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Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Bread made with almond flour and coconut flour, a lemon glaze, and is paleo, so no dairy in it. This moist loaf is one of the best healthy lemon poppy seed bread recipes!
We live for lemon poppy seed everything in this house. Seriously, that was always one of the key flavors of my childhood. My mom used to always bring home lemon poppy seed muffins, which is why I also created a healthier version of my beloved favorite: oat flour lemon poppy seed muffins.
This bread is moist, lemony, soft, fluffy, and one bite in automatically makes you channel spring. Each bite is speckled with plenty of poppy seeds and fresh lemon, taking you back to your childhood (or at least mine!) when lemon poppy seed everything flooded your kitchen.
Breakfast bread, afternoon snack, dessert at night…whenever you want, this bread is a refreshing treat filled with real food and wholesome ingredients.
The right amount of lemon mixes with the almond flour and coconut flour to create a sweet, yet slightly nutty take on traditional lemon poppy seed bread.
Iced with a delicious lemon glaze that is simple to make, refreshing, and adds the perfect bit of sweetness to the top of this bread. I like a thick glaze so I keep the liquid to a minimum, but if you prefer its more runny, go ahead and add some more milk to it.
Why I love this gluten free lemon poppy seed bread
- No weird ingredients!! I like to keep my breads simple. This is only a combination of two gluten free flours: almond flour and coconut flour.
- Easy. All you need to do is mix your ingredients together and throw it in the oven and boom. Done.
- Low carb. Watching your carbs or just want something that is more nutrient dense? Low carb doesn’t mean no flavor. In fact, I like this lemon poppy seed bread better than the traditional bread.
- Uses honey as the only sugar replacement.
- Perfect to make for an Easter brunch, or heck, any holiday brunch at all.
- Also perfect for a mid-morning healthy snack or dessert after dinner.
How do you make this bread?
First. Zest that lemon like you’ve never zested before. But really, I like to zest the lemon first because it just puts me in a good mood with the fresh lemon scent.
Then you throw all your dry ingredients in a bowl.
Whisk up all your wet ingredients in another bowl.
Add those dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, add in your poppy seeds and your lemon zest, and pour into a bread loaf pan.
Then bake! While it’s baking prepare your glaze by whisking all of the ingredients together.
Once completely cooled, ice your fresh lemony loaf and serve!
The best way to store this bread is on the counter for up to 48 hours, or in the fridge after that!
If you make this recipe, be sure to comment below and let me know how it was! Also tag @erinliveswhole on Instagram and use the hashtag #erinliveswhole so I can see it and feature you!
Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Bread made with almond flour and coconut flour, a lemon glaze, and is paleo, so no dairy in it. This moist loaf is one of the best healthy lemon poppy seed bread recipes!
Ingredients
Bread
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
Optional Glaze (not paleo!)
- 1.5 cups powdered sugar
- 2–3 tbsp almond milk
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a bread loaf pan with parchment paper AND cooking spray. The paper will assist with an easy release of the bread and is a key step.
2. In a small bowl, mix almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, whisk three eggs.
4. Stir in coconut oil, honey, almond milk, vanilla, and lemon juice.
5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until completely combined.
6. Stir in poppy seeds and lemon zest, then pour into bread pan.
7. Place in oven and bake for 50-60 minutes (will depend on bread pan, mine was exactly 9×5 and took ~50 min), or until toothpick comes out clean. Cover halfway through if starts to brown on top.
8. While baking, prepare glaze by whisking together powdered sugar, almond milk, and lemon juice.
9. Let loaf cool completely before glazing.
10. Enjoy! Store on counter for up to 48 hours before putting in fridge.
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Tom says
This icing is to die for. Also love how nice and moist it is!
★★★★★
Candy says
Sounds really tasty!! I’m wondering about the “uses maple sugar as the only sugar replacement” comment but I don’t see maple sugar in the recipe card. How much maple sugar and in what step is it used?
Erin says
Honey!! No maple sugar or maple syrup. Sorry about the confusion, the post has been updated.
Jennifer says
This cake is amazing!! So moist and fresh, but not too sweet!
★★★★★
Erin says
So happy you like it, Jennifer!! Thanks for sharing!
Erin says
The texture, moisture, and taste of this bread are awesome!! I really like the level of sweetness, and my kids like some extra glaze. 😉 I’m amazed at how spot-on your proportions always are; this bread is light and not dense at all (like some gluten free breads/muffins).
