This chia almond low carb bread recipe has a texture just like whole-wheat bread and can be baked as a loaf or as rolls. A perfect everyday grain free bread, this easy recipe is gluten free, Keto and delicious with sweet and savoury toppings. No eggy taste!
Bread. Do you love it as much as I do?
When I first went low carb, I thought I had to give up bread forever as grains are off the menu. Wheat and other grains contain easy-to-digest carbohydrates that the body converts into glucose (=sugar). Eating grains provides a short term energy boost and will spike your blood sugar – whether you choose a white loaf or a “healthy” whole-wheat one. Shortly after, your insulin levels plummet and you’ll feel hungry again.
As Dr Willam Davis writes, 2 slices of whole-wheat bread raise blood sugar higher than 6 teaspoons of table sugar. Read his book Wheat Belly, which explains in detail why we should ditch wheat and other grains – it’s an eye-opener.
So much for the bad news about bread. The good news is, there are plenty of low carb bread recipes using grain free flours. These will not spike your insulin levels AND they taste absolutely delicious.
I am so happy with this almond flour bread – it might just be my all time favourite. The texture reminds me of a whole-wheat bread. It’s soft, with a tender crunch in the crust.
The secret ingredient in this recipe is quark.
What is quark?
Quark is a German cooking cheese, which is made by heating soured milk until it curdles. It is available in larger supermarkets in the UK and Northern Europe. In the US you can get it online or in delis/natural food stores.
Why does quark work so well in this recipe?
Recipes using almond flour can result in a crumbly, dry texture because of the lack of gluten. The quark makes up for this and gives this low carb loaf a wonderfully moist bread-like texture.
Any other benefits?
Yes! Quark makes this recipe also less heavy than other low carb bread recipes, because you use it in place of fats such as butter or coconut oil. With almond flour or almond meal containing plenty of healthy fats on its own, you still get that lovely low carb long-term energy boost.
If you have difficulties sourcing it, you can replace the quark with Greek yoghurt. This will alter the taste slightly, but it would still work well.
Expert tips to make the perfect chia almond low carb bread:
You can use black or white chia, whichever you can get hold of. These awesome superfood seeds are not only packed with nutrients, they also act as a binder. That’s why you only need 3 eggs for this bread. Other recipe use as many as six eggs. Less eggs = zero eggy taste!!!
Psyllium husk provides an extra dose of fibre, which we all need for a well-functioning digestion. It gives the bread more substance and that whole-wheat taste. Check what kind pf psyllium you have – if you want to use psyllium powder, use only 1 1/2 tbsp as opposed to the 3 tbsp stated for the crushed husks.
Both almond flour and almond meal (or ground almonds) work in this recipe. The added coconut flour further improves the bread-like texture and taste.
Important!! I used a small loaf tin (18 x 9 cm / 7 x 3.5 inch) like this one (450ml volume) – it is about half the size of regular loaf tins. Low carb breads tend to be extremely filling as they are nutrient-dense, that’s why this smaller size is just perfect. If you want to use a full-size loaf tin, you would need to double the recipe and increase the oven time by probably around 15 minutes or so.
If you do not have a small loaf tin and don’t want to double the recipe, you can make Keto rolls instead of almond bread. Let the dough rest until the chia and psyllium have absorbed all moisture before you attempt to handle the dough!
Can you freeze this bread?
Absolutely! I like to pre-slice my loaves and pop each slice straight from the freezer in the toaster.
The sunflower seeds are optional. Any other seeds would work just as well – sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds, for example.
Ready to try out some more low carb bread?
I have plenty of coconut and almond flour bread recipes on the blog. Check out my rustic Paleo bread with seeds, this flaxseed bread with coconut flour or this lusciously chewy-crunchy low carb garlic bread.
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Chia Almond Low Carb Bread
This chia almond bread recipe has a texture just like whole-wheat bread and can be baked as an easy-to-slice loaf or as rolls. A perfect everyday low carb bread, this recipe is gluten free, Keto and delicious with sweet and savoury toppings. No eggy taste!
Ingredients
- 250 g / 1 cup quark (use Greek yoghurt as an alternative)
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup / 100g almond flour/meal or ground almonds
- 2 tbsp / 12g coconut flour
- 3 tbsp / 18g psyllium husks 1 1/2 tbsp if using psyllium husk powder)
- 3 tbsp / 30g chia seeds
- 1/2 tbsp / 6g baking powder
- 1/2 tsp / large pinch salt
- 2 tbsp / 15g sunflower seeds optional
Instructions
Line a small loaf tin (450ml capacity) with parchment paper.
In a bowl, mix the eggs and quark with an electric mixer until smooth.
