't either), however, I received a few helpful comments.
- You can use whole-grain buckwheat flour or regular, both are fine. Some people replaced the buckwheat flour with oat flour or sorghum flour (or a combo) and the bread still turned out amazing.
- Rice flour works great in this bread recipe, but feel free to experiment with lentil flour, teff flour, sorghum flour, or quinoa flour.
- You can use arrowroot flour instead of tapioca flour/starch. Cornstarch or potato starch will most likely work as well.
- Chickpea flour is the same as garbanzo bean flour. It adds plant-based protein and I love adding it to bread. Some readers had success using oat flour instead.
- Please don't compare this bread with wheat bread which contains gluten and yeast or a gluten-free bread which was made with eggs and yeast. It's hard to make a gluten-free, yeast-free, vegan bread, but this is the best recipe I have tried so far, and it turns out amazing every time! Depending on the flour mixture, the bread might end up more fluffy or dense.
- Pumpkin seeds: You can use sunflower seeds instead, however, they will turn green due to a chemical reaction with the baking soda/powder. This is perfectly fine and shouldn't concern you.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Equipment
Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
I made this yesterday, and not only was it very good, but it was super easy. I followed the recipe exactly, baking it for 50 minutes. I couldn’t be happier with the result.
I am so glad it turned out great, Vickie! 🙂
Hi Ela, I just made this and it turned out really well! I followed the recipe completely using the cup measurements, however, when I was kneeling the dough, it was quite sticky and sticking to my hands completely so I kept adding some tapioca flour. Is this right? After coming out of the oven the crust was quite hard and the bread falls apart quite a bit when I cut it.. Any tips for this? I’m looking forward to making it again soon 🙂
Hi Teresa, the cup measurements are just an orientation, but not 100% exact. I would suggest using a kitchen scale and to measure the flours in grams and then see if there is a difference next time. I am glad it still turned out well. 🙂
Greetings! I am allergic to corn , which is in baking powder. Can I leave out baking powder and do the vinegar addition to still get a decent rise?
I haven’t tried it, but I guess it could work. 🙂
Hi sally, just wanted to let you know that we are allergic to corn as well and we use a baking powder that is potato starch based! It’s called “gefen aluminum free baking powder.” So far it has worked well for us. You can buy it on Amazon. I haven’t been able to find it in any stores.
Hi Sally, I just bought a corn-free baking powder at Whole Foods by Otto’s. I haven’t used it yet, but I’m so happy to have found one that is corn-free. Good luck!
Hi Ela,
thanks for amazing recipes. I made this bread yesterday it is the best GF bread that I have ever eaten. Baked for 50 minutes it looked ok on the outside, When it cooled down it was delicious bit still slightlyy wet on inside. Probably needed 10 more minues in the oven?
Happy to hear! Yes, you can bake it 10 minutes longer, if needed. 🙂
Turned out great! But with a little bit of smell. Next time will try to add some vinegar. Thank you for creating such tasty recipes!
You are very welcome, Zanda. 🙂
Hi Ela, thx for the recipe. Could physilum powrder replace with flaxmeal? Thx. Greetings from Indonesisa
Hi Dini, no, that won’t work.
I wanted to use up the rest of the flours I had, so I replaced the white rice & chickpea flour with 200g brown rice flour, and the buckwheat with sorghum flour. The loaf came out really small (and somewhat dense), as if it barely changed size from when I put it in the oven. It tasted good either way, but your pictures make it look like a proper-sized loaf, so I’m wondering if the change in flour types caused the small size?
Hi Pat, you basically changed three of the main flours and that’s why the result isn’t the same. It’s ok to change one flour, but not three different ones.
If you follow my recipe, the result will be the same. 🙂
I couldn’t believe how amazing this bread turned out! It’s tasty, amazing texture, freezes well, great for toasts. Thank you!!
You are very welcome, Leila. 🙂
Hi Ela i will definitely try this recipe, I will let you know how is turn out,
I like this recipe because it’s free yeast,
Rigards Violeta
Hi Violeta, I hope you will like it. 🙂
Thank you for this recipe! I am GF and WFPB and this freezes beautifully and has a lovely texture and taste. I keep coming back to your recipe.
