By Natasha MinochaUpdated September 1, 2024 Jump to recipe Watch video

Making lemon poppy seed quick bread from scratch is easy, and it's delicious as-is or with some lemony glaze. What's more, it looks pretty, is speckled with little poppy seeds, has an incomparably moist crumb, and is fascinatingly crunchy!

Lemon poppy seed bread is perfectly balanced. Not too sweet nor overwhelmingly lemony. It’s a soft, moist bread, almost like a lemon pound cake but not as heavy, so perfect with a cup of tea.

Love lemony bakes? Then do try my soft and zesty blueberry and lemon bread, creamy lemon cheesecake, easy lemon tiramisu, and vegan lemon tart!

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Why You'll Love This Recipe

This is a simple and straightforward recipe, ideal for beginner bakers.

The crumb is moist, tender, and light with a light crunch from the poppyseeds!

Bursting with zesty lemon flavor, this poppyseed bread is perfect with your morning cuppa or an afternoon treat.

This lemon poppyseed bread is a crowd pleaser, wonderful for brunches, picnics, and potlucks.

This bread freezes beautifully, making it ideal for meal prep!

Recipe Ingredients

Flour: Opt for all-purpose flour for the most tender crumb in your lemon poppy seed bread. You can also experiment with whole wheat flour or a blend of both for added depth of flavor and texture.

Poppy seeds: These little black-blue seeds give this lemon bread a wonderful, delicate nutty crunch and give a lovely appearance to the crumb.

Sugar: I went with caster sugar, but cane sugar, raw sugar, or any type you like will work just as well.

Milk: Any kind will do. I personally prefer full-fat milk for that extra creaminess.

Oil: Don’t have sunflower oil? Use olive oil, coconut oil, or even melted butter to give your quick bread that delicious buttery touch.

Eggs make the easy lemon poppy seed bread richer and give it structure.

Lemon: Use whatever variety is locally available to you.

Please see the recipe card for full information about the ingredients and quantities.

Lemon poppyseed bread with lemon glaze on a platter.

How To Make Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Step 1: Set your oven to preheat and grease your loaf tin. I used an 8-by-4-inch one.

Step 2: Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Mix.

Step 3: Whisk in poppy seeds and set the dry ingredients aside.

poppy seeds with the dry ingredients for lemon poppy seed bread.

Step 4: Zest a lemon and rub sugar into it to make lemon-infused sugar (more on this in the notes).

Step 5: In another larger bowl, beat eggs and sugar till light, creamy, and pale. About 3 to 4 minutes.

Step 6: Pour the oil and lemon juice and mix well.

Step 7: Add half the dry ingredients to the wet. Combine.

Step 8: Pour milk into the lemon poppyseed bread batter. Mix.

Step 9: Add the rest of the dry ingredients and combine just until no dry streaks are visible.

Step 10: Pour the lemon and poppy seed bread batter into the prepared tin and bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread batter in a baking pan.

Step 11: Let the quick bread cool in the pan before turning it out on a wire rack.

Optional step: Drizzle lemon glaze on the lemon poppy seed bread.

Final step: Serve and enjoy!

baked lemon poppy seed bread in a loaf pan.

Pro Tips

Don’t just fold the lemon zest and sugar into the ingredients. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar. Why? Because it gives the lemon poppy seed loaf cake an extra punch of lemony flavor and distributes it more evenly.
The eggs need to be at room temperature.
And the milk needs to be lukewarm, not hot or cold.
Finally, don’t overmix the batter. Mix just enough so no white streaks are visible to get a soft, moist, and tender crumb.

The Best Lemon Poppy Seed Bread with lemon glaze.

How To Make Lemon Glaze

Homemade lemon poppy seed bread is delicious with or without glaze. I wanted to dress it up simply. So I decided to mix icing sugar and lemon juice until I had a thick, smooth, and pourable consistency.

Drizzle the lemon poppy seed glaze on top. Let it set for a few minutes. And then slice the poppyseed bread.

sliced Lemon Poppy Seed Bread on a platter.

Can I Freeze The Lemon Quick Bread?

Yes, you can! You can freeze this bread (without the glaze).

Let the lemon and poppy seed bread cool completely. Then wrap it in cling wrap or aluminum foil. This will keep well for 1 month. Thaw on the countertop for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.

Any leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, if your kitchen is as hot as mine. If you’re enjoying cooler weather still, the countertop will work for 3 to 4 days.