Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf recipe made at home. A moist lemon pound cake topped with a sweet lemon glaze. It’s freezer friendly too!
Love quick and easy bread recipes? My Orange bread is bursting with citrus flavor, and delicious too. Or try my cranberry almond bread for a flavor explosion.
Why this Lemon Loaf is Best
Recreating coffee house drinks and desserts is my jam. Why not make a copycat of those when you can?
Because let’s be real, paying $8 for a cup of coffee and slice of lemon bread just isn’t realistic for me to do on a daily basis.
Imagine a loaf of Starbucks pumpkin bread with a pumpkin cream cold brew coffee, all made from scratch at a fraction of the price. Or a bowl of Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup, kitchen sink cookies, and a panera orange scone?
Today’s lemon loaf recipe is perfect.
- Bursting with citrus flavor from the bread, to the simple syrup, to the sweet icing.
- Recipe makes two loaves, which is perfect for freezing or sharing!
- The sugar syrup on the bread adds extra moisture, keeping this bread fresh and moist for days longer than traditional sweet breads.
Serve up this easy starbucks lemon bread with a glass of my copycat Orange Julius!
For more lemon desserts, be sure to give my lemon brownies a try next. Chewy like a brownie, without the chocolate.
Ingredient Notes
Making copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf starts with the familiar quick bread ingredients, including flour, butter and sugar.
- Vanilla Greek yogurt. Gives the loaf a moist tender crumb and a hint of creamy vanilla flavor.
- Lemons. You will need a LOT of lemons for that fresh citrus flavor you crave. The zest is used in the bread batter while the juice is reserved for the lemon icing and glaze. Use our guide on how to zest lemons properly!
- Powdered sugar. Also known as confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar, this gets whisked with the lemon juice to create that familiar thick glaze on top of Starbucks lemon loaf.
- Heavy cream. A few spoonfuls are used to thin the lemon glaze to the perfect pourable consistency.
Simple Syrup and Glaze
Before you do anything else, go ahead and zest and juice all those lemons! Set aside the juice to use after the bread is done baking.
After making the lemon loaf batter, divide it into two prepared loaf pans and bake. Remove the loaf from the oven, then prepare the simple syrup.
Poke holes all over the warm lemon loaf. Pour simple syrup over the loaf immediately. It soaks into the center of the loaf for extra delicious lemon flavor, just like my Lemon Poke Cake.
Finally, whisk together the glaze ingredients. Once the bread is fully cooled, pour the glaze on top. It’s best to let it set for about 15 minutes before serving.
Tips and Tricks
- Best lemon glaze consistency: Add more cream (a tablespoon at a time) for a thinner lemon glaze. If you want a thicker icing, add less cream.
- Storing: This loaf is best stored covered at room temperature. It stays moist and delicious for up to 5 days.
- Slicing: I recommend using a serrated bread knife for even, professional looking slices.
Recipe FAQs
Our complete guide to zesting and juicing lemons shows you our favorite ways to zest lemons for all kinds of lemon recipes.
You can do it either way! The glaze tends to look best when added fresh to the bread after thawing, but freezing it won’t affect the taste.
To keep your glazed lemon loaf freshest, double wrap it in the freezer bags before freezing. Stored tightly sealed it keeps well in the freezer for about 3 months.
Sour cream is an ideal 1-to-1 substitute for the Greek yogurt in this recipe. It adds moisture and tenderness to the bread in a nearly identical way.
More Lemon Recipes
- Lemon Cheesecake Bars: delicious layered bars that will WOW your taste buds!
- Gooey Lemon Cake Bars: I love these gooey bars, you won’t believe me when I tell you that is NOT frosting on top!
- Lemon Cake: this “naked” layered lemon cake is always a hit. Use homemade lemon curd too!
More Bread Recipes
- Pumpkin Zucchini Bread
- Cinnamon Zucchini Bread
- Easy Zucchini Bread
- Blueberry Zucchini Bread
- Sour Cream Banana Bread
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
- Praline Apple Bread
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Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf
Ingredients
For the Bread:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 5 lemons zested and juiced (save the juice)
- 2 cups vanilla greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Simple Syrup:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup reserved lemon juice from your fresh lemons above
For the Lemon Glaze:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup reserved lemon juice from your fresh lemons above
- 2-4 Tablespoons heavy cream or milk
Instructions
- Zest and juice all the lemons first. You should have approximately 1 cup juice from your lemons. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine your flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl beat butter with sugar until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating until fully incorporated. Beat in lemon zest, 1/4 cup of lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
- Beat in flour mixture and yogurt alternatively until fully combined (in about 3 additions).
- Pour batter into TWO 9×5-inch loaf pans that have been greased with baking spray. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 40 minutes. Cover loosely with foil and bake an additional 20-30 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven. In a small saucepan, whisk together the simple syrup ingredients over low heat. Whisk until sugar is dissolved. Poke holes in lemon loaf using a toothpick. Pour syrup over loaves. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.
- For the glaze, whisk together the sugar, lemon juice and heavy cream. Add more or less cream to get desired consistency. Pour over cooled bread. Allow to set (about 15 minutes). Slice and enjoy. Store in airtight container for up to 5 days. ENJOY!
Notes
- Use our tips and tricks on how to zest a lemon.
- Best lemon glaze consistency: Add more cream (a tablespoon at a time) for a thinner lemon glaze. If you want a thicker icing, add less cream.
