Irish Soda Bread Muffins

Soft and sweet Irish Soda Bread Muffins are a great bite-sized addition to St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. These addictive morsels have chewy golden raisins and a pop of flavor from caraway seeds.

Irish Soda Bread Muffins

Irish soda bread is an easy, quick-baking bread thanks to a baking powder leavener. When I created this recipe a few years ago, I was out of buttermilk, a traditional ingredient used to make soda bread. So instead, I subbed in plain Greek yogurt, which yielded amazing results. 

Is it traditional? Certainly not, but I’ll never go back to buttermilk. That’s because this version has the lightest texture with a delicate, moist crumb. Speckled with caraway seeds and dotted with golden raisins, they’re pretty spectacular. 

Mini Irish Soda Bread Muffins are the perfect size for popping in your mouth. They’d be perfect to serve in a big basket at a cocktail party or brunch. Pile a mountain of them next to your bangers, and you’ll feel more Irish than the sneakiest leprechaun. Even if you’re not even close to being Irish, like me.

There’s nothing like a quick and delicious sweet bread for breakfast. This easy Banana Bread Muffin recipe contains Greek yogurt and is topped off with a sweet crumble. Craving some chocolate with your breakfast? Spiced Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread is the ultimate comfort food that can be enjoyed year-round.

How to Make It

1. Make the dry mix. Grab a large bowl. Using a whisk, combine the flour, ½ cup of sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and caraway seeds.
2. Combine the liquids. In another bowl, beat together the egg, yogurt, milk, butter, and oil. 
3. Add the dry mix to the wet ingredients. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix just until all the flour is moistened. Then fold in the raisins.
4. Fill the muffin tins. Fill each cup of a greased muffin tin ¾ full of batter. Sprinkle each one with the rest of the sugar and caraway seeds.
5. Bake. Bake the muffins at 400°F for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. 
6. Cool and serve. Cool the soda bread for 5 minutes in the pan. Then transfer the muffins to a wire rack. Serve them warm or at room temperature.

Flavor Variations

• If you’d like a slightly more savory bread, try using dried currants instead of golden raisins. Dried currants are smaller and less sweet than raisins. 
• Add a hint of orange flavor by mixing in 1 Tbsp. of orange zest when you add the raisins. 
• Drizzle warm soda bread muffins with a powdered sugar and milk glaze for a sweeter treat.

Tips & Tricks 

• Don’t overmix. To keep this soda bread soft and tender, be sure to mix the batter just until there are no dry patches left. 
• Grease the muffin cups. Even if you decide to use muffin liners with this recipe, be sure to spray them with cooking spray. This type of low-sugar bread is more likely to stick to the pan or liners.
• Store at room temperature. Once the soda bread muffins have cooled completely, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will last up to 5 days. 

Serving Suggestions

These tasty gems are great alongside savory Irish dishes like ale-braised Corned Beef and Cabbage. Their lightly sweet flavor also pairs well with my Mini Reuben Sandwiches with spicy Russian dressing. And don’t forget a glass of your favorite ale!

As I mentioned, these little soda bread muffins are an ideal treat to serve at a cocktail party. Pair them with mugs of hot Irish Coffee or my coffee-infused version of the Nutty Irishman Cocktail to get the party rolling in style.

Celebrate with more flavorful St. Patrick’s Day recipes!

• Easy Reuben Casserole
• Reuben Pizzas
• Colcannon Potatoes
• Bangers and Mash

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