Lemon Blueberry Bread
Ultra moist, easy to make, and topped with a thick lemon icing, this lemon blueberry bread is sure to be a new favorite! A combination of oil and sour cream prevents the quick bread from drying out, while lemon juice and zest adds lots of tangy flavor.
Want to know a dangerous secret? There’s just 20 minutes of hands-on prep work standing between you and an entire loaf of glazed lemon blueberry bread.
This quick bread recipe is incredibly easy to make and has been a reader favorite for many years. The batter comes together almost mindlessly, and if the thick lemon glaze didn’t need to go on top of the bread I could very easily eat it with a spoon.
If blueberries aren’t in season, make this lemon blueberry loaf with frozen berries. It’s a delicious year-round treat that adds a pop of bright spring flavors to any day!
Ingredients in This Recipe
I almost always have the ingredients needed for this easy quick bread on hand. You’ll find the full measurements in the recipe card below, but let’s review some of the star ingredients.
- Oil: I prefer using oil rather than melted butter as it keeps the bread moist and springy. You can use either canola, vegetable, or melted coconut oil. If using coconut oil, make sure all of the other ingredients are at room temperature to prevent it from solidifying.
- Sour cream: I always make lemon blueberry bread with sour cream as it adds moisture and tang to the batter. If desired, you can substitute it with an equal amount of full-fat plain Greek yogurt.
- Lemon juice and zest: I highly recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice. Don’t add more than the recipe calls for, as the extra moisture could alter the texture of the baked quick bread. If you’re craving an even stronger lemon flavor, add extra lemon zest to the batter instead.
- Blueberries: I like to toss the berries with a couple teaspoons of flour before mixing them into the batter. The flour helps prevent the berries from sinking to the bottom while the bread bakes.
- Confectioners’ sugar: Forms the base of the lemon glaze. Adding less confectioners’ sugar will result in a runnier glaze, while adding extra will result in a thicker (and sweeter) glaze.
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Bread
- Combine the dry ingredients: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the wet ingredients: In another mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, sour cream, eggs, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients the wet: Stir until just combined.
- Add the blueberries: Toss the berries with 2 teaspoons of flour before mixing them into the batter. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the loaf.
- Bake the bread: Turn the batter into a greased and lined 9×5-inch loaf pan, then bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Make the lemon glaze: Once the lemon blueberry loaf has cooled completely, whisk together the lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar and spread it evenly over the top.
- Allow the glaze to set: The glaze will start to set up after roughly 15 to 20 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Frozen Blueberries Be Used?
Yes, you may use fresh or frozen blueberries in this recipe. If using frozen berries, add them directly to the batter without thawing them first and make sure to gently fold them in. You may need to increase the bake time by a few minutes.
Can Lemon Extract Be Added?
For a much stronger lemon flavor, you can add 1 teaspoon of lemon extract to the batter. Do NOT use lemon oil as that’s different from lemon extract.
Can I Bake the Batter in Mini Loaf Pans?
Yes, you can bake the bread in mini loaf pans but you will need to reduce the baking time. My best guess is that it would probably take 20 to 35 minutes depending on the size of your pans.
Can the Batter Be Baked in a Muffin Pan?
Yes, you can divide the batter between 12 greased or lined muffin cups. The bake time should be around 20 minutes. Or you can use my lemon blueberry muffin recipe instead.
Can the Bread Be Frozen?
Yes, the lemon blueberry bread can be frozen for up to three months. I prefer freezing the bread without the glaze. After thawing it overnight in the fridge, I bring the entire loaf to room temperature before glazing and serving it.
Baking Tips
- If you’d like to increase the lemon flavor in the batter, you may add another tablespoon of lemon zest or 1 teaspoon of lemon extract. Do not add extract lemon juice, as that would alter the texture of the quick bread.
- Line your pan with parchment paper before pouring the batter into it. This will make it much easier to lift the bread out of the pan.
- Don’t over mix your batter! This can over develop the gluten in your bread and lead to a denser loaf.
- If you find that your lemon glaze is too thick, add up 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice at a time to thin it out. If your glaze is too thin, add extra confectioners’ sugar.
More Lemon Blueberry Recipes to Make!
