Irish Soda Bread Muffins
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Jam-packed with tiny sweet currants, flecked with caraway seeds, and sprinkled with coarse sugar, these Irish soda bread muffins are a delicious cross between muffins and scones.
These are no ordinary muffins. Subtly sweet with a distinctive craggy texture—and brimming with tiny currants and aromatic caraway seeds—these Irish soda bread muffins are crowned with a satisfying crunch of coarse sugar. Imagine them as a delightful cross between scones and muffins, or as I affectionately call them, “scuffins.”
Warm from the oven, they make a comforting breakfast treat, an excellent snack, or a rustic addition to any bread basket. And they reach new levels of deliciousness when smeared with salted Irish butter.
Table of Contents
“Truly, I have been thinking (obsessing?) about making these again since I first made them on St. Patrick’s Day. Today was the day. They’ve got a wonderful texture and flavor and come together so quickly and easily!”
What You’ll Need To Make Irish Soda Bread Muffins
- All-Purpose Flour and Whole Wheat Flour: Provide structure and texture to the muffins. The whole wheat flour helps give the muffins a nuttier, more complex flavor and extra nutrients. See information in the FAQs about other ways to use whole wheat flour.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Act as leavening agents helping the muffins rise.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the muffins and adds moisture.
- Caraway Seeds: Add a unique flavor and aroma, characteristic of traditional Irish soda bread.
- Egg: Binds the ingredients together and provides structure to the muffins.
- Buttermilk: Adds moisture and richness to the batter and the acidity in buttermilk helps the muffins rise. If you don’t have any on hand or don’t want to purchase a whole carton, see how to make buttermilk using milk and lemon juice or vinegar.
- Butter: Contributes richness and flavor to the muffins, enhancing their texture and taste.
- Currants: Provide bursts of sweetness and texture throughout the muffins, adding a fruity flavor reminiscent of traditional Irish soda bread.
- Turbinado Sugar: Adds a crunchy texture and caramelized sweetness to the muffin tops.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Irish Soda Bread Muffins
Begin by combining the dry ingredients — all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, and caraway seeds — in a medium bowl.
Whisk to combine and set aside.
In a separate large bowl, combine the liquid ingredients: the egg, buttermilk, and melted butter.
Whisk to combine. The mixture may look a little curdled; that’s okay and normal.
Add the dry ingredients and the currants to the liquid mixture.
Use a rubber spatula to mix until just combined; the batter will be very thick. Do not overmix or the muffins may be tough.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling the cups about 3/4 full. Sprinkle the turbinado (or sparkling white) sugar evenly over the muffins.
Bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden and set and a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool until you’re ready to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Technically, yes, but, I promise, the whole wheat flour makes a big difference giving the muffins a more complex flavor! If you’re hesitant to buy a whole bag of whole wheat flour for just one recipe, I have several other recipes to help you use it up like morning glory muffins, apple muffins and Ovenly’s famous whole wheat banana bread.
You can omit the caraway seeds from your muffins, but including them adds a unique and distinctive flavor characteristic of traditional Irish soda bread. While commonly associated with savory dishes, caraway seeds can also complement sweeter baked goods like Irish-American soda bread, gingerbread, or shortbread cookies with their subtly sweet, anise-like flavor.
These muffins are best served warm out of the oven, but leftovers will keep for a few days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Sure! The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 to 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350°F oven until warm.
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Irish Soda Bread Muffins
Jam-packed with tiny sweet currants, flecked with caraway seeds, and sprinkled with coarse sugar, these Irish soda bread muffins are a delicious cross between muffins and scones.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off
- ½ cup whole wheat flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup buttermilk (see note)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1⅓ cups currants
- 1½ tablespoons turbinado or sparkling white sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a standard muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, and caraway seeds.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk and melted butter.
- Add the dry ingredients and the currants to the liquid mixture. Use a rubber spatula to mix until just combined; the batter will be very thick. Do not overmix.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling the cups about ¾ full. Sprinkle the turbinado (or sparkling white) sugar evenly over the muffins.
- Bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden and set and a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool until ready to serve. Serve warm, preferably with salted butter.
- Note: If you’d like to make your own buttermilk, check out the easy method here.
- Make-Ahead Instructions:These muffins are best served fresh out of the oven but leftovers will keep for a few days in a sealed container at room temperature.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 to 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350°F oven until warm.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Serving size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 224
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Sugar: 19 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 184 mg
- Cholesterol: 32 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made these this year for St. Patrick’s Day. They came out great and my husband loved them. Nice heated up for breakfast too.
So yummy. My daughter doesn’t love dried fruit in baked goods (currants, raisins, etc.) so I cut down on the currants and added some chopped walnuts. They are so good. Going to a brunch soon and will be bringing these.
Many thanks, Jen! Had to bake these two days in a row.
I was tasked with making Irish Soda Bread for my sister-in-law. I was never interested in making it because I always thought it was dull and tasteless. These muffins were not! They actually were quite good, although not my favorites. So Jenn, you’ve done a great job with the medium. Thanks!
Jenn thank you for the amazing recipe. My niece and I made them for St. Patrick’s Day. We had to used dried blueberries in place of the currants and they turned out great.
Jenn,
These muffins are soooo good!! Even my picky eaters enjoyed them. They are still good when kept sealed in the refrigerator after several days. We like to wrap them in tin foil, warm them in the oven, and slather them with butter…yummy!
Thank you for another great recipe!
I made these for St. Paddy’s Day…not only were they easy, but they are so delicious! my husband says they are now his favorite muffin! They did harden quickly but easily softened when reheated in microwave. I will be making these all year round!
Delicious!
I made these muffins today to go with my corned beef and cabbage dinner.
My husband can’t stop raving about them!!! NO EXAGGERATION He likes Irish soda bread but not this much! I agree with him that these are excellent, but his reaction was precious!!Thanks, Jen-
What an amazing recipe! I made these tonight to go with Dublin Coddle and they did NOT disappoint. Warm with a bit of Irish butter was an amazing way to enjoy these. They were extremely tender and the balance of sweet and salt was perfect. Thank you so much for sharing. We will be eating these for years to come.