Topped with a sweet glaze, this easy lemon poppy seed bread tastes like summer once it’s out of the oven. Made with healthy ingredients, every slice is super moist, naturally sweet, and perfectly zesty.
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Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
Bright and zesty, this lemon poppy seed bread is a wonderful summer bake full of healthy ingredients. Naturally sweetened with maple syrup or raw honey, it’ll make you feel good about eating one (or two) more slices.
With a delicate crunch from the poppy seeds, every bite has an interesting explosion of texture and flavor. A bit of Greek yogurt and coconut oil also help keep it nice and moist. You can even swap a couple of ingredients, like the poppy seeds for chia, to make life yummier and not harder.
Perfectly golden once out of the oven, it’s drizzled with an easy lemon glaze to bring it all together and make it a show-stopping treat. Served with milk or coffee, you’ll love that it goes from dessert to breakfast in a second.
Why You’ll Love This Lemon Bread Recipe
This lemon poppy loaf will earn a place in your recipe tin for a year-round treat.
- Perfect for brunch. Sliced for everyone to grab, this loaf will be one of the first things to disappear from the table at your next Sunday brunch.
- Makes great gifts. Who doesn’t love homemade dessert? Lemon and poppy seeds are a winning flavor combination every time.
- Easy. There are no complicated steps involved. It’s just like making a regular loaf batter.
- Healthy. Made with several healthy ingredients like Greek yogurt, this dessert is healthier than standard ones. You won’t have to worry about eating more than one slice.
- Freezer-friendly. Pop the slices out of the freezer for a quick sweet treat that’s way better than what you can find at your local bakery.
What Do Poppy Seeds Taste Like?
Poppy seeds add a subtle earthy, nutty sweetness. In terms of flavor, they’re a bit like black sesame seeds but without any of the bitterness. Despite their small size, they’re also quite crunchy.
Recipe Ingredients
Maple syrup, Greek yogurt, and coconut oil make this loaf healthier than the average dessert. Check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for full ingredient amounts.
For the Loaf
- All-purpose flour – Don’t use bread or cake flour for this.
- Maple syrup – Feel free to use raw honey.
- Greek yogurt – Unsweetened plain yogurt is a good swap.
- Coconut oil – Corn, canola, or vegetable oil work too.
- Eggs
- Lemon zest
- Poppy seeds – Chia seeds can provide a similar crunch and texture.
- Lemon juice
- Vanilla extract
- Baking powder – Don’t swap it for more baking soda. They’re different things.
- Baking soda
- Salt
For the Glaze
- Powdered sugar – Don’t use granulated sugar.
- Lemon juice – Lime juice works too.
How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
This poppy seed bread is just like making your favorite dessert loaf, only it’s loaded with lemon juice and poppy seeds. Here’s how to make it:
- Mix the dry ingredients. Preheat oven to 350°F. Add the flour, lemon zest, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large container. Whisk to combine.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the maple syrup, Greek yogurt, coconut oil, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and eggs. Mix to combine.
- Incorporate wet and dry. Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Don’t over-mix.
- Fill the pan. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. Transfer the batter to the pan and spread it out evenly.
- Bake it. Pop the pan into the oven for 40-45 minutes or until slightly browned on top. Remove it from the oven and set it aside to cool.
- Make the glaze. Mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice until the glaze is nice and smooth. There shouldn’t be any lumps in the mixture. Drizzle it over the baked loaf while still hot.
Tips for the Best Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf
Any lemon poppy seed loaf will result in perfection thanks to these easy tips:
- Go for lime. If you’ve already started the recipe and realize you only have limes, use the juice and zest as a swap for lemons. The loaf will be just as citrusy!
- Wait until it cools. Waiting until the loaf cools down completely before adding the glaze means it will set a lot quicker and create a bakery-style glazed look.
- Line the pan. Cut parchment paper the size of the bottom of the baking pan and place it inside. Line the sides of the pan with parchment too. This will guarantee that none of the loaf sticks as it bakes.
- Avoid glass. Glass baking pans take longer to heat, which can interfere with the baking time. If possible, stick to non-stick baking pans so you don’t have issues with uneven or longer baking times.
Serving Suggestions
Lemon poppy seed bread is great with your favorite tea, coffee, or a glass of milk. If you’re a coffee person like me, try it with my Sweet Cream Iced Coffee. It’s also a yummy breakfast treat with my Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie or Strawberry Banana Smoothie.
How to Store Leftovers
Once fully cooled, store it in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Keep it away from heat and sunlight. For longer storage, refrigerate it for up to 5 days. Let it come down to room temperature for 10-15 minutes before eating.
Can I Freeze This?
Absolutely! Slice the loaf and wrap each slice in plastic wrap twice. Transfer them to a freezer-friendly bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw them on the counter for 20-30 minutes or until they come down to room temperature.
More Recipes with Poppy Seeds
- Crazy Moist Lemon Poppy Seed Gluten-Free Muffins
- Easy Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Scones Recipe
- Blood Orange Poppy Seed Bread
Healthy Lemon Poppyseed Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf of bread 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This lemon poppy seed bread is a zesty dessert-turned-breakfast packed with healthy ingredients like Greek yogurt for a guilt-free treat.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 3/4 cup greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Lemon Glaze: (optional)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- To a large bowl add flour, lemon zest, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Next, to a medium bowl add maple syrup, greek yogurt, melted coconut oil, lemon juice, vanilla extract and eggs. Whisk together until combined.
- Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and mix together with a spatula until everything is well combined.
- Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. Scoop batter into loaf pan and spread so the batter is even.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until cooked through and slightly browned on top.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
Lemon Glaze: (optional)
- For the lemon glaze, mix powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice together until there are no more clumps and mixture is smooth.
- Drizzle over bread while hot.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (no glaze)
- Calories: 211
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 434 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 32 mg
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31 comments on “Lemon Poppy Seed Bread”
Can you help me clarify which type of flour to use?
Web address says “whole wheat”
Ingredients list says “all-purpose”
Directions say “gluten-free”
Which flour is intended for this recipe?
Oh no!! This recipe was updated I’m so sorry about that. The correct flour is all purpose, although you could use 1:1 gluten free flour if you have it. I made the update to reflect the correct flour as well.
This looks delicious!
There is a huge cost difference in my area between maple syrup and honey, and I’d like to try this recipe without breaking the bank. Would honey do for this recipe instead?
Hmmm it might have more of a honey forward taste. But you could always try it.. or just use regular white sugar instead.
This is my all-time favorite quick bread recipe! I’ve probably made it a couple dozen times.
Love how simple this recipe is 🙂
I made a few substitutions because I did not have eggs or coconut oil at home. I used two flax eggs and 1/2 cup grapeseed oil, 1/4 cup applesauce in place of the coconut oil. Happy to report it came out just fine! Very moist! A little less airy and a little more dense but glad I could make it work with what I have at home!!
Way to work with what you had on hand! The simpler, the better, right!
I made this morning and it tasted delicious, however it’s a bit heavier than I expected and my wife says it isn’t fully cooked through. The mix was drier than I expected even though I added some extra yogurt. Any tips on where I could have went wrong?
It tastes great and I’d love to make it again, and impress my wife this time!
If you added more yogurt it would make the bread heavier and you’d have to cook it longer because you increased the wet ingredients. So I’d leave the recipe as is or even decrease the yogurt to 3/4 cup and see if that works.
Hi there! What a great looking recipe. I had a quick question: if I had plain Greek yogurt, would I need to add some sugar to it before adding it to the recipe? Or is the sweetness of the yogurt negligible? Thanks!
Hmm.. I would maybe add 2 tablespoons of honey if you like it sweet. But if you’re ok without not overly sweet it will be fine without the honey.
I guess you had to soak the chia seeds with water or a liquid to serve as a binder in your other recipe 🙂
hhmm… nope. I just used them dry straight out of the bag. 🙂
Hi Krista,
Met you at the chopped con conference, I am Milisa Armstrongs’s mom. I love your recipes. Thank you for all the recipes you share.
Hey Dolores! It was so good to meet you too, so excited to hear that you like my recipes. 🙂
Bread looks and sounds delicious! I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for the recipe!!
Thanks so much Crystal!
This bread sounds amazing, Krista! And I am always so bummed when places that I love close down like that. When I was in college, there was this adorable bagel bakery I loved going to that also served breakfast and brunch. My hubby (then boyfriend!) and I would go there religiously every weekend because they had the best cheese grits and every kind of bagel and muffin you could imagine! I don’t know what happened, but they ended up closing, and we were heartbroken. 🙁 So I know that feeling! Anyway, I LOVE lemony breads and desserts and this sounds fantastic with the addition of the chia seeds! I totally need to make this!
OH.. thats the pits especially when you find a place you can be a “regular” at. I feel your pain!!! 🙂
Thanks so much on the foodie props, hope you get a chance to try this bread girl! 🙂
Yes, this is definitely my breakfast dream! It’s always a bummer when a favorite little store like that closes. I can just image the produce section… I can bet I would have fallen in love with it, too! (Are you as shocked as I am that I have all of these seeds in my cupboard?! Ready to bake this up!)
Pretty produce sections make me happy… and want to eat vegetables more. hehe. 🙂 AFTER I eat this amazing bread first of course!
Chia seeds are one of my favorites for breakfast or dessert. Yet to make anything for dinner with them. Will have to make this soon!
I haven’t been successful with a dessert yet, but I know its coming. I’ve heard its awesome for pudding recipes. 🙂 So nutritious! 🙂
Such a great breakfast bread – I love healthy quick breads for breakfast. This one looks delicious!
Thanks so much Stacey, I am a breakfast bread girl all the way! 🙂
Hi, Krista
Thank you so much for visiting my blog. I love your blog an recipes too 😉
What a great recipe. It is so clever, you use whole wheat flour, poppyseed, chia seed and coconut oil in here. I love all those ingredients. Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe. Have a wonderful day 😉
Oh.. thanks so much Oliva, you are too sweet! 🙂 Hope you get a chance to try this bread, it seriously will knock your socks off! 🙂
Congrats on becoming a monthly contributor! And love how you snuck in some chia seeds 🙂
Thanks Chris! I am super pumped to be over there contributing, she’s got an awesome blog. 🙂
I’ve been craving lemon lately so this looks perfect!
Hope you’re having a wonderful Wednesday!
Too funny, I have been too! 🙂 Something so fresh and light about it! Thanks Melanie, hope you have a great rest of the week too!