Gluten-Free Seed Bread

This healthy Gluten-Free Seed Bread is free of gluten, yeast, and refined sugars and there's no kneading involved. It's packed with healthy seeds, oats, and nuts, has great texture and tastes amazing. Enjoy a hearty slice slathered with vegan butter!

Guess what? I came up with another easy bread recipe. This one’s for my gluten-free friends, or anyone who just loves nuts and seeds!

You’re going to love this filling, healthy, and nutritious Gluten-Free Seed Bread. Packed with loads of good stuff, the flavours and textures are amazing and the dough is made really quickly in only 1 bowl, making for easy cleanup and a simple process.

Jump to:

• What ingredients do I need?
• How to make Gluten-Free Seed Bread
• What if I don’t have a food processor or blender?
• Success tips
• Some ways you can adapt this recipe
• How to make oil-free
• How to make nut-free
• How to store
• How to freeze
• Hungry for more?
• 📖 Recipe

Every slice of this wheat-free bread is loaded with fibre, protein, and healthy fats and is super filling, so you only need a small amount to feel satisfied.

Treat it as you would a regular slice of bread and slather on vegan butter or peanut butter, make open-faced sandwiches, avocado toast, enjoy it with hummus, vegetable pate, good olive oil, or jam, or serve it on the side of hearty soups like my vegan potato soup. 

What ingredients do I need?

For detailed measurements and instructions, see the printable recipe card.

Here's what you'll be needing to make this gluten-free seed bread:

• Rolled oats (sometimes called old fashioned oats) - These are going to bring everything together and make sure the bread tastes great and has good texture without falling apart. Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you need to.
• Pumpkin, seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and pecans - These help “beef up” the bread, adding substance, texture, flavour, and heartiness. Use raw seeds and nuts and not salted or roasted. You can use any combination of nuts and seeds, or just seeds for a nut-free alternative.
• Ground flaxseed and whole chia seeds - To help bind all of the ingredients together. I love to use ground golden flax because it has the best flavour.
• Baking powder - This isn't a fluffy bread and it doesn't really rise much, but the baking powder does help with the texture.
• Maple syrup - This helps balance the flavours. You only need a little, so don’t worry about the bread turning out sweet.  
• Avocado or olive oil - These tasty fats add moisture to the bread and help keep it fresh for longer. I’ve included instructions on making this bread oil-free if that’s more your style.
• Plant milk - Any kind you wish or make your own! Just make sure it’s unsweetened and unflavoured.

How to make Gluten-Free Seed Bread

Here's how we make it in a few easy steps:

Step 1 - Grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. This will act as a handle to easily remove the bread once it’s baked.

Step 2 - Add half the oats to a food processor or blender and blend until they turn into a flour-like consistency. 

Step 3 - Put the oat flour in a bowl with the whole rolled oats and add in all of the other dry ingredeints. Mix it all up!

Step 4 - Next, add in the wet ingredients (maple syrup, oil, and milk). Stir it really well until it forms a thick batter.

Step 5 - Spoon the dough into the pan, then while the oven is preheating leave the dough to rest in the pan so the flax and chia seeds can soak up the moisture and bind everything together.

Step 6 - Place the pan on the middle rack in your oven and bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Step 7 - When it’s done, leave the bread to cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing it and letting it cool completely on a cooling rack. 

Here's what it looks like when you turn it out of the pan:

What if I don’t have a food processor or blender?

No problem! Instead of using all rolled oats, use 1 ¼ cup of storebought oat flour and 1 ¼ cup of rolled oats. That way you can skip the blending of the oats. If you aren’t gluten-free, you could also use spelt flour instead of the oat flour.

Success tips

• Processing or blending half of the oats to start is important for the texture and stability of the bread. Don't just throw all of the whole oats into the dough.
• Do not change the amount of flax and chia seeds in the recipe. They must remain as they are because they are what hold the loaf together.
• Don’t skip the salt! It’s crucial to the flavour. 
• Pack the dough into the loaf pan really well to compact it so there’s no chance of it falling apart. Use a spoon or spatula to do this. 
• Don't skip the batter resting period while the oven preheats. It's important to let the chia and flax absorb the moisture before baking begins.
• I don't recommend using silicone pans. They don’t conduct the heat like metal and with this recipe, the nuts and seeds won't get as toasty and delicious.

Some ways you can adapt this recipe

• Replace the ground up oats with spelt flour (keep the whole oats in it though).
• Use brown sugar or coconut sugar if you don’t have any maple syrup.
• Add a dash of cinnamon for some warm fall flavour.
• Sweeten it up with some dried fruit like raisins, sultanas, cranberries or chopped dates in place of some of the nuts or seeds.
• Feel free to use any kind of raw nuts or seeds you already have at home. This bread is really versatile.

How to make oil-free

Simply omit the oil completely to mak this gluten-free bread oil-free. I accidentally did that last time I made it and it was fine. The texture isn't quite as good and it doesn't colour as much when baking, but the difference is quite negligible.

How to make nut-free

The nuts can be replaced with more seeds. You can even add some dried fruit for a sweeter bread. Just make sure the total amount of fruit and seeds is pretty much the same. 

How to store

Keep the fully cooled bread in an airtight container. You could also wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or foil. Store at room temperature for 5 days or a bit longer in the fridge.

How to freeze

It’s never a bad thing to have extra bread in your freezer. Wrap the unsliced bread or individual slices thoroughly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Let it defrost in the fridge overnight or leave it on your kitchen counter for an hour or two.

Hungry for more?

Looking for more gluten-free baked goods? You might also enjoy these recipes:

• Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Bread
• Healthy Pumpkin Cookies
• Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
• No Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars
• Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Healthy No Bake Bars

📖 Recipe