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One-Bowl Lemon-Blueberry Quick Bread
By Alexandra Stafford
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Last Updated: 01/15/2026
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Assembled in one bowl and baked in a loaf pan, this lemon-blueberry quick bread comes together in no time, and thanks to both olive oil and yogurt, it stays exceptionally moist for days. Rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar makes the citrus flavor really shine and a clever mixing method ensures you’ll have blueberries bursting in every bite!
In her book Snackable Bakes, Jessie Sheehan describes this cake as “nothing short of summer in a loaf pan.”
She is not wrong. Sugar-crusted with berries bursting at the seams, it is a sight to behold! With a cup of morning coffee or afternoon tea, a slice of this loaf is such a treat, perfectly sweet, bright with lemon flavor, and juicy berries in every bite.
The batter comes together in no time, and the process is brilliant: First, you rub the zest of two lemons into the sugar, which releases oils from the zest into the sugar, heightening the lemon flavor. The smell is intoxicating. Second, the ingredients, which include yogurt, oil (no butter), and lots of fresh lemon juice, are added one by one, with whisking called for after each addition — it’s a one-bowl job!
Finally, the berries are added in two phases: you fold 1 cup into the batter, then, once the batter is in the loaf pan, you scatter the remaining 1/2 cup over the top, which ensures the berries are evenly distributed throughout the cake. Genius!
PS: Lemon-Blueberry Dutch Baby
Lemon-Blueberry Quick Bread, Step by Step
Gather your ingredients:
Zest the lemon into the sugar…
… then rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers.
Add the oil and vanilla and whisk for 30 seconds.
Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition.
Whisk in the sour cream or yogurt and freshly squeezed lemon juice:
Whisk in the baking powder followed by…
… the salt.
Switch to a spatula and stir in the flour.
The batter will be slightly lumpy.
Fold in 1 cup of the blueberries.
Transfer the batter to a buttered- and parchment-lined loaf pan.
Scatter another 1/2 cup of blueberries over the top. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake at 350ºF for roughly 1 hour. Remove from the oven, let cool for 20 minutes…
… then remove the loaf from the pan by the parchment sling and let it cool to room temperature.
Slice and serve!
One-Bowl Lemon-Blueberry Quick Bread
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8 to 10 1x
Description
Adapted ever so slightly from Jessie Sheehan’s wonderful Snackable Bakes.
Changes I’ve made:
- Used blueberries in place of the blackberries. If you want to use blackberries, roughly chop them before adding them to the batter.
- Upped the vanilla to 1 teaspoon vanilla from 3/4 teaspoon.
- Used extra-virgin olive oil in place of the vegetable oil.
- Upped the kosher salt to 1/2 teaspoon from 1/4 teaspoon.
- Used sour cream in place of the yogurt: I’ve made this twice with yogurt and once with sour cream, and while all were delicious, I think the sour cream version may have been the best. Not sure I would be able to detect a difference in a blind taste test, but just noting this to say both ingredients work great.
I use this 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pan for this recipe.
Ingredients
- softened butter for the pan
- zest from 2 lemons
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (118 g) extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream or whole milk yogurt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups (195 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups (222 g) fresh or frozen blueberries
- turbinado sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8 1/2 – x – 4 1/2-inch loaf pan (I love this one) with softened butter. Line with a sheet of parchment paper that extends up and over the long sides of the pan (like a cradle for your cake).
- Rub the lemon zest into the granulated sugar with your fingers in a large bowl until fragrant. Whisk in the oil and vanilla for 30 seconds. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, and then the lemon juice and yogurt. Sprinkle the baking powder and salt into the bowl, one at a time, vigorously whisking after each. Gently fold in the flour just until a few streaks remain. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Fold in 1 cup (145 g) of the berries.
- Scrape the batter into the pan, smooth the top, then arrange the remaining 1/2 cup (72 g) of berries over the top of the loaf, pressing down gently. Lightly sprinkle with turbinado sugar and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, rotating at the halfway point. The cake is done when a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with a moist crumb or two. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, then lift the cake out by the parchment paper overhang and transfer to a rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing and serving. Keep the cake, wrapped, on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
344 Comments on “One-Bowl Lemon-Blueberry Quick Bread”
Great tasting easy recipe! It’s a keeper for our family!
Great to hear, Tricia! Thanks for writing 🙂
Have made this several times. It’s my favorite. It’s an elegant dessert. Just wanted to share yesterday when I was making this I realized I didn’t have yogurt or sour cream. I substituted with 1/4c ricotta cheese and 1/4 coconut butter. It came out quite moist— almost like a pound cake texture. Delicious!! This is a very forgiving recipe.
Yum! Sound like a fortuitous discovery 🙂 Thanks for writing and sharing!
Comes out flawless every time. Have given to multiple friends and it’s a fave. So moist and almost fluffy. Recipe works for me as is. Love your recipes!!
So nice to hear this, Kristen! Thanks so much for writing and sharing 🙂
This is absolutely amazing! I went with sour cream + oil olive oil. I did have to bake a little longer but I’m having oven calibration issues. Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!
Great to hear, Christina! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
I love this recipe!
I have made it last night for the first time because I still have some frozen blueberries from our blueberry bushes from last year and I also found this recipe to be simple and easy. I used Pyure granular sweetener and olive oil. I followed this recipe step by step. The only thing I would do differently next time is use the zest of one lemon only because it was a bit too much specially for my husband’s taste. I was wondering if the sugar substitute I used could have interfered with the taste. Thanks for the recipe!😋
Helena
Great to hear, Helena! Thanks so much for writing and sharing these notes 🙂 🙂 🙂
Just made this delightful recipe – followed each step and weighed everything.
