Pepita Quinoa Chia Bread is gluten-free, dairy free, and vegan, and unlike most of the mass produced gluten-free bread available in supermarkets, it’s high in protein, fiber, and healthy fats. The texture and shape of this bread is similar to a quick bread. It contains no yeast so there is no rising involved and the finished loaf is dense and moist in the middle, but there are no sweeteners in this recipe so it tastes more like a slice of whole grain bread with a nutty, earthy quality. Pepita Quinoa Chia Bread is healthy, delicious and SO worth the effort required to make it.
You need to plan ahead to make Pepita Quinoa Chia Bread as the quinoa and chia seeds need to soak overnight. This is an essential step. Soaking the quinoa softens it so that it breaks down in the food processor. The chia seeds need to soak as well but for a different reason. Chia seeds become hydrated and expand when they are immersed in water. Using the ratio of water to seeds called for in this recipe produces a gel that gives the Pepita Quinoa Chia Bread its structure and helps hold it together. Note that this recipe calls for an 8½ x 4½ x 2½ loaf pan which is a bit smaller than most loaf pans, however this size pan is ready available is disposable foil so check at your grocery store or order them online. If you choose to make Pepita Quinoa Chia Bread in a bigger size pan it won’t be as loaf-like.
You can substitute another type of nuts or seeds for the pepitas in this recipe or omit them altogether. You can also add herbs for a savory loaf. Chopped fresh rosemary or basil (about 1 tablespoon) with a clove of garlic would be delicious.
Pepita Quinoa Chia Bread tastes best when toasted. The center of this bread is very moist so toasting it dries the center out slightly and crisps up the edges making it perfect for some jam or a scoop of chicken/tuna salad on top. You can also make salad croutons with this bread. Cut a few slices into cubes and toast them until they are slightly brown and crispy. These taste fantastic on salads.
This recipe was adapted from www.thehealthychef.com and she (Teresa Cutter) has a wonderful video where she demonstrates making this bread. It’s hard to believe that a recipe with no yeast produces a suitable substitute for sandwich bread with so many healthy attributes but Pepita Quinoa Chia Bread really delivers! You’ll find a multitude of uses for this delicious bread.
- 1¾ cups quinoa (uncooked), 10½ ounces
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- Olive oil cooking spray
- Pinch of salt (optional)
- START RECIPE THE NIGHT BEFORE
- Soak the quinoa in cold water and leave in the refrigerator overnight. (The amount of water does not matter because it will be drained. Just make sure all the quinoa is completely immersed.)
- Put the chia seeds in ½ cup of water and stir. Leave this to soak in the refrigerator overnight as well. (It will turn into a thick gel.)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a foil loaf pan (measuring approximately 8½ x 4½ w x 2½ d) liberally with olive oil cooking spray.
- Drain the quinoa well and place it in a food processor.
- Add the chia gel, ½ cup water, olive oil, baking soda, salt, and apple cider vinegar. Process for 3 minutes. (The mix will be a thick batter with some of the quinoa and chia seeds still visible.)
- Pour batter into the foil loaf pan and sprinkle the pepitas evenly over the top. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on top of the pepitas if desired.
- Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 90 minutes.
- Let cool for at least 30 minutes before removing from the pan and cutting into slices.
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Oh wow this looks really interesting. Love the use of all those beautiful whole grains and seeds.
Thanks Sarah!
Your photos are so beautiful! Not to mention this recipe looks amazing.
Thanks so much Tawnie!
CAN THIS BE DONE IN A BREAD MACHINE?
Hi Henrietta – Unfortunately Pepita Quinoa Chia Bread cannot be made in a bread machine. An essential step in this recipe is blending the heck out of the batter in a food processor so that the quinoa breaks down. This could not be done in a bread machine. This bread does takes a bit of effort and planning ahead to make but it is so worth it. Hope you’ll give it a try anyhow.
I made this today, it was amazing!! Yum! Loved it – thank you 🙂
You’re very welcome Abby. Thanks so much for the feedback!
Hi
I want to try this recipe with quinoa flour. What would be the amount of quinoa flour to use?
Hi Sunitha – I haven’t tried the recipe using quinoa flour so not sure if it would come out exactly the same or not but you can try using 10 1/2 ounces of quinoa flour, which is the weight measurement given in the recipe. If you have no way of weighing the quinoa flour try using 2 1/2 cups of quinoa flour but I would highly the weight measurement (10 1/2 ounces) if possible for better results.
