Blueberry Bread

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Moist quick bread stuffed full of fresh blueberries! This easy blueberry bread recipe is made extra special with the addition of a buttery sugar streusel baked on top.

It’s been too long that I’ve been holding onto this recipe idea. Our quick breads are some of our most popular recipes. Every time I share a picture of one on social media everyone says “Can I make this with blueberries?”

So today we’re making Blueberry Bread with a crumble topping. It’s like a blueberry muffin bread. And it is worth the wait.

Table of Contents
  1. About this Blueberry Bread Recipe
  2. What are the health benefits of blueberries?
  3. Is there a difference between fresh and frozen blueberries?
  4. Ingredients
  5. How to Make Blueberry Bread
  6. Blueberry Bread with Crumb Topping
  7. Why did my blueberries sink?
  8. Storage Instructions
  9. Recipe Variations
  10. Blueberry Bread Recipe
  11. Other Quick Bread Recipes
blueberry bread on a table

About this Blueberry Bread Recipe

  • Flavor: Although it might seem like this bread is overly sweet, it is not. The bread itself doesn’t have a lot of sugar in it, but the crumb topping adds a lot of flavor. You can leave the topping off, but it won’t be as sweet of a bread.
  • Texture: This bread is soft and moist, but loaded with texture. The berries soften in the bread and the buttery crumb streusel on top adds just a slight sugary crunch.

Why is this called bread? It’s cake.

Well, true. This is definitely like a blueberry loaf cake. However, this type of dessert is also called a quick bread. Call it whichever you’d like!

What are the health benefits of blueberries?

Is blueberry bread healthy? Not really at all, but blueberries themselves are a super food. They are zero cholesterol and are full of fiber, both of which are good for the heart. They have potassium, Vitamin C and Vitamin B6.

Eat those fresh blueberries by the handful without any guilt, but save a few for this delicious bread recipe that is great for breakfast or brunch. (source)

Is there a difference between fresh and frozen blueberries?

Nutritionally, there is no difference between fresh and frozen berries. Both have the same nutrients. For this recipe, we normally use fresh berries, but you can use frozen berries if you’d like.

If you choose frozen berries, you do not have to defrost the berries before you bake with them unless the recipe you are using calls specifically for defrosted berries.

Ingredients

ingredients for blueberry bread on a table
  • Friends have made this with gluten free all-purpose flour and it works well.
  • I use canola oil, but vegetable or melted coconut oil work well, too.
  • Non-dairy milk can be substituted for 2% milk.

For best results, use a kitchen scale to measure out ingredients when you can.

How to Make Blueberry Bread

This bread has 5 simple steps.

  • Mix the wet ingredients.
  • Mix the dry ingredients.
  • Combine the dry ingredients into the wet. It’s important not to overmix the batter. It’s ok if there are a few lumps. See the picture below!
  • Make the streusel and top the bread.
  • Bake. The bread will take about 55-70 minutes, depending on the type of pan you use. I use a 1 pound metal loaf pan and it took about 65 minutes.

Blueberry Bread with Crumb Topping

What makes this bread over-the-top is the buttery crumble baked onto the top. It’s just three ingredients: flour, sugar and butter. It gives the top of the bread just a little bit of a crunch and extra sweetness.

The butter should be soft, but not melted. Simply mix the 3 ingredients together. Don’t worry…the mixture will be very crumby but that’s just how you want it. Sprinkle it over the batter before baking.

blueberry bread in a baking pan
A close up of slices of blueberry bread

Why did my blueberries sink?

If you’ve ever baked with blueberries, you know that sometimes the blueberries sink to the bottom of the muffins or breads. That often happens when the batter is not thick enough. This quick bread batter is thick enough to support the blueberries so they should not sink.

If you have trouble with sinking berries, some say you can toss the blueberries in a few tablespoons of all-purpose flour before adding them to the batter. We haven’t found this to be 100% accurate every time, so we found another solution.

Whether you are making bread or muffins, spoon some of the batter into the prepared pan before adding the blueberries to the batter. Then mix in the blueberries to the remaining batter and scoop as you normally would. This is the most foolproof way we’ve found to fix sinking berries.

Storage Instructions

This bread is safe to store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. After that, refrigerate to keep the bread fresh.

Can you freeze blueberry bread? Yes! This bread freezes well. Wrap in plastic wrap, then place the loaf in a freezer bag or another airtight container so that it is double wrapped.

