Easy Gluten-Free Lemon Bread that’s tender, bursting with lemon, and the perfect quick bread for lemon-lovers. You are going to love this gluten-free lemon bread recipe.
Gluten-Free Lemon Bread
This Easy Gluten-Free Lemon Bread is perfect on its own, topped with lemon curd, or as the base of a strawberry shortcake sundae. If you love anything lemon, you are going to fall head-over-heals for this bread, like we did.
I’ve been making this gluten-free lemon bread recipe for almost 20 years. I converted it to gluten-free when I was developing recipe for my cookbook. I like enjoying a slice with afternoon tea but my favorite way to enjoy this Easy Gluten-Free Lemon bread is topped with dairy-free vanilla ice cream and sliced strawberries.
The combination of flavors in insanely good. Lemon, vanilla, strawberries – you can get behind this, right?
Often people ask me why I don’t use xanthan gum in my quick bread recipes. Quick breads, like this Easy Gluten-Free Lemon Bread, don’t need xanthan gum to work as a binder. The fat ratio is low enough that the bread holds together really well. It won’t crumble or fall apart.
I do use xanthan gum in really high fat recipes like pie crusts and sugar cookies. I find that the xanthan gum really helps with the texture, creating a smooth finish that doesn’t fall apart the moment you take a bite.
How to make gluten-free lemon bread
- Preheat oven to 325°F (135°C). Position rack in center of oven. Grease a 4 ½ x 8 ½ inch glass loaf baking pan; set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder and salt.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, mix eggs, milk, oil and lemon zest. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir only until they just come together.
- Pour batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a rack.
- For the glaze: In a separate small bowl, mix the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and lemon juice. Microwave for 30 seconds, remove from the microwave. Stir till sugar is dissolved.
- Evenly spoon lemon sugar glaze over the top of the lemon bread.
- Store in an airtight container.
If you have any questions about this gluten-free lemon bread recipe please leave a comment and I will get back to you.
Most quick bread recipes are simple to convert to gluten-free. The combination of ingredients is forgiving when you replace the glutinous flour with a gluten-free flour blend. Did you see how I said, “gluten-free flour blend.” The key is that you are not replacing the glutinous flour with one type of flour, you replace it with a blend.
Why a blend? Because different flours have different properties, you need a combination to replace the gluten. It’ll help with texture, structure of your baked goods, and help with flavor. Do all gluten-free flour blends work as a 1-to-1 in all recipes? I don’t personally think so, but I feel like there are a few that work in 99% of recipes as a 1-to-1.
How do you know when your lemon bread is done?
I always recommend that you start testing your gluten-free lemon bread for doneness about 5-7 minutes before the recipe calls for. Oven temperatures may vary and this can effect your actual baking time. Insert a cake tester or long toothpick into the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean, it’s done.
How long should the gluten-free lemon bread cool before removing from pan?
Let your gluten-free lemon bread cool in the pan for at least ten minutes. Remember, most cakes, cupcakes, and quick breads continue to cook some after being removed from the oven. Allowing it time to cool will help it set up, and help keep it from falling apart in a steamy mess when you remove it from the pan.
If you are wondering why there are holes in my loaf I like to poke holes in the top so that some of the glaze seeps into the bread. It’s a personal preference, you don’t have to do this to really get the full impact of the lemonade like glaze.
I hope you’ll bake up a loaf of this Easy Gluten-Free Lemon Bread and enjoy every bite. This loaf can be frozen, and defrosted so don’t be afraid to store a few slices for a rainy day.
Love lemon-y treats? You might also like my Easy Gluten-Free Lemon Bars or my Gluten-Free Lemon Cupcakes. If you are looking for more lemon infused desserts, check out this Gluten-Free Lemon Meyer Bread and these Healthy Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
If you make this Easy Gluten-Free Lemon Bread please stop back by and let me know what you thought!
Easy Gluten-Free Lemon Bread
Easy Gluten-Free Lemon Bread that's tender, bursting with lemon, and the perfect quick bread for lemon-lovers.
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup dairy-free milk
- ½ cup oil
- Zest from 1 large lemon
For the glaze:
- ¼ cup sugar for the glaze
- Juice from 1 large lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (135°C). Position rack in center of oven. Grease a 4 ½ x 8 ½ inch glass loaf baking pan; set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder and salt.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, mix eggs, milk, oil and lemon zest. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir only until they just come together.
