Healthy Blueberry Lemon Bread

Why We Love This Recipe For Healthy Blueberry Lemon Bread

There are few things better than baked goods with blueberries, and this healthy lemon blueberry bread is no different. The blueberries and citrus flavor pair so well together with the turbinado sugar and I absolutely love the sliced almonds on top. It’s simple to make and so delicious!

Key Ingredients for this Healthy Lemon Blueberry Bread

• Flour: This healthy lemon blueberry bread recipe is made with a blend of white and whole-wheat flour. I like to use King Arthur Flour White Whole-Wheat flour because it is milder in flavor and lighter in color than regular whole wheat flour. They act almost the same in baking recipes.
• Turbinado sugar: Sometimes called raw sugar, this light brown sugar is slightly less processed than white sugar so that some of the molasses (stripped out when white sugar is made) is left behind. The flavor has toasty caramel notes. Look for it in the baking section of the supermarket or natural foods stores. You can use evaporated cane juice instead of turbinado sugar, which has slightly finer granules than turbinado. If you like the flavor of coconut sugar, you could use that instead but it may overpower the other flavors. I don’t recommend using honey or maple syrup, which can darken baked goods. When I tested this with honey, even baking at 325 degrees, the bread was too dark.
• Other Baking Staples: Baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract, almond extract and salt.
• Fresh Blueberries: I prefer fresh in this recipe. If you want to use, frozen, thaw and drain them before tossing with the flour mixture.
• Oil: avocado or canola oil
• Lemon: You will use the lemon zest and juice.
• Orange Juice: orange juice with or without pulp is fine.
• Eggs: You’ll need both egg whites and egg yolk, separated.
• Sliced Almonds: Can be omitted if needed (in the case of an allergy, omit almond extract as well.) Use a dusting of confectioners sugar on top instead.

Step-by-Step Instructions to Make Healthy Blueberry Bread

Step 1: Preheat oven & prepare loaf pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 1.5-quart loaf pan (8.5 by 4.5 by 2.5 inches) with cooking spray.

Step 2: Whisk together dry ingredients

Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Toss blueberries in the flour mixture to coat.

Step 3: Whisk together wet ingredients & add dry mix

Whisk egg yolk, zest, fresh lemon juice, sugar, oil, orange juice, vanilla and almond extract in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir to combine. Beat egg whites in a separate bowl until soft peaks form. When beating egg whites, make sure there are no traces of yolk or oil in the bowl. Any fat will inhibit the foaming process.

Fold in the egg whites. Use a silicone spatula and take gentle swipes through the batter (also known as folding) only until the whites are incorporated. The goal is to keep as much air as possible in the whites, as this lifts the bread and keeps it from becoming too dense. This is one of the keys to giving this quickbread and light texture.

Step 4: Bake healthy blueberry lemon bread

Pour batter over the bottom of the prepared loaf pan and spread to cover. Sprinkle with almonds. Transfer to the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Let cool in the pan 25 minutes before running a knife along the edges and turning out, cool right-side-up on wire rack.

Tip: Though it may be tempting, try not to check on the bread too many times which will let the hot air out of the oven, making it take longer and possibly compromising the rise. The bread could even end up collapsing in the center if it is still liquid inside. So set the timer for 55 minutes and then check it. If a toothpick comes out with batter on it, keep baking another five minutes. Then check again.

FAQs and Expert Tips

More Healthy Bread Recipes to Try

• If you love baking, here are a couple more of my favorite bread recipes for you to try.
• This recipe for Healthy Banana Bread with Dates and Walnuts, is naturally sweetened from the dates and only a quarter cup of syrup!
• Taste it and you’ll never believe that this Banana Bread Recipe is made with 100% whole-wheat flour.
• This Healthy Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips has been a fan favorite since its inception many years ago. 
• This Healthy Zucchini Oat Bread has raisins and a secret ingredient so very little additional sweetener was needed. It’s perfect for lunchboxes! 
• Along with this bread today, this Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread is on my must-bake list every summer. I adore it!! 
• If you like the almond flavor in this Lemon Blueberry Bread today, then this Almond Cranberry Bread is for you! 
• This healthier Carrot Cake Banana Bread sounds so good to me. It sounds more like dessert loaf cake than a snack!! Yum! 
• You can get more healthy bread recipe inspiration here. There are 30 ideas in total!!