Allow the bread to thaw completely before you open the package. This will keep it fresh.

a piece of blueberry bread with streusel on top

Recipe Variations

  • Make an amazing lemon blueberry bread. Add a tablespoon or two of fresh lemon juice to the measuring cup, then fill the rest of the way with milk. Add lemon zest to the batter when you add the blueberries.
  • Love glaze like I do? Drizzle a powdered sugar glaze over the top of the bread.
Blueberry Bread with one slice cut
Blueberry Bread with one slice cut

Blueberry Bread

4.64 from 403 votes
Moist quick bread stuffed full of fresh blueberries! This easy blueberry bread recipe is made extra special with the addition of a buttery sugar streusel baked on top. 
Servings 10
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

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Ingredients
 

For the Bread:

For the Crumble:

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, milk, oil, egg and vanilla.
  • In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not over mix!
  • Fold the blueberries gently into the batter.
  • Pour the bread batter into a greased and floured 9"x5" loaf pan. (You can line the pan with parchment paper if you'd like to ensure it removes easily.)
  • Make the crumble by mixing together the flour, sugar and butter in a small bowl. This mixture will be crumbly.
  • Sprinkle the crumbs evenly on top of the bread batter in the pan.
  • Bake for 55-60 minutes. The exact time will depend on the type of pan you have and your oven. If it is a smaller pan, it may take up to 70 minutes in the oven. A toothpick inserted in the center of the bread should come out clean.
  • Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the bread to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Video

Notes

  • I do not recommend using an electric mixer for this recipe as it would be too easy to overmix the batter. Simply mix by hand with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
  • If the bread looks like it is getting too brown on top, cover it loosely with a piece of aluminum foil for the remainder of baking.
The calories shown are based on the bread being cut into 10 pieces (and all of the crumble used), with 1 serving being 1 slice of bread. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.

Nutrition

Calories: 373kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 102mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 170IU | Vitamin C: 2.9mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1.7mg
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Calories 373
Keyword blueberry recipe, quick bread, quick bread recipe

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About JulieJulie Clark

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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Mimi Almklov
1 year ago

5 stars
This is the ONLY blueberry bread recipe I use and I always get loads of compliments on it. I am a seasoned baker and this is one of the few recipes that I make that I do not alter at all. It is simple and comes out perfect every time.

Jade
4 years ago

5 stars
SO GOOD! I used less sugar for both the bread and the crumble as I prefer something less sweet. 1/2 cup for the bread; and 1/4 cup of brown sugar for the crumble. EVERYONE LOVED IT!

Erin
2 years ago

5 stars
That is the easiest yet the best blueberry bread I have ever made!!!

Pamela
4 years ago

5 stars
Delicious! And I even used Greek yoghurt instead of oil. Definitely a keeper!

Debbie Ruhland
5 years ago

5 stars
This recipe was so easy to make, with great directions! It is also now written into my personal cookbook. It has to be a “beyond awesome” recipe to make it to “the book”. It is moist and delicious and that crumb topping is out of this world delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

sharon leffler
5 years ago

Am out of milk but do have buttermilk, can I substitute?

Janelle
3 years ago

5 stars
Wow! Just pulled this bread out of the oven and it is delicious! The bread isn’t too sweet which will be perfect for breakfast in the morning. The crumble topping is the perfect addition to take the bread up a notch. I used almost 5 tsp of better vs the recommended 3. In my opinion the topping wasn’t crumbly enough with only 3. I also cooked this bread about 60-65 minutes. Other people stated they cooked it for over 90 minutes but I did not encounter this issue. Definitely recommended.

Savanah
3 years ago

I found this recipe after getting a different one started and realizing I was missing a main ingredient. So it wasn’t exact and I dislike reviews where the commenter makes changes to the recipe (why even bother reviewing…) but I am reviewing this because it came out so damn good. The best blueberry bread I’ve had. My changes were minimal as follows: instead of oil I used a 1/2 cup of melted butter and added 1 tsp baking soda because I started the earlier recipe – how lucky am I that I continued with this one. I omitted the crumble… Read more »

Jaime G
4 years ago

5 stars
My son has A LOT of allergies but using a flax seed egg for the bread, and substituting olive oil for butter in the crumble still allowed this bread to turn out soooo tasty! Thanks for a new sweet treat recipe!

Jamie
1 year ago

5 stars
Love this bread! Best I have ever made.

Heather
5 years ago

5 stars
This recipe was easy and delicious! My husband and I loved it. It was a little sweet for my daughter. It was like a yummy bb cake. Thanks for sharing it! C:

Carla
5 years ago

5 stars
I discovered some once-fresh blueberries buried in the freezer that were severely frost-bitten. I thawed them anyway and made this bread and it is DELISH! Great recipe!

Tamika Hendricks
5 years ago

Very tasty! I used frozen blueberries and it came out perfect! The crumble topping gives it just the right amount of sweetness

Glenda
5 years ago

5 stars
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE IT WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD

Kimberly
5 months ago

5 stars
This was so tasty! The staff at my work place have asked me to make it again!