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This zesty one-bowl vegan lemon blueberry loaf is tender, moist, and loaded with juicy berries in every bite—perfect for breakfast, dessert, or an afternoon snack!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The next time life gives you lemons and blueberries, make this vegan lemon blueberry loaf. Regardless of being made without eggs or dairy (and no weird or hard-to-find alternatives either!), it’s moist, fluffy, bursting with juicy blueberries and zesty lemon, and made in just one bowl with 9 simple, inexpensive ingredients.
Like my regular vegan lemon loaf cake, this loaf is sweet and tart, now made with mashed banana and bursting with fresh or frozen blueberries. It’s a crowd-pleasing Spring/Summer treat, perfect for Easter, Birthdays, afternoon tea, and more. Warning: It’ll disappear fast!
You might also enjoy vegan lemon blueberry scones, lemon blueberry cookies, and/or easy vegan blueberry banana muffins.
The Ingredients and Substitutes
Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
Thawed berries are best tossed with flour and may cause streaking in the batter.
Recipe Variations
- Candied lemon/ginger: Finely diced for extra zingy flavor.
- Almond or lemon extract: Enhance the flavor with a few drops.
- Floral: Add a small amount of culinary-grade lavender or rosewater to the batter.
- Blueberry jam/compote: Swirled into the batter before baking.
- White chocolate: Add ¼-½ cup of dairy-free vegan white chocolate chips to the vegan blueberry lemon loaf for added decadence.
- Poppyseeds: 1-2 tablespoons for a crunchy lemon blueberry poppy seed loaf.
- Other berries: Like raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, or cranberries.
- Lemon glaze: I love this 3-ingredient lemon glaze (or vegan lemon buttercream frosting).
- Lemon simple syrup: Simmer 1:1 lemon juice + sugar until dissolved. Cool it, then brush it over the warm lemon berry loaf.
- Coarse sugar: Sprinkled over the batter before baking.
How to Make A Vegan Blueberry Lemon Loaf
Step 1: First, preheat the oven to 375F/190C. Grease a 9×5-inch (25×11 cm) loaf pan and optionally line it with parchment paper. Then, zest the lemon and use a fork/masher to mash the bananas in a large bowl. Add the sugar, oil, baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour, and lemon zest.
Step 2: Gently mix until combined – be careful not to overmix it, though. Gently fold in the blueberries and nuts (if using), then transfer the batter to the loaf pan, smoothing it with a spatula.
Step 3: Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean (or with a few moist crumbs).
Step 4: Let the vegan lemon blueberry bread cool for 15-20 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to fully cool. Optionally glaze, and enjoy!
FAQs
You should be able to replace AP flour with an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend, like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur’s.
It may help to toss the berries in a tablespoon of flour/the dry ingredients for ‘grip.’ You could also reserve a portion to press into the top of the batter before baking.
Sure – divide the batter in a lined muffin tray and reduce the baking time to 20-25 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Yes, you could use an 8 or 9-inch cake pan and adjust the baking time.
For a banana-free version, try my regular vegan lemon loaf cake recipe and add berries.
Pro Recipe Tips
- Measure the flour correctly: Fluff it in its bag, spoon it into the cup, then level it with the back of a knife. This ensures you don’t use too much and end up with a dense, dry vegan blueberry lemon bread.
- Stronger flavor: Rub the sugar and lemon zest to bring out the lemon oil (aka flavor!).
- Don’t over-mix: Overworking batter can lead to dense, gummy bakes.
- For mini loaves: Reduce baking time to between 25-30 minutes.
- Leave to cool: It will be crumbly/fragile immediately out of the oven, but firms as it cools.
Serving Recommendations
Enjoy a slice of this lemon and blueberry loaf cake alone or with:
- Lashings of dairy-free butter or vegan lemon curd
- Vegan cream cheese (regular or lightly sweetened)
- Vegan yogurt/vegan whipped cream and berries
- Vegan vanilla ice cream or banana ice cream
How To Store Blueberry Lemon Bread
Room temp: In a paper towel-lined container for 2-3 days.
In the fridge: In an airtight container lined with paper towels for up to a week.
Freeze it: Store vegan lemon blueberry cake whole or sliced (parchment paper between, to prevent sticking) in plastic wrap, in a Ziplock/Stasher, for up to 3 months.
Thaw/reheat: In the fridge overnight, at room temperature for several hours, or quickly thaw individual slices in a microwave/toaster oven.
Vegan Lemon Blueberry Loaf
Ingredients
- 3 medium bananas mashed
- ¼ cup of granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup of canola or vegetable oil plus more for greasing
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- 1 ½ cups of whole wheat or all-purpose flour
- ½ tablespoon of lemon zest
- 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries
- ⅓ cup of walnuts or pecans chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and lightly grease a standard loaf pan.
- Place the mashed bananas in a large bowl. Add the sugar, oil, baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour, and lemon zest and gently mix together until well combined.
- Fold the blueberries and walnuts or pecans (if using) into the batter. Spoon the batter into the loaf pan.
- Bake for 55 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown.
Notes
- Measure the flour correctly: Fluff it in its bag, spoon it into the cup, then level it with the back of a knife. This ensures you don’t use too much and end up with a dense, dry vegan blueberry lemon bread.
- Stronger flavor: Rub the sugar and lemon zest to bring out the lemon oil (aka flavor!).
- Don’t over-mix: Overworking batter can lead to dense, gummy bakes.
- For mini loaves: Reduce baking time to between 25-30 minutes.
- Leave to cool: It will be crumbly/fragile immediately out of the oven, but firms as it cools.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
So yummy!