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    Home » Savory Breads and Biscuits

    Vegan Soda Bread

    Published: May 5, 2021 Updated: Jun 28, 2021 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Vegan Soda Bread

    This vegan soda bread is soft and delicious and one of the easiest breads you’ll ever make. There is no kneading or yeast required, and it’s ready in 45 minutes!

    Vegan soda bread loaf with three slices cut.

    This vegan soda bread is our new favorite homemade bread recipe because it is so easy it’s crazy.

    And I’m used to making crazy easy, no-knead recipes like our whole wheat bread and our easiest vegan white bread recipes, but even I was shocked at how easy it is to make this Irish soda bread.

    It doesn’t even need any yeast!

    It’s called soda bread because of the presence of baking soda, and it’s the baking soda, mixed with some homemade vegan buttermilk, that creates the perfect rise and a gorgeous soft loaf of bread with a delicious crispy crust.

    You will love everything about this bread. And eating it warm from the oven topped with heaps of vegan butter makes the whole bread making experience a total joy and pleasure.

    Ingredients You Need:

    Photo of the ingredients needed to make vegan soda bread.

    Ingredient Notes

    • Vegan butter – you can use any brand of vegan butter or a homemade vegan butter. I haven’t tested it with coconut oil but I think that would work well too.
    • White granulated sugar – is just to create a really good balance of flavors in this bread. It doesn’t taste sweet at all. Nonetheless if you’re eating sugar free you can omit the sugar.
    • Vegan buttermilk – we use a homemade vegan buttermilk in this recipe which is just a simple mix of lemon juice and soy milk. There are full instructions for how to make it in the recipe card. You can also use almond milk and lemon juice to make vegan buttermilk.
    • Baking soda – this is called bicarbonate of soda in some parts of the world. This is the crucial ingredient in this recipe (soda bread) so it can’t be substituted.
    Vegan soda bread loaf with slices cut.

    How To Make Vegan Soda Bread

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    • Add all purpose flour, white granulated sugar, baking soda and salt to a mixing bowl and whisk together until mixed.
    Two photo collage showing dry ingredients added to mixing bowl and mixed together.
    • Add vegan butter and mix it into the flour with your fingers until crumbly.
    Two photo collage showing vegan butter added to mixing bowl and mixed in by hand until crumbly.
    • Prepare your vegan buttermilk by adding 1 and ½ tablespoons of lemon juice to a measuring jug and adding soy milk up to the 1 and ½ cup (360ml) line. Leave it for a minute to curdle into buttermilk.
    • Add the buttermilk to your mixing bowl and mix in with a spoon until it starts sticking together and forming into a shaggy dough.
    Two photo collage showing vegan buttermilk added to mixing bowl and mixed into a shaggy dough.
    • Flour a surface and your hands and pour the shaggy dough and any flour bits that didn’t incorporate properly onto your floured surface and use your hands to form the dough into a ball.
    Two photo collage showing flouring a surface and hands and gently forming the dough.
    • Gradually flatten the dough into a flat round disc shape. If it’s still a little shaggy that’s fine. It’s important that in this process of shaping the dough you only knead it a maximum of 8-10 times.
    Two photo collage showing shaping the dough into a flat disc shape.
    • Place the flat round disc of dough onto a parchment lined baking tray. Take a sharp knife and cut a deep X into the top of the dough.
    Two photo collage showing cutting diagonal lines into the dough on a baking tray.
    • Bake at 425°F for 35 minutes until golden brown.
    Two photo collage of the baked vegan soda bread.

    Recipe Tips

    Use the right amount of flour. If you’re measuring with cups then the best method is to use the spoon and level method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop the flour or pack it into the cup. If you have a food scale then simply weigh your flour for the most accurate results.

    Don’t knead it too much. If you knead your dough too much it will make the bread tough. You want to knead it a maximum of 8-10 times in the process of forming your dough into a disc shape before baking.

    Loaf of vegan soda bread with slices cut.

    Serving Vegan Irish Soda Bread

    This bread is wonderful served with vegan butter and jam or topped with peanut butter or cashew butter or almond butter.

    Of course it’s also wonderful as a side alongside a delicious vegan soup like vegan tomato soup or vegan mushroom soup or a hearty vegan stew or potato curry.

    Slices of vegan soda bread in a stack.

    Storing and Freezing

    Keep the bread in a covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days. It’s best on the day of baking, but makes good toast on days 2 and 3.

    It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. You can freeze the whole loaf or the individual slices. Let the bread cool completely before freezing and then freeze it on the day of baking to lock in freshness.

    Slices of vegan soda bread in a stack.

    More Vegan Bread Recipes

    1. Whole Wheat Bread
    2. Vegan White Bread
    3. Vegan Naan
    4. Vegan Cornbread
    5. Vegan Focaccia
    6. Vegan Beer Bread

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Vegan soda bread loaf with three slices cut.

