Lentil bread is definitely my super healthy nutritious go-to snack at any time. I often have a slice or two for breakfast or brunch, pre or post-workout. It is packed with protein and remarkable nutrition. It is quite filling and it takes me a long way.
I make this all throughout the year, it is a fantastic dish for a work snack, work lunch, working from home quick lunch, to take to a picnic, garden party or in a container to snack after gym. These are just a few ideas.
We are in the process of re-doing our kitchen from scratch and this is definitely my kinda snack to tuck in. It was such a savior. Easy to make as long as you have an oven to throw this in for 40 minutes.
I sometimes soak more lentils than I need and the extra soaked lentils will almost always end up in a delicious recipe like this.
We do love lentils in general and a good lentil recipe feel free to browse around my site to find quite a few delicious red lentil recipes like this Brown And Green Lentils With Portobello Mushrooms Salad, Vegan Lentil Meatballs (Mercımek Kofte) or this Red Lentil Dhal With Coconut Milk And Quail Eggs.
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🥘 Ingredients
There are only a few ingredients that are needed for this delicious vegetarian lentil bread dish. You will need:
- lentil - these have to be soaked for at least 1 hour or even overnight
- dill - is a versatile herb and works well in this recipe
- feta cheese - gives the dish a lovely lift
- yogurt - helps with the fermentation process
- soda bicarbonate and baking powder - help this bread to get a fluffy texture
- red peppers - these enhance the flavors and give that nice speckles of color
- olives - I just love the addition of the olives in this dish - it works really well
- eggs - these help with binding
- spring onion or scallions - you may shallow fry those for extra flavor if you wish
- cheddar cheese - is such a lovely addition - you may even double the quantity if desired
- sesame seeds - to sprinkle over but you may add some toasted ones to the recipe
- chili flakes - oh yes, I would never skip those - add as much or as little as you wish
- salt - only go for it if you like your salt but remember, feta cheese and olives add saltiness to this dish
- olive oil - I sometimes do add olive oil, and sometimes I do not
See the recipe card below for exact quantities.
📖 Substitutions
- Lentil - You may use any lentil type you like ( green, yellow, red, black (beluga) green mountain lentils. Any lentil types you have in hand, you like and are used to eating will all do a great job in this high-protein bread.
- Fresh Herbs - use flat parsley and/or thyme, or oregano if you like. Dried herbs are great too.
- Make it Vegan - just substitute the eggs with a tablespoon of chia seeds and the dairy ingredients (yogurt and feta) with plant-based ones.
- Cheddar cheese - parmesan cheese makes a great sub - it is as delicious
🌶 Variations
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish, or long peppers for extra flavor
- Add finely chopped mushrooms - even more protein? Yes, please!
- Kid-friendly - add some crushed potatoes or some chips to one side - also drop the chili flakes as kids don't deal well with spices
🔪 How To Make Lentil Bread
Here are some process shots to show you how to make this super easy and quick lentil bread recipe.
Step 1: Wash, and soak (for at least one hour) the lentils.
Step 2: Puree the lentil in a food processor.
Step 3: Combine some of the ingredients (soaked and pureed lentils, yogurt, eggs, oil, salt, pepper, baking soda, soda bicarbonate, and cayenne pepper/chili flakes) into a larger glass bowl and mix until homogenized.
Step 4: Add the remaining ingredients (mainly the chopped ones) olives, spring onion or scallion, crumbled feta cheese, grated cheddar cheese, dill, and finely chopped red pepper. Give it another mix and it is ready to go to the oven.
😉 This is what the lentil bread mix looks like before going into oven-proof tins and getting in the oven.
Step 5: Pour the mixture into the two greased bread loaf tins. sprinkle the sesame seeds over and place them into the preheated oven. Bake at 180C/350F for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown, just like these beauties here.
Pro Tip: Keep an eye on this whilst in the oven so it does not burn. You may add 2-3 tablespoons of flour/tapioca flour for a gluten-free option if you wish but I do like it nice and moist.
👪 Serving Suggestions
- This dish is great to have as a snack whenever you feel hungry. For me, a slice of this bread, just like the one shown above, makes that perfect snack to have at teatime when the sugar cravings kick in.
- It is lovely having this with some extra protein like this nice Creamy Cucumber, Fennel & Yogurt Dip a tzatziki type of dip/ side dish that pairs well with this amazing lentil bread. With a warm slice of this healthy lentil loaf and a dollop of that yogurt dip, it's plain heaven.
- It makes a fabulous party dish, perfect for sharing as little squares or made as mini muffins or mini cupcakes.
💭 FAQs
Once it has cooled, if any is left ;-), store it in an airtight container refrigerated. Ideally sliced or cut into chunks as it is easier to grab and go. These can be refrigerated for 2-3 days.
Yes, I am sure this freezes well and the best practice for using it after freezing will be to thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. Take out the required quantity and thaw rather than the whole thing.
Yes, this can be reheated in a pre-heated pan by placing the slice or slices in a hot nonstick pan with or without a drizzle of olive oil. It is entirely up to you. Please do remember to add the slices to the pan when this is hot, this is important to avoid or reduce them sticking to the pan.
🍞Other Bread Recipes to Consider...
Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. Thanks for stopping by!
