This Paleo Almond Lemon Blueberry Bread is to-die-for. A simple recipe ready within the hour. Bursting with blueberries and lemon flavor, this grain-free bread is a must.
This post is sponsored in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill. As always, all opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting Fit Mitten Kitchen!
Originally published 2018, updated with more notes in 2021 – same amazing recipe!
Moist, soft and almost cake-like in texture.
This loaf is typically gone in two days, tops. IT’S THAT GOOD.
Whether you follow a paleo diet or not, this bread is a reader favorite.
Looking for more paleo recipes? Check them out here.
The Best Paleo Lemon Blueberry Bread Recipe
This recipe first started out as banana bread but then I started craving lemon-flavored goods so I altered the recipe a bit. So to all you banana haters out there, you’re welcome.
(Banana lovers, you can check out some more recipes here.)
I digress… So once I changed the recipe it took me a couple of tries to get the texture I was anticipating.
But with the right modifications, this lemon blueberry bread turned out better than I ever could have imagined. And now it’s one of FMK’s top recipes and a personal favorite as well.
Ingredients Needed
- almond flour & tapioca flour – the combination of these two ingredients provides a light, perfect texture for this paleo bread. (No xanthan gum needed!) More notes on the flour below…
- baking soda & salt – baking soda for the leavening and salt to balance flavor.
- eggs – provides structure for this lemon loaf. I don’t have a good vegan sub here, but let me know if you try it with something like flaxseed meal.
- honey or maple syrup – the liquid sweetener. Honey browns faster and adds a delicious flavor, but maple syrup works too. You don’t need much, as the almond flour provides a rich and naturally sweet flavor on its own.
- lemon – you need both lemon zest and fresh lemon juice for this lemon blueberry bread.
- ghee or oil – ghee (clarified butter) will add more buttery flavor but oil works too. Avocado, light olive or melted and cooled coconut oil all work. You just need 1/4 cup.
- blueberries – fresh blueberries are my favorite here. If using frozen blueberries, you’ll need to add more to your baking time. And toss in some tapioca flour to prevent from sinking to the bottom.
- sliced almonds – for garnish. Totally optional but makes the loaf look pretty!
Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour
The main ingredient we’ll be using in this Paleo Almond Lemon Blueberry Bread is “Super Fine Almond Flour” (made from blanched almonds) from Bob’s Red Mill.
Note that we’re using the blanched almond flour, NOT “natural almond flour” also known as almond meal.
I’m super excited to be partnering with Bob’s Red Mill this year – their quality ingredients are pantry staples in the FMK household, and I am sure many of yours too!
How to Make Bread with Almond Flour
This lemon bread is really quite simple and comes together in a few simple steps.
You’re mainly mixing the dry ingredients together separately from the wet, then combining them before folding in the blueberries. And then it’s time for the oven!
But here is for you step-by-step:
- First preheat oven to 350ºF and line a 8×4 medium loaf pan with parchment paper; set that side.
- Next whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and set aside.
- In large bowl whisk together eggs, oil, honey, lemon juice, and extracts. Then add the dry ingredients, using a spatula or spoon to stir. Just as the mixture is almost combined, fold in the blueberries.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan – I like to make sure not all of the blueberries are sitting on the bottom of the pan so give the batter a gentle stir in the pan. Top the batter with sliced almonds if desired.
- Bake lemon blueberry bread for 20 minutes uncovered, then add foil for the last 15-20 minutes of baking to prevent the top from browning too quickly. Note: honey browns quicker than maple syrup. So if you use maple syrup in this recipe, your bread may not brown as much. My bread took 43 minutes, but check the middle for done-ness with a toothpick inserted in the center after 35 minutes, just to be sure.
- Allow bread to cool in pan for 15 minutes before lifting from the parchment paper to remove bread. Slice and ENJOY!
Some notes about the recipe
Flour
As noted above, the other dry ingredient needed is tapioca flour. If you’re not familiar with grain-free baking or baking with almond flour, the tapioca flour helps bind the ingredients together a bit better than leaving it out of the recipe. You can also sub with 2.5 tablespoons of coconut flour, or 1/3 cup cassava flour.
Oil
I tested this recipe with both ghee and macadamia nut oil, but any oil should be fine. Using oil will keep this recipe completely dairy free. If using coconut oil, make sure the rest of your ingredients are room temperature (i.e. eggs and lemon juice).
Sweetener
I used honey here but you can *likely* sub another liquid sweetener with similar results (i.e. maple syrup), though I did not test that myself. Do NOT use a dry sweetener here as it will throw off the liquid ratio.
Baking
To prevent the top from browning too much, add piece of foil over top of loaf pan halfway through baking time.
Honey browns more than maple syrup as well, but either liquid sweetner can be used.
