Oh boy, allergy elimination diets are a breeze! Said no one ever. It’s been challenging to think of recipes when many of the foods and ingredients I love are also ones I should avoid for a bit before gradually reintroducing. So when I came up with these flatbreads, I was seriously overjoyed! There’s always a silver lining.
It’s hard finding bread-like foods with short ingredient lists at the grocery store, so I took matters into my own hands in the kitchen. It’s been a while since I made a flatbread (way back to my first cookbook). Six trials later, I finally nailed the recipe! (Of course, wouldn’t you know it, I went back to my second trial and only tweaked it slightly.) I tested soaked/sprouted raw quinoa, I tested cooked quinoa, I tested with a blender (and then a food processor), I tested with and without oil. I tested with varying amounts of chia seeds and water. And I ate every batch! Hah. Really these are hard to mess up, but some were definitely better than others. The soaked raw quinoa version was a hot mess and had the consistency of leather. #stillateit
What I love about these flatbreads is that they require just three main ingredients—quinoa, chia seeds, and oil (plus water and salt)—and they freeze wonderfully, so you can tuck some away and then simply pop them in your toaster whenever the craving strikes. I even found that the uncooked dough freezes and thaws beautifully, so that’s another handy option for you to try if you want to store some in the freezer. I’m all about anything to simplify life…especially as the school season approaches!
My favourite part is getting creative with the toppings. There are so many OSG recipes that are great on these flatbreads:
Sweet topping ideas
Maple-Cinnamon Superseed Almond Butter
Luxurious Sunflower Seed Butter
Sliced banana or strawberries
Glowing Strawberry-Mango Guacamole (The Oh She Glows Cookbook, p. 81)
Savory topping ideas
9-Spice Avocado Hummus Toast (Oh She Glows Every Day, p. 39)
DIY Burrito Bowl (the spicy black bean topping would be amazing on these!)
Nutrient-packed Guacamole (The Oh She Glows Recipe App: iOS/Android)
Perfect Roasted Chickpeas (The Oh She Glows Cookbook, p. 220)
I can’t wait to hear what you think!!
3-Ingredient Chia and Quinoa Flatbread
Yield
9 (5-inch) flatbreads
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Packed with protein, these easy chia and quinoa flatbreads make the perfect healthy base for all your favourite toppings! This is a great basic flatbread that you can jazz up with delicious toppings. These crack a bit when rolled up wrap-style, so I prefer to simply eat them like fun open-faced sandwiches instead. Try serving the flatbread with mashed avocado, chopped tomatoes or salsa, hummus, green onion, roasted veggies, my 10-Spice Mix, flaky sea salt, roasted chickpeas, Hemp Seed Tabbouleh, and more. For a sweet version, top them with nut or seed butter, sliced banana, berries, and chia seed jam. They are also fantastic toasted in the toaster or toaster oven using low heat. The texture is soft and chewy with little pops of quinoa in each bite...yum! This recipe is inspired by the Crunchy Seed & Oat Flatbread from The Oh She Glows Cookbook.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (160 g) uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups (500 mL) plus 3/4 cup (180 mL) water, divided
- 3 tablespoons (30 g) chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) virgin coconut oil or olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Directions
- Rinse and drain the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and transfer to a medium pot. Add 2 cups of water, stir, and bring it to a low boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook for 13 to 16 minutes until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy. After cooking, remove the lid to let the steam escape and remove the pot from the element.
- While the quinoa is cooking, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a very large baking sheet (or 2 medium baking sheets) with parchment paper. If using 2 baking sheets, position 2 oven racks near the centre of the oven.
- Stir the chia seeds, coconut oil (or olive oil, if using), and salt into the cooked quinoa until combined. Now add the remaining 3/4 cup water and stir again. It should look like a “soupy” quinoa mixture. Cool for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Spoon this mixture into a large food processor and process for about 30 seconds (allowing steam to escape) until the quinoa is 50% broken down. There should still be some texture to the dough, and it’ll look like a thick, sticky paste with bits of quinoa throughout.
- Scoop 1/4-cup mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheet(s) several inches apart. You should have 9 mounds. Lightly oil your hands (to prevent sticking) and press down on each mound with the palm of your hand until the dough forms a small round shape, approximately 5 inches in diameter and no more than 1/8-inch thick. Shape the edges with your fingers so the circles are even. Grease your hands as needed to prevent sticking.
- Transfer the baking sheet(s) to the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 23 minutes until the edges are lightly firm to the touch. Using a spatula, carefully transfer each to a cooling rack where they’ll firm as they cool. Add your desired toppings (see headnote for ideas) and enjoy!
