Most of you know that my 84-year-old Grandma Gloria loves to bake. She’s inspired several recipes on the blog including these buttermilk waffles, and my favorite healthy bran muffins.
I’m obsessed with all things orange, so years ago when I visited her, I decided to bake this healthy orange yogurt bread made with protein-packed yogurt, naturally sweetened with honey, and full of crunchy poppy seeds and pistachios.
GUYS, this could be my favorite bread EVER!
Everything you’ll need to make this orange yogurt bread
This easy and delicious orange yogurt bread uses simple ingredients but is perfectly moist and filled with orange flavor. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Flour: feel free to use regular all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour for a boost of whole grains.
- Baking staples: you’ll need both baking powder and baking soda in this recipe to make it nice and fluffy! Don’t forget the pinch of salt for flavor, too.
- Butter: add a lovely moisture to the bread with melted butter.
- Yogurt: the most amazing part of this bread is the texture, thanks to the yogurt. I recommend using whole milk vanilla or plain greek yogurt because it adds additional moisture to the bread. It’s delicious!
- Honey: I love using honey in baking; it’s a great all natural unrefined sweetener.
- Eggs: two eggs are used in this recipe for a cake-like texture.
- Extracts: use both vanilla extract and almond extract for a hint of unique flavor!
- Orange: make sure you use freshly squeezed orange juice and zest for amazing orange flavor.
- Mix-ins: there’s just something to love about the flavor poppy seeds bring to breads and muffins. I also decided to use pistachios for a yummy crunch!
Let’s talk toppings
This healthy orange bread is delicious on its own, but even BETTER with that gorgeous orange glaze. The orange glaze on this bread is so ridiculously good that I want to put it on everything. It’s full of sweet, fresh orange flavor and incredibly easy to make. It’s butter free, too; all you need is powdered sugar, fresh orange juice, and orange zest! YUM.
I love topping the bread with a few extra crushed roasted pistachios on top for added crunch.
Can I make it gluten-free?
Yes! Simply use a 1:1 gluten-free all purpose flour. Alternatively, you can try my Paleo Orange-Kissed Loaf with Dark Chocolate Glaze instead!
More ways to customize this orange bread
Because this is a baking recipe, I highly recommend sticking with the original recipe so that the bread turns out the way it’s supposed to. There are a few ways to customize it that I can recommend:
- To make it dairy-free: use your favorite dairy-free yogurt (like almond, coconut, or soy), then use olive oil or avocado oil instead of butter, too!
- For the honey: feel free to use maple syrup instead.
- Choose your nuts (or go nut-free): please know that you can sub them out for toasted walnuts or pecans, or you can omit them completely.
Can I make it vegan?
I haven’t tested this bread using 2 flax eggs, but let me know in the comments if you give it a try! Then be sure to follow the dairy-free substitutions above.
How to make this healthy orange bread
- Mix the wet ingredients. Start by whisking together all of your wet ingredients in a large bowl.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder & soda, and poppy seeds.
- Combine the batter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. Fold in the pistachios.
- Bake & cool. Pour the batter into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper and sprayed with cooking spray, and bake until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely.
- Glaze, garnish & enjoy. While the bread is cooling, mix the glaze. Spread it over the top of the cooled loaf, garnish with pistachios, and enjoy!
Try it as muffins
Yes, this healthy orange bread can be made into muffins! Simply make the batter as directed, then divide it between 12 greased muffin liners in a muffin pan. Bake for 18-24 minutes until a tester comes out clean.
Alternatively, try my bakery-style, Outrageously Good Orange Muffins.
Storing & freezing tips
- To store: this orange yogurt bread should be kept well-covered in foil or plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days, then I recommend transferring it to the fridge or freezer.
- To freeze: 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! I recommend freezing the bread without the glaze.
Recommended tools
Get all of our go-to kitchen essentials here.
More delicious bread recipes
- Fresh Strawberry Shortcake Bread with Strawberry Glaze
- Healthier Carrot Cake Banana Bread with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Spiced Apple Zucchini Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze
- Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
- Peanut Butter Lover’s Banana Bread
Get all of my bread recipes here!
