Blueberry Bread Recipe

A recipe for tender, moist blueberry bread using fresh or frozen blueberries. The bread has a balanced sweetness with a touch of cinnamon.

“I made this with frozen blueberries straight from the freezer and it sliced perfectly with a serrated knife after cooling. The cinnamon is subtle but you would definitely miss it if it were gone. I will be making your strawberry next so good!” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Priya

This blueberry bread is perfect because I can make it year-round! It is a moist, soft loaf studded with blueberries, with a hint of cinnamon. Made completely by hand, making it super easy for your kids to help!

This bread fits perfectly alongside a cup of coffee in the morning or sliced warm as an afternoon snack. If you love easy quick breads, my vegan banana bread uses a similar one-bowl method and is just as weekday-friendly.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Coconut Oil: Melted coconut oil keeps this loaf moist and tender while blending smoothly into the wet ingredients. Vegetable oil works as a substitute, though you will lose the subtle coconut flavor.
• Buttermilk: The acidity in buttermilk reacts with the baking soda for lift and contributes to the bread’s soft, tender texture. Regular milk will reduce both the rise and the tenderness, so stick with buttermilk if you can. If you are a buttermilk baker like I am, my buttermilk pancake recipe is another place it really shines.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These two leavening agents work together, with baking soda relying on the buttermilk’s acidity to do its part. Altering the amounts will affect both the rise and the texture, so measure carefully.
• Ground Cinnamon: A small amount of cinnamon adds warmth and depth without announcing itself. Omitting it will not break the recipe, but the flavor will feel a little flatter.
• Blueberries: Fresh blueberries go straight into the batter with no prep beyond rinsing and drying. If using frozen, keep them frozen and toss them in about 2 tablespoons of additional flour right before folding them in. That small step traps their released moisture and keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the loaf just like in this strawberry bread!
• White Sparkling Sugar: This optional finishing touch creates a lightly crunchy, sparkly top crust. Skip it if you do not have it on hand, which is fine!

Variations for Blueberry Bread

• Zest Addition. Add the zest of an orange, lemon, or key lime to the sugar and let it sit while you scale the remaining ingredients. The citrus brightens the blueberry flavor and plays especially well with the cinnamon.
• Muffin Format. Divide the batter evenly among a standard 12-cup muffin tin lined with paper liners and bake at 350°F for 18 to 22 minutes. If you love that format, my Coffee Cake Muffins uses a similar quick batter and bakes up just as easily.
• Add some chocolate! I will always accept the addition of chocolate! This loaf would be divine with milk, white, bittersweet, or semi-sweet chocolate chips.
• Add a crumble: You can add a streusel or crumble before baking! Use the topping from these raspberry crumble bars or from this apple streusel bread!

Professional Tips for Perfect Blueberry Bread

• Use a serrated bread knife for clean slices. A serrated knife glides through the crust and crumb without dragging or compressing the loaf. A straight-edged knife will tear the top crust and leave you with ragged slices, especially while the loaf is still slightly warm.
• Do not rotate the loaf before 45 minutes. The center crumb needs time to mostly set before you jostle the pan. If you rotate earlier, the center can sink and stay sunken even after the loaf is fully baked, as I learned after one unfortunate early rotation.
• Stop whisking the moment the batter comes together. Once the dry ingredients are incorporated and the batter looks smooth, put the whisk down. Overmixing develops too much gluten and produces a tough, dense loaf instead of a tender one.
• Flour your frozen blueberries right before folding. Keep them frozen until the last possible second, then toss them in about 2 tablespoons of additional flour and fold them straight into the batter. This traps their released moisture, keeping them suspended in the loaf rather than sinking to the bottom. My blueberry drop biscuits use the same principle with fresh berries!

How to Make Blueberry Bread

Use these instructions to make a moist, tender blueberry bread with a crunchy sparkling sugar top and juicy jammy fruit in every slice. Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F conventional and spray a standard 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set it aside while you mix the batter.

Make the Batter

Step 2: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl until evenly combined. Set aside. (photos 1& 2)

Step 3: Add the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, sugar, and warm coconut oil to a large mixing bowl. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is completely smooth and emulsified. The batter will look glossy and uniform. If your coconut oil is too cool and starts to seize into little white specks when it hits the cold eggs, just keep whisking and it will smooth out. If it was too cool it might not emulsify back in so make sure it’s slightly warm. (photo 3)

Step 4: Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk until a smooth batter forms, then stop. Overmixing after this point develops too much gluten and can make the bread tough, so as soon as the last streak of flour disappears, put the whisk down. (photos 4-6)

Step 5: Gently fold the blueberries into the batter using a flexible spatula. Use slow, deliberate strokes from the bottom of the bowl up and over the top, turning the bowl as you go. You want the berries distributed evenly without breaking them open and bleeding blue into the whole batter. A few gentle folds is all it takes. (photos 7 & 8)

It sounds fussy, but I always scrape the fruit-heavy bottom of the batter into the pan first, then make sure the final spoonfuls going on top carry plenty of blueberries. If most of the fruit lands at the bottom of the pan, it sinks further during baking and your top slices end up nearly berry-free, even with the flour coating doing its job.

Step 6: Dollop the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the sparkling sugar over the top if using. The batter will be thick, like a very full, dense cake batter, and that is exactly right. (photo 9)

Bake and Finish

Step 7: Bake the loaf for approximately 55 minutes, but start checking at 45 minutes. At that point, rotate the pan 180 degrees in the oven.

The center crumb needs that initial 45 minutes to mostly set before you jostle it around. Rotating too early risks a sunken center even in a fully baked loaf, so hold off until then even if it smells incredible and you are tempted to peek.

Step 8: Check for doneness at 55 minutes by inserting a cake tester or toothpick into the center of the loaf. It should come out with just a few clinging crumbs, not wet batter, and when you lightly press the center of the loaf with your fingertip it should provide a little resistance and spring back rather than feeling soft and yielding. If it still feels squishy or the tester comes out wet, return the loaf to the oven and check again in 5 minute intervals. (photo 10)

Step 9: Remove the loaf from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack. Running a thin spatula or offset knife around the edges first makes this easier. The loaf will feel fragile and very moist right out of the oven, so give it the full 10 minutes in the pan before attempting to unmold.

Step 10: Slice using a serrated bread knife for the cleanest cuts. The sparkling sugar on top will have baked into a satisfying, crackly crust, and you will see the blueberries suspended throughout the crumb rather than pooled at the bottom. Serve warm or at room temperature. (photo 11)

Recipe FAQs

Before You Go

If this blueberry bread earned a spot in your regular rotation, there is plenty more waiting for you. Browse our Breakfast & Brunch Recipes or check out this sourdough banana bread if you want to see how discard behaves in a quick bread!