This delightful Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Bread is made with almond flour, Greek yogurt, fresh lemons and no refined sugars! Topped with a lemon glaze, it’s moist, flavorful and perfect for spring!
Here’s more for you, my almond flour and lemon loving friends. Make healthy lemon bars, healthy lemon poppy seed muffins, and almond flour lemon cookies, next!
Table of Contents
If you’ve been around for a while you know I love using almond flour to bake things like almond flour banana bread and this healthy lemon zucchini bread. It’s light, mild in flavor, and has similar properties to regular all purpose flour.
I recently started to use it on this healthy lemon poppy seed bread and I can’t seem to keep up with the demand. My family just devours it!
You can enjoy this with or without a lemon glaze as part of healthy breakfast ideas, brunch, snacks, or desserts!
It’s light and lemony and perfect for spring and sunshine and days that end in Y.
The Greek yogurt I use adds all the moisture without the extra fat, so it’s not heavy. It’s naturally sweetened with maple syrup which is a delicious balance to the fresh lemon flavor.
This beautiful quick bread is made in one bowl, like many of my other quick breads and healthy muffin recipes. It’s so super easy and can be frozen for months!
I’ll be using it all summer long as a quick treat in rotation with almond flour zucchini muffins, especially when I have a crowd to serve.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below are all the basic pantry staples you need. Whatever you don’t have won’t be hard to find!
- Large eggs: We’ll be using 3 in this lemon poppy seed loaf for a good amount of binding and added moisture.
- Maple syrup: An unrefined sweetener that tastes amazing. Honey is another option.
- Greek yogurt: The fat is needed since we’re not using any butter or oil. It also provides protein and a soft texture.
- Lemon zest & fresh lemon juice: Gives the loaf its vibrant citrus flavor.
- Pure vanilla extract: Helps to tone down the zesty zing with its warm flavor.
- Baking powder & baking soda: Leavening agents that react with the lemon and Greek yogurt to help it rise.
- Salt: Brings out the surrounding flavors.
- Almond flour: A gluten free flour made from ground blanched almonds that is the foundation of this quick bread. You can use store-bought or DIY almond flour.
- Poppy seeds: Lemon and poppy seed are the perfect pairing.
- Cooking spray: I use Misto for a nonstick surface in the baking dish.
Can I Use Different Flour?
The only one I would consider swapping the almond flour for would be almond meal. Even then, the texture of the bread would be a bit denser and won’t rise as much. Otherwise, stick to almond flour.
You may like to make this healthy lemon blueberry bread with whole wheat flour!
What Makes This Bread Healthy?
Around here we like to take classic recipes and make healthy ingredient swaps for maximum benefits. We never skimp on taste or texture either!
- Oil free: We use Greek yogurt in its place making this a lighter version while still keeping it moist.
- Naturally sweetened: Either maple syrup or honey are a great flavor pairing with lemon. They provide antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, and are an unrefined sugar.
- Gluten free: Thanks to the almond flour! The other ingredients are also gluten free.
- Healthy fats and protein: Eggs, Greek yogurt, almond flour, and poppy seeds have a ton of nutrients including fiber, good fat, and protein.
How to Make Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
This entire recipe is made in just one bowl. It doesn’t get any easier than this!
1. Combine almost all the ingredients: Since you’re only using one bowl, grab one that’s large enough to hold all the batter ingredients. To it, add the eggs, maple syrup, yogurt, lemon zest and juice, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine making sure there are no lumps.
2. Add in almond flour and poppy seeds. Then you’ll add the almond flour, being sure to measure correctly, otherwise, the texture will be off (see visual in almond flour thumbprint cookies). Toss in the poppy seeds and gently fold them in until well combined.
3. Bake the loaf. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and level it with a spatula. Bake it on the middle rack in the 350-degree preheated oven for 45-40 minutes. It should be golden brown on the top and a toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean.
4. Allow it to cool. Remove the loaf from the oven and grab the pieces of parchment paper that come up on the sides and use them to lift the loaf out of the pan. Let it cool for 30 minutes while you make the glaze.
5. Make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice. Once the bread has cooled, drizzle it over the bread and enjoy a slice!
Best Tips
- Measure flour correctly. Using the spoon and level method skim the top of the measuring cup with a knife.
