Gluten-Free Blueberry Lemon Bread

Name: Gluten-Free Blueberry Lemon Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 2 eggs, room temperature; 2/3 cup pure maple syrup; 1/3 cup coconut oil, softened; 1 tablespoon pure lemon extract (yes, tablespoon, not teaspoon); 1/2 cup Greek yogurt; 1 lemon, juice and zest; 2 cups Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen (divided); 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt; 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup; 1/4 cup cream cheese; 1 teaspoon lemon zest

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Gluten-free blueberry lemon bread is bright and citrusy, bursting with juicy berries, and topped with a sweet Greek yogurt cream cheese frosting. It takes just a few minutes to stir together with ingredients you can feel good about. It’s gluten-free with no butter, no processed sugar, and absolutely delicious.

This post has been updated with a revised recipe and new photos and tips.

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You’re going to love this

Bright and citrusy. If you love a lemon loaf, this gluten free lemon blueberry bread has your name on it. It has lemon juice, zest inside and outside the loaf, and lots of lemon extract. So, let’s just say it’s lemony, alright.

Lemon + blueberries. This dynamic duo just might be my fave flavor combo. They work together so perfectly in this gluten free blueberry bread, I can’t imagine it without either one.

Super easy. Just measure, dump, and stir. Easy enough.

Gluten-free blueberry muffin bread. This blueberry lemon bread is basically a blueberry muffin in loaf form -- it just takes longer to bake. So if you're craving blueberry muffins, but you don't have a muffin pan or just don't want to fuss with scooping out the dough into little muffin cups, you can just pour this batter right into a loaf pan, then kick back and read a book and enjoy the cozy aromas of blueberry bread baking.

Greek yogurt cream cheese frosting. This gluten-free blueberry lemon bread is quite delicious on its own. But if you'd like to make it extra-special, you can spread it with this light and creamy Greek yogurt cream cheese frosting. It's sweet and tangy like a classic cream cheese frosting, but it's lightened up with Greek yogurt and maple syrup -- no powdered sugar, no butter.

Hungry for More Gluten-Free Recipes?

Ingredient Notes

Eggs. Please use room temperature eggs in this recipe. Why? Well, according to Taste of Home, the yolks break up more easily when they’re warm, allowing them to mix more thoroughly with the whites and the rest of the ingredients. Also, if the eggs are cold, they can harden any softened or melted fat that is in the recipe and change the consistency of the batter. If you forget, like I do all the dang time, just drop the eggs in warm water for ten minutes.

Maple syrup. Pure maple syrup stands in for sugar in this bread because I wanted to stay away from processed sugar as much as possible.

Coconut oil. To get coconut oil perfectly softened, just microwave it for a few (and I mean 3) seconds at a time.

Lemon extract. It takes a lot of lemon to get a punchy lemony flavor, which is why I put a full tablespoon of lemon extract in this recipe, along with the lemon juice and zest.

Greek yogurt. For baking, whole milk Greek yogurt is the way to go. I have used both plain and lemon flavored in this recipe and both are great. This blueberry lemon bread is still plenty lemony if you go with plain yogurt.

Lemons. You'll get the best flavor from fresh lemon juice and zest. I wouldn't recommend the bottled lemon juice. In a pinch, I would substitute with a different kind of fresh citrus fruit.

Gluten-Free flour. Oof, this took some figuring out. Please save yourself the heartache and get the Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 in the blue bag. Not the red bag. The gluten free flour blend in the blue bag is recommended for gluten free baking, especially quick bread, muffin bread, etc. because it has xanthan gum, which oddly enough keeps it from being … wait for it … gummy. If you use the red bag, you will have gummy bread with an ishy texture that sinks in the middle.

Blueberries. You can use fresh blueberries, but I keep finding that the best blueberries I can find are frozen ones. I like to use wild blueberries in this recipe because they're small and give more even distribution of blueberries throughout the bread. But any kind of blueberry is fine.

Cream cheese. Just ¼ cup of cream cheese is all you need for this frosting recipe. The rest is Greek yogurt and maple syrup. I recommend brick cream cheese because it's more firm. The cream cheese in a tub is softer and will result in a thinner frosting.

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TIPS

Fresh blueberries, frozen blueberries, wild blueberries. Either fresh or frozen blueberries will work in this blueberry bread. I like to use frozen because I usually have them on hand and since they are frozen at the peak of freshness, I find the quality to be better than I can usually find, especially in the winter in MN. I also like to use wild blueberries because they are smaller so the distribution throughout the loaf seems to be better.

Working with frozen blueberries. If you use frozen blueberries, keep them frozen until right until you need them. Then give them a quick rinse in a strainer under cold water until the water runs clear. It's kind of amazing how much color rinses off of them right away.

Parchment paper. Lining your loaf pan with parchment paper may seem like a fussy step, but it really is worth it. It helps the loaf to brown evenly and makes removing the bread from the pan super easy. And you don't have to worry at all about the bread sticking to the pan.

How to Make Healthy Blueberry Lemon Bread

Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare a loaf pan with parchment paper. Not only will the parchment make removing it from the pan a snap, but it also helps it to brown evenly.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together maple syrup and softened coconut oil. Whisk in the eggs. If you forget that you need room temperature eggs until just before you’re making this, just drop them into warm water and let them sit for about ten minutes.

Add the lemon extract, lemon yogurt, lemon juice and zest (reserve some of the lemon zest for the frosting).

Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

If you are using frozen blueberries, give them a quick rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. This will help keep the blueberries from coloring the batter.

In a small bowl, toss one cup of the blueberries with one tablespoon of the flour mixture.

Add the remaining flour mixture to the lemon mixture. Stir until just combined. Do not overmix.

Gently fold the blueberries into the batter and pour it into your prepared loaf pan. Add the remaining ½ cup of blueberries to the top of the batter.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. You can also use a thermometer, it should read between 195 and 200.

Turn the oven off, but leave the bread in for 10 minutes. What the heck for? This helps keep the center from sinking. Place the pan on a wire rack and let it cool.

Make the Greek yogurt cream cheese frosting.

How to Make Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting without Powdered Sugar

With a mixer, beat the Greek yogurt and maple syrup together. Add the cream cheese and mix until smooth and creamy.

Spread the frosting over the blueberry lemon bread, letting it drip down the sides. Sprinkle with the reserved lemon zest.

Store the frosted bread covered in the refrigerator.

FAQs

Does blueberry bread need to be refrigerated?

If you make this gluten-free blueberry bread unfrosted, you can store it tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days. Just be sure to thoroughly cool it first so it doesn't become soggy.

If you frosted your blueberry bread with this delicious Greek yogurt cream cheese frosting, then it should be stored tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Can you freeze blueberry bread?

Yes. Once the loaf is cooled, you can tightly wrap it and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. I wouldn't recommend freezing the loaf with the Greek yogurt frosting on it. Thaw the bread at room temperature, then frost it, if desired. Frosted blueberry bread should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Recipe Essentials

Baking/Cooling Racks

Cooling your bread on a baking rack ensures there is plenty of circulation all around the loaf for even -- and faster -- cooling. It's also super handy to use a rack like this when you drizzle on the icing.

Instant Read Thermometer

I've learned not to rely solely on the toothpick test for judging the doneness of cakes and breads. So I use a thermometer. While this one is marketed as a meat thermometer -- and the reason we bought it in the first place -- I've realized it doesn't know if it's checking meat or bread :). So it's the one I use in my kitchen for everything.