This easy Coconut Bread recipe makes a deliciously moist loaf that is perfect to have as a sweet breakfast or an afternoon snack. Serve it with butter or top it with fresh fruit and yogurt for a comforting but healthy snack!
For more delicious coconut recipes perfect for coconut lovers, check out my Coconut Cupcakes, these Pineapple Coconut Muffins, and my Frosted Coconut Sugar Cookie Bars!
Table of Contents
I love a good quickbread. They make a great gift for the holidays, and they’re classic crowd-pleasers for potlucks and work well on a brunch table. Plus, the slices freeze great for quick weekday breakfasts or snacks.
This coconut bread is packed with delicious coconut flavor! Like my coconut cupcakes and coconut cake, the loaf is made with shredded coconut, coconut extract, and coconut milk for the ultimate tropical experience. Then it is topped with a simple coconut glaze and sprinkled with some shredded sweetened coconut to finish.
What is a quick bread?
A quick bread is a cake-like dessert loaf that is quick to make as it uses a chemical leavening agent like baking powder rather than the yeast that’s used in other types of bread. The most popular quick bread is banana bread, with zucchini bread coming in a close second. But I would make a serious case for this coconut bread!
I have loads of simple recipes for quickbread. If it’s your first time making bread, this is an ideal place to start!, Plus, quickbreads can also be a great way to use up excess fruit and vegetables.
Try my Carrot Bread, this Double Chocolate Zucchini Loaf, my Cranberry Orange Bread, or this Lemon Blueberry Bread for more ideas!
Why We Love This Recipe
- Add or change up the flavor of this bread easily.
- Using simple ingredients you probably already have in your cupboards!
- This is a super simple recipe to follow, and you’ll have a delicious loaf in just over an hour!
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Bread
- Flour – Use all-purpose flour for this loaf.
- Baking Powder – The active quick-rising agent in this loaf.
- Salt – To enhance the flavors.
- Butter – Use salted butter to enhance the flavors and bind your ingredients too.
- Granulated Sugar – To sweeten the loaf. You can use your favorite sweetener as well.
- Eggs – To help the bread rise and not be dense.
- Coconut Extract – Adds more coconut flavor to this loaf, you can use vanilla extract for a less prominent coconut flavor.
- Coconut Milk – Full-fat coconut milk works best here, but you can use light coconut milk if you prefer.
- Shredded Coconut – Shredded sweetened coconut adds flavor and texture to this loaf. You could also use unsweetened coconut, if you prefer.
Glaze
- Powdered Sugar – Use this for the base of the glaze topping.
- Coconut Milk – Full-fat coconut milk will make the sugar into a glaze and also add creaminess to it. You can use water if you prefer.
- Butter – Use salted butter to enhance the flavor of the glaze.
- Shredded Coconut – Use additional shredded sweetened coconut flakes as decoration on top of the loaf.
How to Make Coconut Bread
- Prepare equipment. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a 9×5 inch loaf tin.
- Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You can do this by hand with an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Add wet ingredients. Beat in the eggs, coconut extract, and coconut milk.
- Add dry ingredients. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the creamed butter mixture until just combined.
- Add coconut. Stir in the shredded coconut.
- Don’t overmix. Be careful not to over-mix the batter otherwise it will turn out too dense.
- Bake. Pour batter into your loaf pan and bake in the center of the oven for 65 minutes until golden brown, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let it rest. Remove the coconut loaf from the oven and let it rest in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Put on wire rack. Loosen the edges of the bread from the pan with a butterknife (or something of that nature), and turn it onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Make glaze. Combine powdered sugar and coconut milk in a small bowl.
- Add glaze. When the loaf has fully cooled, spread the glaze on top.
- Garnish and serve. Sprinkle with additional shredded coconut as desired. Slice and serve.
Recipe FAQ’s
Store coconut bread leftovers in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. You can refrigerate it to make it last a day or two longer.
One of my favorite things about quick bread is how well it freezes. Either the entire loaf or individual slices can be frozen for up to 3 months!
Freeze the entire loaf by wrapping it in plastic wrap or by putting it in a freezer-safe container. Defrost in the refrigerator, then bring it to room temperature to slice.
