I’m really excited to share this Red Lentil Quinoa Bread recipe with you! After the massive success of our One-Ingredient GF Buckwheat Bread, so many of you have been asking me for more bread alternatives. After testing this new bread recipe over a dozen times, I’m so happy to say it is absolutely amazing! It has quickly become a staple in our kitchen because it’s effortless to make, uses simple ingredients, and is the perfect base for protein and fiber-packed sandwiches. Good quality gluten-free bread can be pretty expensive, too… where I live, it’s usually around $10 to $15 a loaf, but this budget-friendly version comes to around $3.70 AUD ($2.50 USD)!
Red lentils, quinoa, and yogurt are staples in many homes. If you’ve done any gluten-free baking before, I bet you have some psyllium husk in your pantry. If you’re unfamiliar with it, you’ll be happy to know that it’s widely available, budget-friendly, and has a long shelf life. Psyllium husk is a key ingredient in making gluten-free bread more bouncy and elastic — qualities usually provided by gluten.
After a quick blend, short rise, and bake, the result is a soft, fluffy, and light oil-free bread. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the lentils are completely undetectable in the flavor. This bread is perfect for toasts and sandwiches, and I suspect it will have the ideal texture for gluten-free vegan French toast — something I’ll definitely have to try soon!
Why I Love This Recipe
- High in protein: from the combination of red lentils and quinoa.
- Gluten-free: making it a great option for those avoiding wheat.
- Rich in fiber: promoting healthy digestion.
- Oil-Free: perfect for those following a whole food plant-based diet (WFPB).
- Simple ingredients: that are easy to find and affordable.
- Quick to make: once you’ve soaked the red lentils and quinoa, the bread takes less than 2 hours before being ready to eat.
- Straightforward: no fermentation or complicated steps are required; this recipe is foolproof!!
Ingredient Notes
- Red lentils: These split lentils cook quickly and blend smoothly. They’re a great source of plant-based protein and fiber. Lentils are rich in minerals, including iron; two slices of this bread bring 4 mg of iron, making it a great start to an iron-packed sandwich.
- Quinoa: A perfect gluten-free grain that adds texture and boosts the protein content. Always rinse quinoa thoroughly before cooking to remove the bitter coating.
- Instant yeast: Helps the bread rise.
- Dairy-free yogurt: This adds moisture and binds the dough together. If preferred, you can substitute with olive oil, which will yield a slightly different, slightly more moist texture.
- Psyllium husk is essential for keeping the bread moist and adding fiber. It acts as a binder in place of gluten.
How to Make This Recipe (Summary)
Rinse the lentils and quinoa thoroughly to remove bitterness. Soak them in cold water for 6-12 hours in the fridge, then drain and rinse again.
Blend the lentils, quinoa, yeast, yogurt (or olive oil), psyllium husk, salt, and water until smooth.
Transfer the mixture to a lined loaf pan and let it rest uncovered for 30 minutes to rise.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) with a metal tray on the bottom rack. Bake the loaf for 50 minutes,
Once golden, remove from the loaf tin and let it cool completely before slicing. View recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Variations and Tips
- For a salt-free option, swap for your spices of choice. For extra flavor, add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder or herbs. Garlic helps our body absorb iron, so it makes a great pairing. Garlic bread, anyone?
- Let the bread cool completely before slicing to prevent it from crumbling.
- Meal-Prep: It’s easy to prep in advance and can be frozen. I usually keep half fresh, wrapped in a clean kitchen cloth, to consume in a couple of days and slice and freeze the rest. Toast when ready to eat, and it’s as good as fresh! This way, you can toast a piece whenever you want some delicious bread.
- Cost-effective: Good quality, nourishing, gluten-free bread can be pretty expensive where we live, often costing around $15 AUD ($9.80 USD), whereas this Red Lentil and Quinoa Breads come out at about $3.7 AUD ($2.5 USD). Of course, this can vary depending on your location.
- This bread pairs wonderfully with some avocados, or our Red Lentils Hummus, or Beet Hummus, and topped with Easy Pickled onions.
