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.
Nagyon finom lett, most már csak ezt a kenyeret sütöm, egy picit a bélzete sűrű nemtudom mi az oka, az íze az isteni. Köszönöm a receptet ❤️
This is an awesome recipe. If your bread keeps sinking in the middle, use less water. Try between 1/2 cup (120ml) – 3/4 cup (180 ml). I’ve found this helps and doesn’t impact the texture.
That’s a great tip! Thank you for sharing Roxanne 💕
Did anyone have trouble with the loaf sticking to the parchment paper?
Can I use regular yoghurt instead ?
I think any neutral tasting yogurt would work, but I have only tested it with soy 🙂 let us know how you go 🙂
Can I use regular red lentils or does it have to be split?
It has to be split red lentil 🙂 Hope you love it!
How many carbohydrates does the bread have?
Click “nutritional information” under the recipe instruction to unveil, we keep them hidden as numbers do not serve everyone 🙂
I wonder if I can make this recipe in my bread machine!
I’ve never used a bread machine so I am not quite sure, but please let us know if you try it 💚
Hi Sarah!
I make your buckwheat bread all the time and it is a game changer! I love lentil and quinoa recipe however I can’t eat yeast. Any thoughts? Thanks! Andrea
Hi Andrea, so happy you’re loving the buckwheat bread! Can you do baking powder? I haven’t tested it myself, so I don’t have exact measurements to share, but a few people in the comments have mentioned adapting it successfully with baking powder.
Alternatively, I have a new bread recipe that uses baking powder and baking soda—you might like to try that one instead if you’re not in the mood to experiment! Let me know how you go 💚
https://plantbaes.com/gluten-free-seeded-bread/
Hi Sarah
You were kind enough to answer my question about yeast several days ago, thank you! I decided to make the recipe with the yeast using coconut yogurt without any changes to your ingredients. It is delicious! Can you tell me why after about halfway through baking the center fell to the bottom? After baking and cooling the consistency was more like cake and less like bread. It did rise and bubble before I baked it? Many thanks for a great recipe! Andrea
Hi Andrea, thank you so much for the lovely message, I’m really glad you enjoyed the flavor, and I’m happy the coconut yogurt worked well!
As for the sinking, someone in the comments mentioned that reducing the water by about half a cup helped prevent the bread from collapsing in the middle, so that might be worth trying next time. Sometimes we see small differences depending on how much water the lentils absorb when soaking or blending, which can affect the final texture.
If you’d like, feel free to send me a photo of the bread so I can take a closer look at the consistency 💚
I don’t have a fan forced oven, how would you suggest I modify?
Thanks!
A conventional (non-fan) oven just uses natural heat circulation, so it can take a little longer or bake less evenly than a fan oven. Most recipes can be adapted by raising the temperature slightly (about 20 °C or 35 °F) or baking a bit longer. We haven’t tested this recipe in a non-fan oven, but a good guide could be to set it closer to 200 °C (390 °F) instead of 180 °C. Rotating the pan once during baking may also help it cook more evenly. Let us know how you go 💚
Good day. Could I customize the recipe by adding other ingredients e.g. cheese, jalapeños, chive etc.
I have not tried, I’m sure it would work in small amounts, let is know if you give it a go 🙂
Hi Sarah, thank you for all the amazing recipes! I’m really enjoying working my way through them.
For this bread my dough was so thick and tough that my blender stopped many times and I had to keep adding water and oil. I followed the recipe to the letter, except that I noticed afterwards that I used 2 tbsp psyllium husk powder rather than whole husks. I assume that’s why the dough was so “thirsty”. It also needed an extra 20 minutes of baking time and sank a bit in the middle.
I’d love to try it again. What do you recommend when using the powder rather than whole husk? I’ve searched online and the general recommendation is 75=80% of what the recipe calls for whole husks. I’d love your thoughts.
Hi lovely, thank you so much for the kind words, I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes! 💛
Ah yes, using psyllium husk powder instead of whole husks could explain why the dough felt so thick and “thirsty.” The powder absorbs more liquid, so even a small swap could change the texture. I haven’t tested the substitution myself, but I’ve seen similar guidelines to the one you mentioned about using around 75–80% of the amount.
