Our Lemon Bread is about to become your new go-to for a citrusy treat that’s equally amazing as a busy morning breakfast as it is for a simple snack or dessert! This zesty, moist loaf is bursting with fresh lemon flavor and comes together in a snap—just toss everything into a blender, bake, and voilà — it’s ready to be devoured!
Table of Contents
What is Lemon Blender Bread?
Our lemon blender bread is the ultimate citrusy treat that’s as easy to make as it is delicious! This loaf is bursting with tangy lemon flavor, perfectly moist, and topped with a sweet, zesty glaze. The secret to its simplicity? Everything gets tossed into a blender, making prep a breeze and cleanup even easier. This delightful bread is the epitome of convenience without sacrificing any of the bright, mouthwatering flavor!
At the heart of this recipe is a whole seedless lemon, quartered and seeded, ensuring every slice of bread is infused with natural lemony goodness. When blended with room-temperature eggs, rich olive oil, and creamy sour cream, you get a batter that’s smooth, luscious, and ready to rise to perfection. Granulated sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness to balance the lemon’s tartness, while a splash of vanilla extract enhances the overall flavor profile, giving it that warm, inviting aroma that fills your kitchen as it bakes.
If you’re a fan of lemon you’re going to want to run — not walk! — to your kitchen and bake up this sweet treat immediately!
Why You’ll Love This Lemon Bread
- Fast one-bowl prep: Just toss everything into a blender or bowl and mix.
- Ultra-moist & dense crumb: Thanks to olive oil and sour cream.
- Bright, fresh lemon flavor: Whole lemon blended into the batter delivers zest and juice naturally.
- Easy to glaze or drizzle: A simple powdered‑sugar icing adds the perfect sweet-tart finish.
Ingredients You Need
Lemon Bread
- Whole Seedless Lemon – This fresh lemon adds a burst of tangy, citrusy flavor and aroma to our lemon bread, making each bite feel like a sunny day! We quarter and seed it and use the whole lemon to infuse the maximum amount of flavor into the bread.
- Eggs – Room-temperature eggs blend smoothly into the batter, giving the bread that perfect, fluffy texture that makes this bread so crave-worthy.
- Olive Oil – Olive oil keeps the bread super moist and adds a rich, subtle flavor that complements the zesty lemon perfectly.
- Granulated Sugar – This sweetens the bread just right, balancing out the tartness of the lemon.
- Sour Cream – Sour cream adds a touch of creaminess and extra moisture, ensuring our lemon bread stays tender and melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
- Vanilla Extract – A splash of vanilla extract enhances the lemon flavor and adds a warm, inviting aroma.
- All-Purpose Flour – This is the foundation of the bread — it gives it structure and a soft, cakey texture.
- Baking Powder – This leavening agent makes sure our lemon bread rises beautifully, resulting in a light and airy loaf.
- Sea Salt – Just a pinch of sea salt heightens all the flavors, making each ingredient shine.
Lemon Glaze
- Confectioners’ Sugar – This fine sugar creates a silky smooth, sweet glaze.
- Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed lemon juice in the glaze adds an extra punch of tartness, making every slice of lemon bread irresistibly tangy and delicious!
How to Whip Up this Easy Lemon Bread Recipe
- Blend. Add the quartered and seeded lemon, eggs, olive oil, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla extract to a blender and blend until smooth before adding the dry ingredients and pulsing until combined.
- Bake. Transfer the batter to a loaf pan that has been greased and floured or lined with
parchment paper before baking until the loaf is golden brown and passes the toothpick test. - Cool. Place the cake on the counter to cool briefly before removing it from the pan and placing it on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
- Glaze. Add the powdered sugar and lemon juice to a small bowl and stir until completely combined and no lumps remain. Drizzle the glaze generously over top of the cake once it has cooled.
Flavor Variations
- Fruit – Fold fruits like blueberries, raspberries, or diced strawberries into the batter.
