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.
Joi Thomas
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
That sounds like a great idea!!!
Angie
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!
Karen
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
That's a great idea! Will you share with us how it went if you try?
Barsco
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
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
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
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.
Isa
I have IBS and all seeds upset my stomach so I ground up the chia seeds as well as the sunflower seeds, no upset stomach. It really is a perfect loaf so thank you for the recipe
Katrin
That's a good tip. Thank you for sharing!
DONNA D GLASS
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
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
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.
Ana
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
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
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
I'm glad you're liking the bread!!
Helene Caliguari
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
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
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
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.