- If you like the idea of using lentils in gluten-free alternatives to baked goods, try our GF Pizza Crust or 2-Ingredient Quinoa-Red Lentils Wraps.
- For another delicious, dense bread alternative, try our viral 1-Ingredient Buckwheat Bread, or Gluten-free Seeded Bread.
Why You’ll Love This Red Lentil Quinoa Bread TLDR
- Gluten-free
- High-protein
- Oil-Free
- Simple ingredients
- Healthy and satisfying
- Vegan
Red Lentil Quinoa Bread (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups (280 g) dry split red lentils
- 0.5 cups (85 g) dry quinoa
- 1 tbsp (7 g) instant dry yeast - see notes
- 3 tbsp (45 g) dairy-free yogurt - or sub 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp (10 g) whole psyllium husk
- 1 tsp (6 g) sea salt flakes
- 1.25 cups (295 ml) water
Instructions
- Thoroughly rinse the lentils and quinoa. Transfer to a large bowl and cover with cold water. Soak for 6-12 hours in the fridge. Drain the lentils and quinoa thoroughly. They can hold a lot of extra water, which will keep the bread from cooking properly, I recommend letting them sit in a sieve for 10 minutes to remove the excess water
- In a high-speed blender, add the lentils, quinoa, yeast, yogurt, psyllium husk, salt, and 1.25 cups of water. Blend until smooth.
- Line a 9.5x5x2.5in loaf pan with baking paper and transfer the mixture to the pan. Let it rest uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) fan forced, with a metal tray on the bottom rack.
- Place the loaf pan on the metal tray and bake for 50 minutes. Do not open the oven door while the bread is cooking. Remove from the pan and baking paper, as soon as you take it out of the oven, and place on a baking cooling rack. Allow it to cool completely before slicing. Once cooled, keep in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
Notes
Video
FAQ
Yes, it’s naturally gluten-free with red lentils and quinoa.
Yes, slice and freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Red lentils are ideal because of their quick cooking time and texture. I do not recommend making substitutions.
It pairs well with hummus, avocado, and pretty much any sandwich toppings! One of my favorite combos is avocado, hummus, caramelized onions, pickled onions, finely sliced grilled tofu, and baby spinach—so delicious!
Yes this recipe is suitable for a whole food plant-based diet.
Soaking red lentils and quinoa softens them for blending, resulting in a better texture. It also reduces phytic acid, increasing the bioavailability of key nutrients like iron and zinc. This simple step helps you get more nutrition from your bread while ensuring a light, fluffy texture.
Can eggs be a binder? If the psyllium husk is not readily at hand
Hey Julia! I’m sorry, but I can’t really help here. I’m not experienced in baking gluten-free bread with eggs. Although I do know eggs act as a binder in regular baking, psyllium husk replaces the gluten in gluten-free bread or cake and gives it its elasticity. Let us know if you experiment with the recipe 🙂
I love this recipe, but I can’t seem to be able to work it out… it always feels undone, too wet.. I used simple yoghurt. Any advice how I can make it cook well? Thanks!
Hey Ana! So happy you love the recipe. Just checking, are you using the fan setting when baking your bread? We recently had someone with a similar issue, and it turned out the fan wasn’t on, which was causing the problem.
If it helps, conventional mode uses heat from the top and bottom without air circulation, so the heat can be less even and baking can take longer. Fan mode circulates hot air around the oven, giving more even heat and usually better results for bread. If you use the fan, you generally need to lower the temperature by about 20 °C compared to conventional.
Yes, I am using the fan mode 🙁
Oh, that’s very strange. I’m sorry, I’m not quite sure what it could be then 😢 Perhaps try to cook them a little bit longer? I know all ovens are a little different.
Although I did forget yogurt, the loaf turned out pretty well.
Wow, that looks great. Thank you for sharing, Aishwarya 💚 Good to know it worked even without the yogurt. I’d love to know which one you prefer if you make another loaf and add the yogurt 🙂
What kind of quinoa to use? I see in your video white and red. There are white (mild flavor + fluffy texture when cooked), black (earthly flavor, slightly sweeter than other varieties + crunchy texture), red (rich+Nuttier flavor + firmer texture compared to white quinoa), orange (Milder taste), pink (rare color), purple (rare variety), green (unique hue), gray (Unusual type) quinoa
Hey Joe! I’ve only tested this bread with white and tricolor quinoa, which are what’s widely available to us in Australia. So I can guarantee results with this two. I haven’t actually seen the other kind, but let us know if you experiment with the recipe!
