This quinoa bread recipe is easy to make with no yeast, oil, sugar, or gluten – a flavorful, nutrient-dense gluten-free bread that’s perfect for toasting!
Over the past couple of years, making nutrient-dense, gluten-free bread has become a bit of a passion project. I’ve already shared recipes for oatmeal seed bread and protein lentil bread, but lately, I’ve been on a quinoa kick. After a few tasty experiments, this quinoa bread recipe was born. It’s tender with a subtle chew and packed with a nutty, wholesome flavor that works well with both sweet and savory toppings.
Made with nutritious, wholesome ingredients, this no-yeast, no-knead recipe for quinoa bread is free from oil and sugar, yet full of fiber and some plant-based protein to keep you full for longer. And since quinoa is a complete protein, it’s great for those following a plant-based diet.
Looking for more nutritious gluten-free bread recipes? You might enjoy gluten-free seeded bread or keto flaxseed bread.
The Ingredients
- Quinoa: I’ve used white quinoa so far, although red quinoa may also work. Use uncooked quinoa (toasting it boosts the nutty flavor, but don’t use cooked quinoa).
- Flour: Since quinoa is gluten-free, it’s perfect for a GF loaf. I use a homemade blend of buckwheat, chickpea, and tapioca flours (see recipe card for amounts). GF all-purpose flour (like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur’s) also works.
- Psyllium husk powder: This helps the egg-free, gluten-free dough mimic the elasticity and softness of regular dough.
- Leavening agents: This yeast-free quinoa bread uses baking powder and baking soda for a lighter texture.
- Apple cider vinegar: (or other vinegar/lemon juice) To activate the baking soda.
- Seeds: For flavor, crunch, binding power, and nutrients. I use a 2:2:1 blend of flax seed, sunflower seeds, and chia seeds.
- Salt
- Water
For the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information, read the recipe card below.
To Flavor The Bread
Savory bread: Add spices (onion/garlic powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes/cayenne, or nutritional yeast), dried herbs (Italian seasoning, oregano, or rosemary), extra seeds/nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, and/or olives. Avoid ‘wet’ veggies.
Sweet bread: Add 1-2 tbsp maple syrup/agave, dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries, apricots), and/or ½-1tsp of spices (vanilla, cinnamon, and/or nutmeg).
How to Make Quinoa Bread
- First, soak the dry quinoa in a bowl with plenty of water for 2-3 hours (overnight is better). Then, rinse and drain it thoroughly.
- Then, preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Meanwhile, use a high-speed blender to blend the quinoa and warm water (100-110°F/38-43 °C) until fully smooth.
- In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients (gluten-free flour, psyllium husk powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda).
- Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, add the apple cider vinegar, and stir well. The dough will thicken quickly because of the psyllium husk.
- Add the seeds and mix. Then, shape the bread dough into a rustic loaf (or your preferred shape/s) using damp hands on the baking sheet. Optionally, sprinkle more seeds on top.
- Bake the quinoa bread for about 50 minutes, or until the crust is firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Finally, let the loaf cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
You can enjoy it raw, though I like eating this quinoa loaf toasted. It has a fairly robust, nutty, toasty flavor perfect with:
- Dairy-free butter (to dip in my vegan soups, stews, and vegan cheese fondue)
- Avocado (check out my avocado toast ideas for topping combination ideas)
- Scrambled tofu
- Cheese (vegan cream cheese or vegan ricotta cheese with fresh veggies)
- Spreads (like hummus, lentil dip, garlic white bean dip, etc., optionally with cucumber, tomato, pickles, etc.)
- Nut/seed butter
Storage Instructions
Make ahead: Soak the quinoa overnight, then blend the following day.
Store: In an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for 3-5 days. After day two, it’s best toasted.
Freezer: Slice the loaf and place a piece of parchment paper between each slice. Flash-freeze until solid, then transfer to a Ziplock bag. Store for 2–3 months. To serve, thaw at room temperature for a few hours, or reheat straight from frozen in the microwave or toaster.
FAQs
Can I omit the psyllium husk?
No, not really. This is a major binder and even affects the texture of the bread. Psyllium husk flakes WILL work if you use the same amount in grams (not volume). Ground chia seeds technically also work as a binder, but they’re weaker, so you’d need about the double amount in grams, and the loaf will be denser.
