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Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf

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I love loaf.

Drizzled with lemon icing – pretend it’s part of a complete breakfast because it goes so damn well with coffee – Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf, I love you.

This is a glorious morning treat. If you want to feel like your house has been magically turned into that really cute little coffee shop down the street, this is the recipe you need to make. (Indie music not included). I love this soft, buttery, fluffy, lemony, poppy seedy loaf. It makes a mornings go from cold cereal boring, to a special spring way to start the day.

Vegan-Lemon-Poppy-Seed-Loaf


This breakfast cake is tasty all on its own, but drizzling the lemon icing, just kicks it up seven notches. I mean look at that drizzle! I dare you to whip out this bad boy and not wow someone, even if it is yourself, who is still in pjs way too late in the day. Not that I would have any experience with that. ~Looks to ceiling and whistling a tune~

lemon-poppy-seed-loaf-vegan-whoel-wheat

My recipe isn’t quite as yellow as some of the lemon loaves you see out there, but that’s because I didn’t use any food colouring, and I opted to use whole wheat flour to get a little nutrition squished in there. Personally, I think it looks gorgeous and I tell it that all the time. I don’t judge by the colour of your loaf.

dry-lemon-poppy-seed-ingredients

So here we go, mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. You can opt for less poppy seeds if you like, but I LOVE the flavour of poppy seeds, so I wasn’t shy.

wet-ingredients-lemon-poppy-seed-loaf

Mix the wet ingredients in a medium bowl. Don’t forget to zest your lemons before juicing them, because then you may run into some serious zesting issues.

vegan-lemon-poppy-seed-loaf-batter

Mix wet into dry until just combined. No need to beat this to death, and kill all those lovely rising bubbles.

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Pour into a lightly greased loaf pan. A metal one will work fine too, and bake.

lemon-icing

Let your loaf cool completely before icing. Then just drizzle the icing all over, in any zig-zagy way you like. It always seems to look pretty no matter how messy you are. Let the icing set, stand back, cross your arms, nod, and be impressed at your gorgeous baked treat.

vegan-lemon-poppy-seed-loaf-recipe

4.9 from 7 reviews
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Vegan Lemon Poppy Loaf
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: Makes about 12 slices
 
Ingredients
  • Dry Ingredients:
  • 2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
  • ¾ Cup White Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • 3 Tablespoons Poppy Seeds
  • Wet Ingredients:
  • 1¼ Cups Non-Dairy Milk (such as soy or almond)
  • ½ Cup Canola Oil (or other light oil)
  • 2 Tablespoon Lemon Zest
  • ⅓ Cup Lemon Juice (from about 2-3 lemons)
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • Lemon Icing
  • 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
  • 1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 375F (190 C). Lightly grease a loaf pan.
  2. Zest the lemons and then juice them. If you are making the icing, make sure to have extra and set that aside. In a medium bowl whisk together the wet ingredients, including the lemon juice and zest.
  3. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. Now pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined. Don't over mix!
  4. Pout the batter into at the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 - 55 mins, rotating once midway through. The loaf is ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  5. Let cool completely before icing. When cool, mix the lemon icing ingredients together in a bowl. Set the loaf on a cooling rack over a baking sheet to catch all the excess icing. Drizzle the icing over the loaf. Let the icing set for about 30 minutes before slicing.

vegan-lemon-poppy-seed-nutrition

Featured Ingredient: Poppy Seeds. 76 Days, 45 Recipes to go!

Bon Appetegan

Sam.

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Comments

  1. I made this with unbleached white flower and it was perfect. I used vanilla soy yogurt in place of the soy milk. I added 3/4 cup butter to the drizzle in order to make it a buttercream frosting. Absolutely delicious. Thank you!

    Reply

  2. Hi!

    I am planning to make this recipe soon and I was wondering whether you think it’s possible to substitute the white sugar for maple syrup. Thanks!

    Reply

  3. Hi Sam,

    I am new to your blog and very excited to see all the recipes you have posted, and the hard work you put into testing every recipe.