Could you top this with seeds?
Hey Debbie! Absolutely!
Such a great recipe! I have made this twice as written, however both times the middle is a red color and it’s a bit underdone on the bottom and middle where it’s red. The rise is beautiful and tastes great, though! Any thoughts? Should I just be baking it for longer? Thank you!!
Hi Cierra, I haven’t had this issue happen before. Just to double-check, are you using circulating heat? Is the fan mode on in your oven? 💚
Ah yes I even think about that part – I just have a conventional oven! Would you recommend a longer cook time then, or a different configuration with the metal pan and rack placement? Thank you so much for your quick response!
Oh I’m glad we could figure it out! These are my tips to translate any recipe from convection vs fan ovens 🙂 Let me know how you go with the next loaf, in the meantime I would recommend toasting the bread you’ve already made to make sure it’s all cooked enough 💚
Fan vs no-fan oven: Fan ovens cook food more evenly and often more quickly because the fan circulates hot air around the oven. If a recipe lists a fan setting but your oven doesn’t have one, increase the temperature by 10–20 °C (about 25–35 °F).
For example:
160 °C fan → 170–180 °C conventional
350 °F fan → 375–385 °F conventional
Check for doneness near the end of the baking time, add a few extra minutes if needed, and make sure to rotate your tray halfway through to ensure more even baking.
I can’t believe what a great texture this is. Thank you
Hi Alison, I am so happy you loved it. Thank you so much for sharing! 💚
I would like to say that this bread is amazing. I am diabetic so very good for me. I also added 2 tbsps of coconut flour and 2 tbsps of olive oil. I topped it with crushed pumpkin seeds. 👍
Hi V! Thank you for sharing! I’m so happy the bread is helpful for you. Love the idea of coconut flour and added pumpkin seeds. Thank you for sharing your tips x
May I ask is the 2 tbsps of olive oil you add in addition to the 2 tbsps of olive oil as substitute for 3 tbsp of dairy-free yogurt that is mentioned in the original recipe?
Hey Jo! Yes, the two tablespoons are in addition to the existing olive oil in the recipe. Hope you love it! 💚
Thanks!
I am very confused. I do not know what form of psyillium to get. All I see is powder. Please be specific. I really need to make this bread. Thanks
Hey Johanne! For this recipe, we recommend using whole psyllium husk as written. It is different from psyllium powder, which absorbs more liquid and can result in a more gummy texture. If you’re in Australia, you can find it in the health section at your regular supermarket like Coles or Woolworths. Otherwise, I would recommend doing a quick Google search to find where you can purchase it or order it in your area. Hope you love the recipe! All the best!
You are so lovely to share this recipe! I’ll try making that today and get the new year started right!
Hey Jenai! That sounds like an amazing way to start the year. Hope you love it! Let us know how you go! 🥰
Hi how to bake in air fryer?
I would not recommend making this recipe in an air fryer 💚
I wanted to ask if using Air Fryer, what temperature and timing. Air Fryer usually is lower temperature than oven. May I know why you don’t recommend using air fryer for this recipe? I bake banana bread and muffins in air fryer. And it turns out ok.
Hi Jo, An air fryer is like a super-fan oven in a small space, so bread browns much faster on the outside. That’s great for reheating or smaller breads like rolls or naan. An oven is gentler and more even, which is better for baking fresh bread, so the inside cooks properly. In an air fryer, the crust can brown too quickly, while the center remains slightly undercooked. Air fryer heating and quality also vary widely across brands. I always make recommendations based on the best results I know I can confidently suggest for everyone. But at the end of the day, we all work with what we have at home. If you’ve had good experiences using your air fryer before, that’s fantastic, and feel free to experiment. Let us know how you go if you try it 🙂
Ah ha!, Christine (comment below) used ground flaxseed. I will try that!