Why has my quinoa bread turned blue/purple?
Some psyllium brands discolor when combined with baking soda. It’s perfectly fine to eat, but to avoid it, try a different brand next time.
Recipe Notes
- Shape the loaf: It won’t rise too much, so shape it as desired before baking.
- Adjust the shape: Feel free to make one loaf, a baguette, several smaller bread rolls, etc. Adjust the baking time as needed.
- Cool completely: The bread is fragile and gummy when hot. Let it cool fully to set and slice without crumbling.
- If you double the recipe, I recommend making two separate loaves instead of one large one.
More Gluten-free Bread Recipes
- Best Gluten-free Bread
- Gluten-free French Bread
- Easy Gluten-free Pita Bread
- Gluten-free Naan Bread
- Gluten-Free Bread Rolls
- Red lentil bread rolls
If you try this quinoa bread recipe, I’d love a comment and ★★★★★ recipe rating below. Also, please don’t forget to tag me in recreations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan and #elavegan—I love seeing them.
Quinoa Bread Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 170 g (1 cup) dry quinoa (soaked, rinsed, drained)
- 180 g (1½ cups) gluten-free flour (see notes)
- 30 g psyllium husk powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 240 ml (1 cup) warm water
- 15 ml apple cider vinegar
- 50 g seeds (I used 20 g flax, 20 g sunflower, 10 g chia)
Instructions
- You can watch the video for visual instructions.Soak the dry quinoa in plenty of water for at least 2–3 hours or overnight. Then rinse it thoroughly and drain well.
- Preheat your oven to 180 °C (356 °F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the soaked and drained quinoa to a blender along with the warm water (100-110°F/38-43 °C) and blend until smooth.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, psyllium husk powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Pour the quinoa mixture into the dry ingredients, add the apple cider vinegar, and stir well. The dough will thicken quickly due to the psyllium husk.
- Add the seeds and mix until everything is well combined.
- Place the dough onto the lined baking sheet and shape it into a rustic loaf with damp hands. Optionally sprinkle more seeds on top.
- Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the crust is firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the bread cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
- GF flour: I used the following gluten-free flour blend: 70 g buckwheat flour, 75 g chickpea flour, 35 g tapioca starch. A store-bought blend like Bob's Red Mill should also work.
- Can I omit the psyllium husk? No, not really. This is a major binder and even affects the texture of the bread. Psyllium husk flakes WILL work if you use the same amount in grams (not volume). Ground chia seeds technically also work as a binder, but they’re weaker, so you’d need about the double amount in grams, and the loaf will be denser.
- Why has my quinoa bread turned blue/purple? Some psyllium brands discolor when combined with baking soda. It’s perfectly fine to eat, but to avoid it, try a different brand next time.
- Shape the loaf: It won't rise too much, so shape it as desired before baking.
- Adjust the shape: Feel free to make one loaf, a baguette, several smaller bread rolls, etc. Adjust the baking time as needed.
- If you double the recipe, I recommend making two separate loaves instead of one large one.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
„Simple and Delicious Vegan“ Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
Thank for perfect bread recipe. I am from Czech Republic and my family love your recipes. It will be fantastic, if I should pin a foto from recipe.
Thank you so much, that really means a lot to me 💛😊
I’m so happy you and your family are enjoying the recipes!
Yes, of course, you can email me the photo: hello(at)elavegan(dot)com
I love this because I am allergic to soy and so many breads have soy in them and I just can’t eat them. I’ve craved something chewy and with a lot of protein in it because I’m pescatarian and try to eat mainly grains and vegetables and fruit. This hit the spot. I was very happy with it. It’s still a bit moist in the middle, but I’m just toasting it as soon as I go.
I’m so happy to hear that, Linda! 😊 If it’s still a bit moist in the middle, toasting the slices is actually perfect and makes them even tastier. Thanks so much for your lovely feedback! 💛
I have a question, could I make the quinoa bread with quinoa flower that I milled at home? Or do I really start with putting the raw quinoa in water? Would like to test this bread too 🙂
Hey! I haven’t tried it with quinoa flour yet, so I can’t really recommend it. You would probably need to experiment a bit to get the right texture and liquid ratio. Using soaked quinoa works very well in this recipe, which is why I used that method.
