Glazed Lemon Yogurt Bread
This lemon yogurt quick bread is stunningly soft and moist with the most delectable, bright, fresh lemon glaze on top.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Mel – Another winner. We have been looking for the best Lemon Bread recipe and we found it. Best ever. -Midge
3 Reasons This is the Best Lemon Quick Bread
- The bread batter is a one-bowl recipe, making it quick and easy to mix up.
- The texture of the bread is intensely soft and moist – it also stays moist for days!
- The lemon flavor absolutely pops with the glaze that is drizzled over the top of the warm bread.
Pro tip: Pouring the glaze over the bread while the bread is just out of the oven and still in the pans, allows the glaze to soak into the top and sides creating a tart-sugary outer layer that is phenomenally delicious.
Key Ingredients
- Granulated sugar: This ingredient is used in the bread batter and in the glaze. Some readers report reducing the sugar to 1 1/2 cups in the bread batter with good results.
- Fresh lemon zest: The lemon zest is rubbed together with the granulated sugar releasing the fragrant oils in the zest and distributing the subtle lemon flavor throughout the batter as the ingredients are mixed together.
- Yogurt: This ingredient aids in moisture and soft texture to the crumb. Use plain yogurt, Greek or regular. Some reviewers have reported back that they used lemon yogurt, and it worked out well, too.
- Oil: Use a neutral-flavored oil, like canola, vegetable, grapeseed, etc. Melted butter or melted coconut oil can be used in place of the oil, as well.
- Applesauce: Use unsweetened applesauce. This ingredient helps with a moist crumb texture without adding extra oil.
- Eggs
- Flour: I use unbleached all-purpose flour. Weigh the flour on a scale or measure with a cup by fluffing the flour very well, scooping in the cup, and using a straight edge to level off.
- Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice is used in the glaze. Zest the lemons before juicing.
Note: You’ll need about 3 to 4 large lemons to yield enough lemon zest.
A Few Additional Notes
My mom made lemon quick bread, like this one, all the time growing up. It was one of my favorite things that she made! The shiny, crackly, sweet lemony glaze on top was always my favorite part.
This lemon yogurt quick bread is just as good as the bread I remember from my youth. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Here are a few additional notes based on the hundreds of reviews that have been left on this lemon bread over the years:
- You can experiment with reducing the sugar to 1 1/2 cups. Readers have reported doing that with good results.
- The glaze can be optional. If the bread is not glazed, the lemon flavor won’t be as pronounced.
- The bread can be baked in 9X5-inch pans – the baked loaves will be wider and a bit flatter.
- You can experiment baking the bread in mini loaf pans. The recipe will likely yield between 5 and 6 mini loaves. The baking temperature will be the same. Check the bread after 22 to 25 minutes of baking.
- The top of the bread gets quite a bit softer if the bread is made a day ahead of time, but it is still delicious. I store the bread in the refrigerator.
Glazed Lemon Yogurt Bread
Ingredients
Bread:
- 2 cups (424 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon zest from about 3 large lemons
- 1 ½ cups (340 g) plain yogurt, Greek or regular, or lemon yogurt
- ½ cup (98 g) vegetable or canola oil (or other neutral-flavored oil)
- ½ cup (130 g) unsweetened applesauce
- 4 large (200 g) eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups (426 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Glaze:
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice (from the lemons that were zested for the bread)
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2 inch pans with cooking spray.
- For the bread, in a large bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest and rub the mixture together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
- Add the yogurt, oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla, and whisk until well-combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and mix until just combined and no dry streaks remain.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
- Bake the bread until the top of the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 50 to 55 minutes.
- For the glaze, while the bread is baking, combine the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 to 20 seconds until the sugar is dissolved. The glaze will be thin. Remove from the heat. Keep warm.
- Spoon or drizzle the glaze evenly over the warm bread (still in the bread pans). Let the glazed bread sit in the bread pans for 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully turn it out onto a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
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Recipe Source: adapted from a recipe my sister, Emily, originally adapted from Bon Appetit
Recipe originally published August 2012; updated April 2026
Can I use vanilla Greek yogurt instead and if I’m substituting oil for applesauce does it mean 1 cup of oil for the recipe
If the yogurt you are subbing in is sweet, you might need/want to cut down on sugar in the recipe. And yes, if you sub in oil for the applesauce, it would be 1 cup oil.
I followed the recipe except for a few things – instead of the applesauce I used pureed squash instead (gave the bread a deeper yellow color and did not affect the taste). I also added about 15 drops of lemon essential oil to the batter to boost the lemon flavor as several commenters mentioned that the bread was very mild. I did not have 1 1/2 cups of yogurt so I used 1 cup of nonfat Greek yogurt and 1/2 cup regular sour cream. I also added blueberries to the bread, which I think was a nice touch. However, my loaves never got the golden brown as pictured – tested done with a toothpick with a few golden spots on top, but never all over golden. Did I under bake? I baked in a mini loaf and the sides were nice and golden, just not the top. I used granulated sugar for the glaze but then saw that Mel had replied to a comment saying it should be powdered sugar. I might try making a thick powdered sugar glaze next time that I can drizzle rather than poor over the top.
i just realized you’re supposed to use powdered sugar instead of granulated for the glaze from another comment. i used granulated and it still came out delicious! 😆
This lemon bread is incredible! I used
no fat plain greek yogurt and it was delicious! Everyone enjoyed it and I received rave reviews! Thanks for another terrific recipe Mel!
