It’s happened to you, too right? You’re scrolling through Facebook and some divine looking recipe flits across your feed. Before you know it your rummaging through your pantry to check for ingredients, because this recipe needs to happen right. now.
(Seriously, not just me, right?)
Now, usually I am more of a steak and kale salad person than a dessert person, but this happened to me recently when I came across a scrumptious looking lemon blueberry bread. I didn’t have the ingredients (strike one) and we don’t live near a grocery store (strike two), but I had a mission.
My kids can see when this happens to me, and they hover near the kitchen like seagulls waiting to swoop in and lick unattended bowls.
The result? This sweet and tangy lemon bread with vanilla glaze. It’s made with wholesome ingredients and I’ve been told by a certain Starbucks Lemon Loaf lover that’s it’s just as satisfying as store-bought. I hope your family loves it as much as we do!
Lemon Bread Recipe (Gluten-Free, Paleo)
Ingredients
Lemon Bread
- 1 ⅓ cups blanched almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 4 large eggs
- ⅓ cup raw honey (I buy local when possible)
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon zest
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup pastured butter (coconut oil or sustainably harvested palm shortening, melted)
- ½ tsp lemon extract
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract (you can make homemade vanilla extract)
Vanilla Glaze
- 3 tbsp coconut butter (melted over low heat)
- 1 ½ tsp raw honey
- 2 tbsp water (or more if needed to reach desired consistency)
- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a 1.5 quart loaf pan and line it with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, stir together almond flour, coconut flour, sea salt, lemon zest, and baking soda until well combined. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, 1/3 cup honey, lemon juice, butter (or coconut oil or palm shortening), lemon extract and vanilla extract. Add liquid mixture to flour mixture and stir until well combined. Pour bread batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.
- When the bread is ready, set it aside to cool while you work on the glaze. Place 3 tablespoons coconut butter, 1 ½ teaspoons honey, 2 tablespoons water, and 1/8 teaspoon vanilla in a small pan. Place over low heat and stir constantly until the texture is smooth and spreadable, adding more water if necessary. When the lemon bread has cooled, spread the glaze over the top, then slice and serve.
Nutrition
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Love this recipe
Curious as to why you advocate for the use of Palm Oil. Are you aware of the environmental impacts? It’s good to stay informed: https://m.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/snack-addiction-killing-orangutans_us_5af1e943e4b0ab5c3d6aabd6
I’d love to see Palm Oil removed from recipe repertoires. Thanks!
I don’t advocate for it, but I do sometimes suggest the use of sustainably harvested palm oil: https://rspo.org/about/sustainable-palm-oil
My reason for doing so is that some people have allergies that require substitutions, so I try to offer as many options as possible.
Hi, love your website. I want to know if there is a substitute for the coconut butter? I haven’t seen it here in South Africa.
check this link. http://coconut-oil-tips.com/facts/coconut-oil-vs-coconut-milk-water-cream/
It explains the range of coconut products. You might find Coconut Cream Concentrate which i the same as Coconut Butter.
Can I replace the honey with Powdered Erythritol? Thanks so much!
I think without the liquid from the honey the texture would probably be too dry . . .
I did just that! I did add a tiny bit more coconut oil and my eggs were extra large, so maybe that made up for the moisture. It was amazing and not dry at all!!
Is there a substitute for the coconut butter in this recipe that would work fine?
Not that I know of, sorry!
I need a sub for the coconut flour due to a coconut allergy. Any thoughts? This looks so delicious!
Tigernut flour….not from a nut.
This looks delicious! Do I use fresh squeezed lemon juice?
Thank you!
How about a nut free flour substitute for the almond flour? I’m gluten free but also have a but allergy so finding gluten free treats like this is tough! ? thanks!
“Nut” – not but! ?
I know some people use sunflower seeds ground into flour in place of almond flour. I haven’t tried it but maybe that would work?
Great idea thanks for sharing it!
Could I use a mixture of rice and oat flour instead of the coconut flour!
Coconut flour is much more absorbent than most flours so substituting it can be challenging. I haven’t tested this recipe with rice or oat so unfortunately I’m not sure how it would work out.