I hope you love this orange bread recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe below. I’d love to hear from you and it helps encourage others to make the recipe too!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Pistachio Poppy Seed Orange Yogurt Bread
Ingredients
- Wet ingredients:
- ½ cup (113 grams) plain or vanilla greek yogurt (i like to use whole milk yogurt but a dairy free yogurt will also work)
- ½ cup (168 grams) honey (or sub pure maple syrup)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- Zest from 1 large orange (about 1 to 2 tablespoons)
- ⅓ cup (67 grams) fresh orange juice (from 1 to 2 large oranges)
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) salted butter, melted (or sub extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- Dry ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cups (210 grams) whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- Mix-ins:
- ½ cup chopped roasted pistachios
- For the glaze:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed orange juice, plus a little more if necessary to thin the glaze
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- To garnish:
- 2 tablespoons chopped roasted pistachios
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8 x 4 inch pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, honey, eggs, orange zest and juice, melted butter, and the vanilla and almond extract until smooth and well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or until just combined. Gently fold in the chopped pistachios.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and spread out evenly. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until tester comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack before glazing.
- For the glaze: Mix together the powdered sugar, orange juice and orange zest until smooth. You may need to add in more orange juice to thin out the glaze, but remember we want it to be a thicker glaze. Drizzle over the top of the loaf. Garnish with chopped pistachios. Cut into 12 slices.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on March 29th, 2019, republished on March 20th, 2022, and republished on March 23rd, 2026.
I made this almost as listed. I used all purpose flour and part coconut oil with the butter.
ALL the flavors shined through and it was delicious and good texture.
I happened to have one slice leftover that had been in our refrigerator for several days. I brought it to room temperature and took a bite and actually moaned out loud when the taste of orange and poppyseed hit me. Oh, so good despite its age and being stored in the refrigerator. it perhaps was drier than at the beginning, but still nonetheless, it was delicious. I personally don’t mind bread like this and we will even toast our bread which sometimes also highlights the flavors even more. This was a good one.
We did not bother with the glaze and actually preferred it plain. We tried it with some almond butter, orange marmalade and we tried it with regular butter, but that almost seemed to mask those great flavors so we just ate it plain. Can’t say that for many quick breads I’ve made.
So glad you loved this one! Such a fun way to use up citrus 🙂
Greetings from Sydney Australia Monique, I just wanted to say thank you so very much for this delicious recipe! I made it today for the first time in my 9 x 5“ loaf pan and it cooked a perfection in 48 minutes. I omitted the glaze and for me the sweetness was perfect just on its own. I enjoyed a couple of slices drizzled with hazelnut butter. I also gave some to friends to enjoy as well. I’m looking forward to making this again with different variations based on your suggestions.😊
Nice to meet you, Nancy! Happy to hear you found my recipes all the way in Sydney (one of my favorite cities!) and that you loved this bread. Let me know what combos and recipes you try next!
I have made this twice in the last 4 weeks. The first time with GF King Arthur flour, citrus powder from leftover candied citrus peels, chia seeds instead of poppy seeds and walnuts instead of pistachios. Very good but I noticed a little drier the second day. So a few days later I made again, this time with 1 c KA flour, 3/4 c garbanzo bean flour (to use up, love your Banana bread w Garbanzo bean flour!), 2/3 c yogurt, chia seeds again, and walnuts. This one turned out much moister – baking at altitude in Denver, so need more moisture. Another easy, adaptable recipe with easily accessible ingredients. Thanks again, much, for your creativity with these recipes.
I’m glad those swaps worked out well! Such a great spring treat or snack 🙂
So delicious! I made this today using King Arthur’s 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour blend and it turned out great! Texture turned out great and the flavor was amazing! Will definitely make this again! 🙂
Love it! Glad you enjoyed!
This looks amazing! I’m going to add chopped dates cuz dates and orange is the BEST combination! Thanks!
That sounds so good! Hope you love it!
I love the idea of citrus poppyseed bread. Could i sub lime juice?
Thanks for all of your delicious recipes!
It would be too much lime juice I think! I wouldn’t suggest it, sorry!
Delicious! Amazing texture. I used dairy free yogurt and it turned out great. Will definitely make again!
So happy to hear that!
The color of this bread was beautiful but it was unfortunately lacking in taste for me. Looking back, I noticed the ingredients list has salt but it is missing in the directions. I also substituted maple syrup instead of honey. A next time I will make as is ( plus salt). Can you update the recipe?
Really appreciate your feedback! Thanks so much for noticing that about the salt — it definitely brings out the flavors. We’ll be sure to update that 🙂
Another tasty recipe! I made this last weekend and my entire family loved it. I subbed almonds for the pistachios as recommended due to an allergy we have in our house. I also chose to use 1/2 cup of honey, as recommended as an option. It was the perfect sweetness and a nice texture. It does dry out pretty quickly, so I think this is best the day of and the following day. Beyond that, it was good but dry. I will make this again for sure! Thanks for another wonderful recipe.