Add the almond flour/ground almonds, coconut flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until fully combined.
Last, add the chia seeds and psyllium husks. Add the sunflower seeds if you're using them.
Fill the dough into the loaf tin and let it rest for 15 minutes so the psyllium and the chia can absorb the liquid. Sprinkle sunflower seeds on the top.
Preheat the oven to 170 Celsius / 340 Fahrenheit.
Bake for around 45 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a knife inserted comes out clean.
Recipe Notes
Quark is a German cooking cheese. If you cannot source it, you can substitute with Greek yoghurt.
I used a small loaf tin (18 x 9 cm / 7 x 3.5 inch) like this one (450ml volume). It is half the size of a full size loaf tin/bread pan. I'm finding it really useful because low carb bread is filling and denser than wheat bread. Less is more 🙂
The sunflower seeds taste good in the bread, but are not necessary for the texture. You can leave them out or replace them with sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds.
Nutrition is calculated per slice on the basis of 12 slices. A portion is 1 - 2 slices, depending on how hungry you are. 2 slices of this bread are VERY filling.
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Deborah says
This is a lovely little bread. I cannot find quark in the US (DC area) where I live so did a mix of 3 oz cream cheese and the balance (by volume) very thick Greek yogurt. Put that in a blender with the eggs and then added that to the flour mix in the bowl. Worked great.
This bread has such a light fluffy texture with a bit of elasticity from the chia/spyllium that might make great burger buns….will try next time using Enligh muffin rings to initially stabilize the sides/base until the rolls start firming up in the oven. Worth a shot.
Katrin says
That’s a great idea Deborah!! The bread WOULD be good as buns.
Carolina says
Hi Katrin,
I made this bread today and am enjoying it. I think it tastes a bit better than your other bread (the almond one). That’s just a subjective judgment though. I think it is because of the strong taste of almond that I need to get used to. Could I maybe substitute some or most of the almond flour in this recipe with coconut flour? What would you suggest?
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes. I’m already deciding what to try out next.
Katrin says
As a rule of thumb, use half the amount of coconut flour if you substitute for almond flour. Coconut flour absorbs more liquid. I have a coconut flour flaxseed bread you might like
Katrin says
As a rule of thumb, use half the amount of coconut flour if you substitute for almond flour. Coconut flour absorbs more liquid. I have a coconut flour flaxseed bread you might like
Joi Thomas says
OMG!!! I added sunflower seeds to to mix && sprinkled the top with TRADER JOE’S EVERYTHING BUT THE BAGEL seasoning & flaxseed tastes like a bagel!!! Thanks so much for this easy and tasty recipe!!
Katrin says
That sounds like a great idea!!!
Angie says
Love this recipe! I doubled it and I’ll have to cook it a bit longer next time because it’s just slightly moist in the middle. How did you calculate the macros for the bread? I included all of my ingredients into my Lose It! App to calculate the macros and the net carbs come out far less. Just checking. Thanks!
Katrin says
Hi Angie, I use the nutrition calculator on the sparkrecipes website. I put in exactly the ingredients I used. What I have found is that nutritional values can differ from product to product, even with items such as coconut flour or almond flour, where you’d think they should be exactly the same. I don’t go crazy over my macros, but it’s good to get an indication where you’re at. I hope this helps 🙂
Karen says
Best keto bread result ever! Love how it stays so firm, I used a cake dish, and now have adorable “mini-bread slices”. I want to try if I can turn them into french toast for dessert
Katrin says
That’s a great idea! Will you share with us how it went if you try?
Barsco says
Tried this yesterday and it is my favourite so bread recipe so far. I used sour cream in place of the quark. I think I might have over mixed as it didn’t rise much but the flavour was fantastic. I am wondering if there is a substitute for the chia seeds as they upset my husbands stomach. Thanks
Katrin says
I think you could try to replace it with ground flaxseed. I haven’t tried this myself, but chia soaks up liquid and expands and so does flax meal.
Barsco says
Thanks – I will give the ground flaxseed a whirl. I am totally impressed with this bread. It is the best (and so easy) low carb recipe that I have tried. Glad I found your site!
Desiree says
Hi
I’m curious about your comment that chia seeds upset your husband’s stomach – as this used to happen to me also. I have IBD but couldn’t tolerate any more than maybe 1tsp max of chia seeds. Then once I started a keto-type diet I found that I could tolerate them as well as stop my medication Just wondered if that might provide any insight to your husband.
DONNA D GLASS says
hi i was reading the recipe and the comments i dont like psyllium husk powder and i c u have chia seeds in the list of ingredients do i need to add more chi seeds if i take that out
Katrin says
I would be more inclined to replace with ground flaxseed. I think it’s more similar in consistency. Or maybe try an extra 1 1/2 tbsp of GROUND chia seeds.
