NEW 2-Minute Carrot Cake Bowl Recipe! 🥕🍰
Breads & Doughs

Flourless Irish Oat Bread Recipe

4.49 from 56 votes
This Flourless Irish Oat Bread recipe brings you a soft and savory gluten-free loaf in under 1 hour! Customize with favorite healthy mix-ins!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure for details.

Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: This Flourless Irish Oat Bread recipe yields simple yet delicious slices of oat heaven. With just 6 ingredients, you’ll have the perfect foundation for all of your favorite spreads!

First off, a big THANK YOU to my mum’s friend Mary McManus, whose game-changing recipe this is! I can’t wait to pass on to you because this Irish Oat Bread recipe is easy to make with no proofing, bread machines, or flour! It has got a nutty, toasty, and subtly sweet flavor alongside a beautiful brown crust that everyone can enjoy – and for all my gluten-free bakers, this bread is for you, too!

There’s nothing better than a warm slice of toasted bread in the morning. While you can reach for some store-bought bread, why not put your baking skills to the test by making your own from scratch? 

Though this recipe gives you the basics, you can go wild with healthy mix-ins such as dried fruits, nuts, and seeds. Gather just 6 ingredients and a few tools, and you’ll be on your way to making fresh and delicious Irish Oat Bread in an hour!

Table Of Contents

What Is Irish Oat Bread?

Irish Oat Bread is a traditional type of bread that consists of oats, flour, salt, and buttermilk. It’s known for its tender texture and slightly sweet, nutty flavor. In my version, we’re omitting the flour by using oat flour and incorporating yogurt instead of buttermilk.

Just like many other kinds of bread, Irish Oat Bread pairs nicely with butter, jam, and honey. It’s a great oat bread recipe for beginner bakers, as it only uses a few ingredients and doesn’t require any fancy tools.

Mary Mc’s Irish Oat Bread baked in tin, shot from top

What’s The Difference Between Irish Oat Bread And Irish Soda Bread?

You may have heard of Irish Soda Bread and are wondering if it’s the same as Irish Oat Bread. Well, both Irish Oat Bread and Irish Soda Bread are traditional types of bread from Ireland, but they differ in ingredients and texture.

The oats in the Irish Oat Bread give it a chewier, denser texture with a slightly sweet and tangy flavor from the molasses and yogurt. On the other hand, Irish Soda Bread does not contain oats and – although dense – it has a crumblier texture with a more sour taste.

Moreover, Soda Bread traditionally includes a cross mark on the top of the loaf to help the bread cook more evenly and ward off evil spirits. Back in the 19th century, cutting a cross on the top of your bread was believed to let the devil out and bless the bread while baking.

Tools You Need To Make Irish Oat Bread:

Ingredients You Need To Make Irish Oat Bread:

  • Rolled oats: I recommend using old-fashioned (rolled) oats because they grind down very well into fine powder.
  • Baking soda: Baking soda is a chemical leavener that will make your bread rise.
  • Salt: Just a pinch will bring out the flavors of your ingredients.
  • Egg: Use a large, good-quality, room-temperature egg.
  • Whole milk yogurt: Yogurt makes your batter soft and fluffy without using oils. Do not use Greek yogurt because it will make your batter too thick.
  • Molasses: Adding molasses will add more moisture and texture to your delicious oat bread. Make Homemade Molasses from scratch!

How To Make Irish Oat Bread:

  1. Preheat the oven. Grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper, and set aside.
  2. Place the oats into a food processor and process until ground into flour.
  3. Transfer oats into a bowl and toss with the baking soda and salt.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, yogurt, and molasses until well combined. Then, stir it into the oat mixture.
  5. Spread batter evenly into your prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven until firm and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
  6. Let cool in the pan before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
  7. Slice and enjoy with some Irish Brandy Butter.

Can I Make Irish Oat Bread In Advance?

Yes, you can! If you want to serve freshly baked Irish Oat Bread, make the batter, spread it in your prepared loaf pan, and pop it in the refrigerator for up to a day until you want to bake it off.

How To Store Irish Oat Bread

If you have leftover Irish Oat Bread, store covered at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze for up to 2 months.

Mary Mc’s Irish Oat Bread half loaf sliced with knife on the top right

FAQs

What kind of oats should I use in Irish Oat Bread?

The best oats to use are old-fashioned rolled oats and quick-cooking oats. They’ll pulverize into fine powder for your flour. Unfortunately, steel-cut oats will not work for this recipe, as these oats are quite dense and will make the texture of your bread too dense.

What do I do if I don’t have molasses?

No worries! You can substitute the molasses with honey, but your Irish Oat Bread will turn out lighter in color.

Is Irish Oat Bread gluten-free?

The good news is Irish Oat Bread is gluten-free (with certified gluten-free oats)! I don’t use all-purpose flour in this bread like traditional recipes, but it tastes just as good or even better. Take a look at my Gluten-Free Flours Guide if you want to substitute the oats and make a different kind of bread.

Is Irish Oat Bread vegan?