You are very welcome. 🙂
My name is Rinda and I just want to thank you for this recipe. I followed it to the t and came out just as you said it would. At last I found a gluten free bread that is amazing. My husband said that he ate like a king. Thankd again.
You are welcome, Rinda! 🙂
Hi ,just bought some gluten free all purpose flour, for the first time, could I use that.?
Thank you
Can’t say this because every flour blend is different. 🙂
Ok thanks, I understand, I will try this recipe once I have all the listed ingredients
Can I add sugar to the recipe for slightly sweeter bread?
Sure, why not.
My name is Rumiko..
I made this Gluten Free bread twice.
II think I finally found the best Gluten Free Bread recipe. Thank you for shating such a good recipe.
Hi Rumiko, I am so glad you like the bread! 🙂
Followed the recipe exactly as it is in the cookbook (which called for apple cider vinegar), and made just two modifications – adding 1.5 Tablespoons monk fruit/erythritol, and some caraway seeds. It came out gummy on the inside. Tried baking 10 mins longer, but didn’t help. Any ideas?
Hi Kate, sorry to hear it turned out gummy. I never used Monk fruit/Erythritol in the recipe, so I am not sure about that. The caraway seeds shouldn’t have caused this. Did you use psyllium husk POWDER? Did the gel have the same consistency as the one in my video, or was it thinner? Also, did you measure everything in grams (metric measurements) or cups? Because the slightest deviation can make a huge difference.
H I Ela I made this bread this morning I had to improvise used black rice flour, all I had & quinoa flour, potato. flour & green lentil flour. Amazing crispy outside & soft & fluffy inside. I will be making this again following the recipe next time. I also made your green lentil bread which was delicious! Thank you!
I am so glad it turned out amazing, Elfi. 🙂
I tried this using mainly rice and buckwheat flour and its definitely not fluffy on the inside its tacky and sticky. Would that be because it was too dry?
Did you use psyllium husk powder? No tapioca flour? Please follow the recipe and it should turn out the same.
Not sure what went wrong with mine
I followed recipe but used teff flour not rice
It’ looks almost gummy inside not fluffy ? But I couldn’t see on the video how the consistency of the dough should look before it went in to cook ?
I cooked it in my air fryer so adjusted time and temperature but I’ve done other buckwheat bread in there and not had this issue – please help ! My baking soda and powder are both fresh too
Can you please follow my original recipe and use rice flour next time and bake it in the oven? Then you can experiment with either the air fryer or using a different flour, but too many changes at once aren’t recommended. I never tried teff flour, but I know some did with success (but used an oven).
Ok I will try again as it’s tastes nice it’s just very dense and not fluffy but thought when I read the subs it would work as I say , it worked with other ones I cooked
But thanks for quick reply
Is there any where photo or video that shows what the dough should look like Before baking ?
The photo is in the post: https://elavegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/gluten-free-bread-before-baking.jpg
And in the video minute 1:11
Hi Ela
I tried the recipe again and followed exactly and it was much better and fluffier ! the crust was a wee bit chewy but maybe next time it needs slightly less cooking time
But I will also try again with rice flour in my air fryer
Thanks very much happy with results now
So happy to hear, thanks for reporting back. 🙂
Sorry I can see a photo of dough now mine definitely didn’t look as dough and pliable like as yours
I will try what u suggested and report back! Thank you again for your help
I don’t know where I’d be without this recipe! I love baking but recently switched to gluten free and many recipes have been epic flops. I follow the suggestions to add the psyllium powder to the flour which is easier.
I usually divide the dough into 8 and make rolls. This is my #1 go to recipe now. Thank you so much!
Thanks for sharing, Linda. So glad you like my recipe. 🙂
Hi just wondering if yeast can be added instead of baking powder/soda? I have a heap here and would prefer to use up rather than waste. Looking forward to trying this recipe out!
Hi Bree, I never tried it, so I am not sure. But please report back if you give it a try. 🙂