Sophia Ripley says
This bread is really delicious…..all your recipes I’ve tried thus far have been amazing! The Fathead dough bagels were incredible and the peanut butter fudge 🙂
I doubled the quantity on this loaf and got an amazing rise!!
Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes.
Katrin says
Wonderful to get the thumbs up for 2 recipes in one comment! I’m so glad you like the recipes 🙂
Ana says
Thank you for this wonderful recipe ❤ I made this yesterday and it turned out lovely! I used 2% Greek yogurt. I also subbed some of the almond flour out for hemp flour, just because I had it on hand. Turned out a little more green but still tasty
I wish I knew how to give this more rise! Could baking soda work?
Katrin says
Yes, you could absolutely experiment with that. And make sure your baking powder is fresh. That also makes a difference. It should fizz when you put it in water.
Russ says
I’ve been through a host of low-carb breads and this has shot straight to the top of my list. My only modification is to go with 4 eggs rather than 3, as I was eyeballing the texture when I was combining in the dry ingredients and it felt a little too solid for my tastes.
Thank you for the tip about leaving it to rest before cooking – I’ve used chia and psylium in breads in the past but it never occured to me that they’d need extra time to absorb moisture. I think it’s made all the difference
Katrin says
I’m glad you’re liking the bread!!
Helene Caliguari says
Followed recipe exactly except i used greek yogurt. I used fresh baking powder too. The bread never rose. I may have over beat it. The taste never the less was ver good. I will be careful next time i make it. I won’t rate it just yet but high marks for taste and ease of recipe.
Katrin says
Hi Helene, I hope you’ll try it again. Let me know how you get on next time, trying to keep air in the dough.
Karen says
Just found your website. It’s great!
I’ve just read about concerns using almond flour Too much can not be beneficial health wise. Have you got any views on this and do you regularly eat almond bread?
I have been making another recipe too using full fat cream cheese. Do you think it will work in your bread recipe rather than quark?
Katrin says
I don’t eat almond flour on a daily basis, but I do eat nuts every day. In terms of flour, I use both almond flour and coconut flour. Quark contains less fat than cream cheese, so if you subbed cream cheese for the quark, your bread might end up very heavy. I think substituting with yogurt would work better.
Christine Cort says
Each time I bake with psyllium husk I end up with a really dense, and almost ‘soggy-middle’ end result – even after baking for much longer than advised. I’m really not getting along with it! 🙁 What could I be doing wrong? I can’t work out if I’m over-mixing or not mixing enough – over-cooking or not cooking enough – any suggestions? I don’t have a food processor (i do everything by hand or with an electric whisk) so not sure if that us why? Help!
Katrin says
An electric whisk is absolutely fine for these kind of recipes. I’d say don’t over-mix, so you keep some air in the dough. Another thing you can do is check that your baking powder is fresh! It should fizz when you put it in water. If it’s old, bread and cakes won’t rise as well. Hope this helps 🙂
Deborah Reasoner says
I made this bread last night. My family loved it. We all thought it was amazing. I used Greek yogurt and it was delicious!!
Katrin says
Glad you liked the bread Deborah!
Lara says
Hi mine turned out a little doughy don’t know where I went wrong my first time eating low carb bread so maybe it’s an acquired tadte
Katrin says
Hi Lara, if you felt the bread was too wet it may be your oven – they can vary in temperature. Next time, just leave it in a bit longer, and test with a knife, making sure it comes out clean.
Lara says
Hi Katrin
I made this today with Greek yoghurt and cooked for 48 mins it was perfect and delicious
Katrin says
WOnderful! Glad to hear it went well 🙂
Alison Anderson says
Looking forward to trying this recipe. Would it work if I doubled the recipe and cooked it in a regular sized bread tin? How much longer do you think it would take to cook?
Katrin says
Hi, I’m sure it would work. I‘d leave it in the oven for an extra 20 minutes. You may have to cover the top at the end with aluminium foil to prevent it from burning. Be sure to test it’s done by inserting a knife, it should come out clean
Diane says
Fantastic recipe. So easy and tasty. This will now be a regular for me! Thanks
Katrin says
That’s fantastic! Thank you for your comment – I’m so happy you like it 🙂
Mandy says
I made a lot of GF bread, this definitely has the best texture and so tasty. I used buckwheat flour instead of coconut flour because that’s what I had and added Flax meal and Teff seeds to make it more grainy. This will be my new bread recipe.
Katrin says
I’m glad you found a winner 🙂 Thanks for including your alterations, it’s always interesting to see how a recipe can be adapted.
