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!
Sandra: "This is the first low carb bread that tastes great and is like actual bread. I love it."⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Since I first published this recipe in August 2018, this bread has become a firm reader favourite with hundreds of five-star reviews like the one above.
Together with my almond flour bread, it is one of the most popular recipes on my website.
I am so happy with this bread - it might just be my personal all time favourite. The texture reminds me of whole-wheat bread. It is soft, with a tender crunch in the crust.
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Can you eat bread on a low carb diet?
Yes! As long as it is a grain-free, low-carb bread like this one.
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, in which he explains in detail why we should ditch wheat and other grains - it's an eye-opener.
The good news is, there are plenty of bread recipes using grain free flours. These will not spike your insulin levels the way regular bread does AND they taste absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
Let's talk ingredients! Here is what you need to make a delicious keto-friendly bread that does not taste eggy at all.
Quark - The Secret Ingredient
The secret ingredient in this low carb bread recipe is quark. This German cooking cheese is made by heating soured milk until it curdles.
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.
- Quark makes this recipe also less heavy than other grain free bread recipes, because we use it in place of fats such as butter or coconut oil. As almond flour contains plenty of healthy fats ALREADY, you still get that lovely low carb long-term energy boost.
If you have difficulties sourcing it, replace the quark with Greek yoghurt. This will alter the taste slightly, but it would still work well.
Other Ingredients Needed
- Eggs. The eggs should be large and room temperature. This helps the bread rise better.
- Almond flour and coconut flour. 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.
- Psyllium husk provides an extra dose of fibre, which we all need for well-functioning digestion. It gives the bread more substance and that whole-wheat taste. Check what kind of psyllium you have - if you want to use psyllium powder, use only 1 ½ tablespoons as opposed to the 3 tablespoons stated for the crushed husks.
- Chia seeds. You can use black or white chia, whichever you can get hold of. These awesome superfood seeds are not only packed with nutrients, but they also act as a binder. That's why you only need 3 eggs for this bread. Other low-carb bread recipes use as many as six eggs. Fewer eggs = zero eggy taste!!!
- In addition to the above, we're using baking powder, a pinch of salt and sunflower seeds. The sunflower seeds are optional. Any other seeds would work just as well - sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds, for example.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Instructions
Below are the basic steps to make this bread. Scroll down to the recipe card for a detailed method.
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, blend the eggs and quark with an electric mixer until smooth.
Step 2: Add the almond flour or ground almonds, coconut flour, baking powder and salt. Blend until fully combined.
Step 3: Add the chia seeds and psyllium husks. Add the optional sunflower seeds if you're using them.
Step 4: 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 more sunflower seeds over the top.
Step 5: Bake the bread for around 45 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a knife inserted comes out clean.
Let the bread cool fully before slicing. It is fragile while hot and firms up as it cools.
Katrin's Top Tip
I used a small loaf tin (18 x 9 cm / 7 x 3.5 inch) with a volume of 450 ml. 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.
Variations
Super-fluffy bread: For an even fluffier and lighter bread, separate the eggs. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then fold them in last.
Dairy-free: A reader has told me that she used silken tofu instead of the quark and it worked a treat. Almond or coconut yogurt also works as a dairy-free alternative to quark and yogurt - although I have not yet tried it myself in this recipe.
More Quark alternatives: Many of my readers use Greek yogurt instead of quark. Another high protein option is blended cottage cheese. Drain all liquid before blending it!
No psyllium husk: Use ground flaxseed instead.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. If you want to use a full-size loaf tin, double the recipe and increase the oven time by around 15 minutes.
Yes. Let the dough rest until the chia and psyllium have absorbed all moisture before you handle the dough! Form 6 bread rolls with wet hands and put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Or portion the dough with a spoon to make drop biscuits. Bake them at the same temperature for about 35 minutes.
I have never used a bread machine, but readers have told me that they mix the dough beforehand and then use the quick bake setting of their bread machine.
Storage
Store the bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Can you freeze this bread?
Absolutely! I like to pre-slice my loaves and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Layre parchment paper between the slices so they don't stick together.
Then, I pop each slice straight from the freezer in the toaster. This is meal planning the German way - we were brought up on bread and I just NEED to know I can have a sandwich when I feel like one!
Ready to try out more keto bread?
I have plenty of coconut and almond flour bread recipes on the blog. Check out my rustic Paleo bread with seeds, this soft fluffy flaxseed bread or this lusciously chewy-crunchy low carb garlic bread.