- Pour batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a rack.
- For the glaze: In a separate small bowl, mix the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and lemon juice. Microwave for 30 seconds, remove from the microwave. Stir till sugar is dissolved.
- Evenly spoon lemon sugar glaze over the top of the lemon bread.
- Store in an airtight container.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 182 Total Fat: 8g Saturated Fat: 1g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 7g Cholesterol: 24mg Sodium: 119mg Carbohydrates: 27g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 19g Protein: 2g
Natalie says
WOW this lemon bread looks absolutely delicious! So moist and rich!
chrystal says
Thank you 🙂
Best,
Chrystal
Susan says
Can you sub maple syrup for the sugar in the batter??
chrystal says
I haven’t tried it in this recipe.
Best,
Chrystal
Laila says
Hi. Is it possible to replace the egg in this recipe? Thanks
chrystal says
Hi Laila,
I haven’t tried it in this recipe, I’d guess that I’d work with flax-egg, but it won’t rise as much. Hope that helps.
Best,
Chrystal
K says
Great recipe! I actually made muffins out of it since I had the wrong size loaf pan. They took about 22 minutes and are moist and delicious. I’m newly GFDF , so baked goods that actually taste good are exciting, lol. Thanks for sharing!
chrystal says
Hi Kristen,
I’m so glad you like it! Thanks for letting me know. I’ll have to try it in the muffin form sometime 🙂
Best,
Chrystal
Barbara says
Do you use regular or confectioner sugar for the glaze?
I plan to make muffins tonight!
chrystal says
Hi Barbara,
When I make glaze, I use confectioners sugar/powdered sugar.
Happy Baking,
Chrystal
Michelle says
So good! I just made these as cupcakes as well. The best GF Lemon cake I have ever had. Thanks for this recipe!!
chrystal says
Hi Michelle,
I am so glad you like it! Thank you for stopping by and letting me know 🙂
Best,
Chrystal
Lori Rivera says
Absolutely delicious! Do you know what the nutritional value is? Calories?
chrystal says
Hi Lori,
So glad you like it! No, I don’t have the nutritional value.
Best,
Chrystal
Susan Ranta says
Hi Chrystal, Does the milk have to be dairy- free ?
chrystal says
Hi Susan,
No, you can use regular milk.
Cheers,
Chrystal
Char says
This is so good. I made this bread into muffins instead of a loaf. I used 350 degree oven and used pamela’s all purpose blend flour. This recipe is a keeper. It made 11 high muffins. Oh so good!
chrystal says
Hi Char,
I am so glad you liked it. Thank you for stopping by to let me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Susan says
Hi, Can I use butter instead of oil? And if so, how much butter? Thank you
chrystal says
Hi Susan,
I haven’t used butter in this recipe but you should be able to swap it 1 for 1. Let me know how it turns out.
Best,
Chrystal
susan says
thank you Chrystal. Should I melt the butter or at room temperature and cream with the sugar?
chrystal says
Hi Susan,
Sorry it took me a bit to get back to you, I was traveling. I haven’t tried butter in this recipe but you would use it as a 1 for 1. I’d imagine the bread will come out more cake like with butter. Let me know how it turns out!
Best,
Chrystal
Maria says
Chrystal,
What kind of oil would you use – olive, avocado, vegetable???
Thanks
chrystal says
Hi Maria,
We’ve used avocado oil, vegetable oil, and coconut oil in this recipe. I hope that helps!
Happy baking and cooking,
Chrystal
Grace says
I only have a metal loaf pan. Should I bake the loaf at a higher temp? I love anything lemon flavored and would really like to make this.
chrystal says
Hi Grace,
You can use a metal loaf pan. Just watch for doneness.
Best,
Chrystal
Larena says
So good! I’ve made this recipe twice in the last two days, because it’s been such a hit in my house! It’s a great recipe to have, because I always have these ingredients on hand. As other posters have mentioned, I made them as muffins as well and they turned out great!
chrystal says
Hello Larena,
I am so glad you like my gluten free lemon bread recipe. Thanks for letting me know you made it into muffins.
Best,
Chrystal
Veronica says
Can I make this in a 9×5 loaf pan also? How long baking time if I can?
chrystal says
You can bake it in a 9X5. Start with the lowest baking time and watch for doneness.
Best,
Chrystal