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We’ve been going CRAZY over lemons in our home.
One of my dear friends has lemon trees that are busting at the seams with fresh lemons and invited us over to pick them. We went a little nuts and now have more lemons than we know what to do with!
I wanted to create a lemon bread that could be wrapped and given as a thank you gift or served at breakfast. Â My Grandma Faye loved anything lemon and always served such a moist, soft, and fluffy lemon bread. So I started a long recipe testing process in search of the best lemon bread.
Since butter adds the most flavor, I started with making a sweet lemon bread with all butter. The results were good and the bread was downright delicious but it lacked the moist texture I was after. Â Next, we tried half butter and half oil. It was amazing to see how different the results were with such a little change. It was a huge difference maker in the texture. I still wanted to try one more thing — adding greek yogurt or sour cream to the bread to give it that extra tenderness. That was it! After making so many lemon loaves, we finally had the winner!
Let me introduce Greek Yogurt Lemon Bread.
The full-fat greek yogurt adds a tangy flavor and creamy texture to the bread. I tested the bread with the plain full-fat Fage yogurt but you could experiment with using the 0% or 2% fat varieties.
This sweet greek yogurt lemon bread can be eaten alone or with a glaze. I made a simple vanilla bean glaze and topped it with unsweetened coconut flakes. You can also make a lemon glaze and poke holes in the bread to let the simple syrup seep through it. Both recipes will be included down below so you can choose your favorite.
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Greek Yogurt Lemon Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Canola or Vegetable Oil or Coconut Oil
- 1/4 cup Butter melted
- 1 cup Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 1 cup Full-Fat Greek Yogurt
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest
- 1 1/2 cups Flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
TOPPING OPTIONS:
Vanilla Bean Glaze:
- 2 Tablespoons Butter melted
- 1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1-2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 2 Tablespoons Cream or Milk to desired consistency
- 1 Vanilla Bean or 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
Lemon Glaze:
- 3 Tablespoons Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, cream together the oil, butter, and sugar for 3 minutes. Add the eggs and beat for 2 minutes longer. Add the yogurt, lemon juice, and lemon zest and beat until creamy.
- Add flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until incorporated.
- Pour the batter into a greased 8 x 4 inch loaf pan.
- Bake for 44-50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Begin to check bread at 35-40 minutes.
- To make vanilla bean glaze:
- In medium bowl, beat butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice, cream, and vanilla until creamy. Add more cream or lemon juice depending on desired consistency.
- To make lemon glaze:
- In small saucepan, bring the sugar and lemon juice to a simmer and cook until the sugar has dissolved -- about 3 minutes. Poke holes in bread with toothpicks and drizzle lemon glaze over bread.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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So incredibly moist! This bread is off the charts good! Will definitely make this recipe again.
made this as a fun addition to my christmas cookie platter…this was everyones favorite by far!! im making it again and this time bought vanilla bean. any tips on how to use it? instructions just say “add vanilla” but ive never used vanilla bean so im a little confused what to do with this stuff haha
I have made this bread many times… I usually double the recipe and it always comes out amazing. Love it… And so do my family and neighbors
I tried it today, and it’s amazing even without any glaze. I ran out of baking powder so I used 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, and an extra tablespoon of lime juice to balance it out and it worked perfectly. I also added lime and orange zest. Really good, quick recipe, I save it right now.
Melissa is my niece and so of course I try lots of her recipes. I have made the orange cookies 3 times now. That speaks for itself! It’s so fun to have a cookie that’s NOT chocolate ship. My husband was going hunting and so I made the Greek lemon bread to send with him. Delicious and none of it came home! The bread itself isn’t too sweet and so the glaze gives you the sweet. Keep the great recipes coming. My taste buds thank you, my waistline doesn’t. Love ya.
I just love you, Aunt Cindy! Thank you so much for trying out my recipes and for being so supportive. I am so glad that you are loving the orange cream cookies and this lemon bread. They are some of our favorites too! Let’s do lunch soon. xo = Melissa 🙂
I made it and it lasted one entire day. Just the right amount of lemon and amazing texture. I didn’t have any coconut flakes but will try that next time. Delightful!!
Hi Andrea! Yay! I am so glad to hear that you loved it and that it was gone that quickly. Thank you for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it! – Melissa 🙂
What a gorgeous recipe!!! Can’t wait to try it.
You are the BEST, Amanda! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. So sweet of you! Have a fabulous day! – Melissa 🙂
Beautiful bread!
Hi Megan! Thank you for your kind comment. Your food is always beautiful! – Melissa 🙂
This looks insanely moist!
Thanks Jen for taking the time to comment! So sweet of you! You guys are amazing! – Melissa 🙂
Great recipe. Added some blue berries and drizzled lemon glaze over it. It was a huge hit.