Hi, I tried few of your bread recipes and no one worked well for me. Every bread stayed flat and tough, didn’t rise at all and didn’t even looked baked on the top. I went through your website step by step, checked ingredients, bought new, tried different brands and I am frustrated because nothing worked neither bread rolls … any idea what else could be wrong? I am usually very good baker so this is very disappointing for me. Thanks
Hi, thanks for your message. I understand how frustrating that is, especially if you normally bake a lot.
All of my bread recipes work very reliably and have been made successfully by hundreds (if not thousands) of readers over the years, some of them have almost 400 great 5-star ratings). So if none of them worked for you, something is very likely going wrong in the process. Unfortunately it’s really hard to troubleshoot from a distance when I don’t know which exact recipe you tried, whether you weighed the ingredients with a kitchen scale, which ingredients you used (especially psyllium husk, etc.), or if anything was substituted.
With gluten free breads, small details matter a lot. Using cups instead of grams, the wrong type or brand of psyllium, or even slightly different ingredient ratios can completely change the result and lead to flat or tough bread.
If you want help, please tell me exactly which recipe you tried and how you made it step by step (ingredients, brands, scale vs cups, oven setting). Otherwise, there’s unfortunately no way for me to say what went wrong.
Dear Ela, thank you very much for answer. I don’t think there is anything wrong with your recipes, I tried some other than breads and were amazing. I think I am doing something wrong during the process. I live in Scotland so surely I don’t use the same brands but all my ingrediencies are organic from healthy supplies web site I use for years as we are whole family gluten free. I also tried to find out how many grams is one tea spoon of baking powder as I thought that I used too much putting 8g as I tsp ( packed baking powder as I spoon) or my oven is weaker on my normal recipes so I always increase temperature but I used 180 C so I don’t know if that is a problem, I let the bread and rolls wait on the counter until my oven was ready so that may be a problem? I tried the keto flax bread, gluten free rolls and quinoa bread. Or maybe because different brand I should increase, or decrease the water??? Also vinegar is not exactly as you used but it said what you suggest ( and I tried lemon juice instead with the same results) Thank you
Hey Suzanna! A few important points jump out immediately:
• Baking powder amount
This is very likely a big factor. 1 teaspoon of baking powder is usually around 4–5 g, not 8 g. If you used 8 g packed into a teaspoon, that’s almost double and can absolutely cause dense, tough, or collapsed bread, especially in gluten free baking.
• Oven temperature
Increasing the temperature usually does not help with my breads. They are tested at the stated temperature and higher heat can cause the outside to set too quickly while the inside stays underbaked. I recommend sticking exactly to the temperature in the recipe and, if possible, using an oven thermometer.
• Letting the dough sit while the oven heats
Yes, that can be a problem. These breads should go into the oven as soon as they are shaped and the oven is fully preheated. Letting them sit on the counter can negatively affect the structure and rise.
• Water amounts
With gluten free breads, even small changes in flour brands can affect hydration. The dough should be soft but shapeable, not wet or stiff.
• Vinegar or lemon juice
Both are fine and should not be the issue here.
Dear Ela, thank you very much for your patience. I was listening to you tips and guess what? I made very good and delicious lentil bread rolls and chickpea flourless bread. I realized my mistakes and this time I followed your recipe step by step. Thank you very much!
That makes me so happy to read, Suzanna! 😊
Well done for giving it another go. I’m glad it turned out delicious this time. Enjoy the rolls + chickpea bread and thanks so much for the feedback 💛
If we can have eggs and don’t have psyllium powder could we just use eggs instead?
I’m vegan, so I don’t bake with eggs 🙂
This recipe was developed specifically without eggs, using psyllium for binding. I can’t recommend eggs as a substitute here, as it would change the texture and it’s not something I’ve tested.
Thanks for giving it a try and for explaining what happened. That texture usually means there was too much psyllium or the psyllium absorbed more liquid than expected. Some brands are much stronger and can make the dough crumbly. It can also happen if the quinoa wasn’t blended completely smooth.
For next time, I’d suggest reducing the psyllium slightly (about 5 g less), making sure the quinoa is very smooth and well drained, and letting the dough rest for 2 to 3 minutes before shaping so it can hydrate evenly. Also be sure to let the loaf cool completely before slicing, as it firms up a lot while cooling. I’m glad you still managed to turn it into croutons, and I hope it works much better for you next time. 😊