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Recipe
Everyday Low Carb Bread
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup quark 250g, (use Greek yoghurt as an alternative)
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup almond flour 100g, or ground almonds
- 2 tablespoon coconut flour 12g
- 3 tablespoon psyllium husks 18g, 1.5 tbsp if using psyllium husk powder)
- 3 tablespoon chia seeds 30g
- ½ tablespoon baking powder 6g
- ½ tsp / large pinch salt
- 2 tablespoon sunflower seeds optional, 15g
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.
Joyce Van der meer
Love this bread!!! Finally a bread I love this is fantastic, many thanks again, made today with some of your lemoncurd ontop, just wow!!!!! I made it with Greek yoghurt and it worked amazingly
Terry Gregory
Love your bread. I usually make it with Sunflower Seeds but when I went to the grocers the other day I picked up Sunflower Kernals instead. I like your bread with or without the Sunflower seeds but prefer to follow the original recipe when I can.
Can I use the Kerals instead of the seeds?
Katrin Nürnberger
You could replace the sunflower seeds with pretty much anything you like 🙂
Karen
This is a wonderful bread -- the taste, the way it handles - (I love how neatly it slices, and the sturdiness of the slices) - and I really appreciate how quickly and easily it comes together. Thanks!
Ollie
Loved this recipe. Thanks so much. I used Greek yoghurt and separated the eggs - folding in the beaten whites as a last step. It was lighter than I expected given the comments. Would extra baking powder give me a taller slice or would it kill the lovely flavour?
Katrin Nürnberger
You could use up to 2 tsp (not tbsp) in total. I would not use any more for this amount of dough. Glad you like the recipe!
Ollie
Thanks for the reply. I think I’ll leave it as is next time. The more I’ve eaten it, the more I realise it really does not need any changes at all. It’s a really enjoyable bread both fresh and toasted.
Mimi
This bread tastes absolutely awesome with almost a sourdough after-taste! Thank you for sharing this recipe! I normally buy a pre-made keto type bread but this bread tastes so nice, I will put time aside to make it instead! I did not have quark so I used a combination of crème fraîche and sour cream. Result was a bit more soggy I suppose than what it is meant to be but a nice substitution for the absence of quark. I think if I had upped the phyllium powder to 2 tbsp it would have come out perfect. So cannot wait to try it with quark (Waitrose sells quark too)! Thank you again!
Cherie
Is the carb amount for 1 or 2 slices? Thank you
Katrin Nürnberger
Its for 1 slice.
David Briscoe
Just made this for the first time. In fact, it's the first loaf of bread I've EVER made. Good to see it rise in the oven. As it's the first time I've made bread, I must have done something wrong as the loaf was quite soggy. Maybe the oven wasn't hot enough, or maybe I didn't let it stand long enough (or for TOO long) before putting it in the oven. Not sure what i did wrong. Anyway, I'll keep trying. Thanks.
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi David, just put the loaf in the oven for longer. Always check by inserting a knife or a skewer into your cakes or breads before you remove them from the oven altogether. That way you can make sure the inside is done. All ovens are different, and even altitude can affect baking times. Anyway, congrats on your first bread. I am sure the next one will be perfect!
Snehaa
This recipe looks like the winner out of all the recipes I found online. Can’t wait to try it. I do have a question though, what is the recommended fat percentage for the Greek yogurt? And how should I balance the texture should I wish to add more fiber (husk)?
Katrin Nürnberger
I would choose a full fat Greek yoghurt. They are about 5g fat per 100g.
Katherine Whiteing
Really impressed with this loaf. I did not use psyllium, couldn’t find any, so I used corn starch instead. Also only used 2 eggs and one egg white, no taste of egg. Turned out great! Thank you so much.
Dudet G
Hi can i use plain yogurt ? I have no quark or Greek yogurt available.
Thanks !
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, full fat plain yoghurt should be just fine.
Kerstey
I just made this and it looks great but I cut into it and it appears to be a bit darker and the texture is a bit eggier than I'd have liked. I'm not sure if I did something wrong.
Katrin Nürnberger
Regarding the colour, I’m not sure what the reason could be. In terms of the egg taste, you could always only use egg whites. The taste of the egg is entirely in the yolk. Hope this helps!
Anna
Some brands of Phsylium flakes make the end product brown or purple. It’s totally fine though.
Joanne Engel
Is there a dairy free substitute for Quark? I can't handle dairy
Katrin Nürnberger
You could use coconut or almond yoghurt.