Simple Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
We’ve definitely entered the season of all things baked goods—pies, cookies, cakes, and if you’re a member of the Scott family: lemon poppy seed bread. Aaron’s mom makes it for holidays throughout the year and I always indulge in a slice (or two) because I can never turn down a lemon dessert.
This year the baking bug hit me hard and I decided it was high time I came up with my own recipe for vegan lemon poppy seed bread. My version is lightly and naturally sweetened with coconut sugar, but make no mistake—the texture is more cake than bread. That aside, I’m still me and I couldn’t resist healthify-ing it just a little. I used a combination of plain non-dairy yogurt (my homemade cashew yogurt works really well here) and unsweetened applesauce in combination with a small amount of extra virgin olive oil to keep it lower in fat. The applesauce also doubles as an egg replacer, so wins all around!
This bread takes about 50 minutes to bake, but just 10 minutes to prep. It’s also only 12 ingredients, many if not all of which you probably have on hand. In other words, this lemon poppy seed bread is EASY. (and bright, and very lemony, and if you want to eat a slice for breakfast…why not?? January is for vegetables. 😉 )
P.S. You might also enjoy my Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie!
Simple Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
Simple Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
Serves: about 10 one-inch slices
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
This vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Bread is simple to make and always a crowd-pleaser! It has a light, tender crumb and a bright lemon flavor.
Cuisine: Vegan Servings: about 10 one-inch slices
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes Total Time: 1 hour
This vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Bread is simple to make and always a crowd-pleaser! It has a light, tender crumb and a bright lemon flavor.
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, coconut sugar, applesauce, plant milk, olive oil, lemon zest, and lemon oil. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined, then fold in the poppy seeds.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread the top into an even layer. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let sit in the pan on a cooling rack.
- Once cool, invert the bread onto a cutting board or serving plate. (If it doesn't come right out, you can use a small rubber spatula or knife to gently go around the edges of the pan to loosen any stuck sides.) Leftover lemon poppy seed bread will keep loosely covered for up to 3 days at room temperature.
Copyright © 2021 Amanda Maguire for Pickles & Honey
I love hearing about your family’s traditions, Amanda. My family does gingerbread and peanut butter cookies (the kind with the hershey’s kiss in the middle) for Christmas. I think we’ll need to add your lemon poppy seed bread to our list. 😉
Aaron’s mom makes SO MANY cookies around the holidays, including the ones you mentioned! I think a lemony bread is a nice addition. 🙂
The texture looks so good! I’m all for more cake-like and less bread-like. 🙂
Thank you! I love how the texture turned out here.
this does look delicious but since you brought up the whole bread vs cake questions and i’m really more of a bread person, I’m wondering what it take to make this more bread like. Do you have any suggestions? thanks.
I would probably try replacing the all-purpose flour with something a bit denser…maybe whole wheat pastry or spelt flour to give it a heartier texture.
This looks amazing.
If I wanted to reduce the oil to one tablespoon, what could I use in place of the left out oil?
Thank you!
Hi Elena, I’ve already reduced the oil quite a bit by replacing it with yogurt and applesauce. You could try reducing it further (more yogurt and/or applesauce). I haven’t personally tried this myself though, so definitely report back if you give it a try!