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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Irish Soda Bread Muffins

    Published: Mar 16, 2018 · Updated: Mar 15, 2022 by Natalie · 55 Comments

    These Irish Soda Bread Muffins are such a delicious treat. Bursting with tiny sweet raisins and a hint of caraway seeds, these muffins are just beautiful. They are easy to make and best served warm. A perfect offering for St. Patrick's Day.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients used
    • How to make Irish Soda Bread Muffins
    • Substitutions
    • Tips for storing
    • Recipe tips
    • Recipe variations
    • 📖 Recipe
    • More recipes to try
    • 💬 Comments
    Irish Soda Bread Muffins PIN

    We love to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in our house, altho we don't have any Irish roots. What to say... It's a fun festival, cheerful, full of positive energy. Also, Irish food is amazing and desserts are so delicious and fun.

    Every year we decorate the house with lucky charms and shamrocks. Our dinner table is full of traditional Irish food and green-themed desserts. And drinking beer is a part of it.

    Last year Guinness Brownies were a huge hit. But there's one dessert that I make every year. It became a symbol of our themed dinner party - Irish Soda Bread Muffins.

    This traditional Irish soda bread muffin recipe is super simple, easy to make in one bowl. It features wholesome ingredients and it's made without unhealthy sugars. It's beyond delicious - sweet, full of sweet raisins, and flavored with caraway seeds. Delicious!

    Ingredients used

    This recipe is simple and you'll need only a few pantry ingredients:

    Irish Soda Bread Muffins ingredients
    • Whole grain flour. I use it all the time for baking. It's a healthier, more nutritious option than all-purpose flour. Whole grain flour is packed with fibers and makes desserts more nutritious. In this recipe, I used whole grain Spelt flour but you can use wheat whole grain flour here. It also gave a quite rustic taste.
    • Baking soda.
    • Butter. I used grass-fed organic unsalted.
    • Buttermilk. You can use yogurt or sour cream.
    • Sweetener. I used maple syrup, but you can use honey here.

    What makes these muffins so special are added sweet raisins and caraway seeds. Other ingredients you'll need:

    • Egg.
    • Pinch of salt.
    • Baking powder.
    Irish Soda Bread Muffins placed on a table

    How to make Irish Soda Bread Muffins

    This whole grain soda bread muffin recipe is quite easy. Preparation takes no more than 5 minutes. The rest is baking time, and for that, you will only need patience.

    Equipment used

    • Measuring cups.
    • Mixing bowls.
    • Whisk.
    • Spatula.
    • 12-cup muffin tin.
    • Muffin liners.

    Step by step instructions

    • Step 1: Prepare the ingredients.
      • Start with preparing and measuring all the ingredients. Use measuring cups.
      • Melt the butter in microweavel and let it cool on a room temperature.
      • Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
      • Spray the muffin pan with cooking spray or line with muffin liners.
    • Step 2: Mix dry ingredinets.
      • In a medium bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and soda.
      • Use the spoon or a whisk. Set aside.
    • Step 3: Mix wet ingredients.
      • In a separate large bowl whisk the egg with butter, maple syrup and buttermilk.
      • Mix everything using the whisk until you get nice sticky mixture.  
    • Step 4: Assemble and bake.
      • Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Stir the batter using a spatula. Don't overmix the batter.
      • Add in raisins and caraway seeds. Fold everything together gently.
      • Spoon the batter into muffin liners, filling them ¾ full. Optional: lightly sprinkle with cinnamon and coconut sugar. 
      • Pop the muffins into the preheated, and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
    Irish Soda Bread Muffins on a table

    Substitutions

    • You can substitute Spelt flour with any whole grain flour. Or use plain/all-purpose flour if you prefer. Substitute at a 1:1 ratio.
    • You can substitute maple syrup with honey. See "Recipe tips" for more suggestions.
    • You can substitute butter with coconut oil with avocado oil. Substitute at a 1:1 ratio.
    • You can use raisins or substitute them with currants.

    Tips for storing

    • Counter: Once muffins are completely cooled, store them in an airtight container and keep them on the counter for up to 3 – 4 days.
    • Refrigerator: Muffins will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator, in an airtight container.
    • How to freeze? Place the muffins in a zip-lock bag. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw on room temperature.
    • Muffins can be warmed in the microwave. Be careful not to overheat them.
    Irish Soda Bread Muffins stacked on a plate

    Recipe tips

    • When folding the batter, use the spatula and don't over-mix it. You need to have air bubbles in the batter. They make a lighter muffins.
    • To check whether muffins are done, insert a skewer or toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs on it, they are ready to come out of the oven.
    • Make sure you use eggs at room temperature. Pull them out of the fridge before baking so they can rest for a bit. Or run the eggs under warm water to speed this process or set them in a bowl of warm water.
    • If using salted butter, omit adding salt.
    • If substituting coconut oil with salted butter, omit adding salt.

