Nothing says Happy St. Patrick's Day like a loaf of traditional vegan Irish soda bread. Hearty and with a touch of sweetness, it's delicious with some (vegan) butter. You won't want to wait until the holiday - it's perfect to make any time of year.
I make Irish soda bread every year for St. Patty's Day. It's so easy to put together. And since it's a quick bread, there's no yeast so no rising time or kneading.
This recipe doesn't contain any caraway seeds. I absolutely can not stomach them but if you like them, you can add them in.
But I do love the raisins in this recipe that give it an added sweetness. Raisins are delicious in all sorts of treats like vegan rice pudding and vegan trail mix cookies.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- No kneading: It's an extremely easy recipe as there's no kneading and the bread dough doesn't need to rise as a yeast bread would.
- Simple ingredients: You probably already have these ingredients at home.
Ingredient Notes
This easy recipe uses simple ingredients that you probably already have at home.
- Unsweetened non-dairy milk - I use unsweetened soy milk but unsweetened almond milk would work well too. I do not recommend coconut milk as it'll add coconut flavor to your bread.
- Apple cider vinegar - You can substitute with white vinegar or lemon juice.
- Flour - This recipe is made with white flour and I do not recommend using whole wheat flour. If you are looking for an Irish Soda Bread recipe using whole grains, check out Traditional Irish Brown Soda Bread.
- Vegan butter - My favorite brands are Country Crock Plant Butter and Earth Balance.
Please see the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and amounts needed.
Variations
- If you don't like your Irish Soda Bread with raisins, you can leave them out or use an alternative dried fruit like cranberries or dates.
- If you want caraway seeds, you can add 2 teaspoon when you are mixing the dry ingredients.
How To Make Vegan Irish Soda Bread
Step 1: Start with preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare your sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper.
Step 2: Next you'll make the vegan buttermilk. Measure out your non-dairy milk in a measuring cup. Add the apple cider vinegar, give it a quick stir, and set it aside.
Step 3: In a large bowl, add the white flour, sugar, salt and baking soda and whisk together.
Step 4: Add in the vegan butter cubes. Use your fingers (or pastry cutter) to work the butter into the dough and try to make crumbs or tiny pebbles. Just make sure there aren't any large chunks of vegan butter.
Step 5: Add in the raisins and stir with a wooden spoon.
Step 6: Next, pour in the vegan buttermilk and stir to combine.
Step 7: Mix until you form a dough. You don't want to over-mix or the dough will be tough.
Step 8: Use your hands to shape the dough into a round loaf. If it's too sticky, add some extra flour to the dough and your hands. Place the rounded loaf onto the prepared baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to score a deep cross on the top of the loaf.
Step 9: Place in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes. Allow the bread to rest in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Use a serrated knife to slice the loaf of bread. Spread on some (vegan) butter and enjoy!
Storage Tips
Room Temperature
Store the vegan Irish soda bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I like to lightly toast a slice in the oven to reheat it.
Freezing
You can freeze Irish soda bread using the following steps.
- Let the bread cool completely until it's room temperature. If it's still warm, it can become soggy when thawed.
- Wrap the bread in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. You can also store it in a ziploc bag, making sure you squeeze out all of the air.
- Place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Thaw the bread by letting it sit out at room temperature while it is still wrapped up. This may take a few hours.
- Reheat the thawed bread by baking for about 10-15 minutes at 325 degrees.
What To Serve With Vegan Irish Soda Bread
Looking for a green dessert for the holiday? Try out my vegan matcha cake with frosting. Or make it for breakfast alongside my vegan matcha pancakes.
Vegan Bread Recipes
If you tried this Vegan Irish Soda Bread Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Recipe
Easy Vegan Irish Soda Bread With Raisins
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups non-dairy milk, unsweetened
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 4 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 5 tablespoon vegan butter, cubed
- 1 cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make your vegan buttermilk. In your measuring cup, add the apple cider vinegar to the non-dairy milk, stir and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda.
- Add in the cubed vegan butter. Use your fingers to work the butter into the flour mixture until crumbs form.
- Add the raisins to the mixture and stir with a wooden spoon.
- Pour the vegan buttermilk into the flour mixture and stir until combined. Do not over-mix or bread will be tough.
- Use your hand to shape the dough into a round loaf and place on the prepared baking sheet. If the dough is very sticky, sprinkle some flour on the dough and your hands.
- Use a sharp knife to score an "X" on the top of the dough.
- Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool on pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool.
- Slice, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Try to find vegan butter sticks as it will be much easier to measure and cube. My favorite brand is Earth Balance.
- If you don't have apple cider vinegar you can also use white vinegar.
- Store the bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I like to lightly toast a slice in the oven to reheat it.
Jen says
This tastes just like a regular soda bread loaf and is really easy to make.