Recreating classic recipes is my happy place, so you can imagine how happy this Keto Irish Soda Bread makes me. Tender and slightly sweet, and studded with sugar-free dried cranberries, it has all the nostalgia with none of the carbs.
Many people associate soda bread with St. Patrick’s Day. And this low carb version can be served alongside corned beef and cabbage for a traditional meal to celebrate the day. But with its crusty exterior and tender center, it’s delicious any time of year. I love it toasted for breakfast!
☘️ Looking for more St. Paddy’s Day ideas? Try Homemade Keto Irish Cream and Keto Reuben Casserole next!
What readers are saying…
“I make this EVERY year, along with Ina Garten’s version for my non keto/low carb friends, and yours is always the one I get the most compliments on. This year I am making baby soda breads in my giant muffin pan just to try something different for our St Patrick’s Day feast!” — Barbara
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Classic flavor: Soda bread has a distinct flavor from the addition of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and buttermilk. This keto recipes mimics that with some heavy cream and vinegar.
- Wonderful texture: This rustic-style bread has a deliciously crusty exterior with a soft, tender center.
- Easy to make: The bread does take a while to bake, but the active prep time is only 15 minutes!
- Make ahead recipe: You can easily make a loaf and freeze for later.
- Gluten-free and low carb: Made with almond flour, this bread has only 3 grams net carbs per slice. Perfect for a keto diet!
Ingredient Notes
- Heavy cream: Lower carb than buttermilk, this gives the bread incredible tender.
- Apple cider vinegar: To replace the acid content of buttermilk.
- Keto flours: I use almond flour with a little coconut flour gives the bread the best consistency.
- Protein powder: In the absence of gluten, this helps the bread rise properly.
- Sweetener: A touch of brown sugar replacement gives a hint of sweetness.
- Baking soda: You can’t make soda bread without it!
- Sugar-free dried cranberries: Many soda bread recipes call for dried currents, so this is a lower carb option.
- Egg whites: I took my cues from the recipe by Ina Garten. Hers takes some egg to give the bread more structure. I utilized egg whites to make the bread a little lighter as well.
- Baking staples: Butter, salt.
How to Make Keto Irish Soda Bread
- Sour the cream: Combine the cream and vinegar together and set aside.
- Whisk the dry ingredients: Whisk together the almond flour, protein powder, sweetener, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. Grate in the cold butter, then stir in the dried cranberries.
- Add the wet ingredients: Stir in the cream mixture and egg whites until the dough comes together.
- Shape the loaf: Transfer the dough a large baking sheet lined with a silicone mat. With wet hands, form into a high, round loaf. Brush with the melted butter. Use a sharp knife to cut a large X in the top of the loaf.
- Bake the bread: Bake 20 minutes at 325ºF, then turn off the oven and let sit inside for another 30 to 40 minutes.
- Let cool completely: Keto Irish Soda Bread is very fragile when it first comes out of the oven so let it cool completely to firm up.
Tips for Success
Make sure the butter is very cold so you can grate it into the dry ingredients. I love this trick for distributing cold butter throughout dough. I used it in my keto apple scones too, and it gives a more flaky consistency.
Chop the dried cranberries: If you decide to use them, it’s best to chop them up more finely. This gives better distribution throughout the bread, and makes it less likely to tear when you cut into it.
If the dough is very wet, work in some more almond flour or a bit of coconut flour. Some people have had trouble with the center not cooking through, or the bread spreading out too much. This usually means you didn’t have enough flour to offset the wet ingredients.
More Keto Bread Recipes to Try!
Keto Irish Soda Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (119 g) cream
- 1 1/2 tbsp (1.5 tbsp) apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups (224 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (27 g) unflavoured whey protein powder, (or egg white protein powder)
- 3 tbsp Swerve Brown
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter, chilled
- 1/3 cup (40.4 g) sugar-free dried cranberries, chopped (optional)
- 2 large (2) egg whites
- 1 tbsp melted butter , to brush the top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat.