📋 Healthy Lentil Bread - Flourless
Equipment
- food processor
- chopping board
- glass bowl
- spatula
- ovenproof dish
- knife
Ingredients
- 2 cups red lentils dry quantity
- 200 g feta cheese ( 7.05 oz) made into crumbs
- 10 sprigs dill fresh
- 6 spring onions / scallions
- 1 cup Greek yoghurt go for any 5% up fat
- 1 handful olives chopped
- 4 medium eggs or 3 large
- 1 pinch chilli flakes
- 50 ml olive oil ( 1.69 fl oz) 5-6 tablespoons
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1 teaspoon soda bicarbonate (small teaspoon) 1/2 U.S. teaspoon *
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 100 g cheddar cheese ( 3.53 oz) grated
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 medium red pepper diced
Instructions
- Wash and soak the red lentils for at least one hour. * See Recipe Notes for more
- Sieve the lentils once soaked (no need to rinse) and puree these in a food processor.
- Transfer the pureed lentils into a bowl and add the eggs, soda bicarbonate, baking powder, yogurt, olive oil, black pepper, and salt (if adding any). Mix well until homogenized.
- Add the remaining ingredients, the chopped olives, spring onion/scallions, chopped pepper, crumbled feta, grated cheddar, dill, and chili flakes. Add most of the sesame seeds and keep a few to sprinkle over.
- Prepare two small bread loaf baking tins * by greasing those with some butter or olive oil. Pour the lentil mixture into the tins in equal amounts. Sprinkle the remaining sesame seeds on each loaf.
- Transfer to the oven and bake at 190C or 375F for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve warm or cold as a snack or a main with a salad as a side. See other serving suggestions above.
Notes
- No need to worry. If you have little time for soaking the lentils and you do not have at least one hour, soak these for as long as you can in hot water. This will speed the soaking process a little.
- It is entirely up to you and your taste but I never really do for this dish because the feta cheese, the cheese, and the olives add sufficient (for me) salt. I'm not too fond of anything salty but if you do like your salt, add a pinch or two extra.
- Add a teaspoon of each - the European teaspoons should be shaved and not heaped, and for the U.S. cooks, only add 1/2 teaspoon as the teaspoon over there is quite a bit bigger.
- Do not worry if you do not have loaf tins, you can use any oven-proof dish whether that's round, rectangular, or any shape you have or prefer. I have made this in my larger square ceramic dish and a couple of times in my oval dish. You may also use a single dish but it will have to be larger so the bread doesn't end up being too thick to cook especially in the middle part.
Nana says
When deciding on the baking dish to use (I don't have loaf pans) how deep does the bread mixture be in the pan before you cook it. I can't wait to here back so I can try it. Thank you.
Ramona says
I am so sorry for the tardy reply, I just found your comment lost in the junk folder for some very odd reason.
It really doesn't matter how thick it is can be anything from 5-7 cm up to 3 inches I would say it is ideal. Just keep an eye on it and make sure it is cooked in the middle.
Please let me know how it went and how you liked this lentil loaf.
Souad says
Very easy, tasty I think mine was a little too moist, maybe heavy handed on the wet ingredients, it browned on top lovely
I took out of oven and whacked in air fryer to make sure it cooked through better
Lessons learnt lol
Ramona says
Thank you so much for your feedback Souad, I’m so glad you liked it.
The moisture levels are closely dependent on the lentils themselves, some are more absorbent than others, the feta cheese if this was slightly wet rather than totally dry, and also the yoghurt. If it’s not full fat, it will be more runny and watery.
But all in all you’ve done a grand job.
I would be lovely if you could send us a picture on my Facebook page or a tag on Instagram if you post in there.
Thank you again and have a wonderful weekend.
Jenny says
Lentils are under appreciated in my humble opinion. And anytime I get to use my food processor it’s going to be fun. Thanks for this tasty, healthy, flourless lentil bread recipe.
Ramona says
I agree, and lentils are soooo good for us, right? Have fun making this lentil bread recipe - I am sure you will love it!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
I am in love with this lentil bread! A perfect protein breakfast for vegetarians. We make something similar in India and either bake it jelly pan or pan-cook it. This is even better.
Ramona says
Thank you so much, I am so glad you found my lentil bread recipe an improved version.
Alex says
This bread looks incredible! I love how healthy and easy it is. A must make!
Ramona says
Thank you so much Alex!
Erin says
I'd love to try this! It's packed with so much protein and I'm betting my son would love it in his lunch box. And I love the cheese in there, too!
Ramona says
Thank you so much dear Erin.
Danielle says
Got this recipe for lentil bread from a friend after she raved about it for days. What an amazing recipe. Love how detailed your instructions are. Definitely a keeper!
Ramona says
Thank you so much, Danielle!
Liz says
I never knew you could make bread with lentils! This is so good and so healthy!
Silvia says
Very easy to make and so delicious. This is my first time using lentils in a bread and it was a revelation. Thank you for the inspiration.
Ramona says
It is with great pleasure, thank you so much Silvia!
Mikayla says
This bread not only packs a punch of flavor but also a ton of protein that fills you up!
Maggie says
Red lentils. No kidding! This recipe sounds so interesting. Definitely trying just out of curiosity. lol.
Ramona says
Ha ha, definitely worth a try. It is amazing!
Amy Liu Dong says
This bread looks so delicious and looks so easy to make.
I'll be saving this recipe as my reference. Thank you!
Ramona says
Thank you so much dear Amy!
Heather says
Really wonderful recipe. Thanks
Gemma says
Hi, this looks awesome but I hate feta, if I remove the feta do I need to replace it with something else?
Ramona says
Hi Gemma,
You can try any tofu cheese, halloumi, goats cheese, labneh, cottage, cheese, ricotta or simply double the Parmesan quantity all this would work really well and perhaps add a little extra salt or a few extra olives 🫒😊. I hope this helps.