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.
Hi! Would this bread toast well in a regular toaster? Thank you!
Yes it should 🙂
Made it for the first time. It was easy, tasty and kinda fluffy! Loved it so much.
Hey Kristen, so happy you loved it 💕
Isn’t psyllium husk taken from wheat therefore has gluten in it?
Psyllium does not come from wheat but from a plant called Plantago ovata. It is indeed gluten-free 🙂
Is there anything that could be used to sub out the yeast?
I have not tried yet, but a couple of people on Instagram mentioned doing a similar version with baking powder, so I think it’s worth trying! Would love to know how you go 💚
Could you give me the nutritional value please
They are just under the recipe instructions 🙂 click “nutritional information”
Hey, looking forward to make this variant of glutenfree bread! Was very happy for the buckwheat bread eventhogh could not eat it to often. Thanks a lot!
I’m so happy you’re enjoying the buckwheat bread too 🙂 I think this one is a great alternative for sandwiches!
I’m going to try this recipe tonight. Any chance you think using ripe sour dough starter will work in place of the yeast? I don’t have a gluten problem, so if it’s not GF I’m okay with it.
I have not tried, but would love to know the results if you give it a go!
Hi Sarah,
G’Day from the Pacific Northwest, Bon jour à Bainbridge Island. I am finally getting to this. I have the dough proofing in my oven now. Used 60 grams of active levain. Added 3 tablespoons of organic rye flour for the gluten and 10 grams of local raw honey to feed the starter. Looking forward to baking it here in an hour or so. I’ll let you know how it comes out, and send some pictures unless it is a total disaster. 🙂
Chris
I think this recipe is excellent. It does produce a fairly dense loaf but the crumb is really moist which mitigates the density. I doctored it up a bit. Desolée, Sarah. I wanted to try the recipe using sourdough starter rather than a packet of instant yeast. I put in 60 grams of very ripe sourdough starter instead of the yeast, plus 10 grams of local raw honey to feed the starter/dough mix. I let it rise for the prescribed 40 minutes and then baked it as called for in the recipe. After 50 minutes the loaf seemed under-done so I let it bake for another ten minutes. I think the extra water from the sourdough starter was the culprit. Never the less, I tasted it after cooling. The texture, moisture of the crumb and the taste are all great. Thank you Sarah.
Hey Chris, wow that’s awesome! I love how you’ve made it your own! so good to know it works with sourdough starter too, thank you for sharing your valuable tips with everyone 💚
I followed the recipe and directions exactly. The dough tripled in height, was gorgeous. I expected a little collapse in the middle as per your example. It collapsed more than expected and was very wet in the middle. My yeast was fresh. I read the recipe beforehand. Cannot figure out what went wrong.
Hey lovely, sorry to hear that! The dough is only meant to rise of about 3 cm (check out the process pictures in the blog post), so I think it might have over proofed! Is your loaf pan the same size than mine? Just checking you used instant dry yeast?
The psyllium husk, you use powder or whole?
whole 🙂
1. Didn’t get done on the bottom. Won’t use the pan underneath next time.
2. I will use whole pk of yeast instead of 1 tablespoon. Spn. It was too heavy.
3.didnt brown like the photo.
4. Tasted fine for my purposes but husband didn’t like the taste.
I will try again later. Any suggestions?
Hi there.. this recipe looks great.. could l use an organic natural yoghurt? I don’t need the bread to be vegan..
Thank you if you are able to reply. All good if you can’t..🙏🏻
Hey Annie, I think any neutral tasting yogurt will work fine in here 🙂
Good day, can I supplement the yeast with baking powder or baking soda, cannot use yeast, thanks for the recipe
Hey Martha, I have not tried yet, but a couple of people on Instagram mentioned doing a similar version with baking powder, so I think it’s worth trying! Would love to know how you go 💚
Another winning recipe! <3
So happy you like it!
I’m really eager to try this recipe, because it sounds like the GF bread of my dreams. ☺️But first I have a question: Did you use “whole psyllium husk” or “psyllium husk powder”? I need to buy some and see both on Amazon. Not sure what the difference is, other than the powder looks more finely ground. What brand did you use? Thanks!
Hey Pam, sorry I used whole psyllium husk! I used the Macro organic range from woolies if you’re in Australia. I’ve adjusted the recipe 🙂 Let me know how you go x
Great recipe. I’m amazed at the texture. I used a cows milk natural yogurt and it worked well. Here in France they make a savoury ‘gateau’ with tuna and olives in and I think this would work really well. I’m going to try that next.
Hey Kim, so happy you liked the bread, thanks for sharing 🙂
Any substitution for the yeast? Thanks!
Hey LynH, I have not tried yet, but a couple of people on Instagram mentioned doing a similar version with baking powder, so I think it’s worth trying! Would love to know how you go 💚
Can I skip yeast? What can I use instead?
Hey Nidhi, I have not tried yet, but a couple of people on Instagram mentioned doing a similar version with baking powder, so I think it’s worth trying! Would love to know how you go 💚
Need the video
The video is just above the ingredient list 🙂
Can you use real yogurt instead of dairy free?
Hey Law, I think any neutral tasting yogurt will work fine in here 🙂
Can i make it with full cream yoghurt?
Hey Yoyo, I think any neutral tasting yogurt will work fine in here 🙂
I am not vegan. Can I use a dairy based yogurt?
Hey Deedee, I think any neutral tasting yogurt will work fine in here 🙂
Another winning recipe! <3
So happy you like it 💚
You’re going to love this Red Lentil Quinoa Bread recipe! Make sure to rate it 5 stars and leave a comment if you enjoyed it!