If you’re a lemon lover, not much is more delicious than the refreshing scent and flavor of an easy lemon loaf. This simple lemon bread is decadent and divine, full of lemon flavor – but so easy to make!
This easy lemon bread recipe takes just five minutes hands on time and makes a beautiful breakfast or gift!
If you’ve been reading for long, it won’t come as a surprise to you that I love all things lemon-flavored. Lemon adds a true zest to any dish, and it works as a beautiful addition to almost anything you can imagine tossing it in.
I’ve used it in pasta, drinks, cookies and baked goods of all kinds.
This incredible lemon bread recipe is long overdue. It’s another quick and easy sweet bread recipe the whole family can enjoy for breakfast and snacks! Don’t skip our complete guide to the BEST Lemon Desserts too.
It’s a beautiful addition to breakfast and brunch, makes a great hostess, housewarming and teacher gift, or delicious dessert!
If you love my Sweet Bread, Orange Bread or Blueberry Bread, you’ll love this delightfully sweet and tangy lemon bread!
Lemon Loaf
The beautiful glaze is a delightfully sweet way to top it off, but you certainly don’t have to. Either way this sweet bread is so good!
Why You’ll Love It
Ingredients and Substitutions
See printable recipe card for complete ingredients and instructions.
- Sugar – White granulated sugar makes this bread delightfully sweet. Optional: sprinkle sugar over the loaf just before baking for a shimmery finish.
- Flour – All purpose flour is the foundation of this bread.
- Oil – Vegetable oil makes the bread incredibly moist, with a light and delicate crumb. In a pinch you can substitute canola oil.
- Eggs – The binding agent.
- Milk – Milk creates a nice soft loaf. In addition, milk adds moisture to quick breads and gives it a beautiful brown color due to caramelization of milk and sugars! You can use whatever you have on hand from skim milk to half and half. You can even substitute almond milk to make it dairy free.
- Lemon Extract or Lemon Juice and Lemon zest – Fresh lemon juice and zest is always my go to, but lemon extract will do the trick!
For the Glaze
- Butter – Unsalted butter.
- Powdered Sugar – Learn how to make powdered sugar if you don’t have any on hand.
- Lemon Juice – Fresh is always best, but no judgement if you take a shortcut with bottled!
The glaze or lemon drizzle is simple as well, made with powdered sugar, butter and lemon juice!
Variations
- Make Lemon Poppyseed Bread – Add 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons poppyseeds.
- Make Lemon Blueberry Bread – Fold in 1 cup blueberries.
- Add Nuts – Pistachios, walnuts, and almonds all pair well with this amazing Lemon Bread.
- Add Chocolate Chips – Fold in semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips just before baking.
How To Make Lemon Bread
- Prep – Grease 6 mini loaf pans or 2 1 pound loaf pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine dry ingredients – Sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.
- Combine wet ingredients – Beat eggs, milk, and oil together with lemon zest and lemon extract.
- Incorporate – Gradually add flour mixture into wet ingredients in a large bowl, just until moist.
- Bake – Pour batter into prepared pan and bake (I leave an inch below the top to compensate for rise). 40 minutes in miniature loaf pans or 50-60 for 1 lb loaf pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Glaze
Optional: sprinkle sugar on top (recommended if you’re not topping with a lemon drizzle).
Tips
- Don’t over-mix.
- Don’t over-bake.
- Lining your loaf pan with parchment paper or using this incredible baking spray can help to release it from the pan easier.
- Cool – Try to let your quick bread loaves cool on a wire rack on the counter, it increases air circulation during the cooling time.
- Learn about Loaf Pan Sizes in this complete guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Citrus juice can generally be used in place of citrus extract in your baking. While the flavor is similar, it’s generally less concentrated and a bit acidic. Aim for two tablespoons of lemon juice as a substitute for one teaspoon of lemon extract.
This delicious lemon loaf recipe is similar in shape and appearance to my lemon pound cake, but there are some distinct differences. This easy quick bread is light and fluffy in texture. Although this lemon bread recipe is quite moist, it’s not nearly as rich and heavy as a pound cake.
Pound cakes are typically much more dense than quick breads. The biggest difference? Butter… a lot of butter! My pound cake recipes tend to use butter versus oil and in my pound cake recipes I prefer the smoother texture of powdered sugar instead of granulated.
Baking Alternatives
- Large Loaves – Don’t want 6 miniature loaves? You can also make this recipe in two traditional one pound loaf pans or cut the recipe in half for just one loaf pan, and bake 50-60 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test.
- Make Muffins – If you prefer to make them into muffins, just grease miniature muffin tins and fill each to 2/3 full. Bake 12 minutes.
- Make it Ornate – Alternatively, you can also bake it in an ornate loaf pan with the same minimal effort!
How To Store
- Room Temperature – Cool completely and cover them to store at room temperature safely for up to three days. (Good luck getting this lemon bread recipe to last long enough to worry about that expiration date though!)
- Refrigerated – Place the loaves in large sealable plastic bags (with a paper towel at the bottom to help soak up any excess moisture) refrigerated up to 1 week.
- To Freeze – Wrap lemon loaf in heavy aluminum foil or sealable plastic freezer bags and freeze for up to three months.
Lemon Loaf
Ingredients
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs (size large)
- 2 cups milk Whole, or whatever you have on hand
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest about the zest of 1 lemon
Lemon Drizzle or Glaze
- 6 tablespoons butter unsalted, melted
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
Instructions
- Grease 6 mini loaf pans and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.
- Beat eggs, milk, oil, lemon extract and zest.
- Gradually add dry mixture to wet until just moist.
- Pour batter into pans an inch below to compensate for rise. Optional: sprinkle sugar on top.
- Bake 40 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes before removing from loaf pan.
- Meanwhile, combining lemon drizzle ingredients until smooth. Warm and pour to cover lemon loaf.
Tips
Substitutions
- Oil – Substitute with canola oil.
- Milk – Use whatever you have on hand from skim milk to half and half. You can even substitute almond milk to make it dairy free.
- Lemon Extract or Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest -Don’t have lemon extract? You can substitute with additional lemon zest. 1 teaspoon of extract is equal to 2 teaspoons of lemon zest.
Variations
- Make Lemon Poppyseed Bread – Add 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons poppyseeds.
- Make Lemon Blueberry Bread – Fold in 1 cup blueberries.
- Add Nuts – Pistachios, walnuts, and almonds all pair well with this amazing Lemon Bread.
- Add Chocolate Chips – Fold in semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips just before baking.
Baking Alternatives
- Large Loaves – Don’t want 6 miniature loaves? You can also make this Sweet Bread recipe in 2 – 1 pound loaf pans or cut the recipe in half for just 1 loaf pan and bake 50 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test.
- Make Muffins – If you prefer to make them into muffins, just grease miniature muffin tins and fill each to 2/3 full. Bake 12 minutes.
- Make it Ornate – Alternatively, you can also bake it in an ornate loaf pan with the same minimal effort!
Store
- Room Temperature – Cool, cover and store at room temperature up to three days.
- Freeze – Wrap in heavy aluminum foil or sealable plastic freezer bags and freeze for up to three months.
Video
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
This was a huge hit at my house! We all love lemon and they can’t wait to have this again!!
My favorite snack!
IDK why it took me so long to try this, it was so good. Thanks!!!
This lemon bread recipe looks great!!
My mouth IS watering. I am dying to try this recipe! ?