- In a small bowl, combine the cream and vinegar. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, protein powder, sweetener, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Grate the cold butter into the dry ingredients and stir to distribute. Stir in the dried cranberries, if using.
- Stir in the cream mixture and the egg whites until well combined. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. With wet hands, form into a high, round loaf. Brush all over with the melted butter.
- Use a sharp knife to cut a large X in the center of the loaf. Place the baking sheet on the second highest rack in the oven and bake 20 minutes, until the outside is turning golden brown.
- Turn off the oven and let the bread sit inside until the top is firm to the touch and not spongy, another 30 to 40 minutes.
- Remove and let cool completely before cutting into slices.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Coconut flour would require changing the entire recipe, so I recommend using sunflower seed flour instead. You can use it 1:1 to replace the almond flour.
This Keto Irish Soda Bread does not rely on the sweetener for consistency so you can change the sweetener. Do keep in mind that allulose will make it darken much faster and the outside may almost taste burnt. You can also leave out the sweetener entirely, if you prefer.
This bread is great with anything! I like mine lightly toasted with a little butter. It’s only mildly sweet so it also goes well with soups and stews.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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My husband likes this better than the non keto Irish soda bread I used to make!
I make this EVERY year, along with Ina Garten’s version for my non keto/low carb friends, and yours is always the one I get the most compliments on. This year I am making baby soda breads in my giant muffin pan just to try something different for our St Patrick’s Day feast!
Let me know how it turns out!
this is one of my favorite recipes! eaten by keto and non keto peeps!
What would you adjust for 5200 feet altitude?
No idea! But you can look up the adjustments for regular baking and use those.
I made this bread. Both my partner and I loved it. The only issue I had was it didn’t rise and spread out quite a bit. Can I bake this in a silicon round bakeware dish or a corning ware casserole dish?
That usually means you didn’t have quite enough flour.
I followed the recipe exactly. The taste was good, however, it wasstill not cooked in the center – even after an additional 20 minutes. The dough was very moist, should I have added additional almond flour? Your website is super and my go-to!
I wish I knew what the issue was, since as you can see from the reviews, it works well for most people.
Thank you, I am going to try it again. I baked it on convection, I will use “bake” this time.
This was recipe for Irish Soda Bread is fantastic! I’m making it for the second time today and will make at least 2 loaves this time. My husband especially like this recipe (he doesn’t like KETO) and asked for it again as well as telling everyone how great this bread was!
this was so easy and delicious! I Even forgot the coconut flour. tnk you!
Was generally pretty pleased with what I baked. But, it seemed a bit wet on the inside still; even though I have it 10 more minutes of the oven with the thermostat turned on, and even a few more during the wait period.
Might give it more heat next time to se if that helps.
Made this for my son for his birthday and it was a smash hit! I think it will end up being a birthday tradition from now on haha. I did learn one thing that I did not know….you CANNOT buy fresh cranberries at your grocery year round!! So, Carolyn if I buy and dry a year’s worth of cranberries, how long would they keep in the freezer OR can I buy and dry frozen cranberries……Keep the recipe hits coming….next up is Keto Cannolis!!
Can the Protein Powder be omitted? Does it serve another purpose besides adding protein?
Please read the blog post as I discuss why I use protein powder.
Oh Carolyn,
You have outdone yourself with this. It is wonderful toasted with butter and a steaming hot cup of coffee. I love the texture and that delightful burst of flavor when you bite into a dried cranbarry. It would also be great for an afternoon snack. Next time I just MAY add half a cup of chopped walnuts or pecans….This is a top rated recipe!!!
This turned out soooo delicious!!! I’ve never made this kind of bread before and it was a hit! Absolute perfection, thank you!!!!
Is it possible to use whey protein isolate instead of whey protein powder?
Yes, that works!
can you make it vegan in some way?
This bread won’t work without eggs.
Hi Carolyn, I’m going to try coconut cream in place of heavy cream as suggested. Which would you recommend replacing the butter with – ghee, refined coconut oil or maybe Miyokos? Thank you!
Probably ghee.