Vegan Irish Soda Bread (5 Ingredients)

This Vegan Irish Soda Bread is an easy yeast-free bread recipe made with only 5 simple ingredients and ready in 30 minutes.

Table of contents

+ View More- View Less

I love making simple plant-based bread like my Oat Flour Bread, 2-Ingredient Bread, Vegan Keto Bread Recipe, or Vegan Gluten-Free Bread. Making your own bread is extremely satisfying.

Is Traditional Irish Soda Bread Vegan?

No, unfortunately, traditional Irish soda bread is made with dairy, often including buttermilk, butter, and sometimes eggs.

So classic Irish soda bread is not vegan but here I am showing you how to make a vegan version of the Irish soda bread in less than 30 minutes.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Five ingredients is all you need to make this soda bread!

• All-Purpose Flour – I like classic high-grade flour for making soda bread. The recipe also works if you use spelt flour.
• Whole Meal Flour – Make sure to use fine whole wheat flour. Some versions are quite coarse and won’t absorb enough liquid, leaving the dough sticky. You can swap it for fine oat flour or just more all-purpose flour.
• Baking Soda – This recipe wouldn’t be a soda bread without baking soda. This is what makes this bread airy and with the signature flavors.
• Apple Cider Vinegar – Vinegar is the acidic ingredient that is necessary to trigger the transformation of flour into bread. You can also use lemon juice as it’s equally acidic.
• Soy Milk – Soy milk is the best option as it’s rich in protein, but the bread also works with oat milk or almond milk. Cashew milk and coconut milk are too low in protein to curdle properly.

How To Make Vegan Irish Soda Bread

1. First, you need to make vegan buttermilk. This is the key ingredient to creating a moist bread texture. It combines an acidic ingredient – apple cider vinegar, vinegar, or lemon juice – and a full-fat plant-based milk – soy milk gives the best texture, but oat milk and almond milk would work.

2. Then, combine the flours. I recommend a combo of white flour and white whole-wheat flour for an earthy flavor.
3. Finally, add the baking soda acts as a raising agent to make this yeast-free bread raise as regular artisan bread.

4. Pour the vegan buttermilk into the dry ingredients and start combining the soda bread batter with a wooden or silicone spatula.

5. When the dough becomes too dense and sticky, use you hands to knead it for a few more minutes.

6. Let the vegan Irish soda bread dough ball rest in the bowl for a few minutes.

7. Transfer the dough ball to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

8. You must flatten your dough ball into a thin round disc – no more than 1 inch high (3cm). The bread won’t rise much so don’t make it too small.

9. Make sure a deep 0.3-inch cup (1 cm) cross on top of the bread. This is the key to perfect Irish soda bread. Bake it at 430°F (220°C) on the middle rack for 20 to 30 minutes until the outside is crusty.

What To Eat With Irish Bread

You can serve this bread with vegan butter as a side to soup or make delicious avocado toast. It’s a delicious bread, plain or toasted, that can also be used for baby jam toasts or sandwiches.

You can also dip it into your favorite plant-based dip like:

• Vegan White Bean Dip
• Edamame Hummus
• Cucumber Dip
• Guacamole

Frequently Asked Questions

More Vegan Baking Recipes

Below I listed more vegan baking recipes for you to try:

Spelt Pizza Dough

Vegan Gluten Free Bread

Vegan Keto bread

Irish Soda Bread Without Buttermilk

Vegan Irish Soda Bread

This vegan soda bread is a quick, no-yeast recipe that is delicious on toast or as a side to soup. It takes only 10 minutes to prep!

4.82 from 58 votes

Print Review Save Saved!

Share on Facebook Pin Save in Email

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Irish

Servings: 20 slices

Calories: 109.8 kcal

Author: Carine Claudepierre

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• ▢ 3 cups All-Purpose Flour - or spelt
• ▢ ¾ cup White Wholewheat Flour - or whole spelt or more all-purpose white flour or oat flour
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Salt - optional, can be made salt free

Vegan buttermilk

• ▢ 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar - or lemon juice or any vinegar
• ▢ 1 ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons Soy Milk - or oat milk or almond milk

To knead the bread

• ▢ 4-6 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 430°F (220°C). Line a baking tray with a lightly greased piece of parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk soy milk with apple cider vinegar. Set aside for 10 minutes until it thickens to a buttermilk-like consistency.
• In another large mixing bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, and salt.
• Make a well in the center and pour the vegan buttermilk.
• Stir the dough with a spatula at first. Then, when it becomes difficult to work the dough with the spatula, use your hands to knead the dough, adding more flour if needed to form a ball.
• Knead the dough for 1 or 2 minutes maximum until you are able to make a ball. If the dough is very sticky, simply add white flour (up to a maximum of 1/3 cup) but be careful! You don't want dry dough, or the Irish bread will be very dense and dry. A stickier dough results in moist, elastic bread, and that's what you want.
• Transfer the dough ball onto the prepared baking tray and flatten the dough into a thin disc of a maximum of 3 cm (1.5 inches) in height. This is extremely important, or the bread won't rise at all.
• Cut a deep cross (1 cm deep, 0.4 inches) on top of the bread and sprinkle/pat some extra white flour on top of the bread.
• Bake at 220°C (430°F), middle rack, for 20-30 minutes or until the outside is crusty.
• Transfer to a cooling rack for 1 hour before slicing.
• Store the bread at room temperature for up to 3-4 days, wrapped into a clean towel to keep its moisture.
• Can be eaten plain or toasted with jam or mashed avocado. Or it can be served as a quick side to soup and salads.

Notes

Plant-based milk: This recipe achieves the best bread texture using regular soy milk rather than low-fat or any other plant-based milk. 

White whole-wheat flour: You must use fine white whole-wheat flour, not coarse whole-wheat flour. Coarse whole-wheat will not absorb the liquid enough, and the bread dough will be very sticky. You will have to add a lot more white flour to achieve the same result.

Seeds and nuts: You can add up to 1/2 cup of seeds or chopped nuts, such as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, linseeds, sesame seeds, chopped walnuts, pistachios, or almonds, to the bread dough.

Sweetbread: You can also add up to 1/3 cup of dried fruits, such as apricots, cranberries, raisins, or dates, to this bread.

Share on Facebook Pin Recipe

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 109.8kcal | Carbohydrates: 20.6g | Protein: 3.5g | Fat: 1.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 207.1mg | Potassium: 54.5mg | Fiber: 1.2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 88.4IU | Vitamin B12: 0.2µg | Vitamin C: 1.6mg | Vitamin D: 0.3µg | Calcium: 50.5mg | Iron: 1.3mg | Magnesium: 4.5mg | Phosphorus: 22mg | Zinc: 0.2mg