Was soo delicious – I used organic evoo so I could taste it in the background, I love it so not at all a problem for me but if you’re not an evoo tragic like me you might want to use another healthy oil with a little less depth of flavour.
Thank you so much for this delicious cake full of healthy ingredients (sugar not included I guess but you can’t have a cake without it)
So glad this worked out for you Deirdre! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes.
Beautiful and yummy!
Great to hear Sue!
Hi there! I love this recipe as written, but I am wondering if I could make a lemon lavender loaf cake using this same basic recipe and leaving out the berries. What are your thoughts?
Sounds lovely! I say go for it. I can’t advise on how much lavender to use, as I’ve never tried, but I think you could find your answer with a quick google search. Please report back if you make it 🙂
5STAR RECIPE!
IT WAS DELICIOUS!
Great to hear, Dolores! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Made this yesterday and my husband and I enjoyed a couple of slices for breakfast. This is a wonderful blueberry quick bread. I did add more blueberries than called for, bit we love them so more was okay! Thanks for this great recipe.
Great to hear, Elaine! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Delectable – gets rave reviews. I use what I have which is usually vanilla nonfat Greek yogurt and evoo. Comes out superbly! Thanks A!!
Great to hear, Cindy! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes 🙂
Good morning Alexandra.
I am going to make this delicious-looking bread but would like to know if I could put the sugar and lemon zest in my mini food processor instead of rubbing it together with my fingers?
I just found your site and am SO glad I did!!
I can’t wait to make many more of your recipes!!
Many thanks for any advice you can give me; greatly appreciated.
Susan
Yes, go for it, Susan! That will work great. And welcome! I hope you find some recipes you love 🙂
Hi Alexandra and Many Thanks for your reply; I greatly appreciate it!
I will try mixing the lemon peel with the sugar in my mini food processor and will let you know how it turns out.
Susan
Do you think I can use frozen blueberries? If so, should I defrost them first, or will that make them too mushy?
Yes! Don’t thaw 🙂
I have made this using flavored yogurt (i.e. blueberry or lemon) and it’s very good!
Good morning Ali.
I made your delicious one-bowl lemon blueberry bread but made muffins. I used my mini processor to mix the sugar and lemon peel and my kitchen smelled so good!
It made 14 regular size muffins; filled them a little too much so next time I’ll add less batter to make more. I baked them at 350 for about 27 minutes.
I shared them with a friend and she said “OMG, they are the best muffins I ever had!” And I totally agree with her!!
I’m SO glad I found your site and look forward to making many more of your recipes.
Hope you have a great weekend!
Susan
Oh hooray! It’s so nice to read all of this! I love the idea of making these into muffins — easier to transport and distribute 🙂 I will try. Thanks so much for writing and thank you for your kind words 🙂
Hi Ali,
Thank you for your reply; it is greatly appreciated!
Since I’m new to your site, I found your recipe for blueberry muffins! I definitely will make them and I’m sure it’ll be as delicious as your blueberry bread (muffins that I made)!
So looking forward to searching your site and trying many more of your recipes which are so great to follow and all the helpful tips and beautiful, in-depth directions and photos.
I can’t wait to make your blueberry scones and can’t wait to try the tea towel method!
You truly are gifted!!!
MANY THANKS!!!
Susan
Thank you, Susan! You are too kind to say all of this. I hope you love the blueberry scones and I will be so curious as to which “muffins” you prefer. Thank you for writing 💕
I am so excited I came across this recipe on TikTok!! I actually substituted the flour for gluten free flour and it came out perfect!!
Great to hear! Thanks so much for writing and sharing this 🙂
Made this last week to bring to my sister’s place….my BIL who is a huge lemon fan loved the bread along with all of us! Rubbing the zest into the sugar is my favorite part to ignite the lemon oils….and ONE bowl! This definitely will be made regularly!
Great to hear, Cheryl! Thanks so much for writing and sharing this 🙂
I’ve made this a few times and it’s absolutely the best! Can I freeze it for a gathering down the road?
Thank you!
Yes! Let it cool completely, stick it in an airtight bag, then freeze it.
Love it. The top got a nice crunch from the sugar and the lemon and blueberry combo is great.
Great to hear, Maria! Thanks for writing 🙂
Great and easy loaf. So tasty!
Great to hear, Erin! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Loved this , wondering if I could make as mini muffins? If so how long should I bake at what temp? I would like to make them as a gift for a new mom with a toddler , thinking it will be easier for the to be able to just grab a bite!
Love this idea! I would bake them at 375ºF for about 25 minutes… start checking at 22 minutes… they might take more like 30 minutes.
E will be gifts this for family and friends for Christmas
Love this 🙂 Such a great gift. Happy holidays!
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream?
That should be fine! Greek yogurt is thicker/heavier. Ideally you’ll use a scale to measure it.
I made small muffins for a breakfast event, and they were amazing!
Great to hear, Mary! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Hi Ali, I did everything exactly as you said. I usually don’t bake with blueberries in the winter since they are not very flavorful and are somewhat sour. But I couldn’t resist. I think I’ll try frozen wild blueberries next time. Nevertheless, this quick bread turned out fantastic! I baked it in my Wolfe toaster oven for 65 minutes. I used canola oil and the amount of lemon zest and juicee you suggested. It is perfect and so delicious. Thank you very much for another great recipe. Kathy
Great to hear, Kathleen! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes. I love that you were able to bake this your toaster oven! I’ve been using my toaster oven for more things recently, and it’s so nice not having to preheat the big, loud wall oven.