This vegan rosemary onion beer bread uses beer to make a quick loaf with no yeast and no kneading. The beer bubbles when it hits the batter and helps give the bread a soft, fluffy crumb. Caramelized onion, fresh rosemary, garlic, and black pepper make the loaf savory enough to eat on its own.
Melanie McDonald includes this recipe in Vegan Comfort Cooking. The onion takes the most time, but once it turns golden, the rest of the bread comes together quickly. Stir the batter gently and stop as soon as everything combines. Overmixing can make quick bread tougher, so a light hand helps the texture.
Read more: Seedy Wholemeal Soda Bread
Serve this rosemary onion beer bread warm with vegan butter, or add a little vegan cheese on top before baking. It also works with soups, stews, lunch boxes, appetizers, or a vegan cheese board. Make an extra loaf if you want one for later, since uncut loaves freeze well for up to two months.
Reprinted with permission from Vegan Comfort Cooking by Melanie McDonald. Page Street Publishing Co. 2019. Photo credit: Melanie McDonald.
How to make a quick loaf

Ingredients
- 2 tsp (10 ml) olive oil or water
- 1 medium onion sliced into thin half-moons
- 2 tbsp (24 g) cane or granulated white sugar divided
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) melted vegan butter divided (optional)
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 ½ tsp very finely chopped fresh rosemary (about two 2″ [5-cm] sprigs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (12 g) baking powder
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 12 oz (354 ml) beer or ale
Instructions
- In a small skillet, heat the olive oil or water (for oil-free cooking) over medium heat. Add the onion and 1 tablespoon (12 g) of the sugar. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes, or until really golden and caramelized. If using water to sauté, add a little more throughout the cooking process to prevent sticking. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and grease a 9 x 5–inch (23 x 12.5–cm) loaf pan with a little of the melted vegan butter or oil spray. If your loaf pan doesn’t release easily, line it with a strip of baking parchment lengthwise down the middle, with enough to go up and over the ends to act as handles.
- In a bowl, combine the remaining tablespoon (12 g) of sugar, the flour, garlic, rosemary, salt, baking powder and pepper, and mix well. Add the cooled onion and beer. The batter will bubble up and fizz. Stir gently, just enough so that everything is combined. Do not overmix.
- Spoon into the prepared pan, drizzle with the optional remaining melted butter and place in the oven. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from the pan and let cool on a cooling rack.
- Great eaten while still warm or when cold.
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