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This Lemon Poppy Seed Bread is moist, light, and lower in fat, filled with lots of lemon zest and poppy seeds, and drizzled with a thick lemon glaze made with powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice. If you love this combo you’re going to love my Lemon Poppy Seed Cake and Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins!
Lemon Poppy Seed Bread Basics
Lemon Poppy Seed Bread… Running out of granulated sugar in the middle of a recipe is just a skill I’ve acquired over the years. It just happens because I think I have enough sugar and then dive into a recipe and BAM. Not enough sugar.
Why do I bring this up? Because that’s exactly what happened with this recipe that I’m sharing with you today. I had a small amount of sugar in my house unbeknownst to me and it was too late to go out and get more or have any delivered.
What is a girl to do?
Shuffle through her cabinets for anything remotely sweet to use in place of the sugar.
My shuffling worked! We were eating lemon poppyseed bread made with 1/2 cup sugar (and 1/2 cup maple syrup!) at 11:30 pm and by golly it was delicious. So delicious in fact that I made it, again and again, to make sure it wasn’t just a fluke. Plus, I needed way more lemon flavor in there to make it taste as zingy as I wanted it to.
The finished loaf is a moist, light, and lower fat version of the original, filled with lots of lemon zest and poppy seeds and then drizzled with a thick glaze made with powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice. Let’s get into it!
Tips and Tricks for Success
Making this recipe is relatively straight forward! But here are some tips and tricks to make your life easier. You’re welcome 🙂
- Light Colored Pans. My only notes would include using a lighter colored loaf pan (these are the ones I use, and love!) do it doesn’t get too dark too fast with the one hour cook time.
- Nonstick and Parchment Paper. Spraying the pan well with nonstick cooking spray so it slides out easily. Heck, if you’re really concerned, just line the pan with some parchment paper along with the nonstick. It’s not necessary, but definitely will give you peace of mine. It’ll pop right out!
- Eggs. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature.
How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
This is a simple Lemon Poppy Seed Bread recipe, start out with your ingredients, mix them up. Then bake the batter in a loaf pan. Cool the loaf and as its cooling, prepare a simple lemon glaze. Then glaze it, slice it and enjoy! For the full recipe, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Preheat + Prep
Preheat oven. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Make the Batter
In a large bowl, whisk together: flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and granulated sugar. Create a well in the middle of the ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients: maple syrup, oil, apple sauce, eggs, extracts, and lemon zest. Stir the center of wet ingredients first before starting to incorporate the wet into the dry. Stir until dry ingredients are just combined. Add in poppy seeds and stir again gently.
Bake + Cool
Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan before removing to a cooling rack. Cool completely.
Make the Lemon Glaze
For the glaze, stir powdered sugar together with just enough lemon juice to create a thick glaze the consistency of white school glue.
Drizzle generously over loaf and enjoy!
Storing Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
Lemon Poppy Seed Bread can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. To lengthen its shelf life store in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to a week!
To Freeze. Skip the glaze and wrap in plastic wrap, then put the loaf into a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 4 months!
To Thaw. Transfer the loaf from the freezer to the fridge, allow to thaw overnight. Transfer to the counter and let it come to room temperature. Then glaze it, slice it and enjoy!
Try doubling this Lemon Poppy Seed Bread recipe! Enjoy one loaf now and store the other in the freezer for later.
More Lemon Recipes to Love!
- Lemon Cream Puffs
- Lemon Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Cream Pie
- Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Perfect Lemon Bar Recipe
Printable recipe card is below. Have a great day, friends!! 🙂
Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup real maple syrup
- 6 tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil
- 2/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract optional, but recommended
- 1/4 cup lemon zest 5 lemons for me!
- 1 tablespoon poppyseed
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together: flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and granulated sugar. Create a well in the middle of the ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients: maple syrup, oil, apple sauce, eggs, extracts, and lemon zest. Stir the center of wet ingredients first before starting to incorporate the wet into the dry. Stir until dry ingredients are just combined. Add in poppyseed and stir again gently.
- Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in the pan before removing to a cooling rack. Cool completely.
- For the glaze, stir powdered sugar together with just enough lemon juice to create a thick glaze the consistency of white school glue. Drizzle generously over loaf and enjoy!
I have several sizes of loaf pans (9X5, 8X3 etc.) What size loaf pan did you use for this recipe?
[…] banana isn’t your thing, you may want to try my Low Fat Lemon Poppyseed Bread, my Cinnamon Swirl Donut Bread or my Homemade White Bread. All non-banana-but-still-delicious […]
This is on my list to make this week! I love lemon poppyseed! 😍😍
My Grandma used to make the yummiest poppyseed cake. This sounds like it would be a healthier option that would still give me that flavor and the sentimental memories. I’m excited to try it!
I think this would be perfect with tea. I love lemon flavored breads and pastries. I have been wanting to make this!!
That looks so delicious! I’ve been waiting for something with less sugar and still taste great! Thanks for the recipe!
This looks so good, I can’t wait to try it.
This looks so good! I need to make this soon!
I’ve got to try this! Lemon is one of my favorite flavors! Thanks for sharing… I’ll eat sure tonletnyounknow how it turns out!
I am going to try your lemon loaf…looks yummy!
Give me lemon everything! can’t wait to try this.
I’m buying the ingredients this week so I can make it this weekend. Looking forward to trying it!
I want to try all of your recipes but this one is at the top of my list! Thanks for all that you share!!! You are awesome!
I love anything lemony and can’t wait to bake this up!
I happened across this recipe when you posted it and decided to give it a try. My daughter had a dance competition last week and I like to bake something for the moms and dancers when we have an early morning start. It was loved by all who tried it. I left some at home for my boys and they loved it too. This recipe will definitely be a go to. It was so yummy.
Makes me want summer!!
Lemon poppy seed muffins are my all time favorite, so obviously I have to make this loaf!!!
Can’t wait to try this! Lemon is a favorite in our house!
I can’t wait to try this on Saturday. It sounds so delicious.
This looks yummy! I’ve tried a similar recipe that was good but I’m going to try this one to decide which one I like better. From my own experience of cooking and baking for over 60 years, Lemon Poppyseed Bread turns out much better when the juice from real lemons are used rather than lemon juice from a bottle. ❤️😋
I am going to the store today to get lemons! Can’t wait to try this!
This looks so delicious and moist. Great flavor combination.
The recipe looks fantastic anything with lemon I have to try. Thanks for all the great recipes
I love the combination of lemon and poppyseed!
What do you think about subbing chia seeds for the poppy seeds?
Lauren,
Could you please add/fix the link to the light-colored loaf pans you use and love? I have been wanting to get some new ones and light-colored sounds like a great idea.
Thank you.
Sorry about that! I got it added into the post. Here is the link to the pans I own: http://shopstyle.it/l/wCsL
Have you by chance made with THM baking mix and everything else ‘no sugar’ ? Just wondering
Can you replace maple syrup with Agave syrup?
I’ve never tried it with agave, but you are welcome to give it a whirl.
The link to the pans you use isn’t there. 😔 Just thought you should know. Recipe looks yummy. Can’t wait to try. Thx.
Wondering if you have any nutritional data on this such as grams of fat, calories, fiber, cholesterol, etc. Looks good and Thanks.
I dream of lemon poppyseed…..yum!