Quinoa Bread (No Knead, Yeast-Free)

This Quinoa Bread is an easy, yeast-free, gluten-free sandwich bread perfect for adding protein and fiber to your sandwich.

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I love making simple and healthy bread, like I did my Millet Bread and Oat Flour Bread but I also love baking with quinoa. So I decided I needed to make a bread loaf with quinoa, a healthy and very nutritious grain.

This bread is super easy to make, with no kneading needed, no yeast. It has a soft crumb, relatively dense, with no bitter taste and it’s easy to make it sweet or savory.

Nutritional Highlights

• Protein and Fiber Boost – Two slices provide 10g of protein and 10g of fiber, keeping you full and helping digestive health. It’s perfect for a high-protein, plant-based diet.
• Wholesome Ingredients – Made without refined flours or protein powders, this bread is a natural, nutrient-dense option.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Quinoa – The base ingredient that provides protein, fiber, and structure to the bread. Soaking raw quinoa softens it for blending and activates its nutrients. Red quinoa works as a substitute for visual variety, but avoid cooked quinoa as it won’t bind properly.
• Oat Flour – Adds body and mild sweetness to the bread while being gluten-free. Use certified gluten-free oats if necessary. You can replace oat flour with sorghum flour or a mix of almond flour and coconut flour, but adjustments to liquid content may be required. Avoid using coarse oats as they won’t blend evenly.
• Psyllium Husk Powder – Acts as a binder and provides chewiness, replacing gluten and eggs. Use 20% more if substituting with psyllium husk flakes. Avoid supplements like Metamucil as they can ruin the texture and cause discoloration.
• Baking Soda – Provides leavening to slightly lift the bread. Make sure to pair it with an acidic ingredient like apple cider vinegar for activation. Baking powder can be used as a substitute, but it won’t provide as much rise.
• Lukewarm Water – Hydrates the ingredients and creates a smooth batter. Avoid cold or boiling water, as the texture will not develop properly.
• Apple Cider Vinegar – Reacts with the baking soda to help the bread rise and adds a subtle tang. Lemon or lime juice can be used as alternatives. Avoid skipping this ingredient, as the bread won’t rise without it.
• Salt – Enhances the overall flavor. Any kind of fine salt works, but don’t use coarse salt as it may leave uneven salty spots in the bread.

How to Make Quinoa Bread

This recipe is super simple to make. Here’s how in pictures.

Blend the soaked quinoa in a high-speed blender until smooth.

Combine the other bread ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Incorporate the quinoa mixture and the apple cider vinegar.

Stir the dough with a silicone spatula until it’s well combined.

Transfer the batter to a baking pan lined with parchment paper and smoothen and shape the dough into a loaf.

Sprinkle some bagel seasoning and bake the bread for 1 hour at 350 °F (180 °C).

Bread Flavor Options

This recipe is very easy to make sweet or savory by incorporating additional ingredients into the batter.

• Sweet Bread – Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients and 1/2 cup of finely chopped dried fruits like apricot, dried cranberries, or dates.
• Savory – Add 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder or garlic powder and 1 teaspoon of cumin or paprika to the dry ingredients. Stir in 1/2 cup of seeds or chopped sundried tomatoes. I don’t recommend stirring wet grated vegetables into this bread as it won’t bake in the center and stay too moist.

Carine’s Baking Tips

While this recipe is really easy, I have a few more tips for you to make the best bread possible.

1. Soak Quinoa Overnight – Soaking not only softens the quinoa but also removes bitter saponins for a better flavor.
2. Blend Quinoa Smoothly – Blend until no visible grains remain for a uniform batter. A high-speed blender is ideal.
3. Don’t Skip Psyllium Husk – It’s crucial for binding the ingredients. Using substitutes or skipping it will lead to crumbly bread. Don’t use Metamucil!
4. Shape the Dough Properly – Since the bread doesn’t rise, shaping it to your desired loaf size and height before baking is essential. Keep it under 2 inches tall for even cooking.
5. Test for Doneness – Insert a skewer into the bread; it should come out with some crumbs, not wet batter. If unsure, bake longer to avoid a soggy center.
6. Cool Completely Before Slicing – Allow the bread to cool for at least 3 hours to set the structure and avoid crumbling.
7. Customize Flavors – Mix sweet or savory add-ins into the dry ingredients. Avoid wet ingredients like grated vegetables, as they make the bread too moist. Add seeds to the batter like 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds to add crunch and healthy fats.
8. Use Fine Oat Flour – Coarser flours won’t bind properly, leading to a grainy texture. Make your own by blending rolled oats into a powder.
9. Watch for Psyllium Husk Reaction – If your bread turns purple, it’s safe to eat but may need a different brand of psyllium for aesthetic purposes.
10. Toast for Extra Crunch – If the bread feels too moist, toasting slices before serving enhances texture and flavor.