Though my Irish Oat Bread recipe contains eggs and yogurt, you can go ahead and substitute them with different ingredients. For the eggs, check out my Egg Substitutes post for more information; and for the whole milk plain yogurt, I recommend replacing it with buttermilk (make it vegan) , sour cream,  cottage cheese, or ricotta

What should I do if I don’t have a food processor?

If you don’t have a food processor, the next best option will be a blender. It may not be as smooth of a flour texture, but it will get close enough.

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips:

  • Use rolled oats (old-fashioned oats), but steel-cut oats will not work.
  • This recipe calls for Plain yogurt, not Greek. Greek is too thick for this recipe.
  • You can use my Homemade Molasses if you don’t have it to hand.
  • If you don’t have molasses, you can use honey instead. The loaf will be lighter in color.
  • This bread is flourless, so it’s perfect if you are gluten-free.
  • You can sprinkle 1 cup (5 oz/142 g) of chopped dried fruit, nuts, or seeds into this loaf just before baking. I recommend raisins and caraway seeds.
  • This bread dough is a little heavy like Soda Bread and won’t rise very much but it will be very soft.
  • Try serving this with one of my Compound Butter recipes!

Mary Mc’s Irish Oat Bread one slice on rim of top left of soup bowl

And don’t miss more everyday baking recipes in my NEW Bigger Bolder Baking Every Day Cookbook!

Mary Mc’s Irish Oat Bread close shot of half sliced loaf with knife on the bottom right

Watch The Recipe Video!

Flourless Irish Oat Bread Recipe

4.49 from 56 votes
Author: Gemma Stafford
Servings: 6 people
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Author: Gemma Stafford
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

  • 4 cups (14 oz/397 g) rolled oats
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg , at room temperature
  • 2 ¼ cups (18 oz/507 g) plain whole milk yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon molasses (treacle)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and butter and line a 9x5-inch (23x12½cm) loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Place the oats in a food processor and process for 20-30 seconds, until ground into flour.
  • Transfer the oats into a large mixing bowl and toss with the baking soda and salt.
  • In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg, yogurt and molasses until well combined, then stir into the oat mixture.
  • Spread the batter evenly into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, until firm and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Slice and enjoy spread with some Irish butter. Store covered at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze for up to 2 months.
guest

57 Comments
most useful
newest oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Roisin O'Connor Daly
Roisin O'Connor Daly
29 days ago

I’m typically not a bread maker, but this is one of the easiest and most delicious bread I’ve made from scratch. Hard to believe it’s gluten free. I added almonds, walnuts, and cranberries for a little something extra. I’ll definitely make this again (and again, and again). Scrumptious.

0871A5A5-4720-49ED-928D-039C07EBFA76.jpeg
Last edited 29 days ago by Roisin O'Connor Daly
Jann Jones
Jann Jones
19 days ago

I always have buttermilk in the frig. Can I use it instead of yogurt?

Kath
Kath
27 days ago

I made this today – it is absolutely delightful and so easy to make. Many thanks for sharing.

Elise Raphael-Haase
Elise Raphael-Haase
28 days ago

I haven’t yet been disappointed on this site yet. This is a delicious and simple recipe. Would love to know the nutritional info (carbs, calories)

Nancy Smith
Nancy Smith
29 days ago

So Happy to see this recipe, I gave up all flour products for LENT this year. But bread is my go to food. And i have been missing it . I will try this recipe TOMORROW. THANK YOU I will let you know how it turned out.

Lynda Shortt
Lynda Shortt
15 days ago

Hi Gemma, I didn’t have much luck with this one, like many of your quick breads that I’ve tried, it comes out wet or soggy in the middle. I left this one in the oven for 1.5hr and it was still wet. I do think the issue is my old and basic oven (soon to be replaced) with only fan setting. I hope to try all of these recipes again but is there anything you could suggest in the meantime, higher temp, longer cook, less liquid? Thank you as always! Although it was soggy, it still tasted very good so… Read more »

Pat
Pat
15 days ago

Great recipe, quick and easy and has lots of flavour and texture
i would like to know what the fat content of the whole milk yogurt should be.. to keep the sugar as low as is possible
love all your recipies and videos

Pat Kelly
Pat Kelly
17 days ago

Can I use honey as a substitute for molasses.

Güven
Güven
17 days ago

This recipe turned out to be really delicious! The bread is soft and can easily substitute for your regular bread. I wonder if you have any information about the GI and the nutritional values of this particular recipe? I would recommend it to my mum but she’s supposed to have a low GI diet, so I was wondering if she could have this bread. Thanks for the recipe!

Peggy
Peggy
19 days ago

I haven’t tasted it yet but it just came out of the oven and looks and smells delicious

About Us

Meet Gemma

About Us

Meet Gemma

Hi Bold Bakers! I’m Gemma Stafford, a professional chef originally from Ireland, a cookbook author, and the creator of Bigger Bolder Baking. I want to help you bake with confidence anytime, anywhere with my trusted and tested recipes and baking tips. You may have seen one of my 500+ videos on YouTube & TikTok or as a guest judge on Nailed It! on Netflix or the Best Baker in America on Food Network. No matter your skills, my Bold Baking Team & I want to be your #1 go-to baking authority.

 

Weeknight Family Favorites Chapter from the Bigger Bolder Baking Every Day Cookbook