Lemon Blueberry Bread

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Lemon-flavored and blueberry-studded quick bread, anyone? Lemon Blueberry Bread rises beautifully, has a moist and tender crumb, and a crisp-crunchy topping. Finish everything off with a quick lemon glaze and enjoy!

Or try our Starbucks-copycat iced Lemon Bread!

A slice of the finished lemon blueberry bread showing its moist delicious center and topped with a sweet icing.

Blueberry Lemon Bread Recipe

My whole family is obsessed with blueberries. They devour them by the pint and are thrilled when they make it into a baked good. These blueberry muffins, blueberry cobblerblueberry coffee cake, and blueberry pancakes are a few of the favorites at my home. And now, this Lemon Blueberry Bread recipe has joined the list of favorites!

This bread is brightly flavored, soft with a tender crumb, and moist throughout. The sweet blueberries rippled throughout are the perfect complement to the lemon flavoring.

Combining the wet ingredients and whisking until smooth.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

  • Flour: The base of the bread, providing structure.
  • Baking Soda: A leavening agent that helps the bread rise.
  • Salt: Enhances overall flavor.

Wet Ingredients:

  • Egg: Binds ingredients and adds moisture.
  • Sugar (Granulated): Sweetens the bread.
  • Oil: Keeps the bread moist.
  • Greek Yogurt/Sour Cream: Adds richness and moisture.
  • Milk: Contributes to the batter’s liquid content.
  • Lemon Zest & Extract: Provide lemon flavor.
  • Blueberries: Add natural sweetness and texture.

Topping:

  • Brown and White Sugar: Adds a sweet, crunchy top.
  • Optional Glaze (Powdered Sugar + Lemon Juice): Adds a sweet, tangy finish.

Mixing the dry ingredients before adding wet ingredients and mixing both until combined.

How To Make Lemon Blueberry Bread

  1. Prepare: Bring wet ingredients to room temperature, grease and flour a loaf pan, and preheat the oven.
  2. Combine Ingredients: Whisk together egg, sugar, oil, yogurt or sour cream, milk, and lemon flavorings, then whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt to form a batter. Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
  3. Add Blueberries: Toss blueberries in flour, fold into the batter, and pour into the pan.
  4. Bake: Top with extra blueberries and sugars, and bake until a toothpick comes out clean.
  5. Cool: Let cool in the pan, then on a wire rack.
  6. Optional Glaze: If desired, drizzle with a lemon juice and powdered sugar glaze.

Adding flour to a bowl of blueberries and mixing until well coated.

QUICK TIP

How do you keep blueberries from sinking in bread?

With fresh blueberries, make sure they’re coated in a light dusting of flour. This will help them to distribute more evenly throughout the bread.

Adding blueberries to the batter and gently folding them in, then adding the batter to the pan and topping with more blueberries.

STORAGE

Storage Tips

Can You Freeze Lemon Blueberry Bread?

  • Yes, you can freeze lemon blueberry bread. Cool it completely, slice it, and wrap each slice in plastic wrap. Seal in an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to three months. Defrost in the fridge or at room temperature.

How Long Will Lemon Blueberry Bread Last?

  • This recipe for Lemon Blueberry Bread keeps 2-3 days at normal room temperature (wrapped tightly/stored in an airtight container).
  • I recommend refrigerating it and warming individual slices in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. While it’s not necessary to refrigerate the bread, it will keep it fresher for longer.

Adding sugar on top of the batter and baking until golden brown, creating the perfect loaf of blueberry lemon bread.

Use Any Leftover Blueberries In One Of These Recipes:

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Lemon Blueberry Bread

5 from 5 votes
Lemon Blueberry Bread rises beautifully, has a moist and tender crumb, and a crisp-crunchy topping. Finish everything off with a quick lemon glaze and enjoy!
A slice of the finished lemon blueberry bread showing its moist delicious center and topped with a sweet icing.
Print Recipe

Lemon Blueberry Bread

A slice of the finished lemon blueberry bread showing its moist delicious center and topped with a sweet icing.
5 from 5 votes
Lemon Blueberry Bread rises beautifully, has a moist and tender crumb, and a crisp-crunchy topping. Finish everything off with a quick lemon glaze and enjoy!
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American, Vegetarian
Keyword blueberry lemon bread, lemon blueberry bread, lemon blueberry bread recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Cooling Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
Servings 10 -12 slices (1 loaf)
Chelsea Lords

Equipment

  • 9x5-inch (1 pound) loaf pan (Note 1)
  • Cooking spray and flour for preparing the pan

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose, white flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Wet Ingredients