Are you kidding me? Four large eggs? So unhealthy. Butter or coconut butter? Definitely not healthy. Nutritionfacts.org
The science claiming cholesterol and saturated fat are unhealthy has been found to be deeply flawed, and many mainstream researchers have reconsidered their stance: https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/02/17/foods-high-in-cholesterol-dont-raise-heart-risks/
LOL I eat, or try to, 12 eggs a week, I was eating 15+ a week. Never had high cholesterol. My husband eats 12+ a week no issues. My friend eats 12+15 and no issues. In fact. legit science will tell you you must have cholesterol. But that science is suppressed.
UGH…Give me a break. This is a beautiful recipe and full of fiber and healthy fats. Please educate yourself. Keep up the good work Heather! I love everything you do and have been a fan for a long time.
AMEN Holly. Thanks for all your great ideas, Heather!
unhealthy?? you need to educate yourself.
Oh dear lord, you’re uninformed and probably on the wrong sight… You can’t get cholesterol from cholesterol! Even the AMA website says so, if that is your go to nutrition Bible. In the meantime a R A’s in butter are vital for your brain, and both eggs and butter are healthy and important for too many things to go into. You’re better served with mainstream recipes!
TRUE THAT GABRIELLE!!!
Sounds healthy to me and delicious!!! Yum yum maybe I’ll add 5 eggs and some extra butter. I love me some healthy fat and protein!
Yes, it’s not for everyone. No, it’s not your problem. Let people make their own decisions please.
Can I just add a few drops of lemon EO instead of lemon lemon extract? Or should I just leave it out altogether?
Thanks for the recipe Heather!
According to a clinical aromatherapist I know, certain essential oils can be used as culinary flavorings as long as they are mixed with a fat. I’m not sure what the ratio is, though . . . maybe 1 drop to 1 teaspoon extract?
Have you made this loaf in an Instant Pot? If so, how long would you cook it? I’m thinking about making it in a bundt pan instead of a loaf pan and cooking it in an Instant Pot.
I haven’t tried it in an IP but if you do please let us know how it works out!
I like having anything lemon. And I like how you also include honey in your recipes because I don’t like sugar either. What other ingredients can I use instead of almond or coconut flour?
Thank you.
I have only tested this recipe with almond and coconut flour so unfortunately I don’t have any substitution recommendations.
Hello Heather,
I prepared your Lemon Bread recipe and it is absolutely delicious!
Honestly I wasn’t expecting such great flavours…
If I want to prepare a larger batch, should I just double the recipe?
Also, will the same recipe work for muffins as well?
Thank you thank you thank you!!!
Have a good weekend ??
I’m so glad you liked it, Siena! I would double the recipe and then divide it between two bread pans to keep the baking time the same. Haven’t tested it as a muffin but if you do please let us know how it works out!
So yummy! Easy to prepare and delicious. For those that can’t find coconut butter it’s super simple to make your own from shredded coconut.
I have just made it and it’s perfect. My baking time was about 35 min. @ 350 and the toothpick came out clean with nice brown top.
This was so delicious! My husband is usually not a fan of paleo desserts, but he loved this one! The only difference for me was my oven cooked this a lot faster, (I have a new oven so I’m still figuring it out!).
Looks delicious! Any recommendation for egg free? Flax? Yogurt?
I was wondering, too, if the substitute egg product would produce a tasty bread loaf? I would try the chia seed or flax seed method. Guess to know is just to try it! But 4 eggs is a lot. Applesauce is another substitute idea.
This lemon bread looks absolutely delicious! How do I make lemon zest or does it come ready made? I want to be certain that I go with the right choice for this lovely recipe.
Thanks,
Anita
Lemon zest is made by shaving off the outer rind of the lemon. You only want the yellow part, not the bitter white pith. 🙂
This is sooooo good it has blown everyone away! Thank you for this recipe! It is destined to be a classic in my family. The only change I made was the icing. Instead of making an icing, I combined lemon juice with sugar, poked small holes in the bread right after it came out from the oven, and drizzled the lemon sugar on top of it. The top crust absorbed it, giving it a tangy goodness! Again. This is an epic recipe.
What amount of each did you use?
