Vegan Lemon Loaf

Notes on Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to round up for this lemon loaf recipe. Please note that this is important information on the ingredients and instructions, and the FULL recipe with amounts and details can be found DOWN BELOW (scroll to it) in the recipe card.

• Sugar – I like to use cane sugar in this lemon loaf, but granulated sugar will also work just fine.
• Oil – This adds great moisture to the cake, and helps to keep the flavour focused on the lemon, which is why I don’t use melted vegan butter here.
• Lemon Extract – For extra tangy lemon flavour. Don’t skip this – this really gives it that lemon-y flavour.
• Vanilla Extract – Or an equal amount of vanilla bean paste if you’d prefer to use that instead.
• Lemon – You’ll need both the zest and the juice from two lemons. Zest first, then juice!
• Yogurt – Regular vegan yogurt, plain and unsweetened. Bring the yogurt to room temperature.
• Flour– I always mix in all-purpose flour, but you could use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour to make this loaf gluten-free.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda – To help your loaf cake rise tall. Make sure that both leavenings are fresh and not expired.
• Salt – I like to use sea salt. Remember that if you’re using table salt, you’ll need to reduce the amount since the granules are smaller than sea salt.

For the Glaze

• Powdered Sugar – If you’d prefer not to glaze the loaf, you can dust the top with powdered sugar instead.
• Milk – Use whatever vegan milk (soy, almond, coconut, etc.) that you like.
• Lemon Juice – For extra zesty flavor. Lemon extract works, too.

How to Make a Vegan Lemon Loaf (Step-by-Step)

When you have your ingredients ready, these are the steps to prepare your vegan lemon loaf from scratch.

• Combine the wet ingredients. Cream the sugar, oil, lemon extract, vanilla extract, and lemon zest together until well-incorporated. Then, whisk in the vegan yogurt and lemon juice.

• Add the dry ingredients. Now, in a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Spread the batter evenly into a greased loaf pan.
• Bake. Bake the lemon loaf on the middle rack at 350ºF for 55-60 minutes. When a toothpick stuck into the center of the loaf comes out clean, remove it from the oven. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then move the loaf to a wire rack. It’ll need to cool completely to room temperature before you add the glaze.

Add the Lemon Glaze

Once you’ve got the loaf cooling, you can get started on the glaze! It takes less than 5 minutes to whip together.

• Combine the ingredients. Whisk the powdered sugar with vegan milk and lemon juice until smooth. Feel free to thicken the glaze with more powdered sugar, or thin out with more milk or lemon juice (depending on which flavor you prefer).
• Glaze the loaf. Drizzle or spread the glaze on top of the cooled lemon loaf.

Tips for a Successful Lemon Loaf

• Use room-temperature ingredients. All of the ingredients, but especially the yogurt, should be at room temperature so that they combine evenly into the batter.
• No stand mixer? Not a problem. You can mix the batter by hand; it just takes a little longer.
• How to tell when a lemon loaf is done: Bake your loaf cake until a toothpick comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs attached.
• Let the loaf cool before icing: If the lemon loaf is too warm, the icing will become runny and thus messy. If you let the cake cool completely, though, you’ll have more control over how the glaze settles.
• Make the glaze ahead. Prepare the glaze in advance and store it in your fridge for up to 2 days, if needed. Use any leftovers to drizzle over lemon poppyseed muffins!

How to Store

• Refrigerate the glazed loaf. While the unglazed lemon loaf keeps at room temperature, the best way to store the glazed loaf is in an airtight container in the fridge. It should stay fresh for 3-4 days, and tastes great cold or at room temperature. This also helps to soften it up beautifully.
• Freeze. Freeze this lemon loaf cake in an airtight container, and it will keep for 1-2 months. I would recommend freezing your cake without icing, though, because it tastes better if you add fresh glaze once it’s thawed.

More Vegan Baking Ideas

• Vegan Zucchini Bread
• Vegan Scones
• Banana Oatmeal Muffins
• Strawberry Banana Bread
• Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Enjoy friends! If you make this Glazed Vegan Lemon Loaf, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram. We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating. Thanks so much!