This bread looks and sounds so hearty! Such a fantastic fall recipe with the pepitas too!
Hey there! Tried the recipe but at 350ºF after 90 minutes the bread is still a bit raw inside… am I doing something wrong? I used exactly the right quantities, but after that time, I often have to remove the bread, slice it and put it back in oven (sliced) so it finishes cooking and dry up… any ideas? Is there much of a difference if it is on bottom or top rack in oven?
Hi Mary – No, you didn’t do anything wrong. The baked texture of this bread is very moist so it appears and if it’s not done but it is. I always toast it because I like the texture a little bit more dry. It is very dense and moist – unlike the bread most of us are used to – but that’s how it should be. When I make this bread I let it cool completely, slice it and then freeze the slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Once they’re completely frozen I transfer them to a plastic freezer storage bag. I toast the frozen slices in the toaster oven and they come out perfect. Hope that helps!
What would happen if I added a packet of yeast?
Hi Claire- This bread is meant to be a no-yeast bread so I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have good results if you just added a packet of yeast. The recipe would need to be re-worked. I assure you though, it’s delicous as is, but it is a very dense bread.
Hi!
I tried making this today, and I’m not sure what went wrong. The top cracked right down the middle as it was baking. After cooling it, I had trouble with the slicing- and it turns out only the outer crust was cooked. There was an inverted U gap going on underneath the top crust with the undercooked mixture pooling down the bottom center. Can anyone help me figure out what went wrong? 🙁
Hi Z – I’m sorry you did not have good results. It’s hard for me to know what went wrong but I will tell you that this is a recipe that needs to be followed exactly. Even minor variations might mess things up. Did you use the specified size pan? Did you soak the quinoa and chia seeds overnight? Are you certain your baking soda was fresh and that you processed the batter long enough? I wish I could help pinpoint exactly what happened but unfortunately there are too many variables with baking. I hope you give it another try as I, and many of my other readers, have had success with this recipe and the bread is really quite delicious!
Pan size!!! I had NO idea that the pan size mattered! But now that you mention it- it would explain why many of my GF baking attempts have failed! I’ll definitely give this another go and will let you know how it goes! 🙂
THANK YOU!
Hello again! 🙂
Just wanted to let you know that I gave this another try: I doubled the recipe and used the same oven settings and it worked! Perhaps next time I’ll cook it at a lower temperature to see if I could stop the top from cracking- but otherwise, it’s delightful!
So happy to hear that! Thanks for the update.
Awesome recipe. I didn’t have enough quinoa so replaced maybe a third or more with buckwheat groats and it worked just fine. Otherwise mostly followed the recipe.
Oh I love that substitution! Thanks so much for you feedback and glad you liked the recipe. It’s one of my favorites.
Thank you for the recipe. I had 2 cups of Quinoa left so I used all of it (added a little more water). I also threw in some over ripe bananas and excess fresh coconut that I needed to use. It seemed to be too much for the loaf pan so I used a 13×9.
The inside is soft and chewy. The outside has a nice crust.
I can’t remember how I came across this recipe but I’m so happy I did because I bought a bag of Tri-colour Quinoa and felt that the cooked texture was more coarse than what I was used to, so I wanted to find a recipe to use it.
Can we use any kind of vinegar, or is ACV play a specific role in the baking process?
Hi Rachel – The reason for the ACV is to activate the baking soda. Regular white vinegar should work as well but it you have lemon juice I’d probably use that instead. Either should be fine though. In theory, any acid should active the baking soda but I’d steer clear of any strongly flavored vinegars so as not to interfere with the terrific flavor of this bread.
Does this have to be made in a foil pan and if so, why?
Hi Donna – This recipe needs to be made in a small loaf pan and the disposable foil pans are typically smaller than most other loaf pans. That’s the reason it’s called for in the recipe, but you don’t have to use a foil pan. Just be aware that if you bake this bread in a bigger size pan than specified in the recipe, it won’t be as loaf-like. Hope that helps!
Hi,
I made this read and it came out very good. Thanks
Also, i was wondering if I can also use Flax seeds powder to it ( substitute for some of the dry ingredients). love to make this bread with black seeds, quinoa and chia.
Hi Ann – I think you could play around with some of those substitutions but I’d leave the amount of quinoa the same. The chia gives the bread structure but flax might work in it’s place. Of course, any type of seed sprinkled on top would work fine. Hope that helps!