    Sweetener recommendation

    • You can use honey or maple syrup. Make sure you use honey in liquid form, not solid form.
    • Date syrup or molasses are great options too. Note that they can make muffins darker in color. That's perfectly ok.
    • Use stevia or any low-carb sweetener for low-calorie.

    How to make buttermilk at home

    To make buttermilk at home, add 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice into 1 cup of plain cow's milk. Stir, then let stand 5 minutes. Use for baking. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

    Recipe variations

    • Make it gluten-free: Substitute whole-grain flour with any gluten-free flour.
    • Make it vegan: Use chia of flax seed egg. Use vegan butter and vegan buttermilk.
    Hand holding Soda Bread Muffin

    📖 Recipe

    Irish Soda Bread Muffins featured image

    Irish Soda Bread Muffins

    By Natalie
    These Irish Soda Bread Muffins are such a delicious treat. Bursting with tiny sweet raisins and a hint of caraway seeds, these muffins are just beautiful. They are easy to make and best served warm. A perfect offering for St. Patrick's Day.
    5 from 78 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Breakfast, Dessert
    Cuisine American, British, Irish
    Servings 12 muffins
    Calories 210 kcal

    Equipment

    • Measuring cups
    • Mixing bowls
    • Whisk
    • Flexible silicone spatula
    • 12-cup muffin tin
    • Muffin liners

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 ¾ cup whole grain flour
    • 2 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 cup buttermilk yogurt, or sour cream
    • ½ cup pure maple syrup
    • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
    • 1 cup raisins or currants
    • 2 teaspoon caraway seeds
    • pinch of salt

    Instructions
     

    • Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Spray the insides of the muffin pan with cooking spray or line it with muffin liners.
    • In a medium bowl, mix together dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
    • In a seperate large bowl whisk the egg with butter, maple syrup and buttermilk. Mix everything using the whisk until you get nice sticky mixture. 
    • Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Stir the batter using a spatula. Don't overmix the batter.
    • Fold in the raisins and caraway seeds.
    • Spoon the batter into muffin liners, filling them ¾ full. Optional: lightly sprinkle with cinnamon and coconut sugar.
    • Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
    • Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a baking rack.
    • Serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    As a measure, I used a US cup (240ml). 
    Substitutions
    • You can substitute Spelt flour with any whole grain flour. Or use plain/all-purpose flour if you prefer. Substitute at a 1:1 ratio.
    • You can substitute maple syrup with honey. 
    • You can substitute butter with coconut oil or avocado oil. Substitute at a 1:1 ratio.
    • You can use raisins or substitute them with currants.
    Tips for storing
    • Counter: Once muffins are completely cooled, store them in an airtight container and keep them on the counter for up to 3 – 4 days.
    • Refrigerator: Muffins will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week, in an airtight container.
    • How to freeze? Place the muffins in a zip-lock bag. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw on room temperature.
    • Muffins can be warmed in the microwave. Be careful not to overheat them.
    To make buttermilk at home, add 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice into 1 cup of plain cow's milk. Stir, then let stand 5 minutes. Use for baking. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 210kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 136mg | Potassium: 324mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 170IU | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 1.4mg
    Keyword healthy irish soda muffins, healthy soda bread muffins, healthy soda muffins, Irish soda bread muffins, Irish soda muffins
    Tried this recipe?Don’t forget to rate it and leave the comment. I would love to hear what you think.
    DisclaimerThe nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but I have endeavored to be as accurate as possible.

    More recipes to try

    • Guinness Chocolate Cake
    • Shamrock Protein Shake
    • Guinness Brownies
    • Matcha Pancakes

    This post is originally published in March 2018. It's updated with new information and republished in March 2022. The recipe remained the same.

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    About Natalie

    Natalie Knezic is a writer, recipe developer, and creator of Natalie's Health. She's also a certified nutrition coach and weight loss specialist. She actively coaches, creates recipes and writes about a healthy lifestyle. Her recipes and articles have been featured in many popular media outlets, like Shape, Greatist, Pure Wow, Mashed, The Huffington Post, ELLE Magazine, and many more.

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    Comments

    1. Moop Brown says

      March 21, 2022 at 9:33 am

      These muffins look really tasty and seem super festive for St. Patrick's Day as well.

      Reply
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