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. That's why I have decided to give the post an update with step-by-step photos and more details.
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.
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.
So much for the bad news. 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.
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 grain free 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.
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 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.
Expert 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
If you want to use a full-size loaf tin, double the recipe and increase the oven time by around 15 minutes.
If you do not have a small loaf tin and don't want to double the recipe, you can make Keto rolls instead. Let the dough rest until the chia and psyllium have absorbed all moisture before you attempt to handle the dough!
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.
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.
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
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
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 ½ tablespoon if using psyllium husk powder)
- 3 tbsp / 30g chia seeds
- ½ tbsp / 6g baking powder
- ½ 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.
Martha
The taste of the bread was delicious for a keto/low carb bread. Tasted just like wheat bread but better. I did pour the dough into a larger bread pan. It didn't rise as high as in your video. Could it be that I didn't mix the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients with my hand mixer... could that have affected the batter from not rising properly? Again, even it didn't rise the size of a loaf of bread, the taste was great.
Martha
Hi Del, when you substituted Quark with Almond milk and cream cheese... what how much of each did you use to get the same consistency of Quark or greek yogurt?
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Martha, I think it just looked like the bread didn’t rise because you use the large bread pan. As long as your eggs were beaten until fluffy and you mix the rest of the day until smooth, and used fresh baking powder everything should be fine. And you did say that the taste was good. If you want to bake bread more often, I really recommend to get a small bread pan to get that shape you’re looking for.
Martha
Thank you Katrin. I will attempt to make it again and get myself a smaller bread pan. I really appreciate your response. Sincerely 😉 I do have another question... If I want to make a larger loaf, Will doubling all the ingredients give me a better risen loaf? I will make sure all my ingredients are
fresh and within the dates indicated on the label. Have a good day!
Katrin Nürnberger
I have never tried making a double loaf, but I think one of the readers has done it and has written me a comment in this thread describing how. My guess is that you would definitely need to increase the baking time by quite a bit, maybe an additional 20 (an estimate)and to avoid that the crust getting too dark place some aluminium foil on top at the end.
Martha
Thank you!!! I will look through the thread of comments.
sharilyn
I am anaphylactic to nuts.what is the best replacement as coconut flour is not the same
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi there, I have used ground sesame seeds to replace almond flour before. I grind my own. I think if you bought ready-made sesame seed flour it would be a 1:1 substitution. However, I found that my home-ground version was a bit coarser than the ground almonds I can buy here in the UK. You could use it and if you grind your own, add a little more if needed.
Sharon
I have bread again! This bread is super plain or toasted. Doesn't taste eggy or crumble like a lot of GF breads. This is a winner!!
Ruth Cox
Fantastic recipe and wonderful bread. I'm just starting journey of no carbs and sugar. Your website and recipes are a life saver for a beginner
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Ruth, I"m glad you're finding the recipes on my site useful - and that you're enjoying this bread!
Sarah
Can I substitute the husk for Milled flaxseed? Definitely going to give this a go at the weekend
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Sarah, my feeling is that psyllium absorbs more liquid than flaxmeal. So, if you want to substitute with flax you MAY have to increase the amount. Check the consistency of the dough and add if necessary.
Del
I can tell you that I didn't have quark (or anything else that would be a good substitute) but was really needing "bread". I used almond milk and cream cheese mixture) and mixed all the dry ingredients together...(yup, seems to happen to me). But did get a good bread. This will definitely be my go to. I've already mixed the dry ingredients without chia/psyllium for another batch as soon as I can get my hands on quark. YUM. I was able to get 18 slices but ate 3. YIKES, this will be dangerous. I'll have to be careful with this one. THANKS SO MUCH. I have tried many of your recipes.
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Del, good to know that you can replace the quark with a cream cheese/milk mix! I guess it's the same consistency - I love it when clever substitutions like these work out, being a bit creative is half the fun of cooking 🙂
Martha
Hi Del, I'm a reader and baker who tried Katrin's Everyday Low Carb Bread. I liked your idea about how you substituted Quark with Almond milk and cream cheese… how much of each ingredient did you use to get the same consistency of Quark or greek yogurt?
Tania
Hi I am about to try this bread recipe which sounds delicious. Under the nutrition would you deduct the fibre from the carb amount to get net carb or is the carb amount already the net carb?
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Tania, you have to deduct the fibre from the total carbs to get the net carbs 🙂
marcia stuhlsatz
I don't have chia seeds. Is there something else I can substitute with. More coconut flour? Also I've had bad luck in other bread recipes using pysslum husk powder. It turned the bread BLUE. Have you had any problems with it? I use NOW brand.
Katrin Nürnberger
I cannot guarantee that the bread will work out just as well if you leave out the chia seeds. As for the the psyllium, I have heard that the Reason why it turns blue is actually the type of baking powder you use. Check if your baking powder contains aluminium, which may be the reason. I have heard from other people that they have used the now brand without problems
Franni Ferrero
I made this yesterday and it was the best keto bread I've found. I doubled the recipe and, in size, it looked like "regular" bread. I experimented with half almond flour and half ground almonds and it had nice texture and flavor. In general, it was easy to make and used ingredients that I typically have handy...a great combination!
Aida
This is the best keto bread I have ever tried.
The first time I made it in two small tins and it came out great, today I doubt led the recipe and so far it looks perfect, I just hope it is not to eggy, I increased the salt to one teaspoon just because I thought the first Bach was not salty enough.