Erin’s Recipe Rundown
I took my all-time favorite gluten-free cranberry orange bread and turned it into this lemon blueberry version!
I love how tender and light this bread is, with just the right amount of blueberries sprinkled throughout. I’ve had quite a few people tell me they never would have guessed it was gluten-free if I hadn’t told them. I always take that as a win!
Why You’ll Love It: This gluten-free quick bread is one of those easy, no-fuss recipes, no matter your baking experience. I think you’ll love the bright, fruity flavor and how soft the crumb is in every slice. It’s a fun breakfast or brunch recipe that I find myself snacking on all day!
Top Tips: I’ve tried this loaf in a 8×4-inch loaf pan and a 9×5-inch loaf pan. I really like the shape and height of the loaf in the 8×4-inch pan, but either one will work!
xoxo erin
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make this gluten-free lemon blueberry bread. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Gluten-free flour: I always use King Arthur. It’s the best way to get the right wet/dry ratio for the perfect bake! Other gluten-free flours may hydrate differently.
- Neutral oil: Like with many of my other gluten-free quick bread recipes, I prefer a neutral oil to butter for the best texture. I love the flavor of butter, but it can often lead to a dense and uneven crumb in gluten-free loaves. You can use any neutral oil you like. I most often use avocado or grapeseed oil.
- Milk of choice: I usually make this gluten-free bread with almond milk, but any kind of milk will work.
- Almond extract: I think a touch of almond extract adds a subtle complexity that compliments the lemon-blueberry flavor.
- Blueberries: I prefer to use fresh blueberries in this loaf. Frozen blueberries color the batter and lead to an on off-color bread.
How to Make Gluten-Free Lemon Blueberry Bread
Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
Batter Prep: I’m not a fan of dirtying dishes unnecessarily, but prepping the wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls before combining makes a huge difference with the texture. Everything gets mixed in evenly and you’re less likely to overmix which can create that gummy texture no one wants!
Fresh blueberries: I love using frozen fruit in a lot of recipes, but with this one fresh is definitely best. I toss them in a little flour before gently folding them in. This way the berries stay suspended throughout the batter without sinking or discoloring it.
Baking time: I start with the pan uncovered, but then loosely cover it with foil towards the end so that the top doesn’t brown too fast before the bread can bake through. This is one you’ll definitely want to test with a toothpick to check the center!
Bright lemon glaze: While the loaf cools, I throw together the simple two-ingredient glaze. I look for a really thick, yet pourable glaze and play with my ratio of ingredients to get it just right. Once the loaf is cool, I drizzle the glaze on top, then try my best to give it a few minutes before slicing so that the glaze can set. The wait is so hard!
More Gluten-Free Quick Breads
Gluten-Free Lemon Blueberry Bread
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1½ cups (225g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Other
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup (80ml) neutral oil
- ¼ cup (60ml) milk of choice
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest, about the zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup (140g) fresh blueberries, rinsed and patted dry
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
Lemon Glaze
- 1½ cups (180g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus more if needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 1½ cups gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, oil, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract and almond extract.
- In a small bowl, stir together the blueberries and 1 tablespoon of gluten-free flour.
- Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together with a rubber spatula until just combined and no dry flour streaks remain. Gently fold in the floured blueberries.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 40 minutes, then cover the pan loosely with foil. This will allow the loaf to continue cooking without the top becoming overly browned. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the lemon glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Adjust the consistency with more lemon juice or more powdered sugar as needed to make a very thick but pourable glaze. Drizzle over the cooled loaf. Let the glaze set for a few minutes before slicing the loaf.
Absolutely delicious! My family devoured this bread!
Yay! We’re so glad the new bread recipe was a hit with the whole family! Thank you for sharing with us, Mary Beth!
Made this yesterday because I had so many fresh blueberries! Another amazing recipe that is moist and flavorful! Thanks again for sharing!!
Yay! We love to hear this, Christy! Thank you for coming back and sharing such kind feedback with us!
I made this yesterday and it was amazing! Perfectly fluffy and bursting with fresh flavors. Also not too sweet! Definitely adding this to the regular rotation! The only change I made was omitting the almond flavor (as I don’t prefer it), and it turned out great.
We love to hear this, Emily! Thank you for coming back and sharing your positive experience with us. Totally get wanting to omit the almond flavor. It’s not for everyone. We’re so glad you still loved the bread!
Erin this is EXCELLENT!!! I bake this for Mothers Day and couldn’t resist the first slice taste. This will definitely be made a lot!!!
Thanks again You Hit the Jack Pot
Aww, thank you for such amazing feedback! We’re so happy to hear how much you loved the new recipe, Vicki!
Delicious recipe! Thanks so much for sharing it!
Yay! We’re so glad you loved the new recipe. Thank you for the kind feedback, Michelle!
My gluten free baked goods are good the day I baked them, but hard as a rock the next day
I have tried various gf 1 to 1 flours. I can’t use King Arthur, because it contains wheat – one of numerous allergies (as if gluten wasn’t hard enough)
Any ideas what I can try to do different?
I’ve tried various ways of packing the treats after they cool, that doesn’t seem to make a difference.
Hi MaryAnn! We’re sorry to hear you’ve had that experience with gluten-free baking in the past. This recipe uses King Arthur GF Measure-for-Measure Flour which doesn’t include any wheat (the KA GF bread and pizza flour blends contain GF wheat starch). It’s our go-to for the best texture. Beyond the flour blend, it’s all about the moisture/fat in the recipes and being careful to not overbake (easy to do with GF bakes!). If there is a particular Meaningful Eats recipe you’ve experienced this with, please let us know and we’ll try to troubleshoot further!
Hi! I have KA GF Bread Flour on hand, Will this recipe work with this Bread Flour instead of the 1:1 GF Flour?
Hi Kathy! We haven’t tested this bread with the KA GF bread flour. We typically use the KA GF measure-for-measure flour in quick bread recipes. The two blends have different properties so using the bread flour will most likely impact texture and structure. If you test it out, we’d love to hear how it goes!
Do you find when baking lemon bread, zucchini bread, etc. that baking and a aluminum loaf pan is different than baking in a glass loaf pan?
Hi Rhonda! Yes, aluminum pans will perform differently than glass because of how fast they heat up and how they distribute that heat. For the loaf breads, we prefer one like this. We hope you enjoy the new recipe!