Recipes for Unleavened Bread (Without Yeast, Gluten Free, No Oven)

These are various recipes you can use to make unleavened bread, also known as matzah or matzo, during the Biblical holidays of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. There's a little bit of everything here, including gluten-free and vegan options, with recipes made from all-purpose wheat flour to corn masa to buckwheat to chickpea flour. Some of these are made on the stovetop, while others can be baked in the oven. These are wonderful homemade alternatives to boxed matzah, which can be hard to find and is sometimes expensive. These recipes are simple and delicious, and easy to prepare during the week of Unleavened Bread or any time of the year!

I think this post is important because the Living God is inclusive in his holidays, and there are ways for all people and cultures to take part in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, no matter what ingredients are available in their area or despite limitations such as allergies. We are free to use various recipes throughout the week, just so long as they are not leavened. I am giving multiple recipes because there is no single 'right' recipe to use during this time.

Where does unleavened bread come from in the Bible?

The directive for eating unleavened bread for a week was given in Exodus, following the final plague against Pharaoh on Passover. So quickly did Pharaoh change his mind and finally free the slaves that they had very little time to prepare for departure, not even time for their dough to rise and become leavened. Jesus told us to "eat to remember" and eating unleavened bread reminds us of the miracles that the Living God performed many years ago in Egypt, and it also reminds us that our circumstances can quickly change when we aren't expecting them to. Unleavened bread is full of hope.

What is the difference between unleavened bread and regular bread?

Regular bread - whether sandwich bread from the grocery store or artisan sourdough bread - is made using leaven, which means the dough has commercial yeast, sourdough starter, or another leavening agent like baking soda or powder. Typically the dough rests for several hours before baking and grows in size during that time. Once in the oven the bread rises more, giving it height and structure and that airy texture we are all familiar with. Unleavened bread is simply flour of some sort mixed with water and occasionally a few other ingredients, but no leaven. It is then baked quickly, in the oven or on the stovetop. Unleavened breads come out of the oven flat, and can be soft or crunchy depending on the thickness of the dough and how long it was baked.

What about the rabbinical rules though?

Rabbinical rules are just that, rules made up by men - rabbis in this case. There are many complicated rabbinical laws related to unleavened bread, like from when the flour first hits water it has to be baked within 18 minutes. We should know that while there may be wonderful intentions behind instructions like this, that does not mean these rules are the word of God. You are free to keep the Biblical holidays by only following what the Bible says. You do not have to adhere to manmade religious customs. If you are looking for the rabbinic laws regarding Passover and Unleavened Bread, you will not find them here.

Trying out different unleavened recipes can be a great activity during the holiday. How fun would it be to have a different type of unleavened bread each day of the week? Or you could do a potluck with several different kinds! 

12 Unleavened Bread Recipes for Passover:

One Ingredient Socca from Pinch of Yum

Whole Wheat Crackers from A Couple Cooks

Crepes from Cookie and Kate

Tortillas from Minimalist Baker

Einkorn Matzah Bread from Land of Honey

Arepas from Minimalist Baker

Gozleme from Recipe Tin Eats

Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies from Sprinkle Bakes

Five Ingredient Buckwheat Crepes (Gluten Free) from Minimalist Baker

Gluten Free Scallion Pancakes from Snixy Kitchen

Homemade Crackers from A Couple Cooks

Strawberry Crepes from Well Plated

Please keep in mind that there are many other types of unleavened bread that you could use to celebrate this Biblical holiday. Many cultures from every continent have some sort of unleavened bread recipe from Ethiopian kitcha bread to Chinese pancakes to tortillas to Indian chapati to much more. Any unleavened bread would be a lovely way to celebrate these Biblical feasts!

More recipes for Passover and Unleavened Bread:
Recipes to Use Homemade Matzah In
Blood on the Doorpost Passover Dessert
Meal Ideas and Recipes for the Feast of Unleavened Bread

Blood on the Doorpost Passover Dessert from Exodus 12:7 (Easy and Creative)

Look no further for a creative Passover dessert that's easy to make, but still presents beautifully! I wanted to create a dessert that was specific to the Biblical holiday of Passover to make the festivities special. This creation was inspired by Exodus 12:7 and the directive to the Israelites to put the blood of the lamb on the doorpost to their homes. This creates a fun visual and could certainly be simplified a bit to make for a kids Bible school snack. 

How to make the blood on the doorpost Passover dessert:

The core tenets of this dessert are very simple. You'll just need something rectangular shaped for a door, and then something red to symbolize the blood of the lamb.

In this case, a rectangle of vanilla cheesecake with almond flour crust is used for the door.

A raspberry coulis is the 'blood' that goes around the cheesecake 'door.'

There is a small serving of homemade lemon frozen yogurt, beneath the sheep cookie. The color is an homage to the Messiah making our sins white as snow, and ties in with the Passover lamb as well.

The lamb cookie is a shortbread cookie (just flour, sugar, and butter and not leavened in any way), cut with a lamb shaped cookie cutter.

You could certainly adapt this in many ways...make rectangular meringues or unleavened cake for the door. The coulis could be made from strawberries or another red berry, or you could use a red jam or jelly. You could forgo the frozen yogurt altogether, opt for store-bought, or use whipped cream or ice cream in its place. If you're not comfortable using shortbread around Passover, feel free to leave off the lamb cookie. Depending on the changes you make, this could a gluten-free, low-sugar, or dairy-free dessert.