- Poppy seeds – Sprinkle in some poppy seeds for a bit of crunch and to add visual interest to the bread!
- Coconut – For a tropical twist, toss in some shredded coconut!
- Nutty flavor – Replace some or all of the almond extract with vanilla extract or fold in some crushed nuts.
- Fresh herbs – Add some fresh thyme or basil for a bit of herbaceous flavor.
- Spices – Use some ground ginger, cinnamon, or cloves to add warm flavor to the bread.
- Chocolate – There’s almost never a time that we’re not in favor of adding chocolate to a sweet dish! Toss in some chocolate chips for sweetness and gooey decadence.
FAQs
It’s the best balance of both. The lemon brings a bright zing, while the bread itself has a gentle sweetness that makes every bite light and refreshing.
Totally! Just swap the sour cream in the recipe for a plant-based option, and you’ll still get a moist, flavorful loaf.
It’s kind of in between cake and quick bread. You get the soft, tender crumb of cake, but it’s baked in a loaf pan, making it feel more like bread.
Definitely! We love it with a cup of coffee, tea, or even a glass of creamy lemonade for double the citrus. It’s the kind of loaf that feels right at home on a cozy coffee break or sunny brunch table.
More Super Simple Bread Recipes
Searching for more easy, sweet breads? We have plenty of mouthwatering recipes for you to check out!
- Banana Pecan Bread
- Caramel Pecan Monkey Bread
- Blender Banana Bread
- S’mores Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread
- Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf Recipe
- Key Lime Bread
- Banana Blueberry Bread with Streusel Topping
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Easy Blender Lemon Bread Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 whole seedless lemon washed, quartered, and seeds removed
- 4 eggs at room temperature
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Lemon Glaze:
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Grease and flour a 9×5 loaf pan, or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
- In a blender, combine the whole seedless lemon (quartered and seeds removed), eggs, olive oil, granulated sugar, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Process the mixture until smooth, being careful not to over-blend.1 whole seedless lemon, 4 eggs, 3/4 cup olive oil, 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, sea salt) to the blender. Pulse just a few times until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet mixture. Do not overmix.2 cups all-purpose flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown.
- Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then, transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the glaze, combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake.1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Could I use cottage cheese instead of sour cream?
Hi Saryn,
We haven’t tried this but we think it will work — just be sure to blend the cottage cheese first. The loaf may turn out a slight bit more dense, but it should still be moist and flavorful!
xo,
Alia & Radwa
Hi Just made my first cake and I used your Lemon cake recipe and it turned out amazing. My family loved it. Thank you guys. If you know any recipes that uses honey instead of suger or that greatly reduces suger I would be grateful for your help.
Hi Alastair,
Thank you for such amazing feedback — we’re so glad that you and your family enjoyed this recipe! When it comes to sugar substitutes, we have some suggestions: https://www.fooddolls.com/substitutes-for-sugar-baking-and-beyond/. We love this recipe that uses honey: https://www.fooddolls.com/whipped-ricotta-with-honey-and-pistachios/ and this one: https://www.fooddolls.com/pistachio-butter/. But we have lots more, too!
xo,
Alia & Radwa
This is on weekly repeat. Note the baking time for my region is longer- humid sub tropics- so 68-70 minutes. I tried it with a small seedless orange and it was also a hit. I put fresh grated rind in the icing for both lemon and orange and some added lemon or orange extract. I’m interested to try other citrus fruits too!
Hi Kiki,
We’re so glad you liked it and love your adjustments/substitutions! We love it with nearly any citrus fruit!
xo,
Alia & Radwa
I followed the recipe almost exactly. Instead of 2 cups of flour I used 1.5 flour and .5 almond flour. The cake weighs a ton and didn’t rise very much and as its cooling, it’s sinking even more. I haven’t cut into it yet but it looks too dense. Unfortunate. Ingredients are expensive these days.
