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! This easy Lemon Bread Recipe takes just 5 minutes hands on time and makes a beautiful breakfast or gift!
If you’ve been reading this blog 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!
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!
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Table of Contents
The Difference Between Lemon Loaf and Lemon Pound Cake
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.
There’s a time and a place for both versions of a classic lemon loaf, but I always feel that quick breads are a little lighter, making them a slightly-less decadent treat.
You can get my complete guide to easy Quick Bread recipes made with staples here!
A Lemon Loaf makes a great gift, is the perfect addition to brunch displays. and makes a great breakfast, snack or dessert! 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!
When life gives you lemons, make this lemon bread recipe.
Lemon Loaf Ingredients
Lemon Loaf or Lemon Bread is made with staple ingredients!
- 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 flavor 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!
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
You can see just how easy it is by watching the video in this post!
- 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
This lemon loaf recipe is quick, easy foolproof and versatile. However, there are a couple tips to get the perfect lemon bread, every time!
- Don’t over-mix.
- I like to buy the cute ceramic mini loaf pans available at Michael’s Craft Stores. These paper loaf pans are also great for gifting.
- 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.
- 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 50-60 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!
Variations
- Add fruits – make it a Lemon and Blueberry Bread by simply adding blueberries
- Add nuts – almonds, pine nuts and even walnuts are a delicious addition
How To Store
- 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.
If you’re anything like me, your mouth might be watering after reading all about this fresh and fragrant lemon loaf! You’re in luck, because I’m full of good ideas for using your lemons in a seriously delicious way. In my eyes, since lemons are a fruit…they are a healthy choice no matter what. You’re welcome.
More Amazing Lemon Recipes
- Lemon Spaghetti with Artichokes
- Lemon Chicken
- Basil Lemon Pasta Salad
- Lemon Shortbread Cookies
- Lemon Pie
- Lemon Ice Cream
And SO MUCH MORE. All my lemon-infused recipes can be found right here in the recipe index!
What’s your favorite way to use lemons? If you enjoyed this lemon loaf, I’d love for you to share on Pinterest or Facebook, and come back to leave this recipe 5 stars!
Need help with baking conversions? Check out my Essential Measurement Conversion Chart
Lemon Loaf
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 cups flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest about the zest of 1 lemon
Lemon Drizzle or Glaze
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 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.
Video
Notes
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.
I’m curious about using buttermilk or cream in place of milk?
I haven’t tested either, but either should work well!
If I’m using lemon juice instead of extract, is it still 2 tbsp?
The best substitute is lemon zest because lemon juice doesn’t offer a lot of flavor.
Great recipe made two big loaves and I’m not sure they will survive till tomorrow
😂 love it! Happy Easter!
Do you have any recipes using spelt flour or tapioca flour
Unfortunately I don’t, sorry!
Fantastic recipe! Turned out delicious! Baked in two loaf pans. My daughter (33) who is lemon crazy loved it- she said it’s way better than that Starbucks lemon loaf!!! Yaaay!!
Yay! Glad she loved it, too! Thanks for sharing! Hope you enjoy my other bread and lemon infused recipes as well!
The best lemon flavors!! And that glaze I could eat by the spoonful!
I make this year around! The whole family loves it.
Such a great spring recipe. It has been a while since I made a lemon loaf so it was so well received in the family. It was SO good too!
Just looking at this bright and cheery loaf makes me happy! I love anything lemon.
I am THE biggest lemon lover and this bread did not disappoint!
This lemon loaf baked up beautifully and now I have a second in the freezer for when I have company!
Love easy bread recipes. Lemon bread sounds so delicious.
I loooooove anything lemon – tastes like spring!! Thanks so much for the great recipe!!
I have been looking for a lemon bread recipe. I had a friend make it years ago and I still keep thinking about it.
This is divine! We loved it!
One of my favorite breads! I make this all the time.
This lemon bread lasted about 5 mins on my counter! haha! Will for sure be making again!
These are the cutest little bread loaves. I love that sweet lemon flavor!!!
Not one picture came through on this post. Disappointing.
Oh gosh! I’m sorry to hear that…that’s my favorite part! What browser are you using? I’d love to trouble shoot to see what’s going on.
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! ?