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.
Jump to:
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.
★ Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!★
★ STAY IN TOUCH on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST and INSTAGRAM for more great food and join my NEWSLETTER for the latest updates.★
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.
Janet
Can you use yeast in this bread to make it rise?
Katrin Nürnberger
You can add a little instant active yeast to the recipe for a yeasty taste. It may also work as a yeast bread, but you will probably have to add inulin as well, like I did in my keto focaccia. I explain everythig about low carb yeast breads in that post.
Pat
I really like this bread, although sometimes it is a bit soggy. Please let me know what I can do to counteract this. I also don’t like the taste of psyllium. I have tried a few brands. Is there another option I could use? Perhaps ground flaxseed. I like that the bread doesn’t use so much almond flour and not so many eggs. All round a great and healthy bread.
Katrin Nürnberger
If the bread is still wet in the middle, you need to bake it for longer. You can use ground flaxseed instead of the psyllium.
Lisa
Do you bake your bread to a specific internal temperature? This would be helpful to determine whether or not to pull it out of the oven. Thank you so much for all of your recipes!!
Katrin Nürnberger
That is an interesting question - no, I have never thought of doing this with bread. With all my baking, I simply do the "stick the knife in" test to see if the inside is baked and there are no crumbs sticking.
Nadine
Finally a keto bread recipe that tastes like actual bread! Super easy to make and delicious. Would love to make bread rolls, but wondering if anyone knows if the chia seeds will still do their magic if they’re finely ground?
Katrin Nürnberger
I think if you grind the chia seeds, they may make the bread less fluffy.
Rana Singh
I've made this bread twice now, and it tastes great.
However, I'd like it to rise more; is there anything I can do to do this?
Katrin Nürnberger
You could beat the egg whites and fold these in last. Also, check that the baking powder is fresh and ingredients are room temperature. This greatly influences the rise.
Rana Singh
Katrin, thank you for prompt reply. So I've been putting 3 whole eggs as the recipe states: should I just use egg yolk only from 3 eggs then? Thanks!
Katrin Nürnberger
What I tried to say is that you use 3 eggs. Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites. Make the dough with the egg yolks, then fold in the egg whites last. The air bubbles in the beaten egg whites will make the batter lighter.
Anita
Absolutely delicious.This recipe is a gift.Thanks for creating.Makes my low carb journey so much easier.Very much appreciated.
Claudia
I would love to make this recipe, questions is, could I leave the eggs out ?
Katrin Nürnberger
You could try subbing in flax eggs, but I have not tried this myself. Perhaps you'd like to try my keto bread without eggs.
Nadine Carina
Could I do this recipe using only almond flour?
Katrin Nürnberger
You can try to replace the coconut flour with 3x the amount (6 tablespoons) of additional almond flour. But perhaps you would prefer making my almond flour bread.
Lorraine Hardcastle
Hi there, just made low carb bread, easy to do, taste good, and most importantly filling, good for me to have in the morning, thanks for your talent. Will pass information to my daughter.
Tessa
Made this tonight. Didn't have any quark or yoghurt, so used sour cream. It was quick and extremely delicious- thought it would perhaps have a sweet edge to it, but no. Another SFL recipe to make again.
Sandy Drew
Made this recipe with yogurt as option, and it was easy and baked up beautifully. Waiting for it to cool to slice in! Love the ease of it.