Vegan Lemon Loaf
on Sep 27, 2021, Updated Aug 17, 2024
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Light, moist and zesty, this easy vegan lemon loaf is sure to be a new favourite!
Packed with zesty, lemon flavour with the most delicious, soft texture, this easy lemon cake is seriously addictive.
The recipe falls somewhere between a Starbucks lemon loaf and lemon pound cake, yet it’s made without eggs and dairy. For the perfect sweet treat, you can also top it with the simple lemon glaze to make it a lemon drizzle cake!
Though it’s perfect for Spring, Summer and special occasions like Easter and Mother’s Day, it’s lovely year round too. Brunch, breakfast, morning coffee or afternoon tea, enjoy a slice any time of day for a sweet treat or snack.
For more lemony goodness, don’t miss these Vegan Lemon Shortbread Cookies and Vegan Lemon Bars.
Recipe Features
- Great base for flavour variations like lemon blueberry, lemon cranberry, lime drizzle or orange.
- Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free) and nut-free.
- Easy to make with 6 simple ingredients.
- Perfect balance of sweet and tart lemon flavour with a soft, moist texture.
Ingredient Notes
- Flour: The recipe was developed using all-purpose flour and has not been tested with anything else. For best results, use a kitchen scale and follow the gram amounts listed in the recipe.
- Sugar: I used organic cane sugar but you should be able to substitute light brown sugar or white sugar. For a sugar-free recipe, you can use monk fruit sweetener and skip the lemon glaze.
- Oil: You can use melted coconut oil, olive oil or canola oil. Note if you’re using coconut oil, the milk and lemon juice need to be at room temperature to prevent the oil from hardening.
- Lemon: You’ll need 1/3 cup so depending on how juicy your lemons are, you may need 2-3 whole lemons. You can use store-bought lemon juice if you prefer.
- Plant-Based Milk: Unsweetened almond milk or cashew milk is suggested.
- Lemon Zest: If you don’ t have a citrus planer, you can use a grater or slice a few chunks of peel off and mince them with a sharp knife.
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
Variations
From lemon poppy seed loaf to lemon cranberry loaf, here are a few ways to switch it up:
- Blueberry and Lemon Loaf: Fold in up to 1 cup fresh blueberries with the wet ingredients.
- Lemon Cranberry Loaf: Fold in up to 1 cup fresh or frozen whole cranberries with the wet ingredients.
- Lemon Zucchini Loaf: Fold in 1/2 cup drained, finely grated fresh zucchini with the wet ingredients.
- Raspberry Lemon Loaf: Fold in up to 1 cup fresh raspberries with the wet ingredients.
- Lime Drizzle Cake: Use lime juice and zest instead of lemon.
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cake: Mix in 2 tbsp poppy seeds with the dry ingredients.
- Orange Loaf: Use orange juice and zest instead of lemon. Try this with cranberries for a lovely Christmas recipe.
Step-by-Step Photos
Before You Begin: Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a standard-size loaf pan with parchment paper so it sticks out over at least 2 of the sides.
Step 1: Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl. Be sure to mix well so the baking powder and salt are well distributed.
Step 2: Add the oil, milk, lemon juice and zest and vanilla and gently fold everything together until all of the ingredients have been wetted and the batter is smooth. Avoid over-mixing which could result in a dense cake. Gently fold just until the flour is incorporated, then stop.
Quick Note: If you’re using coconut oil, make sure the lemon juice and milk are at room temperature to prevent the oil from solidifying. If the liquids came straight from the fridge, warm them briefly in the microwave until they come to room temperature.
Step 3: Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth with a spatula.
Bake the loaf for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Step 4 (Optional): If you’d like to add the lemon glaze, mix the powdered sugar, milk and lemon juice together in a small bowl until completely smooth.
Once the loaf has fully cooled, pour the mixture over the loaf.
Recipe FAQs
No, this particular recipe needs the oil and has not been tested with an oil-free baking substitue like applesauce or banana.
For oil-free baking, try my carrot cake banana bread, easy banana bread or blueberry muffins.
Sure. Both fresh lemon juice or store-bought lemon juice work fine but you’ll need whole lemons to make the zest (unless you use lemon extract but lemon zest is superior, in my opinion!).
Baking Tips
- I highly recommend using a digital scale to measure your ingredients. This recipe depends on precise ratios for success and it can be very easy to over or under measure flour especially.
- Oven temperatures can vary, so the toothpick trick is helpful to make sure the loaf is baked through. Poke it into the centre of the cake and if it comes out clean, it’s ready!
- Avoid opening the oven until you’re ready to check if the loaf is done. I would wait at least 30 minutes before checking.
- To make the cake easy to lift out of the pan, line with parchment so it hangs over at least two sides.
- Make sure you wait until the cake has fully cooled before adding the glaze.
- Want more icing? You can as much as double the sugar (keep the lemon juice and milk amounts the same or increase slightly if needed).
Storing
- To Store: Let the loaf cool completely then store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the fridge for up to 1 weeks.
- To Freeze: Let cool completely then wrap in foil and store in a freeze-safe bag or continuer or slice beforehand and freeze individual slices in a freezer bag.
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to comment section below to leave your star rating and review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Vegan Lemon Loaf
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, 270 g
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 120 g
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 10 g
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil or canola oil, 70 g
- 1/3 cup lemon juice, 55 g
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup + 6 tablespoons plant-based milk, 210 ml
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 50 g
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp plant-based milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) and line a standard-sized loaf pan with parchment paper so it sticks out over at least 2 sides of the pan. This will make it easier to lift the loaf out once baked.
- Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl until well combined and the baking power is thoroughly distributed.
- Add the oil, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla and gently fold everything together just until all of the dry ingredients have been wetted. Avoid over-mixing. Note that if you're using coconut oil, be sure the lemon juice and milk are at room temperature to prevent the oil from hardening. If your milk is cold, you can briefly warm in the microwave until it's at room temperature.
- Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Avoid opening the open door to check the loaf before 30 minutes.
- Let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes then lift it out of the pan and onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Do not slice before cooling completely.
- If you’d like to add the glaze, mix together the powdered sugar, milk and lemon juice until completely smooth. Once the loaf has fully cooled, pour the glaze over the cake and allow to set for a few minutes. Slice and enjoy!
This is a perfect recipe – extremely tasty, easy, standard pantry ingredients & adaptable! I used tangerines because that’s what I had on hand. Added some zest and vanilla bean paste to the glaze. Great for a dessert or brunch or tea time! Thank you for sharing this recipe! Will definitely make again.
Sounds amazing with tangerines!
This was incredibly light and lemony. And to make it vegan? Bravo!
Thanks, Jenn! Glad you liked it.
Addendum to previous comment:
Forgot to mention a few things and cannot edit the post:
I used most of my lemon zest on yesterday’s loaves so I had an orange and zested what I needed to bring zest up to 2 T and I can’t even taste orange flavour in the loaf, although I wouldn’t have minded.
In hindsight – yes, I would just use all the icing next time and it would be great too – I was concerned that it would be too sweet, but I don’t think it would be.
Lastly, in case it’s not clear – I baked 2 loaves side by side in my oven (using oven thermometer) and they were cooked (tested with bamboo skewer) at 35 minutes – however, when I removed loaves from disposable pans, they were very soft even after 15 minutes, so you DO NEED TO COOL THE LOAVES FOR OPTIMAL TEXTURE . I couldn’t wait and cut into one to try and yes, very crumbly, but when completely cool – again, giving credit where it’s due – Thank you, Deryn! Great addition – I may make for Christmas as gifts for lemon lovers!!!
Thank you for such a detailed review. It’s SO helpful for other readers to include those details. Thanks for trying it and for all the great feedback. Much appreciated!
First off, thank you, Deryn, for your recipe and all the details and the time you take to give substitution ideas, etc…This recipe foundation – A ++ (sorry the teacher in me can’t help but do that!)
OK, so for those of you purists out there who want a review based solely on this exact recipe, my review may disappoint, but I don’t care because it’s constructive feedback that could help those of you who give low star count before reflecting and trying the recipe more than once if something isn’t quite right….
1) use oven thermometer – your oven temperature could be off – use 350 – don’t deviate
2) size of loaf pan – here is where I wish 5 star givers would give us details of what they used for a hint, but honestly, I used 2 smaller sized Brazilian wax lined floral deco’d paper pans and they cooked in 35 minutes – size of pan used – approximations shy of 3 inches x length slightly more than 7 inches x height 2.5 inches
3) first time I made this (yesterday) I made cutting the sugar down to only 1/2 C and swapping coconut and brown sugar for granulated and salt down to 1/2 tsp —-> result DON’T CUT SUGAR at least – stick to the recipe – not sure if the extra 1/2 tsp salt does something, but I used 1 tsp this time. – if you want less sweet and say a very very light sweetness then cut sugar and spread some vegan basil pesto atop each slice – it would be nice…. 🙂
4) made the recipe as is except with no granulated sugar I used the full 3/4 sugar but subbed 1/2 C cocnut sugar with 1/4 cup brown sugar. Loaf was I’d say a bit darker in colour, but taste – checked all the boxes of lemon loaf – Muah! Better than meh! Starb’s loaf –
5) for the topping (pun intended) again, I subbed the granulated sugar for coconut sugar, having no white sugar and used about 2/3 cup of the drizzle between the two loaves – and…..when I tasted the drizzle from the bowl after drizzling, I thought – oh boy! I’m going to have to make this a 3rd time to get it right because the rich coconut sugar sweetness seemed to overpower the lemon juice tartness, but…..
6) VERY Important – let rest and cool – if you cut the loaf when it is cooling – woah! to you – just be patient. SUCCESS!
So far this is the best Lemon bread recipe I have tried. It raised properly & almost cake like rather than bread. I baked in a mini convection oven and it required 56 min instead of 35. I’m going to play with the amount of coconut oil a tad or try olive oil. I personally feel it was a bit too moist and it fell a bit while cooling. Will also play with adding cornstarch a bit to help keep it firm and raised.
Made this and it was delicious!
Glad to hear it! Thanks for letting me know!
Yumtown, population me! Had to bake for 20 extra min on 310 after the original baking time and temp. Turned it down a bit because the sides of the loaf were crisping up and the inside was like pudding. Thanks for the recipe!
Also! I put the glaze on right out of the oven so it would soak into the loaf. Drooling
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the feedback and review.
Ah-mazing. I did it with half oil, half applesauce and added frozen blueberries. SWOON!
The most delicious and very moist lemon loaf! Very easy to make and ingredients which are always available in my home. Yummm I think this would be a favourite in my home from now on
Easy, delicious. I used a small Bundt pan and presentation was beautiful! I find a Bundt pan cooks more evenly than a loaf pan. I would definitely make this again.
Great idea to use a bundt pan! I’ll have to try that. Glad you enjoyed the recipe.