- Lemon Blueberry Scones
- Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
- Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake
- Baked Lemon Blueberry Donuts
Recipe Video
![A straight on view of a loaf of lemon blueberry bread on a piece of parchment paper. The bread has been sliced to show the interior texture. A bowl of blueberries rests in the background.](https://i0.wp.com/www.livewellbakeoften.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Lemon-Blueberry-Bread-new-7.jpg?fit=200%2C200&ssl=1)
Lemon Blueberry Bread
Ingredients
Lemon Blueberry Bread
- 2 cups all-purpose flour spooned & leveled (250 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil (120 ml)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (230 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (30 ml)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup blueberries + 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour (150 grams)
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners sugar (120 grams)
- 1.5 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice use more or less as needed
Instructions
- To make the bread: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, line the pan with parchment paper, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together until well combined. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the oil, sugar, sour cream, eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract together until fully combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- In a separate bowl, toss the blueberries with 2 teaspoons of flour. Then, gently fold the blueberries into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 55 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Baking time will vary slightly depending on if you use fresh or frozen berries. If needed, cover loosely with foil for the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking to prevent excess browning.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 20 minutes in the loaf pan. Carefully remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the glaze: Once the bread has cooled, whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice together until fully combined and no lumps remain. If your mixture is too thick, slowly add a little more lemon juice. You want the glaze to be thin enough to drizzle, but thick enough to set up on the bread. If the glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar as needed.
- Drizzle the glaze on top of the bread and spread it around. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes to give the glaze time to harden.
I am totally loving how we’re both on bfast bread kicks this week, Danielle! That being said, I NEED this gorgeous blueberry bread in my life—-Hooooly cow, all those juicy blueberries and that lemon-y glaze looks PERFECT. Gorgeous, gorgeous photos too, girlfriend! Pinned. 🙂
Breakfast food is seriously the best! Thanks so much Sarah and thanks for pinning 🙂
This bread looks amazing! Could you use a bundt cake pan instead of the loaf pan?
Hi, Kim! It may not be quite enough batter for a bundt pan. I do have a lemon bundt cake recipe here though: http://www.livewellbakeoften.com/2016/02/11/lemon-poppy-seed-bundt-cake/. You can just omit the poppyseeds and add in 1-2 cups of blueberries 🙂
I made this recipe a couple of years ago. It is sooo good! I just came into a load of blues and was wondering if this recipe can be doubled.
Thanks!
Theresa
I haven’t tried doubling it yet, but I imagine it would probably work. I do avoid doubling recipes like this one though, because it can lead to over mixing and a tougher bread. I also have another similar recipe, this lemon blueberry bundt cake, it tastes similar and uses more blueberries too.
Do I just made this and I cooked it as to the instructions however mine is not brown on top at all. So disappointed. Toothpick is clean so I Know it’s done.
Did you cover the bread at all while it was baking? The bread should brown slightly on top, but it won’t brown a lot because this recipe does not have any baking soda (which causes baked goods to brown more). As long as the bread is cooked through and tastes good, it should be fine. You can spread the glaze completely over the top to cover it as well.
I want to make this with some whole wheat flour combined with white? Any suggestions?
I usually have success using half whole wheat and half all purpose flour in most recipes. I would try 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 1 cup of all purpose in this recipe.
I made this last night and it was so yummy! I love poppy seeds so I added 3 tablespoons of poppy seeds. I also didn’t have Greek yogurt or sour cream so I substituted 1tablespoon lemon juice and 1 cup heavy whipping cream mixed together. I will definitely be making this again, thank you for the recipie
I love poppy seeds too, Andrea! Such a good idea to add them to the bread! So glad you enjoyed it too 🙂
This bread looks amazing! Look at those blueberries! I’m totally all over that lemon glaze! Delish 🙂
Hi, I was wondering if the glaze turns hard so it can be packaged without getting all over the celophane?
The glaze will harden some after a little bit, but it will still stick to something if you try to cover it. You could wait to ice it if you’re taking it somewhere or simply leave off the glaze. I prefer to slice it up and store it in a container instead of wrapping it once I add the glaze.
I also LOVE lemony desserts. A bread like this is so nice as a snack. It looks like it’s out of a pastry shop, Danielle! So gorgeous.
Thanks so much Allison, that totally made my day!
This bread looks delicious, Danielle! I love that you added lemon in, and that glaze sounds amazing! Quick breads are of my favorite things to bake. Definitely going to have to try this out! Gorgeous pictures, too! Pinned!