★★★★★
Erin says
Erin!! This comment made my whole day. I like to try, and try, and try stuff again until I think they are ready for sharing so I’m glad you appreciate that 🙂
Makenna says
Would these be good as muffins? What is the difference between these and your lemon poppyseed muffins you recently posted? Thanks I’m advance 🙂
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Makenna! Yes they would be great! Just reduce baking time slightly and watch so they dont get brown (use a foil cover). These are made with coconut and almond flour and the other muffins have oat flour and greek yogurt!
Rebecca says
Seriously one of the best healthy baking recipes I’ve tried. This is now a repeat recipe for me! Totally delicious. Thanks Erin!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Aw, that is great to hear! Thank you so much for sharing Rebecca!!
Shadi says
Could I also replace eggs with flax eggs here?
Erin says
Unfortunately, the eggs are necessary for this recipe!
Linda says
Can any other flours be used instead of almond?
Erin says
I’ve only ever tested with almond flour! Sorry about that!
Cat says
Hi Erin,
Baking powder is listed on the ingredient list, but not on the instructions. Just FYI. I forgot to add them because I didn’t see it on the instructions.. Hopefully it turns out okay!
Erin says
Thank you for letting me know! Must have slipped my writing.. adding it in now. Hope it turned out ok!
Ashleigh says
Lemon poppy anything is my favorite! Excited to try this out! Is it possible to use all almond flour in place of the coconut flour? Or do you recommend using both? Thanks!
Erin says
Hey Ashleigh!
I recommend using the coconut flour because it helps absorb extra moisture that is in this bread. If you want to use all almond flour, I would definitely consider reducing the amount of liquid.
Ashleigh says
Great! Thanks for the feedback!
Mae says
Hey Erin!
I tried this recipe but the coconut flour is just too overpowering for me (not a fan of coconut). Do you think substituting with tapioca flour would be ok? Thanks!
Erin says
Hi Mae, yes, you can use a different flour. I haven’t tried it with tapioca, so before you bake just be sure to check the ratio because some flours are not a 1:1 ratio. Let me know how it comes out!
Rana says
Can i use coconut sugar pr honey or maple for the icing? I’m trying to cut down on processed sugar
Erin says
The powdered sugar is what gives it a creamy white look, however there are other lower sugar powder sugars out there like Monk Fruit Powder sugar. You can also leave the icing out or make a greek yogurt, honey, and lemon glaze!
Sarah says
Do you generally use original or vanilla almond milk for your recipes? Will it make a difference?
Erin says
I use vanilla unsweetened but you can use any!
Maria Jackson says
Hi! Is it fine to use Swerve confectioners for the icing? Just wondering if the sweetness level would be any different….
Erin says
Totally! I would use less as those tend to be more sweet 🙂
Maria D Jackson says
Thank you so much! Mine is cooling off now, can’t wait to try :). I put all the ingredients into My Fitness Pal, and noticed a big difference in calories/carbs. One serving (1/10) = 336 calories, and 18.8 g of carbs. Any idea why such a big difference??
Erin says
Depends on if you included the icing or what not. Also every online calculator is different, this is just a ballpark estimate with ingredients that I used.
Nikki says
Hi there! I wanted to know if I can sub out the coconut flour for almond flour and coconut oil for canola oil? I have a coconut allergy. Thanks.
Erin says
Definitely can swap the oil but not the almond flour. You need the coconut flour for absorbency but could try oat flour?!
Nikki says
Hi there! I’m going to try using 2 cups King Arthur GF all purpose instead of the almond and coconut blend. I don’t do well with oats. I love almond flour however sometimes I feel it softens too much after resting.
Erin says
Keep me posted on how it turns out.
NKaz says
This sounds so yummy! I can’t do anything with coconut though, is there any substitute for the flour and the oil?!
Thanks
Erin says
Hi! Thanks for your kind words! Yes, feel free to use whatever type of flour you’d like such as oat, all purpose, whole wheat, etc. Before you bake just be sure to check the ratio because some flours are not a 1:1 ratio. For oil, same thing- you can try it with almond, avocado, sunflower, etc. I haven’t made this recipe with any substitutions, so let me know what you use and how it comes out!
Karen says
Erin,
The flavor was amazing! I did have a question with regard to the melted coconut oil as soon as I put it in with the wet ingredients it formed again. Do you have any suggestions on how to avoid this?
Thank You,
Karen
★★★★★
Erin says
So glad you liked it!! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Erin says
Hi Karen, thanks for your kind words! It happened because your other ingredients were cold and your coconut oil is solid at room temperature! Next time, let your other ingredients sit out for a little before baking. Let me know how it comes out next time!
Lisa says
Use room temp eggs so that the coconut oil stays liquid.