More on Passover festivities:

Biblically Clean for Passover
Passover Dessert Recipes
Matzah Toffee Ice Cream Sundae

Biblically Clean Eating for Passover and Unleavened Bread

What are the Bible's instructions for us around food during the week of Unleavened Bread? What exactly is leaven? We've talked before about what it means to eat 'kosher' for Passover during this time, but we've also talked about the kosher dietary laws often going above and beyond what Scripture says and even adding to it! So how do we eat in a way that honors what the Bible says without going overboard with manmade traditions? This post is here to help. Biblically clean eating for Passover and Unleavened Bread is truly doable, and this post will walk you through what you can and can't eat during these Biblical holidays.

During the week of Unleavened Bread, all the normal dietary laws apply, plus one extra, temporary restriction. What does the Bible tell us not to eat during the week of Unleavened Bread?

"Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day, you shall remove leaven from your houses." -Exodus 12:15

That is the restriction...no leavened bread for the week. There is no specified grain to avoid, just a prohibition on leavened bread. If you're used to hearing that Unleavened Bread week means not eating any grains at all, and even that you have to avoid things like peanuts or beans, I'm here to tell you that the Living God did not make it that complicated.

To understand how to avoid leaven bread for the week we need to know what it is.

What is leaven in the Bible?

Leaven is grain that has been soured, or fermented. Sourdough bread is the most obvious example of a leavened product, hence the emphasis on this Biblical holiday being a time of unleavened bread. Leavening or souring is not something that happens immediately when water hits a grain, but a process that takes more time - typically several days. In Judaism there is a law that says bread dough becomes 'leavened' after 18 minutes of flour mixed with water and formed into dough, but this is not a directive from Scripture. If you've ever made bread, or tried your hand at sourdough starter, then you know 18 minutes is nowhere near enough time for leavening to happen or for dough to rise.

Nowadays sourdough bread is rare, and most breads are made with yeast. Though the Bible does not specify avoiding yeast-risen breads by name, I believe since yeast mimics the leavening process of traditional sourdough, we would do well to not partake during this time. The same would go for breads, cakes, or pastries made with baking soda or baking powder.

What should we avoid eating during the Feast of Unleavened Bread to eat Biblically clean?

Leavened bread products, such as:

-Sourdough bread
-Bread made with yeast
-Breadcrumbs
-Products containing breadcrumbs such as breaded chicken, meatballs, meatloaf, or tortellini fillings
-Muffins and other quick breads made with baking soda or baking powder
-Cakes
-Pastries such as croissants, cinnamon rolls, danishes, etc.
-Biscuits
-Pizza

Foods to watch for leaven in:
-Chicken strips or breaded chicken
-Batter for fried fish, onion rings, etc.
-Meatballs
-Meatloaf
-Ravioli and tortellini fillings
-Ice cream flavors with cake, cookies, etc. mixed in

Please note that the leaven mention in Exodus 12 does not mean all foods that have been soured or fermented. We see the Messiah serving wine (which is fermented) at the last supper, and tasting vinegar (also fermented) while on the cross. A surprising number of foods we eat today from yogurt to kimchi to chocolate are fermented, and we are free to eat those during Unleavened Bread. What we don't want to eat this week is fermented or leavened bread, or at the most, fermented or leavened grains.

Examples of soured grains that aren't bread:

-Beer
-Soy sauce (tamari is very similar to soy sauce, but made only with soybeans and is an easy substitution)

Can you cook and bake during Unleavened Bread?

Yes, absolutely you can make your own unleavened baked goods and meals for or during this Biblical holiday. I've heard too many times that the only way to be sure you're not eating leaven is to purchase all specially made and kosher certified matzah and kosher for Passover products, but the Bible does not say that only a rabbi can tell if something is leavened or not. Furthermore these products can be very difficult to find and expensive. Use your judgment. You can make your own unleavened bread in many different forms, and there are probably plenty of meals that you already make that are unleavened and would be appropriate during this feast. Take a look at recipes - if they use grains, check and see if making the dish involves souring or fermenting dough. If it doesn't - I see no reason why you can't make it as part of your Unleavened Bread meals and celebrations.

Can you eat grains during Unleavened Bread?

Jewish traditions call for avoiding all grains, except for kosher for Passover matzah, and sometimes even things like beans, legumes, and peanuts. Again, this is not something the Bible calls for. It is not called the Feast of No Grains at All, but rather the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Unleavened bread is made with grain, and it's okay to use grains during Unleavened Bread week, so long as you are not leavening them. Any grain is fine to eat, so long as it's not leavened. That includes wheat, barley, corn, teff, spelt, rye, quinoa, rice, oats, millet, etc.

With that in mind, I would not hesitate to eat things like tortillas without leavening, shortbread cookies, granola, popcorn, cooked rice, peanut butter, beans or lentils.

As always, I would encourage you to pray about how you can best implement this Biblical instruction into your life! If you're new to celebrating Unleavened Bread, focusing on avoiding leavened bread during this week and don't be overwhelmed by what others might traditionally avoid.

So what can you eat during Unleavened Bread?

-Unleavened bread in any of its variations...homemade or boxed

-Any Biblically clean meat or fish

-Any vegetables

-Any fruits

-Lentils, chickpeas, and other legumes

-Beans - black, pinto, cannelini, kidney, great northern, etc.

-Potatoes 

-Corn tortillas or tortilla chips

-Nuts such as walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, etc.

-Dairy products like milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, sour cream, etc.

-Eggs

With these ingredients there are plenty of wonderful foods to be had during Unleavened Bread from soups to stir fries to tacos to meat and potatoes to frittata to hummus to ice cream and more.

If you're looking for further direction on what to eat during this set apart time, I will include links below to Biblically clean recipes!

Unleavened recipes for Passover and Unleavened Bread:

Meal Ideas for the Feast of Unleavened Bread
Recipes to Use Your Homemade Matzah In
Unleavened Desserts for Passover and Unleavened Bread