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing from you and it helps others learn about the recipe too. Xx Ashley
How to Make…
Paleo Almond Lemon Blueberry Bread
This Paleo Almond Lemon Blueberry Bread is a fan favorite. Buttery in flavor thanks to blanched almond flour, and bursting with blueberries and lemon. A simple recipe mixed by hand and ready within the hour. No coconut needed in this recipe, but more notes below on flour substitutes.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices 1x
- Scale:
Ingredients
- 2 cups blanched almond flour (180g weighed)
- 1/3 cup tapioca flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- zest of 1 medium lemon
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup ghee or oil, melted (avocado, coconut, macadamia nut oil)
- 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
- 3 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 medium lemon)
- 1/2 tsp almond extract (or vanilla)
- 1/2 tsp lemon extract (optional but boosts flavor)
- 3/4 cup fresh blueberries
- 2 TBS sliced almonds for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a 8×4 medium loaf pan with parchment paper; set aside.
- In medium bowl add almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, salt and zest from 1 lemon; set aside.
- In large bowl whisk together eggs, oil, honey, lemon juice, and extracts.
- Pour dry ingredients into large bowl of wet ingredients, using spatula to stir. Then fold in blueberries.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan – I like to make sure not all of the blueberries are sitting on the bottom of the pan so give the batter a gentle stir in the pan. Top the batter with sliced almonds if desired.
- Bake lemon blueberry bread for 20 minutes uncovered, then add foil for the last 15-20 minutes of baking to prevent the top from browning too quickly. My bread took 43 minutes but check the middle for done-ness with toothpick after 35 just to be sure.
- Allow bread to cool in pan for 15 minutes before lifting from the parchment paper to remove bread. Slice into 10 slices and ENJOY!
Recipes Notes:
I do not recommend substitutions here as grain-free baking can be tricky. See notes in blog post for more details.
Some readers have had success subbing 2.5 tablespoons of coconut flour for tapioca flour. You can also use 1/3 cup of cassava flour or a 1:1 all-purpose gluten free baking flour with similar results.
Store bread in covered container at room temperature 2-3 days, or in fridge about 4 days. This bread is moist so just keep an eye on it.
Nutrition Information:
- Serving Size: 1/10
- Calories: 205
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 238mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 56mg
Recipe Stories
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Amanda says
This is so yummy!! I love the texture. I used frozen wild blueberries and they worked great. I baked mine in a ceramic loaf dish, it took longer than 43 minutes and the edges of the loaf got pretty dark even with the foil. But over all the taste is great, will definitely be making this again!!
Ashley says
Thanks for sharing, Amanda! The ceramic dish would change the way it bakes a little but glad it still worked out 🙂
Laurie says
These are wonderful! Made them as muffins, a typical habit of mine. They are rich but light and the sweetness is very subtle. I would have one with vanilla or blueberry frozen yogurt , yum!
Ashley says
Thanks so much for sharing!
Aaron says
Scrumptious!! Moist cake with a nice balance of lemony tartness and Iight sweetness. I substituted 2 tbsp of coconut flour for the tapioca flour and added some extra blueberries. Definitely a keeper!!
Karen Suazo says
Super surprised this recipie is really great… it turned out super moist…the color was amazing and you could taste all the flavors very HAPPY!
★★★★★
Ashley says
So glad you enjoyed it, Karen! thanks for your comment and review!
Caroline Hopkins says
I didn’t know I needed this in my life until now! Can’t wait to try!!!
Dana McCoy says
Do you think meyer lemons could be used in this recipe or are regular lemons better?
Ashley says
traditional lemons will give you a better flavor, IMO, when paired with the blueberries. But meyer lemons would work too!
Natasha says
could I replace the eggs with mashed banana?
Ashley says
I haven’t tried this myself and I don’t feel the texture or rise will be the same if subbing all of the eggs. Sorry!
Liz K says
I have been eyeing this recipe for awhile and finally made it and was so happy I did! It was a huge hit and my F-I-L even commented that I need to keep this recipe! I made with frozen blueberry so cooking time was a bit longer, but it was still delicious. Will definitely be making this one again and again!
★★★★★
Ashley says
Yay! So glad to hear it was enjoyed. Love when our (sometimes skeptical) family members enjoy the recipes too 😀 Thanks for taking the time to comment and leave a review!
Kas says
I am so excited about this recipe! I recently developed more food allergies/intolerances and am struggling to find things to enjoy. I made this and it didn’t disappoint 😍 Thank you for sharing! My birthday is coming up and this will be my cake 🎂 I can’t have dark chocolate or coconut anymore 😭 and this didn’t require either 👏
★★★★★
Shana Aubrey says
The flavors in this recipe were so perfect. I can’t wait to make this again!
★★★★★
Ashley says
So glad you liked it, Shana! Thanks for the feedback 🙂