  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup white, granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup canola (or vegetable) oil
  • 1/3 cup full-fat Greek yogurt (we love honey-vanilla flavored) OR use full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest (2 large lemons--Note 2)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon extract (Note 3)
  • 1-1/4 cup fresh (or frozen) blueberries, separated (Note 4)
  • 2 teaspoons all-purpose, white flour

Topping

  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • Optional: glaze (1/2 cup powdered sugar + 1 tablespoon lemon juice)

Instructions

  • PREP: It's important the wet ingredients are all at the same temperature (room temperature) for the wet ingredients to combine nicely. Pull out of the fridge about 45 mins to an hour before using. Grease and lightly flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • WET INGREDIENTS: Add all the wet ingredients to a large bowl. Whisk together until completely smooth.
    Combining the wet ingredients and whisking until smooth.
  • DRY INGREDIENTS: Add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl. Whisk together. Make a well in the center. Pour wet ingredients on top of the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until a smooth batter is formed. (Don't use stand or hand mixers--they beat in too much air)
    Mixing the dry ingredients before adding wet ingredients and mixing both until combined.
  • BLUEBERRIES: Wash and dry blueberries. Add 1 cup blueberries to a small bowl and toss with 2 teaspoons flour until nicely coated (keeps berries from sinking to bottom). Add to the batter and gently stir to mix through.
    Adding flour to a bowl of blueberries and mixing until well coated.
  • BAKE: Pour and then smooth batter into prepared pan. Gently press remaining 1/4 cup blueberries into the top of the bread. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons brown sugar plus 1 tablespoon white sugar on top of the loaf (just sprinkle evenly on top; don't press down). Bake for 60-75 minutes or until a toothpick when inserted into the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
    Adding blueberries to the batter and gently folding them in, then adding the batter to the pan and topping with more blueberries.
  • COOL: Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire cooling rack. Let cool a further 1 hour before slicing. Don't rush the cooling, the bread is still "baking"/solidifying.
    Adding sugar on top of the batter and baking until golden brown, creating the perfect loaf of blueberry lemon bread.
  • OPTIONAL GLAZE: In a small bowl, add powdered sugar. Add a tiny pinch of salt and slowly add in lemon juice while whisking until glaze consistency is formed. Transfer glaze to a plastic bag and cut off the tip. Pipe the glaze over the completely cooled bread.
  • STORAGE: We like to finish this bread within 1-3 days of being made. After that, it begins to lose texture (becomes too moist). It can, however, last up to a week stored in an airtight container and tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. After the third day, I recommend storing it in the fridge. Wrap each slice tightly and place in an airtight container.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Loaf pan: Be sure to use the correct size of pan so the recipe works properly. Here's the loaf pan we use and love. An 8x4-inch pan is too small! If you do use an 8x4-inch pan, only add about 75% of the batter (use leftovers for some muffins) and note that bake time is shorter. Don't forget to generously grease the bread pan. Grease with nonstick spray (or rub on shortening) and then lightly dust with flour. Alternatively, line it with parchment paper. If you line with parchment paper, leave an overhang for easy removal. 
Note 2: Lemon zest: There is a lot of zest — and it’s all needed here--no juice in the bread, we'll use lemon juice for the glaze! When zesting the lemon, avoid the white pith of the lemon — this is very bitter. Using a microplane (like this one) zest only the very outside yellow part of the lemon for this recipe.
Note 3: Lemon extract: Not to be confused with lemon juice, lemon extract is a flavor enhancer (just like vanilla extract) that gives this bread an intense citrusy lemon flavor. We use lemon extract to pack in as much lemon flavor as possible without messing up the consistency of the bread (like lemon juice would). Lemon extract can usually be found near other baking extracts and spices in the grocery store; I recommend using a pure lemon extract. We've tested both McCormick and Watkin's in this recipe and both perform comparably. 
Note 4: Blueberries: IF using frozen, grab frozen wild blueberries which are smaller and more compact than regular blueberries (much more flavor & sweeter). To avoid the funky bread coloring, don't mix the blueberries in the batter. First toss in flour and then instead, spoon 1/3 of the batter into the pan and hand place the frozen blueberries on top. Add another 1/3 of batter and place more blueberries on top. Finally, spoon the last 1/3 of the batter in the pan and place the final blueberries on top of that and slightly push under the batter.

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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33 Comments

  1. I suggest using Noosa lemon greek yogurt. It’s the best greek yogurt I’ve found. It is delicious and sometimes you can find it in tubs.