    I wanted to bake this cake for Easter. Can I bake the cake the night before, and then add the icing the next day, or does the cake need to be slightly warm to have the icing adhere properly to the cake?

    thank you for your help!
    Susana

    Reply

    • Welcome, Susana, and thank you so much! Absolutely, you can totally bake the cake the day before. The cake should be completely cooled before icing so it will work just perfectly. Enjoy!

      Reply

  4. This looks delish; I came across it during my search for vegan lemon poppy seed loaf (to make as mini loaves). Hopefully it works out for me!
    A few questions for you: 1) Would whole wheat pastry flour work or did you design this recipe using regular WW? 2) Also, does it matter whether I use the boxed milk (sold on shelves) or the carton ones (sold from a refrigerated cooler)? 2b) Is there a general “rule” to help decide which to use for cooking or baking? I’m unfamiliar with non-dairy milk; I’m making this for a group that includes one vegan and I hope that the non-vegans enjoy it too.

    3) I don’t use canola oil; would grapeseed or vegetable (e.g. Mazola) oil work?
    4) I’d like to use this recipe for mini loaves – any guesses on how many this would yield? 4b) How much should I fill the pans?

    Thanks for this recipe – it’s a perfect spring and Easter-time flavor!

    Reply

    • Hi Ruth-Ann,
      Whole wheat pastry flour might be a little too soft and might not hold up properly. I would stick to regular whole wheat flour.
      The boxed milks or the ones in the fridge section are all great. Generally, any non-dairy milk works well, but the standard go-to’s are soy milk or almond milk (I generally prefer unsweetened soy).
      Vegetable or other light oil will work just fine.
      Here are some tips for baking mini loaves. The pans should be about 2/3 full. Enjoy!

      Reply

      • Thank you Sam! I’ve discovered that my mini pans are quite mini so I may try them as muffins instead. We’ll see 🙂

        Reply

          • Success! I did them as muffins for the 16-17 mins as suggested by another commenter. They looked fabulous too. I got 13 perfect sized ones and one smaller one. I used parchment cupcake liners which came right off. I made them twice and plan to make again. Second time I used 1/2 c white sugar and 1/4 c coconut sugar. Next time I’ll reduce the sugar more. Lovely texture and flavour. Thanks!

  5. I just tried this recipe as muffins (sans icing) and they turned out great! Absolutely delicious. They made about 14 muffins, filled with 1/4 cup of batter each. I baked at 375 and had them in the oven for 16 minutes. The only issue I had was that they really liked to stick to to the cupcake liners that I used, resulting in some of the muffin being tragically lost. I’ll try greasing up the muffin pan with non-stick spray and flour next time–and there will definitely be a next time!

    Reply

  6. I just made this. Wonderful!
    i love that you used whole wheat. We grind our own.
    I did however, substitute apple sauce for the oil. My kids didn’t even notice.
    Thanks for another great recipe.

    Reply

  7. This recipe is amazing! I didn’t have poppy seeds and used chia seeds and it turned out perfectly! This loaf is so delicious – the fact that it’s whole wheat flour is unrecognizable!

    Reply

    • Hi Carloine,
      Almond flour is simply ground up almonds, which mean it doesn’t have the same binding qualities as wheat flour. If you are looking for a gluten free option I recommend trying an all-purpose gluten free blend intended for baking. I know Bob’s Red Mill makes one. I hope that helps!

      Reply

  11. Do you think I could replace lemon and poppy seed with a berry and nut? For example strawberries and almonds? Also, would the temp be the same if I wanted to do lemon poppy seed muffins instead of a loaf? Great recipe and thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Tyra,
      The lemon in the recipe is used as a rising agent along with the baking soda, so you wouldn’t want to cut that. I think you could add some berries and nuts to the recipe and it should be ok. For muffins, my guess is that the temperature would be ok, but they would take way less time to bake. I haven’t tested any of these changes however, so if you experiment, I can’t promise good results. I hope it works out for you! 🙂

      Reply

  12. Hi! I am trying to get away from refined sugar – if I used honey, would it be the same amount or less? do you think I would beed to balance out the extra ‘wet’ ?

