Made with fresh lemons and frozen or fresh blueberries, this zesty and delicious Lemon Blueberry Bread is topped with a tart lemon glaze for a beautiful finish! This easy quick bread recipe is perfect for breakfast, brunch, an afternoon snack, and even dessert. It’s super simple to make, and it’s always a hit!
Table of Contents
I am pretty obsessed with quick bread if you haven’t noticed. From my classic Banana Bread to its chocolatey cousin, Double Chocolate Banana Bread, all the way to this Carrot Bread, and even my Lemon Poppyseed Zucchini Bread, I just know there is another fruity, veggie, and sweet flavor combination worth trying in a quick bread loaf.
This blueberry lemon bread has a classic flavor combination of sweet and tart blueberries, with citrusy and tart lemons that tastes like Spring to me!
One thing I love about quick bread is that you can freeze it and take out slices when you need them. Dashing out the door in the morning?! Zap a slice in the microwave and there you have a tasty breakfast treat!
For more lemony sweet treats full of bright flavors, check out these Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting, my Classic Lemon Bars, and also this decadent Lemon Layer Cake!
Why We Love This Recipe
- Use this recipe to experiment with your favorite berry/citrus combinations like lemon-raspberry or blueberry-orange!
- Made with simple ingredients, this fresh from-scratch quick loaf is so delicious.
- This easy recipe is perfect for any occasion!
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Lemon Blueberry Bread
- Lemon – We’ll use the fresh zest and lemon juice from one lemon for the best fresh flavors!
- Granulated Sugar – Use white granulated sugar to give the loaf it’s sweetness.
- Flour – All-purpose flour works best for this recipe.
- Baking Powder – To help the bread rise quickly.
- Salt – Use kosher salt to enhance the sweet and tart flavors of this bread.
- Milk – Any kind of milk will work well, from whole milk to no-fat milk, or dairy-free milk.
- Oil – Vegetable oil, canola oil, olive oil, melted coconut oil, or melted butter will work well to bind everything together.
- Eggs – Eggs will help the quick bread rise and bind the ingredients together.
- Vanilla Extract – Adds a sweet and subtle warmth that is essential in all baked goods, but really helps mellow the flavor of the citrus and berry flavors.
- Blueberries – Use fresh and juicy blueberries for the best flavor, although frozen blueberries work well too.
Glaze
- Powdered Sugar – For the base of the lemon glaze to go on top of the loaf for extra sweetness and a great presentation.
- Lemon Juice – To flavor the lemon glaze. Use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor. We strongly prefer it over bottled lemon juice or lemon extract.
- Salted Butter – For binding the glaze together, giving it the runny consistency needed to drizzle over the loaf.
- Vanilla Extract – Adds depth to the sweet flavor of the tart lemon glaze.
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Bread
- Prepare equipment. Preheat your oven to 350°F, and line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with a parchment paper sling.
- Combine zest and butter. Rub the fresh lemon zest into the granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl to draw out the natural lemon oils. Let sit while gathering other ingredients.
- Add dry ingredients. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt with the lemon sugar mixture. Whisk to combine.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a separate large bowl whisk together the eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla extract.
- Combine mixes. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. It’s okay if the batter is a bit lumpy.
- Add blueberries. Gently stir in 1 cup of blueberries with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Pour batter into pan. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle the remaining blueberries on top.
- Bake. Bake for 55-60 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean with only a few crumbs. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Pro Tip: Coat Berries in Flour
Toss your fresh blueberries in a tablespoon of flour before adding them to the batter so that they stay evenly dispersed throughout the batter while baking!
- Make lemon glaze. Whisk powdered sugar, melted butter, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a small bowl until a nice pourable glaze forms.
- Drizzle glaze. Drizzle over the lemon blueberry loaf, then let set on the counter for about 1 hour.
- Serve. Slice the loaf and serve cold, or warm the slices in the microwave for a few seconds to enjoy it warm!
Recipe FAQ’s
Quick breads are cakes or loaves that are leavened without the use of eggs or yeast by using chemical agents like baking soda and powder. They quickly rise when leavening chemicals are used, hence the name.
Quick bread is a kind of cake usually made in the form of a loaf. It’s a sweet treat that is great for a quick breakfast, an after-school snack, and even a dessert. Quick bread is so versatile, if it’s your first time making quick bread loaf then you’ll be surprised at how simple – and quick – it really is!
Store lemon blueberry bread in a Ziploc bag or an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days. Refrigerating it will help it last a day or two longer.
You can freeze quick bread as a full loaf or in slices.
To freeze the whole loaf, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or put it in an airtight container and freeze it for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before bringing it to room temperature to slice.
To freeze slices, you’ll need to wrap each slice in plastic wrap first. Place the slices in a Ziploc bag or freezable container and put them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply take out a slice and leave it on the counter to defrost, or put it in the microwave for a minute to defrost quicker if you prefer.
Tips for Success
- Check the bread a few times during the last 15 minutes of baking, as every oven is different it might be ready a bit sooner than stated!
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice and freshly zested lemon zest for the best fresh flavors.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use any kind of berries in quickbread to give different flavors. My favorites for this bread would be raspberries or chopped strawberries, but cranberries, blackberries, or cherries would work well too.
- Swap the citrus. You can also swap out the lemon for another type of citrus like limes, oranges, or grapefruit.
- When in doubt, add chocolate. Drizzle melted white chocolate on top instead of the lemon glaze.
- Try frosting instead! Coat the top with a Cream Cheese Frosting instead of glaze for a decadent finish – great for a dessert, but I won’t judge if you have it for breakfast!
More Quick Bread Recipes
- Double Chocolate Banana Bread
- Apple Ginger Quick Bread
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- Lemon Poppyseed Zucchini Bread
- Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
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.
Lemon Blueberry Bread
Ingredients
Bread
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries, divided
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-4 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with a parchment paper sling.
- Rub lemon zest into granulated sugar in a large bowl to draw out the natural lemon oils. Let sit while gathering other ingredients.
- Add flour, baking powder, and salt to the lemon sugar mixture. Whisk to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla.
- Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. It’s okay if the batter is lumpy.
- Gently stir in 1 cup of blueberries with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining blueberries on top.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean with only a few crumbs. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Whisk powdered sugar, melted butter, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a small bowl until a nice pourable glaze forms. Drizzle over the lemon blueberry loaf, then let set for about 1 hour before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Storage: Store lemon blueberry bread in a Ziploc bag or an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days.
- Fridge: Refrigerating lemon blueberry bread will help it last a day or two longer.
- Freeze: To freeze the whole loaf, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, or put it in an airtight container and freeze it for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before bringing it to room temperature to slice. To freeze slices, you’ll need to wrap each slice in plastic wrap first. Place the slices in a Ziploc bag or freezable container and put them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply take out a slice and leave it on the counter to defrost, or put it in the microwave for a minute to defrost quicker if you prefer.
I made this last week and it was absolute PERFECTION! I loved it so much, I wanted to make it again but only had raspberries. I found a different recipe for raspberry lemon bread but now I’m kicking myself for not just using your recipe and substituting the blueberries for raspberries bc yours was SO much better. Saving this to be my go-to moving forward.
I’m so glad you loved it so much! Yes, you can definitely use raspberries! Chopped strawberries would be awesome as well!
This recipe is great! I swapped granulated sugar for brown sugar and added 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans 😋 DELICIOUS!
Sounds great! Pecans would be a delicious addition.