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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The photo does not do these muffins justice. They are Great. Easy to stir up with no mixer, and the family loves them. I used chopped golden raisins instead of currants.
Hi Jen, I’ve made these muffins multiple times with great raves from friends and family.
I’d like to try them using a mini muffin pan. What adjustments should be made to the baking temperature and length of time?
Thanks!
One more random thought: it would be great if questions in the comments section of the recipes could be pulled into a separate section so you wouldn’t have to answer duplicates, and we could eliminate scrolling through comments to see if someone has already posted our question.
Hi Mary, glad you like the muffins! To make minis, I’d leave the oven temperature the same and start checking them for doneness at 10 minutes. And thanks for the suggestion regarding the comments. I will add that list to my list of potential enhancements to the blog. 🙂
These are amazing! I didn’t have currants, so I used cranberries. I’ll try with just whole wheat flour next time.
I made these to take to a “Bake-off” gathering for the residents in my senior citizen apartment building. (I also made the Morning Glory muffins, and one other type that was a non-Jenn recipe.) I had been wanting to make these for some time — I love Irish Soda Bread, but I’m not a bread baker, so muffins sounded like the perfect thing.
People seemed hesitant to try them, though I got several compliments on the Morning Glory muffins. I will admit that the currants looked a bit like chocolate chips, so maybe that was the turn-off, I don’t know.
I thought they came out really good, though. Next time, I would cut down on the amount of currants. I used average size muffin tins, and I felt like each muffin was overwhelmed by currants. Also, normally, I don’t like the flavor of caraway, but didn’t find it off-putting at all in these, and in fact, I think without the caraway, the muffins would have been a bit bland. They were also a bit crumbly, but that’s typically for irish soda bread. They’re not overly sweet, which I liked, and would make a good accompaniment with a savory dish like a stew or other soup, a salad, or just about anything else. Also wonderful for breakfast, which is when I like to have them.
Overall, this is a good recipe for a muffin that’s a bit different, and I would make them again.
Just took these out of the oven and tasted one. Delicious! I used raisins because I couldn’t find currants, and the combo of raisins and caraway seed is surprisingly tasty.
Made the Irish Soda Bread muffins this morning and they were absolutely delicious! Used all white flour since no wheat in the cupboard…the muffins have that wonderful Irish Soda Bread flavour plus a tender crumb. Will be making these again and again…thank you for the wonderful recipe.
I made these to go with my potato leek soup, but substituted the buttermilk with vanilla yogurt. They were delicious! Thanks for this simple but yummy recipe! I will definitely be making these again. (Oh, and by the way, caraway seeds are supposed to be helpful to those of us who are suffering symptoms of menopause, so hello, added bonus!)
Hello! Can you suggest a good dairy-free substitute for buttermilk? Thanks!
Hi Alesha, You can make your own dairy-free buttermilk if you have milk (and non-dairy is fine) and either lemon juice or white vinegar. See how here. Hope that helps!
These muffins are just perfect when you crave something not too sweet to go with morning coffee. I love that they only take 20 minutes and require no mixer to clean and leave time to brew a fresh pot of tea or coffee and take a quick shower while they bake. I usually make them with raisins but today I made them with a cup of raisins and a half cup of craisins. And I have always loved caraway seeds even in curry recipes. What puts these muffins over the top is the sprinkling of turbinado sugar that adds crunch to the already craggy tops. They are so complete there is no need for a smear of butter, but really – what doesn’t get better with a little sweet butter?
Fantastic, as is always the case with your recipes! I normally make ATK’s Irish Soda Bread for St. Patrick’s day, which is delicious, but I was bringing the bread for a party of many people and didn’t want the dry crumbles everywhere. These were PERFECT. Easy to serve, stayed softer for hours and everybody absolutely loved them. They were also easier and quicker than bread since you didn’t even have to cut in the butter. For my own tastes, I’ll probably cut back on the sugar and do a full T of caraway seeds next time, but nobody else seemed to mind – people were skipping dessert for more scruffins! I did have to substitute raisens so maybe that’s why they were sweeter…