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This Vegan Lemon Blueberry Bread combines the juicy sweetness of blueberries with zesty notes of fresh lemon. It's topped with a sweet lemon glaze and has an irresistible tender crumb. Everyone will love it!
If you love sweet treats with a combination of lemony flavors and fresh berries, then you definitely have to make this delicious Lemon Blueberry Bread. The zesty-sweet flavors are guaranteed to brighten your day!
You're going to love the fluffy, moist, and tender crumb filled with plump blueberries and sweet lemony glaze topping. Plus, it smells heavenly!
This is the perfect treat for springtime and something special to make for Mother's Day or Easter. It's beautiful, delicious, and so easy to make!
If you're not into fruity treats, you can try my vegan coconut cake or these simple vegan vanilla cupcakes instead.
Ingredients and Notes
This lemon blueberry bread calls for 11 basic ingredients. Here's what you'll need and a few notes to get started:
(find the full written amounts in the recipe card below)
- Soy Milk - I prefer soy milk, but you can use any non-dairy milk of choice.
- Lemon Juice + Zest - this gives the loaf a wonderful lemony flavor and yields a tender crumb.
- Oil - any neutral-flavored oil will work such as canola, avocado, sunflower, or grapeseed oil.
- All-purpose flour - I haven't tried this recipe with gluten-free flour, but it might work with a 1.1 GF all-purpose.
- Vanilla Extract - this is optional but complements the lemony flavor really well.
- Blueberries - I prefer fresh berries but you can use frozen ones. Just rinse them under water and pat dry before tossing them in flour.
- Powdered Sugar + Lemon Juice - this is for the lemon glaze topping which is optional, but SO good!
How to make the best Lemon Blueberry Bread
The batter comes together quickly and easily. Here's a step-by-step process of how it's done:
1. Toss the blueberries in flour in a small bowl and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, add the soy milk, oil, sugar, lemon juice, zest, and vanilla then whisk to combine well.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients then stir and fold the batter with a spatula until just combined.
5. Now gently fold in the blueberries.
6. Pour mixture into loaf pan, then spread it out evenly with a spatula. Place on the center rack in your oven and Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven and let the loaf cool for 10-15 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack. Let the loaf completely cool before glazing.
8. To make the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice together until fully combined and smooth. Drizzle over the cooled loaf.
Success Tips
This lemon blueberry loaf will turn out perfectly if you follow the instructions closely. Here are my recommended tips to ensure success:
- Measuring flour - it's best to use the 'spoon and level method' for an accurate measurement. First, aerate the flour by fluffing it up with a fork, then use a spoon to scoop the flour out of the container and into the measuring cup. Do not pack or tap the cup, which can result in too much flour. Once the cup is filled, use a butter knife to carefully level off the top and remove any excess flour.
- Do not overmix - When adding the dry and wet mixture together, stir and fold the batter gently, so you don't overmix the batter. Overmixing causes too much gluten to develop and the loaf can turn out dense.
- I recommend lining the pan with parchment paper. This helps prevent sticking and makes removing the loaf very easy.
- Let the bread cool completely before adding the glaze. If it's warm, the glaze will melt and everything will get soggy.
- Measure the ingredients accurately and don't omit ingredients or add anything else to the recipe. This will help you avoid any potential mishaps in the kitchen.
Storing
This lemon blueberry loaf is best when it's fresh, but if stored properly, it'll still taste delicious at a later date. Here's how to store it:
Room temperature – it will stay fresh for 2 days in an airtight container. Place a paper towel on the bottom of the container to absorb excess moisture.
Fridge – It can be refrigerated for 4-5 days in an airtight container, but this isn't my preferred way to store it because it tends to get dry. However, you can revive it by covering a piece in a slightly damp paper towel and microwaving it for 10-15 seconds (if it's unglazed).
Freezer – It can be frozen for up to 3 months. I like to wrap the pieces individually in wax paper and place them in an airtight container or zip-top bag. Thaw at room temperature for 15-20 minutes or place in the microwave in 10-second intervals until thawed. Don't microwave if the slice is glazed.
FAQs
You can use raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, or chopped strawberries in most quick bread recipes.
Adding more lemon juice will add too much liquid to the recipe and will alter the results. However, you can replace the vanilla extract with 1 teaspoon of lemon extract for an extra lemony flavor.
More baked treats to enjoy
If you love baking, you will absolutely love these easy-to-make sweet treats
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think by leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and sharing your feedback in the comment section below. It would make my day!
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Recipe
Vegan Lemon Blueberry Bread
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- ⅔ cup soy milk (sub with any plant-based milk)
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (*zest lemons before juicing)
- ¾ cup cane sugar
- ½ cup neutral-flavored oil (avocado, canola, sunflower, vegetable, grapeseed)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups flour , all-purpose (*see note)
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup fresh blueberries + 1 tablespoon of flour (see note)
Lemon Glaze (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar , sifted (to avoid clumps)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (177 °C). Line a Loaf Pan (8.5 x 4.5) with parchment paper or lightly grease it (9X5 will work too).
- Rinse and drain the berries, then toss them with 1 tablespoon of flour in a small bowl. (discard any excess flour at the bottom of the bowl). Set Aside.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the soy milk, oil, sugar, lemon juice, zest, and vanilla. Whisk to combine well.
- Now slowly pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl of dry ingredients. Using a spatula, stir and fold the batter gently until just combined (don’t overmix - some small lumps are fine). The batter should be thick.
- Fold in the blueberries being careful not to overmix the batter.
- Scrape the batter out of the bowl with a rubber spatula then gently spread it out evenly. Place on the center rack in your oven. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (check in 3 places). Small crumbs are ok, just not wet batter.
- Remove from oven and let the loaf cool for 10-15 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack. Let the loaf completely cool before glazing.
- To make the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice together until fully combined and smooth. Drizzle over the cooled loaf.
Michelle
I don't bake very often, so I appreciated the tips about weighing the flour and also the recommendation to toss the fresh blueberries in flour too. It worked - and they stayed intact and they and the color didn't bleed into the loaf. I was concerned about using a full half cup of oil, so I subbed aquafaba for 1/4 cup of it, and it worked well. I made this for my husband who loves any kind of lemon/blueberry combo dessert. We both felt as though 2 TBS of zest was maybe one too many - it just brought the lemon flavor too far forward. Maybe if I had made the icing, this wouldn't have been as noticeable. I searched other lemon blueberry loaf recipes, and although most do seem to use 2 TBS of zest, others only use one. I would definitely make this again, though, just reducing the amount of zest. Thank you for providing an easy to follow vegan recipe with helpful tips.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Michelle, I'm so happy it turned out for you and you'll make it again with less zest. Thank you for taking the time to share feedback. 🙂
Mo
I made two loaves of the lemon blueberry bread, one for my neighbor's birthday and one for us. It was delicious! My husband who automatically rejects anything that is not loaded with butter actually liked it a lot. Very moist and flavorful and I agree with Shari, it smells great while baking and while eating it! The only change I made was to replace half of the oil with applesauce ... and did not miss it a bit. Thank you for the wonderful recipe Melissa, it is a keeper and a good one for giving!
Melissa Huggins
You are very much welcome, Mo! Thank you for trying the recipe and sharing your modification. It's great to know that your husband liked it too.:)
Shari
This bread is excellent! I've made it twice since posted and it was perfect both times. It's moist, delicious and smells amazing! The blueberries give it beautiful color and freshness. It's super easy and comes together quickly. I'm keeping this in the baking rotation!
Melissa Huggins
I'm so glad to hear this, Shari! This is also a favorite of ours. 🙂 Thank you for the wonderful feedback.