- Storing: This loaf is best stored covered at room temperature. It stays moist and delicious for up to 5 days.
- Slicing: I recommend using a serrated bread knife for even, professional looking slices.
Video
Nutrition
Skip the line and the strain on your wallet when you make Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf at home!
When it a calls for flour can you substitute it with self rising flour, instead of plain?
Aimee I have two questions could you do these in mini loaf pans? I am trying to help my grand daughter raise money for her softball team uniforms. Also can you use sour cream in place of yogurt? So glad I will have extra for myself to have with my Brand name coffee lol loved your post. Thanks for the laugh. After just laughing at a question on my favorite Banana Bread recipe where someone asked if they could make it without bananas I know I shouldn’t have laughed but, it just made me giggle.
I made your copycat lemon loaf for work… it was a hit!!! Thank you!!!
So glad you enjoyed it! One of our favorites too 🙂
OMG I love lemon cakes and this one looks extremely good! Must try soon 🙂
As advertised! Absolutely delicious, I agree, better than Starbucks even. I didn’t have 2 loaf pans so I baked entire recipe in a bundt pan and it turned out great. Thank you for this recipe!
So glad you loved it!
I just had a slice of Starbucks lemon loaf yesterday – it’s my favorite Starbucks treat. I agree with you, spending $8 on a coffee beverage and a slice of lemon loaf isn’t something I can afford to do every day!
These pictures have me drooling. The salad I am eating right now just isn’t cutting it. Usually I am a chocolategirl all the way, except when it comes to lemon. Trying this ASAP!
Oh my! this looks delicious!
I may try it this weekend! sooo yumi!! 🙂
perfect for breakfast, I’m sure my boyfriend will love it! I do a similar one, but the top of your cake is awesome! 🙂
Exactly! Your five are in my top 10! This is going to be wonderful to make. It is like a bite of spring! Thanks for all of your wonderful ideas, recipes and thoughts!
Glad I’m not alone in my brand loyalty 🙂 Have a great week!
AAH!! My printer is telling me my ink is low, am on my last 10or so pieces of paper in the thing, but, HAD to do it!! Print, pin, ALL the lemon yummies! Thanks. No really. nice to see refreshing recipes! Darn healthy chia,quionia,grits,whatever!UGH!Hope not to offend anyone, but when I see those seeds in food, they GROSS me out! I try, really I do. Quinoa, I just do not like the texture. On the other hand, save me some jingolla by making a Starbucks copycat, a lemon recipe no less? Throw in a few more lemon recipes?! All good here!
I LOVE lemon everything. Seriously. I could make this a lemon blog and be happy forever 🙂 I don’t mind chia seeds (I use them in place of poppy seeds often). But you won’t be seeing a quinoa recipe here for awhile. I don’t care for the texture either (although I did have a friend make some peanut butter quinoa bars that were pretty tasty).
Hi! This is moderaty unrelated but you mentioned you don’t like the texture of quinoa, and I totally get you! I used to hate it until I found a tip online that suggested using less liquid to get a better texture. Usually people recommend a 2 parts liquid to 1 part quinoa which gives you mush (ew). However, when it’s made with a 1.5/1 ratio I find it delicious! Just thought I’d put this out there 🙂
I so adore any lemon quick bread and this one makes me want to lick my computer monitor. But of course then I’d wipe it ONLY with a Bounty paper towel. I respect a girl’s boundaries.
LOL!! You crack me up 🙂
I’m such a fan of the Lemon Loaf at Starbucks and this looks amazing- so much cheaper than buying it, and aren’t homemade treats always just a tad better? 🙂
Ha! I’m the same way about peanut butter…but not your brand. I like the OTHER ONE. I’m also partial to name brand coffee. NO substitutes! But copycat lemon loaf? I’m all over this!
ahem…Skippy??…LOL??? I’ve noticed. Ha!!! At least we have our love of coffee and lemon loaf in common 🙂
I have a tree full of lemons in my backyard and this cake is calling my name. I’m ready for a piece (or two) right now!
Glad you were able to recreate it and get it just right!
And being a namebrand snob on certain things, I’m the same. When I was a kid if my mom tried to buy non-Doritos and pass them off as Doritos, there was revolt in the house 🙂
Oh heck no to the fake Doritos!!!
The texture looks spot on! Wish I had a slice to go with a big mug of coffee right now!
This lemon loaf cake looks picture perfect. Love all that lemon flavor!
So true about some brands being better than generic, I couldn’t agree more about the cream cheese. Sign me up for an extra large slice of this lemon loaf, it looks so good!
Haha – I couldn’t help chuckling at your intro because that’s my kinda thinking! 🙂 And freezing the second loaf instead of gifting it is also my kinda thinking – so bad but so good eh?!
I adore the texture of this loaf – and the fact that it’s homemade makes it BETTER than the Starbucks loaf!
My husband will not let any TP in the house that isn’t Charmin. He even sings the theme song. And back when our kids were in diapers, I couldn’t do any other brand but Pampers. I think the other ones leaked, and it’s worth spending any amount of money to avoid that.
Plus, I mean, Reese’s. That’s brand loyalty. I do not truck with generic PB cups of any kind.
And the lemon loaf. How could they be out of it?! That is just a major blow. I’m glad you were able to bake this and get it out of your system!