The glaze definitely makes this bread so much better! Thanks Gayle, thanks for pinning too 🙂
Sounds amazing, looks amazing,….I must try this bread out. Thanks for the inspiration! Question though: what if I subbed the oil for applesauce or mashed banana? Think it would work?
I can’t say for sure, I haven’t tried it yet. I did make the first one with 1/3 cup oil and it came out very similar, so you can reduce the oil. Applesauce and banana tend to make baked goods a little more dense. If you do try it let me know!
I will! I love swapping out ingredients and trying recipes my own way, so I just can’t help it. Thanks, girl!
I wondered about all that oil and put the whole amount in on my first go with the recipe but I will reduce it next time. The bread took 10 minutes longer to bake than the recipe suggested??
Hi Marlyn, you can feel free to reduce the oil to 1/3 cup if you like. Every oven is different too, so that may be the reason your bread took a bit longer to bake.
I’ve been using all purpose white flour from Montana and have had a few disaster with it even in breads I’ve been baking for years – could it be this flour?
It’s hard to say, because there are so many things that can affect baked goods (freshness of baking powder/soda, oven temperature, altitude, etc.) If you feel that’s the only thing that’s changed, have you tried using another brand of flour? Is the same thing happening when you bake something each time? Or what exactly is happening? I’d love to try to help you, I just may need a bit more information. 🙂
I’m totally obsessed with lemon desserts…and this lemon bread looks to-die-for! I’m all about that delicious glaze. I need a slice of this for breakfast!
Danielle! This blueberry lemon bread seriously looks PERFECT! I love the lemon glaze you put on top too. Mmmm, I might just have to make this for breakfast this weekend!
It’s insanely delicious, Natalie! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Gorgeous pictures Danielle! This Blueberry Lemon bread looks soo amazing, I wish I could grab a piece out of my computer screen. Pinning 🙂
Thanks so much Katie, thanks for pinning too!
Wow, this bread looks so delicious! I love the blueberry lemon combination and really wish I had a few slices to enjoy in the morning. Pinning!
It’s an amazing combination for sure! Thanks for pinning Cindy 🙂
wow another delicious recipe! definitely craving a slice right now, looks SO delicious and moist!
Danielle!!! Oh my!! the bread looks so soo delicious anf moist.. blueberries and lemon are so so amazing together. . Love the pictures… 🙂
They really are! Thanks so much Arpita 🙂
Ahhhh Danielle!! This bread looks PERFECT! I adore the blueberry + lemon combo, and that glaze seriously has me drooling!! And I love that there’s a whole cup of yogurt in there! Yum. Awesome pictures, too! 🙂
Oh my goodness, Danielle! This bread looks so amazing! My mouth is watering right now! Blueberry and lemon is one of my favorite dessert flavor combos! I wish I had some right now 🙂
This = my idea of heaven! It is just so moist looking <3 I wish I had some to go with a nice cup of tea right now!
Hi Danielle, Have you ever made the Lemon Blueberry bread in small size loafs. I would like to divide the recipe into 3 or 4 small loafs and wrap each one for a Christmas gift. Not sure it will work well and don’t know how long and at what temp. to bake the small loafs. Any suggestions?
Hey Maureen! I haven’t tried these as mini loafs before, but I think it would work. The temperature would probably be fine leaving it the same at 350 degrees.
As for the baking time, I’m not 100% sure and it will depend on the size of the mini loaf pans. I would check them after about 20-25 minutes and see where they’re at. They will probably need to bake longer than that maybe up to 30-35 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the top is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Hope this helps! Would love to hear how they turn out if you try it.
Have you used frozen blueberries? I too want to make mini loafs for Christmas presents.
And I am going to try making a dairy and gluten free version also. I will use coconut cream in place of yogurt but still working on the flour substitutions. Thanks!
Hi LeAnn! I haven’t tried frozen blueberries with this bread before, but I think they would work. I’m unsure about how it would work substituting coconut cream for the yogurt though.
My grandson has to be gluten free and dairy free so I have been doing research and then baking and the coconut cream is recommended as a substitute for milk products. I have used it in several recipes and it works great! It is the same consistancy as yogurt or sour cream. And because it comes in a can it is something I can keep on hand all the time. I’m in the process of making mini loaves now with substituting coconut milk for the yogurt as I don’t have any. I will try making a gluten free version another day. My grandson loves blueberries so am sure he would love this. I’ll let you know how they turn out.