    1. Wow thanks for that tip! I’m definitely going to find it the next time I go to the store and try that out 🙂 <3

  2. Yay!!! I voted for lemon blueberry!!! I am chocolate obsessed as well but felt I needed to broaden my horizons – LOL!!! Can’t wait to try this. All of your recipes that I have made have been absolute winners and I am sure this will be as well!!

    1. Hahaha!!! So glad you voted! 🙂 Thank you so much for your sweet comment, that means a lot to me! Hope you love this bread!

  3. This bread looks so tender and the blueberries look so sweet and delicious! I love your detailed instructions on how to make this just right. It was so great to meet you in person a couple weeks ago at BYBC Chelsea! I hope we are able to meet up again! 🙂

    1. Thank you so much Renee! So, so great to finally meet you! I absolutely hope we do too! 🙂

  4. This looks great! Have you tried a sub for the white sugar? I am trying to cut back on refined sugars. Thanks!

    1. I haven’t tried anything in place of the white sugar for this bread! Sorry to not be of more help!

      1. I just tried to replace it with Stevia. The package said it could be a 1:1 replacement for sugar but I found it much too sweet. I think I’ll try it with half the amount of stevia next time.

        1. I’ve never tried Stevia in this recipe so I wish I could tell you exactly how much to add, but hopefully trying half will be better! 🙂

    1. Just to not stir them in with the batter 🙂 I would put 1/3 of the batter down then layer on the frozen blueberries, add another 1/3 of the batter and layer down more frozen blueberries and then put the remaining batter down and press the remaining frozen blueberries in the top 🙂 That way you wont get a funky colored bread with sunken blueberries!

  5. My loaf turned out PERFECT!! And I’m a complete novice to baking. Thank you so much Chelsea, your instructions are completely spot on. So happy I found your blog.

    1. Yay!! I am thrilled that you enjoyed this bread so much Yau Lam! 🙂 Thanks for your kind comment!

  6. Hi, I would like to know if I can substitute the coconut oil for another kind of vegetable oil.

    1. I haven’t tried a different oil in this bread so I can’t say for sure without further recipe testing, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.

  7. and old trick to keep blueberries from sinking…dust them lightly with flour, then mix them in gently. I have got to try this tomorrow. thanks

  8. A couple questions Chelsea,
    Do you know if white whole wheat flour has the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour?
    I have not baked with white whole wheat flour. I like the idea of a healthier version of a sweet bread with out loosing quality. Will I notice a difference in the finished product using the white whole wheat flour instead of regular white flour?

    1. Hi Kathleen! Here’s a great article explaining the difference between the flours: http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-deal-8-12459. If you use white whole wheat flour instead of regular white flour the taste and texture is quite similar but the bread is more dense. I’ve made this bread with both all white flour and then also with white whole wheat flour and we love both. My husband does prefer the version with all white flour though, but I don’t think there is a huge difference between the two 🙂

  9. 5 stars
    DELICIOUS! I made some adjustments & thought I’d share in case it helps anyone else. Because I only ended up having about 1/4 cup coconut oil, I used olive oil for the remaining 1/4 cup oil. I also substituted Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes mix for the flour, as it states on the box it can be used in place of flour. When replacing, it recommends a 1:1 ratio and omitting baking powder & salt from the recipe, as well, so I did that, too. I also cut the sugar down to 1/2 cup – I don’t like overly sweet baked goods so this wasn’t a big deal to me. I didn’t have lemon yogurt, so I used plain nonfat greek yogurt with an extra dash of lemon extract. Even with all of these changes, this bread turned out AMAZING! I was a little nervous about making all the adjustments because it seemed to already be a unique recipe, but it turned out so great. So refreshing to be able to eat some delicious bread & actually get some nutrition without a guilty conscience! Thanks so much for this recipe! Would be interested to try with an alternative sweetener to white sugar & also want to try your lemon poppyseed next!!

    1. Thanks so much for your comment and for sharing your modifications Maggie! 🙂 I’m sure many readers will appreciate it! I hope you love the lemon poppyseed!

  10. Any tips for replacement flours? I’m off wheat at the moment, and have used coconut flour in some recipes but it doesn’t really rise.

    1. I’m sorry Christina, I can’t say for sure without testing myself, but I’m not sure what flour would replace okay. I do know coconut flour wouldn’t work very well in this recipe. Wish I could be of more help.

  11. 5 stars
    I made this into muffins and bread using frozen blueberries. I only had one container of Greek yogurt so I used sour cream to make up the difference.Served it with a glaze on the top of powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice. Compliments from the entire group of friends who enjoyed it warm out of the oven with me. Will definitely make again!

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