Seed Bread
on Aug 06, 2023, Updated Jul 23, 2024
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This delicious, hearty seed bread is easy to make with simple ingredients and is vegan, oil-free, gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free and keto-friendly!
Introduction
This yummy, hearty and nutritious seed bread makes a wonderful breakfast or healthy snack and takes just minutes to prep, all in one bowl.
This wholesome bread is a great choice for those following a gluten-free diet or anyone looking for a high-fiber, low-carb alternative to traditional bread.
It slices and toasts up wonderfully and makes a great base for your favourite toppings like avocado or almond butter.
What is seed bread?
Seed bread is a hearty, dense loaf made from seeds. It does not contain any flour, egg or dairy. It’s naturally vegan and gluten-free and suitable for those following a low-carbohydrate or even keto diet.
Seed bread has a nutty, earthy flavour and chewy texture and is a delicious way to enjoy healthy seeds like flax, chia, pumpkin seed and sunflower seed.
Recipe Highlights
- Vegan (dairy-free, no eggs).
- Gluten-free.
- Nut-free.
- Keto-friendly.
- One bowl recipe.
- Perfect for toasting.
- Customize with different seeds.
- High in fiber.
Ingredient Notes
- Sunflower Seeds: Use raw, plain sunflower seeds with no added oil or salt.
- Pumpkin Seeds: Also known as pepitas. Again, use raw seeds with no added oil or salt.
- Mixed Seeds: For the remaining half cup of seeds you can use more pumpkin seeds or mix and match from hemp seeds, sesame seeds or finely chopped nuts if nuts are ok for you.
- Flaxseeds: Be sure to use ground flaxseed, not whole flaxseeds.
- Chia Seeds: You can use white or black chia seeds.
- Psyllium Husk Powder: This is fairly easy to find in well-stocked grocery stores, healthy food stores or online. It can’t be substituted unfortunately as it absorbs most of the water and binds the bread together.
- Sweetener: This is optional but I find the touch of sweetness really improves the overall flavour of the bread. I used stevia just to keep the recipe sugar-free but you also use 1 tbsp maple syrup or a granulated sugar of choice. Monk fruit would work as another sugar-free sweetener.
- Tahini: I like tahini best in this recipe but sunflower seed butter, almond butter or cashew butter also work, as does peanut butter.
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
How to Make Seed Bread
Step 1. Mix the dry ingredients.
The dry ingredients include all the seeds plus the psyllium husk powder and salt. If you want to add seasonings like herbs and spices or sweetener to the bread, add that now as well.
I recommend using 1 cup of sunflower seeds plus a mixture of other seeds like sesame, hemp and pepitas.
Step 2. Add the tahini and water.
Time to mix up the dough! Add the tahini and water and mix it into a doughy paste.
It’s going to be quite thick, paste-like and kind of dry but that’s perfect.
Step 3. Bake the bread.
Add the dough into the lined loaf pan and spread evenly until flat. Pop it in the oven and bake for 50 minutes.
Quick Tip: Do not skip lining the loaf pan with parchment paper. Parchment paper makes it super easy to lift the bread out of the pan once baked.
Once it’s done, lift it out of the pan and let cool on a rack for 15 minutes before slicing.
Recipe FAQs
Definitely! You can customize the flavors by adding herbs, spices, dried fruits, nuts, or sweetener. Herbs that work well for savoury bread are garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, dill, sage, basil and rosemary. You can use just one or mix-and-match to create your own flavour profile.
Spices that work well are cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, pumpkin pie spices, black pepper and allspice.
Yes, this recipe is gluten-free as written.
You can use a mixture of chopped nuts such as almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, and pecans to replace up to 1 cup of the total amount of seeds.
Since this is a “seed bread” I kept the recipe nut-free but I’ve made it with walnuts and that’s delicious too!
Expert Tips
- Line the pan with parchment paper. Be sure to line the pan so you can easily remove the loaf once it’s done baking.
- Measure accurately. For recipe success, use a digital kitchen scale to accurately measure the ingredients.
- Cool before slicing. Do not skip the cooling process. The longer it cools, the firmer the bread will be. If you slice it early, it may crumble.
Serving Ideas
Try this delicious, hearty bread topped with:
- avocado – I like adding salt, pepper and hot sauce too!
- avocado and thinly sliced smoked tofu
- any nut or seed butter
- nut butter and banana
- jam – try this chia seed jam
- hummus – try with sprouts, cucumber, tomato etc.