    Reply

    • I don’t cook with honey as it’s not vegan, so I am not really sure. If you are trying to cut refined sugar, I would try unrefined palm sugar which I have heard good things about. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  14. I’ve done this recipe like 3 or 4 times by now and never get tired of it. One of my favorite recipes by now. I’m really really thankfull for this one. It’s simple and you can eat it at any time, and of course is just delicious <3 Thanks for this webiste! 😀

    Reply

  15. I’m looking forward to trying this soon! I was a bit confused with the quantity of lemons. Are the 2-3 lemons also for the icing? Or should i buy 4? Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi Porter,
      (what a super great name by the way!)
      It just depends on the lemon size, and how much juice you can get from them. You need 1/3 cup for the load, and 2 additional tablespoons for the icing. I find that lemons in my grocery store vary a lot in size, so I would always buy more just to be on the safe side. Then I use any leftovers for lemon water. I hope that helps!

      Reply

  16. Hello! My husband and I absolutely LOVEEEE this recipe!!! Honestly, I’m making it 2-3 time a week. I use applesauce instead of the oil (we try not to use oil) and I don’t add in the poppy seeds or lemon zest just because I never seem to have them. Now that fall is coming I want to encorporate pumpkin into everything possible. Do you think I could take out the lemon and maybe the applesauce and add canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices? Thanks so much!!!

    Reply

    • For the pumpkin part of the question, I really have no idea! That would be so many changes that it would be difficult to know how it turns out.
      If you give it a go, let us know how it works for you 🙂

      Reply

  17. Hello! I had been super excited to bake this loaf as soon as I first saw you post it. I’m glad to say that it did not disappoint- in fact, the flavor was wonderful and it was just sweet enough. Each slice was a bit on the chewy side (is that a property of baking with almond milk?), but I loved it. Thanks for this lovely recipe!

    Reply

  18. Thank you for sharing this delicious vegan recipe. I noticed a typo that is a bit confusing. The second instruction should say “mix together all the dry ingredients” instead of “wet ingredients.” Have a great day!

    Reply

  19. I made these into mini loaves and had them with fruit for dinner. I baked them for about 17 minutes. Fabulous, and even wowed my non-vegan family!

    Reply

  20. OMG!!!! Now I know for sure what I’m making for Sunday’s Easter brunch!!!! That’s a thing of beauty, Sam!!!!

    Reply

  21. This sounds amazing!! I’m definitely going to bring this to Easter brunch and dinner! Do you think that coconut palm sugar would be ok to use or should I get granulated sugar for this recipe? Thanks 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Michelle,
      This would be a great Easter addition! From what I understand about coconut sugar it can be used as a direct replacement of white sugar. I haven’t tried it in this recipe myself but it should work out fine. Enjoy!

      Reply

      • I wasn’t able to make it for Easter, but I did just make it for Mother’s Day and it got rave reviews, everyone loved it! Thanks for sharing this recipe, it’s definitely a keeper (btw, I used regular sugar and not palm).

        Reply

        • Welcome miche11es!
          I am so very happy you and your family enjoyed the recipe! You’re right, this would be a great Mother’s Day treat as well. I know my mom loves this recipe!

          Reply

  23. ever try to do this as cupcakes? i bake to share at work and loafs and cakes get too messy and too many wasted crumbs…

    Reply

    • I would put it in the muffin category, but I imagine they would work just fine. Just keep an eye on them in the oven as they will take less time to bake. I would guess around 15 minutes but I haven’t tried them myself yet.

      Reply

    • Hmmm… I think maybe a gluten free all purpose flour such as Bob’s Red Mill mix might work. For sugar free I’m not sure, I don’t often make sugar free baked goods. I only eat them on occasion so I usually just go for it! Haha. If you give any alterations a try. Let us know how it turns out 🙂

      Reply

  25. A gazillion years ago, I was introduced to lemon-poppy seed bread as the perfect Mardi Gras treat, and have loved it ever since. While those holidays are no longer a part of my repertoire, I’ve missed it, as well as it’s cousin almond-poppy seed muffins. Thank you for giving me another chance at enjoying it.

    Now I have another excuse for those bags of lemons I love to buy. 🙂

    Reply

    • I didn’t know lemon poppy seed loaf was a Mardi Gras treat, you learn something new every day! I also don’t think I have ever tried almond poppy seed muffins, and now I’m hungry!! I hope you enjoy the recipe Milinda 🙂

      Reply

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