- Storing: You can refrigerate leftover flatbread in a sealed bag for 3 to 4 days or store in the freezer for up to 1 month. The uncooked dough also freezes and thaws beautifully.
Tip:
The 3-ingredient count does not include water or salt because I'm sneaky like that.
MAKE IT AHEAD: The uncooked dough can be refrigerated in a sealed container for a couple of days (maybe longer?) prior to baking. The chilled dough shapes easily (you won't need to grease your hands), but you may need a couple extra minutes bake time if working with chilled dough.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Such a great discussion on my last post!! I truly appreciate each and every one of you for your support and for sharing your own experiences. <3
Hi!
Love the look of this recipe.
Can the bread be frozen?
Could I substitute linseeds for the chia?
Thanks!
Yes they freeze well :) I’m not sure about flaxseeds…if you try anything please let me know how it goes!
What if I don’t have parchment paper. I live in Mexico and I feel like I haven’t seen it ever. Thanks!! I need to have these :)
Hi Mónica, You could try wax paper but I’m not sure if it would stick with this recipe to be honest! Other than that a well greased non-stick pan may work too. :)
I cannot wait to try this and I am certain it will be tasty! I was wondering if you have kept them as leftovers even for a day or two? I am wondering how it would hold up especially for school lunches! Thank you!
Hi!
I am wondering if anyone used an immersion blender instead of a food processor or if anyone thinks that will work! I’m excited to try these!
Out of curiosity, do these turn out soft like a pita or crisp like a cracker. I don’t see any pictures where you “bend” them like a taco, so I’m guessing they are pretty rigid once baked?
hi there, could I use this flatbread as a pizza base? thanks
Oh yes! this is what I was looking for, I was trying to make my own flatbread, but with different levels of success, this one is very well explained and I love the taste of quinoa and chia seeds :)
Love these! Delicious! Perfect for my breakfast…so quick to warm up and go!
Those flatbreads look unreal! I bet they’d be great for a pizza crust alternative but way way healthier! Thanks for the idea!!
Julian
Wow! I’m scarfing down these flatbreads with hummus and olive oil and am so happy! I’ve tried all kinds of bread substitutes while figuring out dietary stuff and this is the saviour recipe. Thanks for creating it!
I also tried flattenning the mounds with silicon spatula and it worked like a dream. They were all flat and smooth quicker than doing just one with my hand. (I did have a nice layer of oil on each which may have also helped.)
… forgot to rate…
6 stars
I never comment on recipes, but I wanted to thank you so much for this… I’m currently in the process of eliminating a whole bunch of foods from my diet to hopefully solve some horrible digestive problems, and these are exactly the kind of staple food I need to keep me going. Thank you Angela for these wonderful, simple, and healthy recipes. I’m going to be making these again and again!
Hi Angela, the 3 ingredient quinoa and chia flatbread did not turn out for me. I used 1/4 cup measurement. But instead of 9 breads I had 12. I redistributed the extra between the 9. Probably not the best move. Any thoughts? I thought I measured correctly. Also do you think I could cook the quinoa in the instant pot. Any advice on how much water and how long to cook it? Quick or natural release. You have wonderful recipes. I have both your cookbooks. This the first time I had any problems. Thank you ?
SO YUM!! Great light lunch
I just made these and they are very softy and chewy? Have I done something wrong or is that the intended texture.
I only very rarely leave comments on recipes, but I felt that I had to do so this time.
I followed the instructions exactly, exact that I had to use somewhat more water (maybe close to a full cup, rather than 3/4 cup) in order to allow my small food processor to process the dough. This, of course, ended up making the resulting ‘flatbreads’ both a bit thicker as well as a bit moister than otherwise. So, monitoring the baking, I increased the time in the over to 40 minutes, then eventually 50 minutes.
Nevertheless, what I ended up with were very moist and sticky ‘flatbreads’, which were completely impossible to remove from the aluminum foil on which I baked them on the cookie sheets. Nor did the fragments that I managed to peel off the aluminum foil very tasty. I simply have to wonder how so many others managed to have such apparent success for this recipe, while my results were a complete and total flop?
You said you followed the instructions exactly and yet you mention a number of modifications you made such as using foil instead of parchment, adding more water, etc. Evidently you can’t expect similar results if you didn’t actually follow the instructions exactly…
Parchment paper is super critical here.
This recipe is fantastic! Thank you so much! I can hardly eat anything because of gastritis. And I need something bread like. Quinoa and chia are two things I do actually tolerate.
These turned out so well, even mum liked them and she can eat anything.
I was going to omit using the food processor but then decided to use a stick blender which worked beautifully and I’m glad I did because you really need it to be smooth so it sticks together. If you leave the quinoa whole it will be much more fragile.
Thanks again!