This moist, tender Lemon Yogurt Poppy Seed Bread will satisfy your most intense lemon cravings. Greek yogurt adds richness and fabulous texture and a tart-sweet lemon glaze finishes it off in a beautiful way.
After the dessert-fest we experienced over the holidays it was a natural thing to cut back on the sweets this month. But, after a week or two of no goodies, the cravings hit and there’s just no denying that need for something a little sweet.
With all the chocolate in our future come Valentine’s Day, lemon is the answer! I’ve been craving citrus like nobody’s business. It’s light, bright, and perfect for perking up a cold, dreary January day.
This is a tender and moist bread full of bright lemon flavor and draped in a sweet-tart icing. Poppy seeds add just an itty-bit of texture. It contains no butter but gets it’s richness from 2% plain Greek yogurt.
I knew precisely what I was after when I set to work in the kitchen and the result was spot-on perfection. This loaf you see here was history in under 24 hours.
It starts with a full cup of 2% plain Greek yogurt, sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, pure vanilla extract, fresh lemon juice and zest. Use an electric mixer to combine well.
Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl – flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet, all at once, and use a wooden spoon to mix just until combined.
Stir in a couple of tablespoons of poppy seeds.
The batter will be silky but quite thin.
Give an 9″ x 4″ loaf pan a generous coat of non-stick cooking spray and pour in the batter. Bake it in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before inverting on to a serving dish.
The icing is a simple mixture of powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice whisked together. Be sure to allow the cake to cool completely before drizzling the icing over the top.
A sweet, simple way to kick those sweet cravings to the curb.
Lemon Yogurt Poppy Seed Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 1 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large lemon, zested and cut in half
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 9- x 4-inch loaf pan generously with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl use an electric mixer to combine sugar, yogurt, vegetable oil, eggs, the juice from half of the lemon (reserve remaining half for later), all of the lemon zest and the vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. Use a wooden spoon to stir in dry mixture, just until combined. Stir in poppy seeds last and mix until incorporated throughout the batter.
- Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan and bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes. Use a knife around the edges of the loaf pan to loosen the bread and then turn out the loaf onto a plate. Allow to cool completely before drizzling with lemon glaze.
Lemon Glaze
- To make lemon glaze, combine powdered sugar and juice from remaining half of lemon (2 to 3 tablespoons) to reach desired drizzling consistency. Drizzle over completely cooled bread.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
this lemon loaf was absolutely delicious! I don’t want to be THAT person but would you know nutrition info for this recipe?
Hi Daria. We’re in the process of updating all recipes with nutrition info. Thanks for pointing this one out! The recipe card has been updated.
would this work if Sour Cream is used instead of Plain Yogurt?
Yes, sour cream is a great substitute for yogurt.
This was really yummy!! I love lemon poppyseed bread – it’s one of my fav sweet breads. I veganized it using soy lecithin for the egg and silken tofu in place of Greek yogurt. I used the zest of 4 lemons (for 2 loaves) bc our entire Fam LOVES lemon flavor! They baked perfectly, the glaze over top- mmmm, simply the best!
Love that you were able to “veganize” it! Thanks so much, Amanda 🙂
Have made this recipe several times and it is a hit! I tend to reduce the sugar and just use whatever type of Greek yogurt I have in the fridge. Love how moist and easy it is to make. Thanks for sharing this!
Thank, Kailey. Definitely one of my favorites too. If you love this one you should give my Lemon Zucchini Coffee Cake a try. It’s a winner!
Just baked this and it was indeed moist and delicious! I’m a citrus lover and used Meyer lemons since they happened to be available at my local supermarket! It was tangy yet mildly sweet! Couldn’t find 2% Greek plain yogurt so substituted with 2% fat Greek style yogurt with peaches which was already sweetened, so I reduced sugar to just 1 cup. Used dried cranberries instead of poppy seeds too. Love love love this bread! This is my 2nd successful bake following your recipes. The Carrot Zucchini bread with walnut cream cheese was my 1st and I kept making it both as a loaf and as muffins. Now i have another new favourite! Thanks so much Valerie! 😀
Just made this today — it is absolutely amazing! I love fresh lemon flavor, only used one Tbsp. of poppy seeds. Delicious! Thanks so much for sharing!
You’re welcome, Barbara. This is one of my very favorite recipes. I’m staring down my lemon tree at this moment just waiting for the fruit to ripen so I can get baking!
Just made this, divided batter into two small loaf pans. Turned out great! The glaze has quite a zing to it, definitely not sickish sweet. Very very good recipe!
I followed the recipe amounts exactly and the batter is waaaay too much for an 8X4 loaf pan. It is now over the sides and running all over my oven floor. What happened?
You can always use a larger loaf pan, if needed! I would never recommend placing a loaf pan that is full to the top in your oven for obvious reasons. I’m sorry you had this issue, Lois. Without being there in your kitchen it is tough for me to say what went wrong.
Will it freeze? Thanks.
I think the problem people had with the baking time could be resolved by using a 9×5 pan instead of the 8×4 one called for in the recipe.
Hi Lynne. I haven’t had anyone share that they’ve had any issue with the pan size. If you use a larger pan, just be sure to watch the baking time closely as it will in all likelihood need less time in the oven.
Saw this recipe on Pinterest and had to give it a try! We absolutely loved it!! I did substitute regular full fat organic yogurt for the Greek since it was what I had on hand and used grape seed oil instead of vegetable oil. Also had to use a larger 5×15″ pan since it was all I had. It turned out beautifully altho I did notice that it got quite brown on top before it was baked thru. Must be my oven, I know it tends to run hotter than at least one of my friends’ ovens. We thoroughly enjoyed the bread and it’s headed for being a family favorite! I shared the recipe with my mom and she’s so excited to try it now too! Many thanks!!!
I have to admit, I goofed up. I didn’t see the sugar – no clue how I missed it. I did use butter instead of oil and put zero sugar. I kept going back and forth between the kitchen and the computer and house was noisy? Just messed up. When I licked it, I decided it just had to have some so I added 1 cup for a double batch. It was wonderful, certainly not a sweet bread, but it was sweet enough. I’ll make it again and leave it with 1/2 cup per loaf. Love that lemon. Thanks.
It happens to all of us, Kathie! So sorry for the error. I do hope you try it again. It’s one of our favorites, for sure!