One-Bowl Lemon-Blueberry Quick Bread
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Assembled in one bowl and baked in a loaf pan, this lemon-blueberry quick bread comes together in no time and thanks to both olive oil and yogurt, it stays exceptionally moist for days. Rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar makes the citrus flavor really shine and a clever mixing method ensures you’ll have blueberries bursting in every bite!
Last weekend, while flipping through Jessie Sheehan’s Snackable Bakes in search of an extra-crumb coffee cake recipe I’d bookmarked months ago, I paused two recipes in, struck by a photo of a blackberry-studded loaf cake.
In the notes, Jessie credits both Dorie Greenspan and Ina Garten and describes the result as “nothing short of summer in a loaf pan.”
How could I not make it?
Given that I am sharing the recipe here, it’s clear that I loved it. But do you know what I loved even more? The process.
The recipe calls for rubbing the zest of two lemons into the sugar, a step that releases oils from the zest into the sugar, heightening the lemon flavor. I remember watching Dorie Greenspan do this years ago on the Martha Stewart Show while making lemon madeleines, and whenever I take the extra time to do it, I think: Why don’t I always do this? The smell is intoxicating.
Next, the ingredients, which include yogurt, oil (as opposed to butter), and lots of fresh lemon juice, are added nearly one by one, with whisking called for after each addition. It’s a one-bowl job!
Finally, and this is perhaps my favorite part of the whole process, the blueberries (or blackberries) are not added all at once: you fold 1 cup of them into the batter, then, once the batter is in the loaf pan, you scatter the remaining 1/2 cup over the top, before sprinkling all of it with turbinado sugar and popping it into the oven.
One hour later, it will emerge, sugar-crusted, berries busting at the seams. It is a sight to behold! With a cup of morning coffee or afternoon tea, a slice of this loaf is such a treat, perfectly sweet, bright with lemon flavor, juicy berries bursting in every bite.
PS: Lemon-Blueberry Dutch Baby
5 Favorite Quick Breads
Quick breads, in essence, really are cakes baked in loaf pans. Apart from the shape, there is nothing really bread-like about any quick bread I have ever made. Here are 5 of my favorites:
- Mrs. Myers Banana Bread
- Award-Winning Zucchini Bread
- My Mother’s Pumpkin Bread
- Super Simple Irish Soda Bread
- Beer Bread
Jessie Sheehan’s wonderful Snackable Bakes
Lemon-Blueberry Quick Bread, Step by Step
Gather your ingredients:
Zest the lemon into the sugar…
… then rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers.
Add the oil and vanilla and whisk for 30 seconds.
Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition.
Whisk in the sour cream or yogurt and freshly squeezed lemon juice:
Whisk in the baking powder followed by…
… the salt.
Switch to a spatula and stir in the flour.
The batter will be slightly lumpy.
Fold in 1 cup of the blueberries.
Transfer the batter to a buttered- and parchment-lined loaf pan.
Scatter another 1/2 cup of blueberries over the top. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake at 350ºF for roughly 1 hour. Remove from the oven, let cool for 20 minutes…
… then remove the loaf from the pan by the parchment sling and let it cool to room temperature.
Slice and serve!
One-Bowl Lemon-Blueberry Quick Bread
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8 to 10
Description
Adapted ever so slightly from Jessie Sheehan’s wonderful Snackable Bakes.
Changes I’ve made:
- Used blueberries in place of the blackberries. If you want to use blackberries, roughly chop them before adding them to the batter.
- Upped the vanilla to 1 teaspoon vanilla from 3/4 teaspoon.
- Used extra-virgin olive oil in place of the vegetable oil.
- Upped the kosher salt to 1/2 teaspoon from 1/4 teaspoon.
- Used sour cream in place of the yogurt: I’ve made this twice with yogurt and once with sour cream, and while all were delicious, I think the sour cream version may have been the best. Not sure I would be able to detect a difference in a blind taste test, but just noting this to say both ingredients work great.
I use this 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pan for this recipe.
Ingredients
- softened butter for the pan
- zest from 2 lemons
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (118 g) extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream or whole milk yogurt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups (195 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups (222 g) fresh or frozen blueberries
- turbinado sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8 1/2 – x – 4 1/2-inch loaf pan (I love this one) with softened butter. Line with a sheet of parchment paper that extends up and over the long sides of the pan (like a cradle for your cake).
- Rub the lemon zest into the granulated sugar with your fingers in a large bowl until fragrant. Whisk in the oil and vanilla for 30 seconds. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, and then the lemon juice and yogurt. Sprinkle the baking powder and salt into the bowl, one at a time, vigorously whisking after each. Gently fold in the flour just until a few streaks remain. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Fold in 1 cup (145 g) of the berries.
- Scrape the batter into the pan, smooth the top, then arrange the remaining 1/2 cup (72 g) of berries over the top of the loaf, pressing down gently. Lightly sprinkle with turbinado sugar and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, rotating at the halfway point. The cake is done when a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with a moist crumb or two. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, then lift the cake out by the parchment paper overhang and transfer to a rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing and serving. Keep the cake, wrapped, on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
298 Comments on “One-Bowl Lemon-Blueberry Quick Bread”
This recipe is outstanding. Simple … yet the finished product is delectable! Share it with someone you love before you eat it all yourself because it’s irresistible!
Great to hear! Thanks for writing 🙂
I am making this for a third time because my family keeps finishing so quickly! This is the best blueberry bread we’ve ever eaten! Thank you.
Great to hear, Phyllis!
Delish and the picture by picture directions made it easier to make
Thank you
Joanne I
I made this blueberry lemon loaf yesterday. It is so moist and delicious!! Definitely a keeper!! I shared it with my daughter and she loved it also!