Hi Gina,
We’re sorry to hear that the bread didn’t turn out. Almond flour can produce a denser baked good and cause sinking in some recipes. We suggest repurposing the dense version into another sweet recipe if you’re not a fan of it as-is. You could use cubes of it in a trifle or parfait (with yogurt, pudding, whipped cream, and/or ice cream), use it for a French toast bake, or make cake pops. We hope you’ll come back to check out other recipes.
xo,
Alia & Radwa
I could not get over the bitter taste of the Lemon Rind – sadly
Hi Kathy,
We’re sorry to hear that this recipe didn’t work for you. We hope you’ll try another one!
xo,
Alia & Radwa
Does this recipe use the lemon peel & pith in the blender or do I cut that off.
Hi Jodi,
It’s the whole lemon (cut into quarters), including the peel. Hope that helps!
xo,
Alia & Radwa
I’ve been eyeing this recipe for a long time and finally decided to bake it – I’m glad I did (not sure my waistline agrees)! I used a Meyer lemon – followed recipe as is – there was extra batter so I made muffins. Just perfect – recipie keeper! thank you so much for another great bake.
Hi Betty,
Thank you so much for this fantastic feedback! So glad you enjoyed it!
xo,
Alia & Radwa
Easy recipe. It tastes great. My only comment is that I had to bake it longer than 55 minutes, but it still came out delicious. Hubby loves it.
Thank you so much for your fabulous feedback!
xo,
Alia & Radwa
Easy and delicious (and not overly sweet, like other recipes). We used nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt, since we had no sour cream. Big hit!
Hi Abby,
Thank you for your amazing feedback! We love that swap you made, too!
xo,
Alia & Radwa
Hi, can I make this in a cake pan? Should I double it to make two layers? Will it be moist still in a cake pan? Thanks!
Hi Martha,
We haven’t tried this but we think it could work. Try making just one layer in your cake pan and start checking it at around 25 minutes for doneness. We think that the density of the bread makes it better for a single layer than a double layered cake/bread. If you want a thick version, use an 8-inch pan, and for a thinner version, try a 9-inch pan. We hope this helps!
xo,
Alia & Radwa
Can this recipe be adapted to oranges as well?
Hi Helen,
It sure can! We hope you enjoy it!
xo,
Alia & Radwa
🙁 too dense! I had high hopes for this one but was very disappointed
Hi Jilli,
We’re so sorry to hear that this one wasn’t your style. We hope you’ll try one of our other quick breads or other recipes!
xo,
Alia & Radwa
Just the best. It doesn’t even need the glaze. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Hi Marjanne,
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your awesome feedback!
xo,
Alia & Radwa
Hi Dolls!
I’m going to try this recipe. Do you think I can use non-fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream?
thanks!
Hi Amy,
You can definitely use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream! We might opt for a low-fat or full-fat version to keep it super moist, but you can try the non-fat variety if that works best for you!
xo,
Alia & Radwa
Can this recipe be made with gluten free flour?
Hi Carla,
Good question! While we haven’t tried it, we think a good 1:1 gluten-free alternative flour should work!
xo,
Alia & Radwa
Is there a high altitude version? I live at 9,000ft ! Love your recipies.
Hi Marianna,
Thank you for cooking and baking our recipes! This is a great question. We do not have a specific high altitude version but we have a few suggestions that might help!
For the baking powder, you’ll want to reduce it a bit — try using 2 tsp instead. Also reduce the sugar by about 2-3 tablespoons. Then, increase the flour by about 3 tablespoons and add a little milk or water (about 2-3 tablespoons). You can also add an extra dollop of sour cream — about 1 tablespoon — for a little more moisture and stability.
Make sure to turn the temp up on your oven, too — 375 degrees Fahrenheit should work. Check the bread at around 40 minutes and remove it when a toothpick comes out clean!
We hope this helps! Happy baking!
xo,
Alia & Radwa
Thinking of adding frozen blueberries dusted in flour. Do you think this would work in the recipe? Thank you!
Hi Stephanie,
We think that sounds like a delicious addition! Happy baking!
xo,
Alia & Radwa