Have you tried freezing this bread?
It freezes pretty well (the top is a bit soft after thawing due to the glaze – you could freeze just the bread and glaze after thawing).
Have you made these into mini loaves? If so how long would I bake them?
I haven’t tried this recipe as mini loaves – if you do, I’d recommend checking them after about 22 minutes.
Could I use plain Greek yogurt or would that be too much of a sour flavor?
Also, for the glaze, do we use confectioners sugar or granulated sugar?
It is powdered sugar in the glaze. And yes, I think you can use plain Greek yogurt just fine.
I have been halving this recipe and baking in my Bundt pan for about 30-35 minutes and it’s fabulous!
Wow! Everyone LOVED this bread!!
Thanks Mel!
Merry Christmas
I adapted this to make it grain-free, also using egg yolks (no whites) and olive oil. It was, both times I made it, despite all the substitutions, effing amazing. I bake it in a bundt cake, which holds half a recipe (so I put the other half in a loaf pan). I am about to make it a third time, now for my Dad’s birthday. He is the worst person in the world to cook for, and I have always loved cooking, so I can’t stop trying to get his approval. Fingers crossed that this time I’ll succeed. But regardless, I’m excited to eat this again. At least the way I have been making it, it’s best 48 hours after it’s baked.
I was not impressed. It was just ok, was not that flavorful. Perhaps some lemon juice or poppy seeds in the batter would improve flavor. The glaze was quite runny and I used a tooth pick to poke holes in the bread to help it soak into, instead of run off, the bread.
I make this bread several times a year, it’s the best! I always poke holes with a wooden skewer and glaze it straight in the pan after it comes out of the oven. I let it sit for a couple of minutes, then turn it out and let it cool completely on a cooling rack. It keeps all of the delicious glaze on the bread, where I want it, and keeps my counter tops clean at the same time.
My husband said it’s the best poundcake I’ve ever made. My only problem was with the glaze it never thickened up until I put in a lot more sugar. I just kept point sugar in and bake and boiling it until at least it became a clear sticky paste and then I poured it over and poked toes and it was still runny so I took my kitchen brush and painted it on the outside and over the top so it wouldn’t run. Maybe I was doing something wrong but I just could not make the glaze proper without a lot more sugar like probably a quarter of a cup.
So good. Very moist! I also frosted it after cooking and suggest bigger holes for glaze to sink into – YUM
Made it for a quick gift and it was wonderful. Will make more.
Amazing recipe. Very moist and great soft texture. I reduced the amount of sugar to 1 cup and it still is great. Pretty sure I’ll try it with oranges instead of lemons next time.
Thank you for your comment. I just realized I only have 1 cup of sugar, so I’ll do what you did!
This lemon bread is AMAZING!!!! It is moist and so delicious!
Is there something that I can substitute for the applesauce?
You can use butter or oil
If I use a bundt pan instead what temperature and time
I haven’t tried that, but I’d suggest the same baking temperature and maybe check right around 35-40 minutes.
Great lemon loaf! I found the lemon flavour in the loaf itself to be quite subtle, so I will be adding more zest next time (I zested 4 lemons which equalled 3 Tbsp). The glaze was definitely the highlight that gave that punch of strong lemon tartness, but was still nice and sweet for a lovely finish. I didn’t have yogurt at home, so I subbed sourdough discard, and it worked wonderfully!
We have a friend that has a wrecker service. He obtained a ton of lemons from a wreck so he brought me a case. I made your bread and gave him a loaf as a thank you. His wife asked for the recipe. This is a big deal because she doesn’t bake. We all loved it. It is moist and tart and sweet, all at the same time. Having applesauce and yogurt in it qualifies it as being partially healthy in my book. This is surely a keeper! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Can I use buttermilk in place if the yogurt?
Yes, that is usually a good substitution.
Can you use lemon juice instead of lemon zest? If so how much.?
That would change the structure and texture of the bread, so I’m not sure, but you could try 1-2 tablespoons and see how it goes. The lemon flavor won’t be as pronounced as when using the lemon zest.
I did not have any applesauce, so I substituted peeled and grated zucchini. Turned out great! Wonderful recipe and a good use for the garden vegetable that takes over the summer kitchen.
Delicious-another winner, Mel! So glad it makes 2 loaves – 1 to share & 1 to eat!
Made the Lemon Yogurt Bread last night. Have tried many, many lemon bread recipes. Always the same, not enough lemon. Dry. Well thanks to you. I now have a MOIST, lemon bread that is perfect. Thanks so much for sharing.
Hi for the lemon yogurt bread need to know how do you make the Apple sauce.. can this be optional..
Please let me know .. Would love to try this recipe
Regards
Preeti
You can sub in oil for the applesauce.