I’m making this for the second time in one week! The orange and pistachio is a different combination, that works so well together. Greek yogurt is a game changer for all baked goods in my opinion, This one was a crowd pleaser!
-Michaela
LOVED this recipe. The only changes I made was using 1/2 cup brown sugar instead of the honey and cara cara oranges (the BEST oranges). The flavor is so springy and delicate and delicious – especially with the glaze. I baked It in two smaller loaf pans and my husband and I finished one of the loaves in one day!!
So happy it came out perfectly! Such a great bread for spring, right? Thanks for the sweet review, Trina 🙂
I found that this recipe could have less ingredients as there were too many flavours and textures going on at once. Maybe 50/50 whole grain and white flour could have helped in terms of making the texture nicer as a cake.
Thanks for the feedback! You can definitely leave the poppy seeds and/or pistachios off if you’d like 🙂 And did you use whole wheat pastry flour? In the notes I recommend using 1 cup whole wheat flour + 1 cup all purpose flour if you don’t have whole wheat pastry flour.
Should the pistachios be salted or unsalted? Can’t wait to try this!
I use unsalted!
Can I use agave instead of honey? I am out of honey. Or maybe white sugar.
I think agave should work just fine!
Wonderful bread! Moist, great flavor, addicting and healthy!
Wow. So moist. So delicious. I can’t get over this bread. Thank you for blessing us with this recipe 🤣❤️
Have you tried this using a gluten free one for one flour replacement or other gluten free alternative? Looks amazing, just want to avoid a recipe disaster!
I suggest a 1:1 all purpose gluten free flour!
Followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious! Will definitely be making again 🙂
Amazing! So glad you loved it, Amy 🙂
I warn all of you, do not use blood oranges and all purpose flour like I did, cause it was what I had around. It came out a stodgy mess! However, I can tell that this recipe is fantastic when done right. Going to try again soon!
Sorry to hear that! I think if using all purpose flour, you’ll need to add a bit more of it since it’s less dense than the whole wheat. Hope it works better next time!
The texture felt a bit too “bread like” as opposed to “cakey” to me (this might be down to personal preferences, though) but the flavours are lovely and it was still a triumph.
Totally get that! Glad that you still enjoyed it 🙂
Looks delicious
Hope you get a chance to try it!
This bread is delicious – the whole wheat pastry flour gives a tender texture, and the orange & pistachio flavors play so nicely together. It’s definitely not very sweet, so the glaze is a welcome addition. My loaf was done after just 40 minutes in the oven, so I’m glad I read other comments before making it to ensure I didn’t end up with dry overbaked bread. Would definitely make this again!
Perfect! So glad you liked this one 🙂
Does this need to be modified for high altitude?
Hmmm if you typically modify baked goods at high altitude then I might suggest doing the same here! I’m not sure what the exact changes would be, but an online conversion resource might help 🙂
These are incredible. I made them gluten free using 1:1 gluten free baking flour and juiced mandarin oranges and they came out perfect. I didn’t have poppy seeds but will buy some for next time. Thank you for your fabulous recipes Monique. You’ve brought my desire to cook back to life! My goal is to make it through all of your recipes..I think I’ve done about 50 of them so far.
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed and hope you keep finding new ones here that you love 🙂
Loved this recipe. The almond extract is everything!
Isn’t it amazing?? Glad you enjoyed!
Love this Orange loaf/bread. Looking for a dessert type bakery treat that was not heavy on sugar and this is it. I did use the 1/2 cup of honey and next time might opt to make a little extra glaze and make holes in the top for it to sink into, but not really necessary. It’s sweet enough – just loving that glaze. Will definitely make again!
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars. Could only give 4 for some reason.
This bread is perfection. My dream loaf. One of my new favorite AK recipes!
So happy to hear that! Can you let me know what device and browser you’re using? I.e. iPhone, Safari, etc.? We’re hoping to solve the star issue 🙂
The bread was so light and tasty. I didn’t even bother with the glaze. I had dehydrated oranges and put two on top. It is so moist. Wonderful.
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
These were a bright and delicious treat on a bleak January day! I’d maybe bump up the orange zest a bit more but I love intense flavors. I made muffins and they probably could have been done around 16-18 min. Love them!
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
How is this with almond flour??
I haven’t tried it with almond flour so I wouldn’t recommend it!