Common Issues and Fixes

If you still have issues, I have a few suggestions on what and how to fix common problems.

• Purple/Blue Bread – Some psyllium brands react with baking soda, causing discoloration. Use whole psyllium husk or switch brands. However, if the bread is purple, it doesn’t affect its taste or texture.
• Bread Too Moist – Likely caused by insufficient psyllium or coarse oat flour. Bake longer or toast slices to resolve.
• Cracks While Shaping – If the dough cracks, add a teaspoon of water at a time and knead gently until smooth.

More Bread Recipes

Millet Bread

2-Ingredient Bread

Oat Flour Bread

Irish Soda Bread Without Buttermilk

Quinoa Bread

This Quinoa Bread is an easy, yeast-free, gluten-free sandwich bread perfect for adding protein and fiber to your sandwich.

5 from 15 votes

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Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr

Total Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: 10 slices

Calories: 144.9 kcal

Author: Carine Claudepierre

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Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• ▢ 1 cup Dry Quinoa - soaked, rinsed, drained (note 1)
• ▢ 1 ½ cup Oat Flour - (note 2)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons Psyllium Husk Powder - (note 3)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• ▢ 1 ½ cup Lukewarm Water - (note 4)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar - (note 5)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Salt

Instructions

• Place the dry quinoa in a bowl, cover with cold tap water. Set aside 3 hours or overnight to soak.
• Drain the quinoa over a sieve, give it a quick rinse, then transfer to a high-speed blender with water.
• Blend for 20-30 seconds on medium-high speed until no more quinoa grain can be seen. Stop the blender and set it aside.
• In a mixing bowl, add oat flour, salt, baking soda and psyllium husk powder. Whisk to evenly combine the dry ingredients together.
• Pour the mixture from the blender into the bowl with the dry ingredients and add the apple cider vinegar.
• Use a rubber spatula to stir and combine the ingredients together. As you stir, it forms a thick moist, greyish dough. It takes about 1 minute to form. The time for the husk and oat to absorb the liquid and form a dough.
• Set it aside for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Line a baking sheet with light oiled parchment paper.
• Place the bread dough on the prepared baking sheet. This bread won't raise because it contains no gluten. It won't change in shape or size, so the shape you give now matters.
• Lightly oil your hands and rub around the dough to shape an oval bread that has a maximum height of 2 inches (5 cm). If thicker, it won't bake well in the center and stay moist.
• Sprinkle some bagel seasoning on top of the bread and bake on the center rack of the oven for 1 hour at 350 °F (180 °C). You know the bread is ready when it's hard and crusty on the outside and a pick inserted in the center of the bread comes out with just a bit of sticky batter. It should not be a lot of it and it should not be liquid, just crumbs. If so, it means you didn't add enough husk and need to bake it for longer.
• Let the bread cool down on a cooling rack for 3 hours or overnight before slicing.

Notes

Note 1: Feel free to use red quinoa if preferred. You must use raw, drained quinoa, the recipe will not work with cooked quinoa.

Note 2: Your oat flour must be fine. I make mine in a high-speed blender, blending rolled oats into a ultra-fine powder on high speed for 30 seconds. Use gluten-free certified oats if needed.

Note 3: You can’t make the recipe without husk. This add chewy texture and binds the ingredients together. The brand Metamucil is not suitable for baking this bread as it’s not 100% husk powder. If using husk flakes, use 20% more than the recipe called for.

Note 4: Lukewarm water means bath temperature (98 °F / 37 °C)

Note 5: You can swap it for lime or lemon juice. This ingredient activate the baking soda.

Storage: Wrap the bread in a clean kitchen towel and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze slices in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 144.9kcal | Carbohydrates: 25.2g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2.7g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.8g | Sodium: 346.4mg | Potassium: 164.7mg | Fiber: 4.5g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 2.4IU | Calcium: 18.2mg | Iron: 1.5mg | Magnesium: 59.6mg | Phosphorus: 159.3mg | Zinc: 1.1mg