Name: Easy Vegan Irish Soda Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups unsweetened plain almond milk; 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 4 cups white whole wheat flour; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

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This easy quick bread is yeast-free and only 5 ingredients! It's also healthy, made with whole wheat flour, no added sugar, and has 7 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber per slice! Enjoy this hearty vegan bread recipe all year round!

I love soda bread—it's thick, crusty, and filling! The only downside is that traditional Irish soda bread is not vegan. Typically it's made with buttermilk, egg and butter. Luckily there are several ways to replicate the bread in a vegan friendly way.

How to make soda bread vegan

There are a few substitutions we have to use to make vegan soda bread. First, let's tackle the buttermilk. Buttermilk is fermented milk which is acidic. This reacts with the baking soda (hence the name soda bread) to leaven the bread. To get the same reaction we can use apple cider vinegar. Simply mix apple cider vinegar into some non-dairy milk, allow it to curdle for 10 minutes, and voila! We have vegan buttermilk now!

Next, we need to replace the eggs. Let me share a little secret—eggs aren't really necessary in this bread! Soda bread is flat and denser than most types of bread so you can omit eggs completely without a replacement. However, if you're so inclined, any vegetable oil will work. About ¼ cup per egg (find more egg replacement ideas here). I typically like to cook oil free so I left it out. Still has great texture!

Now to replace butter, you can simply use a vegan butter. There are so many options out there now but I personally love this one made with flax oil. I'll let you in on another secret—you don't really need butter for this recipe either!

Butter and oil can help with a crispier crust, higher rise, and shelf life, but this bread is usually flatter and can still get sufficiently crispy without it. As for shelf life, this bread is so good I doubt you'll worry about finishing it before it goes stale!

Ingredients needed

Soda bread is already easy but this may be the simplest and easiest soda bread recipe ever. Just 5 ingredients required!

White whole wheat flour—to make it heartier and healthier. Make sure it's white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour as regular whole wheat flour will be too bitter
Baking soda—for rising and because soda bread wouldn't be soda bread without it!
Apple cider vinegar—to make our vegan buttermilk
Salt
Almond milk—any non-dairy milk will do!

How to make

Start by preheating your oven to 400°F (205°C). This bread comes together quickly and should be placed in the oven as soon as it's ready so having the oven preheated is a must.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk and apple cider vinegar to create the vegan buttermilk. Set aside for 10 minutes to thicken.

Meanwhile, in large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda.

Make a well in the center and pour the vegan buttermilk in when ready.

Stir the dough with a spatula or large spoon at first until it comes together, then use your hands to knead the dough, adding more flour if needed to form a ball. Don't knead for more than a couple minutes. Dough will be sticky, to prevent it from sticking to your hands, wet your hands first.

Prepared soda bread loaf on a baking tray

Place the dough ball on the prepared tray and flatten with palm of hand. Using a bread knife, cut a cross (about 1cm deep) on top of the bread and sprinkle/pat some extra flour on top of the bread.

Don't worry about making the bread to round/smooth/pretty. It's supposed to be rustic looking.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until the outside becomes golden. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Success tips

Use a scale to measure out ingredients. It's more accurate than measuring cups.
Use fresh baking soda—baking soda can lose its potency over time. If it's been open for over 6 months it may not leaven as well.

Variations

These add-in's aren't traditional but they add some extra texture and flavor:

Add ½ cup of raisins
Add 1-2 tablespoons of sugar for a sweeter bread
Add ½ cup of chopped nuts
Add some rolled oats on top—brush some water on top before baking and sprinkle on some oats

What to serve with soda bread

Toast it up and slather with some vegan butter or dip it into your favorite soup or stew. It's a great side to have with any warm and comforting meal.

And you of course can make sandwiches with it like another Irish classic—the Reuben!

A bowl of vegetable stew topped with parsley with a hand dipping a slice of soda bread into the stew

More Irish-inspired recipes

Vegan Irish Stew
Shamrock Shake
Lentil Shepherd's Pie
Tofu Corned "Beef" and Cabbage

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