Thanks for sharing about the coconut cream for replacing yogurt – that’s definitely great to know! Would love to hear how they turned out with it as well.
The bread is in my oven right now. Very easy to make, looking forward to trying it!
Bread out of the oven and glazed, yum!! I used the zest of 2 lemons in the batter and more lemon juice in the glaze, very tasty. My 5 year old likes it too. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
So glad to hear you enjoyed the bread, Jama! I love the idea of adding more lemon zest and juice. I’ll have to give that a try next time I make it!
This bread looks amazing! Love the blueberry and lemon combo. I bet the sour cream makes this bread super moist!
I made this bread yesterday, and it really is amazing. The glaze makes it. This one joins my book of things I make on regular rotation. Thanks for the great recipe!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Deb! I love the glaze on this too 🙂
Has anyone ever used raspberries instead of blueberries?
Hi Mel – I haven’t tried raspberries before, but I think they would work just fine!
I’ve tried baking this bread twice now and both times I’ve gotten the same results… the bread is still raw in the middle. The edges seem to cook fine bu the middle section comes out uncooked and moist. I’ve been careful to follow the directions on this post but haven’t had success. too much oil? flour?
Sorry to hear that, Cecilia! Every oven is different, so your bread may take a little longer to bake. You can try baking it a little longer, if the top begins to become too brown just tent it with aluminum foil. The foil will help to prevent the top from burning, but still allow the bread to cook.
Another suggestion would be to try an oven thermometer. They’re inexpensive and a great way to make sure your oven temperature is correct.
I made this for Easter brunch. There wasn’t a crumb left! And I was asked for the recipe three times! Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear everyone enjoyed this recipe, Barb!
I discovered this recipe post a couple of months ago and it is a “go to” favorite! And, my hubby adores it! It is so scrumptious and easy to prepare that I just had to share your goodness with a link to this post on mimismorselsandmore.wordpress.com . While I’m new to blogging, I’m not new to cooking and hospitality. This is a perfect addition to my “share-worthy” bread recipes. I’m yet to have anyone refuse it! Keep ’em coming. Love your practically and deliciousness.
Thank you for the kind comment, Dani! I really appreciate it! I’m happy to hear everyone has loved it so far, especially your husband. Thanks for sharing as well!
I saw this delicious looking bread on pinterest, I just bought fresh blueberries Saturday and have been dying to try something new and not to sweet. I usually make a double recipie and since I use the smaller loaf pans I always get a mini taster just for whoever happens to still be up when the fresh warm bread is ready. Well this did not disappoint, my brother and son were waiting for the second they could cut into it, the smell is amazing and transforms you to a warm sunny day in summer. We all love it and my neighbor who is under the weather will receive a loaf tomorrow. I will definitely be making this again and again. It is going into my book of tried and true regular favorites. Thank you Danielle can’t wait to try more of your delicious recipes.
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe, Jeannette! This one is definitely one of my favorites as well. I’m happy to hear that they loved the recipe and I hope your neighbor enjoys it as well! I’ll definitely try out the smaller loaf pans next time I make it too 🙂
This looks like exactly what I was looking for! I need to make this in advance to take to friends I will be visiting a 6 hours drive away. I plan to make it on Thursday or Friday to take on Sunday to eat on Monday. Should I freeze it? If so, how wold you recommend packaging for freezing?
Hi Cynthia! If you’re making it that far in advance I would suggest freezing it. Once it cools completely, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and store it in the freezer until you leave for your trip. I also would not add the icing before freezing, I would wait and add it a little before serving the bread. Hope you enjoy the recipe and have a great trip!
My sister-in-law made this for a get together last week and everyone raved over it. My daughters and I just pulled ours out of the oven. We made 2 batches for one large loaf and 8 mini loaves. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so happy to hear that everyone enjoyed the bread, Colleen! Hope you and your daughter enjoy the two batches you made too! 🙂
I’ve been making this as give away’s at work for some time now and EVERYBODY LOVES IT! I am constantly getting asked when I’m making more.
This makes me so happy to hear, Meleah! It’s perfect for giving as a gift, I’m so glad your coworkers love it too 🙂