- Use fresh ingredients. For this healthy lemon quick bread, you want to showcase the freshest ingredients for maximum flavor. It not only tastes better than any bakery bread but it’s healthier and less processed. If you need to use bottled lemon juice you can.
- Line loaf pan. There isn’t a ton of fat in this bread to help keep it greased. It’s important to line the loaf pan for easy removal without ruining the structure of the bread.
- Regular or different yogurt. You can use non Greek yogurt, but because it’s thinner and has more liquid you may need to use an extra 1/4 cup of almond flour. You can also try using a different flavor of yogurt. Lemon or vanilla would be nice.
FAQs
Most definitely! I love the idea of making a healthy orange quick bread. You could use all orange juice and orange zest and top it with an orange glaze. Or use a combination of lemon and orange for a delicious pairing!
I use a lemon glaze to match the lemon poppy seed bread because I think it pairs nicely. If you want to take the lemon flavor down a notch, you can swap the lemon juice for almond milk and vanilla extract and keep it simple that way.
You could also drizzle it with honey, or a honey glaze like I do in healthy gingerbread loaf. Switch it up with a blueberry glaze or ice it with healthy Greek yogurt frosting for a loaf that is almost cake like!
Use swerve for the icing and liquid monk fruit or another liquid sugar free sweetener for the bread. Depending on what you choose to use, keep in mind it may alter the taste a bit. Or a lot.
Storing and Freezing Tips
To Store: This delicious healthy lemon poppy seed bread can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days. Just be sure to cover it in an airtight container to keep it nice and moist. To extend its freshness even longer, transfer it to the fridge for another 3 days.
To Freeze: If you have made two loaves and plan to freeze one, don’t slice it. If you are only making one and know you’re going to freeze it, again, don’t slice it!
Allow it to cool completely, transfer it to a freezer-friendly Ziploc and remove as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months and then thaw on the counter when you’re ready to enjoy it.
Freezing the bread before slicing it helps to retain moisture.
More Healthy Bread Recipes to Try
- Whole orange blender cake
- Almond flour bread recipe
- Almond flour zucchini bread
- Almond flour cinnamon bread
- Almond flour pumpkin bread
- Lemon zucchini bread
- Browse over 45 almond flour recipes!
Browse even more of our healthy quick breads!
Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
Ingredients
For Bread:
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt 2% fat or higher
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 1/3 cups almond flour
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
- Cooking spray I use Misto
For Lemon Glaze:
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar I use eryhtritol
- 1 tbsp lemon juice or water more if needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, line 9 x 5 loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add eggs, maple syrup, yogurt, lemon zest and juice, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk very well until combined and no lumps.
- Add almond flour (make sure to level the top with a knife and do not pack) and poppy seeds. Stir gently with spatula until well mixed.
- Transfer batter into previously prepared loaf pan, level with spatula and bake on a middle rack for 45-50 minutes or until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry. Remove from the oven, holding onto parchment paper remove loaf from the pan and let cool for 30 minutes.
- While bread is cooling, make glaze by whisking powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Drizzle over bread and enjoy!
Notes
- Store: Store bread in an airtight container or bag in a cool dry place for up to 3 days. After refrigerate for another 3 days or proceed to freezing.
- Freeze: Bake and cool completely. I recommend to freeze bread unsliced to retain moisture. Place in a gallon size Ziploc container, let out as much air as possible and seal. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on a counter.
- Don’t substitute flour or liquid sweetener: Almond meal might work, just bread will be more dense and rise less. If you use dry sweetener, batter consistency will be off.
- Regular and other yogurt: You can use plain regular (not Greek) yogurt, however might have to add 1/4 cup extra almond flour since it contains more liquid. Can also use flavored yogurt. The goal is to bring batter to consistency in the photos.
- Fresh lemon juice is the best but bottled will work as well.
Your notes said not to substitute the flour. Just wondering if it would still work with regular flour? If so, less or more in amount?
This recipe will not work with regular flour, unfortunately.
I added 3/4 cup of oil as this was way to dry. It was wonderful after I did this
Oh my goodness, that’s a lot of oil. Almond flour is so high in fats and makes baked goods moist…Hm, well, glad it worked for you.
Yum! Another almond flour winner, looking forward to making this all spring long!
Agreed, so good!