Oh hiiiii all my lemon lovers! For some reason, a lot of AK readers go absolutely nuts over lemon. I say this because every time I post something lemony, it tends to go viral; this leads me to the conclusion that there are A LOT of you who simply LOVE lemon.
This lemon poppyseed bread was something I dreamt up this past spring, and couldn’t stop making over and over again. It’s SO moist (I said it), healthy thanks to a mix of oat flour and almond flour and perfectly naturally sweetened with honey. I MEAN FLUFFY, TENDER AND OH SO GOOD with a little butter or extra drizzle of honey on top. Perfection.
Healthy lemon poppy seed bread ingredients
This delicious and easy lemon poppy seed loaf is made with better-for-you ingredients than your traditional lemon poppy seed bread, yet it still tastes just like a moist lemon cake! We’re not using any oil, butter or refined sugars. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Plain or vanilla greek yogurt: for a delicious boost of protein and moisture. Feel free to use your favorite dairy free yogurt if you’d like.
- Eggs: you’ll just need 2 eggs for the whole loaf.
- Honey: this healthy lemon poppy seed bread is naturally sweetened with honey.
- Lemon juice & zest: for the ultimate, bright lemon flavor.
- Almond extract: a bit of almond extract truly gives it that traditional lemon poppy seed flavor.
- Gluten free oat flour: one of the flours we’re using to keep this bread gluten free. See below for an easy way to make your own at home!
- Almond flour: be sure to use a fine, blanched almond flour to get the right consistency.
- Poppy seeds: what’s a lemon poppy seed bread without the poppy seeds? You can also sub chia seeds if you’d like.
- Baking soda & salt: for proper baking.
- For the glaze: we’re using some powdered sugar and more fresh lemon juice, plus almond extract if you’d like. However the bread is amazing without it too!
How to make homemade oat flour
You can easily make your own gluten free oat flour by simply placing gluten free oats into a blender and blending or pulsing until they’re smooth and resemble flour. This is a super easy & affordable option. Be sure to measure out 1 cup of your oat flour after making it! It’s also important to make sure your oat flour is VERY fine.
What makes this lemon poppy seed bread healthy?
As I mentioned before, traditional lemon poppy seed bread recipes tend to be made with extra oil, butter and refined sugars. We’re giving this one a makeover with easy swaps to make it the BEST healthy lemon poppy seed bread ever!
- There’s zero oil in this healthy lemon poppy seed bread! It’s moist from the protein-packed greek yogurt and contains healthy fats thanks to almond flour.
- It’s naturally sweetened with just honey instead of white sugar.
- It’s gluten free thanks to the combo of almond and gluten free oat flour.
- You can easily make it dairy free using your favorite dairy free yogurt. We love siggi’s plant based cups.
- There are additional healthy fats from the almond flour, and a boost of protein from the yogurt and eggs.
Trust me when I say this gluten free lemon poppy seed bread tastes just as indulgent as that loaf you’ve been eyeing at Starbucks, but it’s nutritious enough for breakfast or a snack.
How to make healthy lemon poppy seed bread
The best part about this bread? It’s made in just one bowl!
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the following ingredients until well combined: yogurt, eggs, honey, lemon zest, lemon juice and almond extract.
- Add dry ingredients to the bowl: oat flour, almond flour, poppyseeds, baking soda and salt; mixing with a wooden spoon until well combined. pour into prepared loaf pan. bake for 35-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool bread in pan for 5 mins then remove and transfer to a wire rack; allow bread to cool completely before adding the glaze.
- Make the glaze by adding powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and almond extract in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. You may need to add in more lemon juice if it is too thick (start with a teaspoon at a time). Glaze should be somewhat thick. Pour over bread and spread with a spoon if necessary. Top with a little extra lemon zest if you have any for a pretty effect.
How to store homemade lemon poppy seed bread
This healthy lemon poppy seed bread should be kept well-covered in foil or plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days, then I recommend transferring to the fridge or freezer.
How to freeze healthy lemon poppy seed bread
This loaf freezes well! Simply wrap in plastic, then tightly in foil and finally place in a reusable bag or freezer friendly bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature once you are ready to eat. You can also feel free to freeze individual slices for a quick on the go treat. Feel free to freeze without the glaze and then top it once it is thawed out.
If you like this recipe, you might also like
Healthy Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with Lemon Blueberry Glaze
Paleo Orange-Kissed Loaf with Dark Chocolate Glaze
Lemon Blueberry Quinoa Pancakes
If you make this healthy lemon poppy seed bread recipe, be sure to leave a comment below and rate the recipe! You can also snap and picture and post it on Instagram using the hashtag #ambitiouskitchen. xo!
Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
Amazing healthy lemon poppy seed bread made with a mix of oat and almond flour and naturally sweetened with honey. This easy gluten free lemon poppy seed bread has a boost of protein from greek yogurt and is made in one bowl for an easy, healthy breakfast or snack!
Ingredients
- Wet ingredients:
- 1/2 cup plain or vanilla greek yogurt (or sub plant based yogurt of choice such as almond or coconut yogurt)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup honey
- zest from 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup oat flour, gluten free if desired
- 1 cup packed blanched fine almond flour
- 1 tablespoon poppyseeds (or sub chia seeds)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- For the glaze:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Optional: 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking.
-
In a large bowl, whisk together the following ingredients until well combined: yogurt, eggs, honey, lemon zest, lemon juice and almond extract.
-
Add dry ingredients to the bowl: oat flour, almond flour, poppyseeds, baking soda and salt; mixing with a wooden spoon until well combined. pour into prepared loaf pan. bake for 35-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool bread in pan for 5 mins then remove and transfer to a wire rack; allow bread to cool completely before adding the glaze.
-
Make the glaze by adding powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and almond extract in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. You may need to add in more lemon juice if it is too thick (start with a teaspoon at a time). Glaze should be somewhat thick. Pour over bread and spread with a spoon if necessary. Top with a little extra lemon zest if you have any for a pretty effect. Cut bread into 8 slices and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
To make dairy free: I suggest using a dairy free yogurt such as siggi's plant based yogurt. You can use any flavor you'd like!
A note on subs: If you don't have oat flour, I think regular flour or 1:1 gf flour would work well. Please do not sub another flour for the almond flour. The almond flour contains moisture and fat which helps give the bread proper flavor and texture.
This recipe is great with or without the glaze!
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
28 comments
Amazing!!!
Glad you like it!!
Hi Monique, is it possible to skip the almond extract?
Hi! That should be fine – it will just have a slightly different flavor.
Hi! Can flax eggs be used instead?
Hi! I haven’t tried it, but I saw that a reader had success using them 🙂 let me know if you try it!
Super jum recipe though we had to modify for dietary reasons. Flaxseed eggs (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water= 1 replacement egg) worked great as a replacement for the real eggs. Lovely <3
Perfect! I’m glad the flax eggs worked out well 🙂
Wow, this was fantastic! I used a container of Siggis nonfat vanilla and only used 1/3 cup honey since the yogurt sweetened it a little bit. I normally don’t even crave lemony desserts but my fiance asked me to make him something lemony so I’m glad I went with this recipe. I intended on making the glaze but it doesn’t even need it. So good.
Perfect! So glad you both enjoyed!
Ive made this twice in two weeks and its so so good! perfect light, not too sweet, lemony bread! thanks!
The perfect loaf! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
This bread is so good! My husband liked it too. I cut back on the honey a little since the vanilla yogurt I used had a lot of sugar. I’m gluten and dairy free so I’m always happy to find a good recipe to keep around.
Perfect! So glad you both enjoye!
So good and moist!
Glad you loved it!
This lemon poppy seed bread is amazing! It doesn’t even taste like a “healthier” version. The only issue I had is that my loaf fell a lot in the middle. I’m wondering if it’s because I opened the oven to rotate it halfway through? Or maybe I didn’t cook it long enough. Either was it is delicious though!
Hmm did you measure everything properly? And what kind of yogurt did you use? Was it greek yogurt? Also, was your baking soda fresh? Glad you enjoyed regardless!
Looks amazing! Qs- can I sub maple syrup for the honey?
Yes, that should work!
This is so delicious! The texture is perfectly moist without being dense/wet. The crumb is lovely and the glaze just adds that extra something. Will be making again for sure! The top middle slightly sunk but maybe this is normal? Otherwise, excellent.
So happy you loved it! It can sink when there is too much liquid, so just make sure your baking soda is fresh and that you measured everything accurately!
Hi! I don`t have almond flour in my kitchen, so i was wondering if i could replace it with more oat flour or coconut flour? which one would be the best and how would the measurements be? or if this wouldn`t work haha 🙁
I haven’t tried it and probably wouldn’t recommend as the almond flour is the only ‘fat’ in this recipe, which helps to add texture, flavor and moisture!
OMG, this was so delicious, moist and perfect! I made this for a weekend trip with friends and everyone raved about it and couldn’t believe it was gluten-free! I would love to make them as muffins next time. I’m thinking 18-23 min at 350 degrees, Monique?
So happy you loved it! And that sounds about right! 🙂
I make this at least once a week. Seriously my favorite recipe. So delicious and allows me to satisfy my sweet tooth with healthy nourishing ingredients! Thanks Monique!
Love that! Perfect treat or snack 🙂