Gorgeous Healthy Lemon Poppyseed Bread made with almond and oat flour, fresh lemon, Greek yogurt, and sweetened naturally with maple syrup for a supremely moist loaf. Since perfecting this recipe, we can't stop making it! It's a delightful (and kid-friendly!) breakfast, snack or dessert that's gluten free, too.
I'm so excited about this star-studded loaf lady! She's straight sunshine, I tell you.
I need it. You need it. Your kids need it. No lie, my toddler Max gobbled up half in two days.
Pucker up my pretties, because just like just like my lemon baked oatmeal cups and lemon poppyseed muffins, I've packed in the lush lemon flavor with fresh lemon juice and plenty o' zest.
That bright pop is honestly everything!
Ingredients
I adapted this recipe from my Cherry Orange bread, which is another must make!
- Almond flour: Specifically we're talking super fine blanched almond flour, not almond meal (which has the skins). You can find it at all grocery stores these days, but I usualIy get Kirkland brand at Costco. It lends a beautiful natural sweetness and incredible texture thanks to all the healthy fats. Make sure to pack it well in the cup!
- Oat flour: This is my other go-to baking flour because it has a cookie-like flavor. Be sure to use certified gluten-free if you have a gluten intolerance. We're not packing this flour.
- Greek yogurt: For moisture and a little protein pop. Nonfat, 2% or whole all work but whole will yield the richest flavor. Use thick dairy-free yogurt like Siggi's for dairy free lemon bread.
- Lemon: Juice and zest for that perfect lemon pop. Use fresh, not the bottled kind for the best flavor.
- Maple syrup: My favorite natural liquid sweetener (not the pancake kind, though!). I've tested this with honey and that also works great.
- Eggs: To bind everything together and contribute to rising. Sub flax eggs if needed.
- Oil: For a bite more moisture and richness. I used avocado oil, but melted coconut oil or any neutrally-flavored oil is fine.
- Poppy seeds: A must! If you don't have them, you could use chia seeds for the same visual effect.
- Salt: key for flavor and helps bring out the sweetness.
- Baking soda: for proper rising.
How to make (step by step)
Place yogurt, eggs, maple syrup, oil, lemon juice, and zest in a mixing bowl.
Whisk until smooth. Add almond and oat flour, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds.
Mix just until combined. It will be a thick batter.
Spoon into prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
Once bread is cool, drizzle glaze on top with a spoon. Slice and enjoy!
Behind the scenes of recipe testing
There are loads of lemon poppyseed recipes on the internet, so why add one more you ask? Well, this one is mine! That aside...it stands apart from the rest because...
The dietitian in me loves that it's packed with nourishing ingredients, is a cinch to make, and it truly tastes like it came from a bakery. 10/10! Here's a few key things I learned while developing it:
- This recipe is very forgiving. I assumed weighing the flors is best since we're packing the almond flour and not the oat. That said, I've made this many times with measuring cups, and it always works!
- A little oil goes a long way: I made this with and without oil and I preferred the crumb with a bit of oil.
- The more lemon zest the merrier. Seriously, I don't think you can overdo the zest (you can, however, overdo the juice). If you have lemon extract, you could even add ½ tap of that for maximum flavor!
- The poppy seed amount is flexible: I did 1 tbsp and then 4 tsp, and I figured why not add more of the namesake? You could also totally omit them if you don't have them.
- The glaze is a must. It seriously takes this bread to the next level. Like, it's good without it but it's TERRIFIC with it. Are we surprised?
Storage
Cover loaf tightly with foil (I usually store it in the loaf pan) and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. Then keep any leftovers in the fridge. It will stay moist for a long time.
It freezes beautifully, too! It'll last up to 3 months in the freezer and can thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temp.
Let me know in the comments how much sunshine this loaf adds to your day when you make it!
PrintNourishing Lemon Poppyseed Bread (with Greek yogurt!)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 38 minutes
- Total Time: 48 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Gorgeous Healthy Lemon Poppyseed Bread made with almond and oat flour, fresh lemon, Greek yogurt, and sweetened naturally with maple syrup for a supremely moist loaf. Since perfecting this recipe, we can't stop making it! It's a delightful (and kid-friendly!) breakfast, snack or dessert that's gluten free, too.
Ingredients
For the bread:
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp oil (I used avocado oil)
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Zest of 2 large lemons*
- 1 ¼ cups packed almond flour (163g)
- 1 ¼ cups oat flour* (124g)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 4 tsp poppy seeds
For the glaze:
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9x5inch loaf pan with parchment paper or grease well with cooking spray.
- Place yogurt, eggs, maple syrup, oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest (be sure to rinse lemons before zesting) in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth.
- Add almond flour, oat flour, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. Use a wooden spoon to mix just until combined. It will be a thick batter. Spoon into prepared pan.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.
- Meanwhile, whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth and no lumps remain. For a thicker glaze, you can add 1-2 tbsp more powdered sugar.
- Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes then carefully remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once bread is cool, drizzle glaze on top with a spoon. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- *about 1 tbsp lemon zest. You'll need 2 large lemons total for this recipe.
- Vegan: Use a thick, dairy-free yogurt like Siggi's plant-based plain and flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax whisked with ⅓ cup warm water, set aside to thicken for 5 minutes).
- Other flours (like all purpose) will not work in this recipe.
- The sugar in the bread and glaze together make this perfectly sweet. I don't recommend skipping the glaze! If you do, I'd suggest increasing the maple syrup in the bread to ½ cup.
Marc1989 says
Followed recipe to the letter, but bread fell apart when trying to remove it from Pan. Won't try again.
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Did you let it cool? I didn’t experience that in my trials so I’d love to help you troubleshoot.
Kim says
Another delicious recipe! I used chia seeds instead of poppy seeds and whole milk yogurt instead of Greek yoghurt. We ate half of it before it was out do the oven for an hour! I love all your recipes! Thank you so much
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
You made my day, Kim! I'm so glad to know the regular yogurt and chia seeds worked so well. Thank you!
Robin says
These are amazing and got the biggest compliment from my husband as he said it looked like I got it at the bakery:) made an extra loaf for my colleagues so they can taste how amazing all of Alexis’s recipes are.
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
You rock, Robin! It always makes me so excited to hear your feeback 🙂 thanks so much to you and your hubby!
Dylan says
Wow, this recipe is delish! Perfect with a cozy cup of tea!
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Yayyyy thank you Dylan!!
Alex says
So yummy!! I replaced the 2 eggs with 1/2 C applesauce and used vegan yogurt to make it vegan and it was absolutely delicious! So moist and flavorful. I will definitely be making this recipe again 🙂
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Oh wow I'm so thrilled to know applesauce worked as an egg sub! I've also made vegan past versions of this bread using flax eggs. Thanks Alex!
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Hey Beth, definitely not for the almond! It may work for the oat but I haven't tested it so I can't say for sure :/
Beth says
Thank you!
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
You made my day, thanks Sarah!