If you give it another go, I’d love to hear how it turns out! Also, what blender are you using? Was the consistency similar to what you saw in the video? That might help us troubleshoot a bit more 💚
Hi. How many calories are there in 1 slice. Thank you
Click “nutritional information” under the recipe instruction to unveil, we keep them hidden as numbers do not serve everyone 🙂
Would love to try this. Can you recommend any substitutes for the quinoa?
I have not tried any substitution for this recipe! Let us know if you do 💚
I have another bread you might prefer, and a new one coming up this weekend too 🙂
https://plantbaes.com/1-ingredient-gluten-free-buckwheat-bread/
Hello. What would be the best type of packaging for this bread?
I usually slice and freeze half straight away, and keep the rest in the fridge for a week, and toast as needed 🙂
Love this bread. During Thea 30 minute resting period it rose so beautifully. When I put it in the oven, it sunk. Bread is very tasty, I am enjoying it. So not sure why it deflated. Still great recipe.
Hi Linda,
So happy you loved the bread! If the room is a bit too cold, that can sometimes make the bread deflate more quickly. One thing you could try is turning off the oven and leaving the door slightly open—just a few centimeters, so the temperature stays a bit more stable while it cools. Hope this helps 💚
Hi, I let the bread dough rest for 30 minutes and it still does not rise at all. Should I have mixed warm water instead of water?
Hi Machi, it should work with room temperature water if instant dry yeast was used, but using warm water could accelerate the process 🙂
This recipe looks amazing. I’m a recovering bread-aholic and this looks like a perfect sub. I’m wondering: would it work as muffins? Only asking because I have a muffin tray but no loaf tin. If not, I’m off to buy a loaft tin! 🙂 Rating it a five for how delicious it looks and sounds.
Hi Angela, thank you for the kind words, I think it could work, I’m just unsure of the cooking time, let us know if you give it a go 💚
I’ve made it several times and heeded all the advice of the comments. Best of all the attempts is when I add 2 Tblsp of olive oil and one of Greek yogurt. I slice it and I get about 12 to 13 nice slices and freeze it. I just take out one at a time and toast it on dark. It is very filling. This is a very yummy loaf but it always comes out denser than what the photos show. My main question is that no matter what I try to modify to improve the next loaf, it inevitably sinks in the middle and I know it’s not the yeast as it is fresh. One experiment I even added half a teaspoon of baking powder plus the required yeast amount and it still sunk in the middle. Still delish though. I’m thinking could it be that I’m baking it in a stone loaf pan? I don’t have a tin one as the recipe suggests. Any suggestions would be appreciated. ☺️
Hi Lori, I’m so happy you’re enjoying the bread! Thank you for sharing your tips. I’ve only tried it with a tin, so I’m not sure how a stone loaf pan would affect it. Sometimes if the room temperature is too cold, the contrast with the high oven heat might cause it to sink. You could try letting it cool in the oven with the door open, hopefully that helps!
Honestly delicious! I did add a tad of water but I do have it every day 🙂
So happy you liked it Emma, thanks for sharing 🥰
Whats the Nutritional facts about 1 loaf as above?
You can find the nutritional information just under the recipe, click “nutritional information” to unveil we keep them hidden as they do not serve everyone 🙂
I would appreciate the nutritional info too, please. I can’t see a link?
They are just under the recipe instructions, you need to click on nutrition information to unveil them 🙂
What could I replace yogurt with, please? Does it need the microbes, or could I use something like soy milk and vinegar instead?
You can use olive oil; I’ve included the measurements in the notes of the recipe 🙂
I used my food processor because of the bulk of the mixture. It worked great for a smooth texture
Love how easy this was to make! Followed everything step by step except I used 1.5 cups of quinoa and 0.5 cups of red lentils because I ran out of lentils, and used flax seeds instead of psyllium because that’s what I had on hand! Still worked! This will be a staple in my home!
That’s awesome, thank you for sharing your substitution Erika 💚
I’ve just made this for the first time as I want to give up gluten. Not sure what I expected but I was pleasantly surprised. No it doesn’t taste like wheat bread, yes I does have undertones of lentils. But it’s delicious 😋. I followed the recipe to the T, using olive oil instead of yogurt. I didn’t have a tin the size specified, but used a pyrex 2lb loaf mould, so longer and thinner but the timing all worked really well.
Thank you 😊
Thanks for sharing Martine, I’m glad the bread worked for you 💚