If eggs are cold, out in a glass of warm water to take out the cold
Haley says
Hi Erin –
I made this recipe today. But there’s a problem – when I put all the ingredients into my nutrition calculator, my nutrition facts are completely different than yours. As someone who has to closely watch what they eat, I’m pretty disappointed in this. Truthfully, I wouldn’t have made it if I had known the truth of what the nutrition facts were. I hope you’ll take time to revisit your nutrition facts. I would gladly share my findings with you if you’d like.
★★★
Erin says
Hi Haley, thanks for your concern. I’ve come to learn that every nutrition calculator may be different and while yours may say one thing, mine may say the other. I will double check it again, thanks!
Suzanne says
Oh my goodness; this looks AMAZING! We haven’t made lemon poppy seed bread since being gluten free. I can’t wait to try it out!
Erin says
Hi Suzanne, I am so happy you enjoyed it and can now make it again!
Gerry says
I like the mix of coconut and almond flour. I’ve found just coconut flour to be too dense and moist. Can’t wait to try the blend
Erin says
Hi Gerry, thanks for the kind words! Let me know how your bread comes out!
Kayla says
Another winner <3 Love love love. Erin Lives Whole is my GO TO site for healthy, delicious, recipes.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Kayla, thank you so much for your kind words!! I am so happy you enjoyed it and thank you for your support!!
Erin says
Hi Kayla, I am so thrilled you liked the bread! Thanks for your kind words and support!!
Lila says
Hi Erin! Could I swap the honey for coconut sugar or apple sauce?
Erin says
Hi Lila, I have not tested any other sweeteners in this recipe. Feel free to give one of them a try and let me know how it goes!
Cat Johnson says
I’m curious if I can use cassava flour (or another gluten free flour) in place of the coconut flour and still get the same texture? I am allergic to coconut so that is not an option for me, but don’t want to waste ingredients experimenting if you would happen to know the answer. Thanks.
Erin says
I think it would work, but am not super familiar with cassava. Sorry about that!
cassandra diaz says
SO GOOD!
The texture, flavor and look was spot on. We followed the recipe and added a few drops of Lemon essential oil, which was so yummy.
I didn’t get to make the icing, but know it would have just made it that much more amazing.
Your recipes always get gobbled up and are requested by the whole family!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Cassandra, I am so happy you and your family enjoyed the bread! Hope you have a chance to make the icing next time! 🙂
Sasha says
It turned out amazing!! Super easy and flavorful
Erin says
Hi Sasha, so happy you enjoyed it!
Maddie says
OH MY GOSH!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Healthy baking is soooooo hard when you come across lots of yummy looking recipes that never taste good. Let me just say, this lemon cake was insane! My family couldn’t believe it!! Thank you!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Maddie, thank you so much for your kind words!! I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed it! 🙂
Elizabeth says
Thank you so much for doing the work to test a HEALTHY recipe for this commonly popular and adored flavor profile!
I chose to put this batter into muffin tins instead of making a loaf. At 350 the muffins were ready after 24 mins.
Erin says
Hi Elizabeth! You are very welcome!! I am so happy you like them! 🙂
Pam says
This is delicious and moist and cannot wait to make another! I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand so I made some substitutions that I will share in case it helps anyone else. In place of the coconut flour I used a gf flour all purpose blend. Because you said you would need less liquid I replaced the 1/3 cup of honey with 1/2 cup of white sugar ( I looked up the equivalent conversion). I replaced the almond milk with lactaid whole milk. Everything else was the same but had to use the lactaid milk in the icing. I’m sure the sugar would not be ideal for many but but it was worth it in this case!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Pam! Thank you so much for the kind words! I am so happy you enjoyed the bread and it came out so well! 🙂
Lisa says
Can the almond flour be subbed with something else? I can’t eat almond. Cassava maybe?
Erin says
Hi Lisa, yes any flour will work! Just check the ratio of whatever flour you choose. Let me know how your bread comes out!
Francesca says
A favorite for breakfast loafs in the house!! Absolutely love it!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Francesca, I am glad everyone enjoys the bread!
Lucille says
I Love love love this lemon bread!
You’ve been such a great help in my health journey. I have so many food restrictions but I always come here for a sweet treat because I know Erin has recipes that I can eat too! So thanks so much!!!
Erin says
Hi Lucille, thanks for sharing! I am so happy you enjoy my recipes!
Tita says
love how light the bread is and how filling! however, the recipe calls for 2 TBSP of lemon zest, and i only manage to get less than 1 TBSP of the lemon zest. So i was worried whether it wont taste very lemon-y. But when i break my fast the next day.. its quite lemon-y!
Thanks for sharing the recipe. Im looking forward to trying the lemon poppyseed muffin next!
★★★★
Erin says
Hi Tita, I am so happy you liked it and made it work for you! 🙂