I loved this recipe! I skipped the glaze but added fresh blueberries to the batter and it turned out delicious! I would definitely recommend experiment with fruit in this recipe.
Thank you, thank you for this recipe! It was divine. My husband and I devoured it, haha.
I added 1/2 tsp of zanthan gum, 1/4 cup of arrowroot starch, and 1/4 tsp of almond extract (I didn’t have lemon extract).
It turned out perfectly!
So glad you enjoyed it!
We tried this yesterday and love it. How do I get the glaze to look like yours? do I need to let it cool before putting it on the cake? the instructions don’t say. we put it on clear and it tasted good, not too sweet but didn’t look like your picture.
Also it would have bee done at about 40 min. at 350. 50 minutes was a bit too long. We are at about 4000 ft elevation here.
Hi Lauri, so glad you liked the recipe! I wait until the bread is cool before applying, but the glaze itself is still warm. It looks translucent when first applied but should turn white after a little while. 🙂
Love it! I haven’t had lemon bread in years since I went mostly gluten free, and I love the coconut butter glaze without using powdered sugar. This recipe made 2 small loaves which I had to figure out after making the batter because our regular oven wasn’t working. Came out fine from the mighty toaster oven, but a little dark on the top, which the glaze covers well. Thank you!
Oh, and I experimented and used 2 eggs and the equivalent to 2 eggs in aquafaba (canned garbanzo bean water) and it’s great! No more super eggy coconut flour recipes for me.
Looks great! Okay to double recipe?
Thanks!!
M
I don’t see why not. 🙂
Please post MORE recipes WITHOUT almond flour! It’s expensive, almost always unsustainably grown/produced, and it masquerades as a health food but really isn’t. Please consider posting more baked-goods recipes using traditionally soaked or sour-leavened grains: healthier, more sustainable and far more budget friendly.
I grind my own organic almonds in a coffee grinder. I wait for them to go on sale & use coupons @ Kroger’s (Michigan store) to save $. Heather, do you have some good nut milk recipes??
Thank you for a great looking recipe! Regarding the nutrition analysis, this must be per loaf and not per slice, right?!! I can’t wait to try it?
Great question, Toni! Yes, the values were for the whole loaf. To make things easier I just set the calculator to 10 servings (10 slices), though. 🙂
I think every nut would burn if you baked it for 50, 60 min at 350 F. So did this lemon/ almond flour bread. Please adjust the temperature and time.
Hi Aggie, I’m sorry this recipe didn’t work well for you. I know it’s really frustrating to invest in ingredients and be disappointed with the results. Is it possible that an ingredient was omitted before baking? I’ve tested this recipe many times and have received many positive reviews from others who had good results with the instructions as written, so it seems that there is something unique about your experience that I’d like to help troubleshoot if I can.
Heather…so good!!! I didn’t have lemon extract, so I used almond, and added blueberries. Amazing!! Thanks for all your great recipes:)
I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to let me know. 🙂
Aggie: it could be your oven. Some ovens are hotter or cooler than they should be. Try turning the temp down to 325* and bake til golden brown!!
Hope this helps🤓
Hello Heather, Thank you so much for the recipe! Just made it and ate it! Wonderful!!
So, I had to improvise on a few things because I thought I had purchased lemon extract, but didn’t, and thought I had two loaf pans, and didn’t (doubled recipe)…..Anyway, just excluded the lemon extract and it was still delish. I made half in a loaf pan and the other half in silicon muffin cups (made eight, or was it nine?….). I baked the muffins first due to not sure of time and expecting to be done in half the time, which ended up being 26 minutes. The glaze is to die for….yummy. I used unsweetened coconut cream because I couldn’t find coconut butter.
Made this immediately after seeing the recipe lol. Very tasty but mine was very brown on outside. I only did 50 minutes too:/ Any thoughts on why that would happen?
Is there anyway to make this recipe without coconut products? I can’t have coconut sadly
Hi Heather! I love your blog and recipes so much. If I’m dead set on making this Lemon bread with zucchini, what would you suggest??
Sounds yummy, 1.5 qt loaf pan, is this an 8.5×4.5 loaf pan?, your affiliate link to loaf pan is dead