- vegan cream cheese and tomato
- herbed tofu ricotta
- date paste
- apple butter
Storing Instructions
- The loaf can be stored at room temperature in a cool, dry location for 2-3 days.
- It’s recommend to slice and store the loaf in a sealed container in the fridge or freezer.
- It will keep in the fridge for 1 week or can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Enjoy straight from the fridge or warm for a few minutes in the toaster or oven.
What to Make Next
Loving this seed bread? You might like these too:
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
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Seed Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw sunflower seeds, 150 g
- 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas), 80 g
- 1/2 cup mixed seeds of choice, choose from hemp seeds, more raw pumpkin seeds or sesame seeds, approx. 70 g
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed, 30 g
- 1/4 cup chia seeds, 45 g
- 1/4 cup psyllium husk powder, 45 g
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp powdered stevia, 10-20 drops liquid stevia or 1 tbsp maple syrup, optional*
- 1/4 cup tahini, 60 g
- 1 1/4 cup water, 295 mL
Instructions
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat the oven to 375 F and line a standard-sized loaf pan (approx. 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 in) with parchment paper with the ends sticking out over the sides so you can lift the finished bread out of the pan.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Add everything except the tahini and water to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the tahini and water and stir into a thick, doughy paste.
- Add Dough to Pan: Place the dough in the lined loaf pan and use your hands to evenly spread and press it down into a flat, even layer.
- Bake: Bake for 50 minutes. If you tap the loaf and it sounds hollow, it’s done. If not, return to the oven for a little longer.
- Cool: Remove from the oven. Let sit for a couple of minutes then use the parchment paper to lift the loaf out of the pan. Let cool on a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes.
- Slice: Store whole or slice into 12-14 portions. Store in an airtight container the fridge for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 3 months.
I am on week 2 of this amazing bread!
Due to some health issues I have to follow a low carb diet, which is a true nightmare for as I usually eat bread with every meal. Anyways I made my first batch following the recipe and it turned out great! I kept it in the fridge and it lasted for almost a week.
Only thing I would do differently is to chop a bit the pumpkin seeds to save some chewing time 😅
Today I mixed the dry ingredients and realized I dont have any more tahini. So I experimented with DIY almond butter which I then mixed with water as per the original recipe. And the bread turned out amazing as well! Just wanted to share my tested alternativr to tahini and say thanks for the recipe!
Have you tried dehydrating the bread rather than baking?
I haven’t, sorry.
I made this and it came out really well, the only thing is that I followed the instructions thoroughly putting the amount of stevia mentioned but it came out too sweet. Next time i won’t put it at all.
Thank you
Gaetano From Italy 🙂
What I doing wrong? When I mix 1/4 C tahini with 1 1/4 C of water, it is still the consistency of water. Definitely not even close to being a thick doughy paste as the recipe states. Am I missing something? My tahini is an organic tahini that’s only ingredient is sesame seeds so I don’t see what I could be doing wrong. Any suggestions?
You’re mixing all of the ingredients? The tahini and water are added to the bowl with the dry ingredients to make the dough. Let me know.
I took the paddle out of my bread machine, put in a piece of parchment paper, just in case, and filled it with the dough. Pressed it down flat and set it to the “Bake Only” setting… Gasp! This was perfect! My machine bakes for one hour. I had considered trying to add a little more time to the baking, but just went for it as is. And now I will be doing this forever…
Interesting! Glad it worked out. Thanks for adding that info and so glad you enjoyed it!
Great recipe that I go back to every week.
Hi Deryn, in this recipe is it possible to change the psyllium for flax seed “eggs” or something similar? I hate the taste of psyllium. Thanks!
Sorry – I haven’t tested it without psyllium. Though it does have similar properties to ground flax, I’m not sure how it would turn out replacing with ground flax, since there’s already 1/4 cup flax, 1/2 cup might be too much. Like I said, I haven’t tried it though, so I’m not sure. Let me know if you do.
Hi there, am about to try this out – looks delicious! Should I pre soak the seeds at all or can I take them straight out the package?
thanks
You do not need to soak the seeds. Thanks.
I’d like to add a bit of honey or maple syrup but not sure how much. Any suggestions
Thanks
1-2 tbsp should be sufficient but you can sweeten to taste. I’d suggest omitting the stevia if you’re adding sweetener. Thanks!
Love this bread!! Slice and freeze for toast in am.
Nice! Glad you love it.