Freeze individual slices by wrapping each slice in plastic wrap. Place the slices in a freezer bag and put them in the freezer. Then, just take out a slice when you want some coconut bread and leave it on the counter to defrost. Alternatively, you can zap it in the microwave for a minute to defrost it even quicker.
Tips for Success
- Make sure to not overmix your bread mixture or your loaf will be too dense.
- You can use nonstick cooking spray, coconut oil, or melted butter to grease your pan. It will make removing the loaf much easier. You can line it with parchment paper if you prefer.
How to Serve Coconut Bread
While this loaf is ‘bread’ I wouldn’t recommend toasting it, as it has a glaze on top that will melt in your toaster oven! You can warm slices of coconut bread in the microwave for about 15 seconds, which should be just enough time for it to get warm, but not cook it further.
Serve this coconut bread as it is, spread some butter on it, or serve it with fresh fruit like blueberries, strawberries, mango slices, or even pineapple slices. You can add some whipped cream to it, or even heavy cream for a more dessert-like presentation.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use frosting on top of the loaf instead of the glaze for a more decadent finish.
- Add some lime juice, lemon juice, or lemon zest to the glaze for a citrusy twist, or add it to the loaf batter to get these flavors throughout.
- Some recipes will use coconut flour to make coconut bread, but this recipe is written using all-purpose flour which is less absorbent and a more common ingredient in most kitchens.
- You can use any kind of milk instead of coconut milk, but you will lose that extra subtle hint of coconut flavor. Almond milk, oat milk, or regular milk would be good substitutes.
- Make individual coconut bread loaves by using mini loaf pans! These work perfectly for gifting, for making fancy individual desserts, or for serving with afternoon tea! Make sure to adjust the baking time accordingly depending on the sizes of your pans.
More Quick Bread Recipes
- Coconut Lime Glazed Banana Bread
- Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Bread
- Cinnamon Swirl Quickbread
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
- The BEST Banana Bread Recipe
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Easy Coconut Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Bread
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour (188g)
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup salted butter, softened (114g)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar (133g)
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract (optional)
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon salted butter, melted
- Additional shredded sweetened coconut for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
- In a larger mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs, coconut extract, and coconut milk.
- Stir in flour mixture until just combined.
- Stir in shredded coconut.
- Pour into a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan and bake in the center of the oven for 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let rest in pan for 10 minutes.
- Loosen edges from pan with a butterknife (or something of that nature), and turn onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- When the loaf is cool, combine powdered sugar and coconut milk, and spread it over the loaf. Sprinkle with additional shredded coconut as desired. Slice and serve.
Notes
- Storage: Store coconut bread leftovers in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. You can refrigerate it to make it last a day or two longer.
- To Freeze Entire Loaf: Wrap the loaf in plastic wrap or put it in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator, then bring it to room temperature to slice.
- To Freeze Slices: Wrap each slice in plastic wrap. Place the slices in a freezer bag and put them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Take out slices as and when you want some coconut bread and leave it on the counter to defrost or zap them in the microwave for a minute to defrost it even quicker.
I’m not a coconut fan but had very old coconut flakes to use up. Tried another recipe but it was horrible (dry and dense) so I gave yours a try and it was a winner even with the few substitutions (other items to use up) I made. Did not make frosting as it was tasty without it. Substituted cassava flour for all purpose, substituted half the sugar with Erysweet (erythritol) and used vanilla extract. It was truly moist and delicious.
I’m so glad this was a winner for you! Thanks for sharing your substitutions. I’m sure that will be helpful for other readers to know as well!
This recipe just won’t turn out right. Stays gooey and gets gummy and hard within an hour of taking it from the oven. Any suggestions?
If it is gooey then turns gummy and hard, it hasn’t been baked long enough. Add another 10-15 minutes to your bake time and double check you oven temperature by purchasing an inexpensive oven thermometer. Many ovens don’t run true to temperature and even if it says a certain temp on the oven itself, an oven thermometer set on the oven rack can be off by as much as 25°F or more, which makes a big difference when baking loaves like this that are dense and need to be baked all the way through.