Are you looking for a Lemon Blueberry Banana Bread recipe for spring and summer? This one is bursting with berries and made with healthy Greek yogurt.
Lemon and Blueberry is one of my favorite flavor combinations for spring and summer. It’s just so refreshing and reminds me of breakfasts eaten on the porch in the first gleams of the sun.
This lemon blueberry banana bread is actually the fresh and fruity part of my How To Make Whole Wheat Banana Bread (Plus 4 Flavors) post, where you can hop if you’d like to see detailed instructions on how to make whole wheat banana bread.
How this recipe works
You’ll make a basic whole wheat banana bread batter, then fold in lemon zest and blueberries. So easy!
You can glaze the bread after cooling, but that’s entirely optional. If you’re wondering, our favorite lemon glaze is just a few tablespoons of icing sugar mixed with a few teaspoons of fresh lemon juice. Tastes amazing and is super simple to put together.
Recipe tips
- do not overmix the batter – use a spatula or wooden spoon to combine the wet and dry ingredients; stir only until just combined
- do not skip tossing the blueberries in flour, it helps to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the bread
- I recommend cooling the bread in the pan for 10 minutes, then lifting it out to cool for 10 more minutes on a cooling rack before slicing
Storage tips
I keep the bread wrapped in a clean tea towel at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Banana bread freezes well. Pack it in a freezer friendly bag or container (I freeze it sliced with the slices separated by parchment paper so it’s easier to defrost). Label with the name and date and freeze for up to 3 months.
To defrost, unwrap the bread (or slices) and place on a wire rack on the counter. Defrost for a couple of hours, warm in the microwave if you like.
Recipe variations
If you make this Whole Wheat Lemon Blueberry Banana Bread and love it, you can also try my other variations:
For a straight forward chocolate chip fix, make the Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.
For even more chocolate, make the Whole Wheat Double Chocolate Banana Bread.
And for an extra-yummy, super special treat, bake up a Whole Wheat Cinnamon Crunch Banana Bread – prepare to be asked to make this one again and again!
Watch the recipe video
More quick bread recipes
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Printable recipe
Whole Wheat Lemon Blueberry Banana Bread
Recipe details
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed bananas
- ¾ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup oil
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch or more whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 lemon zest only
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 360°F. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf tin.
- Whisk together all wet ingredients in a large bowl. Sprinkle flour, cornstarch (OR extra flour), baking powder and salt on top. Gently fold in, do not overmix!
- Fold in blueberries and lemon zest and place the batter in the prepared loaf tin.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Calista says
DEEEElish!! I didn’t have Greek yogurt, so subbed with cottage cheese (and used an immersion blender to smooth out), also subbed applesauce instead of oil, along with frozen blueberries instead of fresh – sooo yummy especially with the lemon drizzle! Perfect with my morning coffee today, wish I could post a pic of this beautiful loaf!! TY!
Juli says
Can the wheat flour be substituted for regular flour? I want to make this without running to the store, I have everything else.
Nora says
Juli, readers have reported they’ve successfully used regular flour in place of the whole wheat. You may have to add an extra tablespoon or two of flour if the batter seems runny, otherwise it should work out just fine!
Jess C. says
Mine came out SO dense and didn’t taste like banana at all 🙁 I was so sad because it looks so good! What did I do wrong? ?
Nora says
Hi Jess, sorry it didn’t come out well. I just made a big batch of the banana bread the other week for the freezer, and I had no issues at all. It usually comes out dense because you overtax the batter. Really, the wet and dry ingredients just need to be folded together a few times. Some lumps are perfectly fine. If it didn’t taste like banana, did you maybe use bananas that were too small? This could also make a dense bread because it’s lacking moisture.
Lisa says
This worked out great for me! I some changes based on what I had available and my desire to feed my toddler something healthy. I used coconut oil, added a tsp cinnamon, reduced the salt to a pinch, reduced the sugar to 1/4 cup, and baked it for 30 min in a bundt pan. I figured if I reduced the sugar without reducing the salt it might turn out salty (ick!).
My family liked it a lot. Considering my usual banana bread recipe calls for white flour and a stick of butter, this is a very healthy recipe. Thanks!
Nora says
That sounds awesome, Lisa! And thanks for sharing your experience with reducing the sugar. I’m working on making my banana bread recipes lower in sugar / naturally sweetened, so it’s good to hear less sugar was still tasty!
Ashley says
I’m making this right meow (now) lol. Oh my word though these looks so scrumptious. Brings me back to my childhood, spending days and grandmas and shed have a wonderful treat ready for us just like this. Thank you for sharing.
Nora says
I hope you enjoy the bread, Ashley! And thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a sweet comment – I appreciate it!
Aly says
Made this recipe this morning and it was perfect! I swapped 1/3 cup butter for the oil. Always do the toothpick check because I had to bake for 70 min!
Nora says
I’m glad you enjoyed the bread, Aly. And I agree, I always test the bakes with a toothpick before taking them out of the oven – even if it’s my own recipe I’m remaking! You just never know. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review. I appreciate it so much!