Great to hear, Cheryl! Thanks for writing 🙂
I gave this recipe to my beginning baker husband. He subbed the flour for a gluten free baking blend (gf here) and it was absolutely delicious. It turned out so well. It will definitely be in rotation. He’s now talking about other fruits he could stir in instead of blueberries.
Great to hear, Crystal! Thanks so much for writing and sharing this. If you see this, I’d love to know the gf flour blend — I know others would appreciate it, too!
The recipe is incredibly delicious and very easy to make.
Great to hear, Brock!
Hello! Can I make this recipe and put into small individual loaf pans and freeze them to be baked later?
I would bake them before freezing them.
omg, I just made this today except I used blackberries (cut in half because they were big) and it is so good that I ate way more than I should have. So now I’m making another one since I meant to have enough to offer to a friend tomorrow! Btw, I didn’t have a loaf pan so I used a shallow pot lined with parchment. Worked great.
Great to hear! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes 🙂
Omg, this bread was soooo good! There was plenty of lemon flavor (but not so much that it overpowered the other flavors in the bread). It was moist and delicious, with juicy bites of blueberries. I didn’t have sour cream, so I used a 50/50 mix of ricotta (I just had some I wanted to finish up) and yogurt, and it worked perfectly 🙂
It took a bit longer in my oven (closer to 75 minutes), but I also had a slightly narrower pan.
Can’t wait to try it with sour cream too!
Great to hear, Karishma! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
My whole milk yogurt (“regular”, not the thicker Greek kind) tasted sour. Off-putting enough that I wouldn’t eat it as-is. It wasn’t expired. Is that sour flavor expected?
Hi Drew! It sounds as though it might be a bad batch? I would hate for you to ruin a whole bunch of other ingredients. That said, sometimes my buttermilk tastes extremely sour, and I always use it, and it always turns out fine.
I do not own a loaf pan, never use one. I want to make this in a muffin pan. How should I adjust the temperature and bake time? Bake at 375 deg for 30 min? I may just experiment! This recipe sounds delicious!!
Hi! I think it might be easier to make these muffins: The Best Lemon-Blueberry Muffins
Or you can use the baking/timing suggestions for the muffins for the quick bread.
This lemon-blueberry quick-bread.
Is simply the best.
The taste is divine.Texture moist.
And is so simple to make- no hauling out mixers.
Is on my remake list.
Perfect for gifts and to take to get together.
Thanks, Ali
Great to hear, Lynn! Thanks for writing 🙂
Wow! Loved this EASY bread! I used a few tablespoons of PEACH BUTTER from a local farmer’s market because I only had about a half a cup of sugar! Smells amazing! Bringing to the lake tomorrow with the ladies!
Now the hard part NOT EATING a CRUMB till I get there!!
Great to hear, Janine!
Second timing in 2 weeks making this recipe. Absolutely delicious and easy to make.
Simply perfect.
Great to hear 🙂 🙂 🙂
Sounds delicious!
I’m wondering if frozen blueberries work just as well?
Yes! No need to thaw.
Can I freeze the breads after it cools and will it still be moist when it has defrosted?
Yes!
I’m a pretty good cook but a horrible baker.
Made this tonight and it turned out SO good!
This recipe was so easy to follow, so clear to understand – thank you!
Great to hear, Johnnie! Thanks for writing 🙂
Do I have to use yogurt or sour cream ,I dont like either one
What are you hoping to use in their place?
Would I be able to make a gluten free version for a friend?
Many people have had success using gluten free flour. I recommend Cup4Cup.
Delicious and gorgeous! Love the tip for releasing the lemon oils into the sugar. I used the sour cream and the lower amount of salt.
Turned out great with sour cream. Rubbing the zest in the sugar was new, loved that. Glad to hear frozen berries will work too!
I made it last week and everyone loved it! I did not have yogurt or sour cream on hand so I used regular milk. And instead of baking powder I used baking soda (only one teaspoon instead) It still works great! I just got some yogurt and excited to try this recipe again.
Great to hear, Carly! Thanks for writing 🙂
You had me at “one bowl”. It is easy to make and absolutely delicious. My husband and I love it. We made it four times in five weeks – yes, he helped! While we love olive oil and use it for most our cooking, neither one of us thought we would enjoy it in this bread. We used vegetable oil.
Great to read all of this. Thanks for writing and sharing your notes 🙂 🙂 🙂
Wonderful bread! I’m making more as I write this🙂
Woohoo 🙂 🙂 🙂
Awesome , Thank you 🙂
Amazingly delicious & simple! Another 5🌟 recipe. Used C4C, sour cream, vegetable oil , giant-sized lemons & local Maine blueberries. Ever-thanks, Ali.
Great to hear Kathleen! Thanks so much as always for sharing your gf adjustments. xo
This is awesome. I used the sour cream and the OO. I also had to sub baking soda for powder. Came out perfect. Fresh BB from our bush. Thank you.
Wow, what a treat! Thanks for writing 🙂
Made 08/2023 w/blue berries/sour cream (two loaves). If you prefer dry, crumbly, blah quick bread, then this recipe is def not for you. At 350 my two loaves took add’l 20 mins. Only 1 lemon, had to divide it between both loaves. Especially like that this is very moist, not crumbly/not falling apart. When I say moist, I mean “soaked thru the wax paper” moist, in a good way. Def make again, Exc!
Great to hear all of this 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks for writing Sue.
Delicious and very moist! Great lemon flavour. My oven always runs cooler, so I left mine in for 90 minutes and it was perfect.
Great to hear, thanks for writing 🙂
I brought this into work to share with my co-workers and they LOVED it!
Great to hear, Amie!
Can this be made eggless?