Joanna says
I am making this bread weekly for my husband, and it’s a huge success. For those who wonder about alternatives to quark, I’ve used thick Greek yogurt and also something called Icelandic yogurt (Skyr) and both work fine. I also use 1 C egg whites from a carton instead of whole eggs, and add 1/2 cup of protein powder, 1/4 cup of oat bran and 1/4 quarter cup of almond milk, in order to fill a regular loaf pan. It rises beautifully and slices really thin!
Katrin says
Thank you for your detailed recipe alteration tips! I’ve been meaning to start using protein powder in recipes so these are great recommendations 🙂
Helen Gregory says
I now use this bread as my go-to bread alternative, baking it 2-3 times a week. It’s delicious, keeps really well in the fridge, tastes great as a sandwich or just as toast with lashings of butter. Brilliant recipe.
Katrin says
Wonderful! I’m really happy you like it 🙂
Wendy says
Can you sub out sour cream for Greek yogurt…I don’t want to run back out to the store
Katrin says
I think that could work too. You’d have a higher fat content. See if it has the same firmness as Greek yoghurt. Maybe use a tiny bit less if it’s really liquid (or increase the baking time accordingly)
Lawren Phillips says
How much fiber and omega 3 does this recipe have? My daughter needs both of these added to her diet..
Katrin says
A serving contains 3.9g of fibre and 0.5 g of omega 3 from the chia seeds.
Ruthie says
Made this on Saturday and it’s AMAZING!!!! A piece of this bread toasted and the Keto/low carb lifestyle is missing NOTHING!!!! Recommended it to my mom (who is not Keto/LC/grain-free/sugar-free) and she made it today and likes it as well. Thank you so much!!!!
Katrin says
Brilliant! I’m glad it was a success. We love this bread 🙂
Tina says
How is the bread stored if not freezing it? Can it be kept in the fridge?
Katrin says
Of course, I’d say you can keep it in the fridge for up to a week. On the counter for a couple of days.
Tina says
I made this and love it, finally a recipe that tastes like bread!
My sister is allergic to coconut, can I leave the coconut flour out or substitute it for something else?
Katrin says
You could try adding double the amount of almond flour (4 tbsp) in place of the coconut flour. Almond flour absorbs less moisture than coconut flour, so you need more of it. I have not tried this myself with this particular bread, but this ratio normally works well when adapting recipes.
Tina says
Thanks Katrin I will give it a try!
Alli says
Hi! I’m excited to try this, what can I substitute the 1 cup of quark or yogurt for? Or can I take it out? I can’t do dairy. THank you
Katrin says
The only other thing I can think of would be coconut yoghurt. In the UK there is a brand called CoYo.
Teresa says
Hi Katrin, thanks for the recipe! Since I live in the Quark country Germany (!), would you recommend using full fat 40%, 20% or Magerquark? Tschüß!
Katrin says
Hi Teresa, I’ve made the recipe with both full fat and with fat free quark (Magerquark). The bread in the photos is made with fat free quark, which is more common here in the UK.
Laura says
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have tried many different types of Keto Bread and this is my absolute favourite. It toasts well and tastes amazing!
Katrin says
That’s so good to hear. I’m happy you like it as much as we do!
Jacklyn says
Hi, if I were to substitute the almond flour for chickpea flour, would I need to change the quantity required for this recipe?
Katrin says
Hello Jacklyn, I have no experience with chickpea flour, so I”m not sure how it would work in this recipe. I’ve heard it absorbs more moisture than almond flour. You’d have to try it out…
Marie says
What can I substitute the quark for. I don’t think I can buy it in the US. ~Thank you.
Katrin says
Hi Marie, there is a company called Vermont creamery that makes quark in the US. You can buy it on Amazon here. As a suitable replacement I would recommend Greek yoghurt
Sherry says
When I make keto farmers bread, I use Farmer’s cheese. It’s wetter than Quark, so I reduce the amount. Publix sells Friendship brand, which is what I use. You might try that.
I’m going to try this recipe next time I need a loaf!
Jen says
I just bought some farmer’s cheese. I’m wondering about using this in place of quark. What do you think?
Katrin says
Hi Jen, I’m not familiar with Farmer’s cheese and just looked it up online. Most of the images suggest that it’s quite firm and in some cases was even sliceable. I think a better substitution would be Greek yoghurt.
Donna says
Sounds awesome, I’ve printed the recipe to try 🙂 I also like the muli-seed bread very much! Question, if I don’t have psyllium, could I sub in extra coconut flour?
Katrin says
Hi Donna, I think flaxseed would be a good alternative. You could try using more coconut flour, but it might alter the texture and make the bread more crumbly. Perhaps using more chia in place of the psyllium could also work.