    Vegan Soda Bread

    This vegan soda bread is soft and delicious and one of the easiest breads you’ll ever make. There is no kneading or yeast required, and it’s ready in 45 minutes!
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: How To, Savory, Side
    Cuisine: Irish, Vegan
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 35 minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 174kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    • 3 ½ cups All Purpose Flour (437g)
    • 3 Tbsp White Granulated Sugar
    • 1 tsp Baking Soda
    • 1 ½ tsp Salt
    • 2 Tbsp Vegan Butter (30g) Cold
    • 1 ½ cups Vegan Buttermilk (360ml) Lemon Juice + Soy Milk
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). 
    • Add all purpose flour, white granulated sugar, baking soda and salt to a mixing bowl and whisk together until mixed. 
    • Add vegan butter and mix it into the flour with your fingers until crumbly. 
    • Prepare your vegan buttermilk by adding 1 and ½ tablespoons of lemon juice to a measuring jug and adding soy milk up to the 1 and ½ cup (360ml) line. Leave it for a minute to curdle into buttermilk. 
    • Add the buttermilk to the dry ingredients in your mixing bowl and mix in with a spoon until it starts sticking together and forming into a shaggy dough. 
    • Flour a surface and your hands and pour the shaggy dough and any flour bits that didn’t incorporate properly onto your floured surface and use your hands to form the dough into a ball. 
    • Gradually flatten the dough into a flat round disc shape. If it’s still a little shaggy that’s fine. It’s important that in this process of shaping the dough you only knead it a maximum of 8-10 times. 
    • Place the flat round disc of dough onto a parchment lined baking tray. Take a sharp knife and cut a deep X into the top of the dough. 
    • Bake for 35 minutes until golden brown. 

    Notes

    1. Use the right amount of flour. If you’re measuring with cups then the best method is to use the spoon and level method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop the flour or pack it into the cup. If you have a food scale then simply weigh your flour for the most accurate results. 
    2. White granulated sugar – can be omitted if you prefer. It’s just to create a really good balance of flavors and doesn’t taste sweet at all. Nonetheless if you’re eating sugar free you can omit it. 
    3. Vegan buttermilk – you can also use almond milk to make the vegan buttermilk. 
    4. Don’t knead it too much. If you knead your dough too much it will make the bread tough. You want to knead it a maximum of 8-10 times in the process of forming your dough into a disc shape before baking. 
    5. Storing and Freezing. Keep the bread in a covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days. It’s best on the day of baking, but makes good toast on days 2 and 3. It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. You can freeze the whole loaf or the individual slices. Let the bread cool completely before freezing and then freeze it on the day of baking to lock in freshness. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Slice | Calories: 174kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 4.7g | Fat: 2.8g | Saturated Fat: 0.7g | Sodium: 452mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 3.2g
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Carly says

      March 17, 2022 at 9:27 pm

      I just made this with almond milk and it came out great. I had to sub traditional butter since I did not have vegan butter – I know that’s not the point of this blog, but am noting in case it’s helpful to anyone else like me. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 18, 2022 at 8:22 am

        So glad it was a success Carly! Thanks so much for sharing!

        Reply
    2. Jeannie says

      October 18, 2021 at 10:35 am

      Hi there 🙃 can a gluten free flour be substituted? Thanks, I hope so!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 18, 2021 at 1:56 pm

        Hi Jeannie, I haven’t tested it, but it should work with a gluten-free all purpose baking blend.

        Reply
    3. Elaine Mooney says

      May 05, 2021 at 4:10 pm

      Hi. Can you make this with strong bread flour?5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 05, 2021 at 4:15 pm

        Hi Elaine, I haven’t tested that but I think so!

        Reply
        • Elaine Mooney says

          May 05, 2021 at 5:13 pm

          Thank you Alison. I’ll give it a go tomorrow and let you know how it turns out xx5 stars

          Reply
          • Elaine Mooney says

            May 07, 2021 at 2:22 pm

            I used bread flour, as I’d run out of plain, and oat milk instead of soya, and sprinkled oats on the top. It is the easiest bread I’ve ever made, and it tastes wonderful! Was supposed to go with tonight’s tea of vegan mushroom soup, but we ate most of it last night ???? will definitely be making this again x5 stars

        • Elaine Mooney says

          May 06, 2021 at 3:16 pm

          Hello! I’ve made the loaf with the strong bread flour and it’s amazing! xx5 stars

          Reply
          • Alison Andrews says

            May 07, 2021 at 9:55 am

            Awesome! Thanks so much for updating us! 🙂

    4. ANN MONERASINGHE says

      May 05, 2021 at 4:07 pm

      Can this be made with wholemeal flour? I cannot eat white flour.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 05, 2021 at 4:15 pm

        I haven’t tested that but I think it would probably work!

        Reply
      • Anne says

        May 08, 2021 at 9:26 am

        Wholemeal is used to make brown soda bread

        Reply

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