Easy Lemon Bread is moist, full of lemon flavor & made with a cake mix, lemon pudding mix, oil, water and eggs! Simple lemon sweet bread ready in about an hour!
Did you know you can make sweet bread using a cake mix? You can! It’s a simple, easy cheat I love using because it cuts down the time it takes to make the batter.
Tips for Making Fantastic Quick Bread
Quick bread requires no yeast, but instead uses other ingredients for leavening. You want the bread to be soft, tender and moist with great flavor. Here are a few tips on how to achieve that:
Make sure it’s fully baked! Most quick breads need to be baked until 200°F. I like to use a cooking thermometer and insert it at an angle pointing towards the middle of the bread- which is the part that bakes last. If it’s not fully baked, the loaf will sink in the middle. I had no idea the pan you use makes such a difference too! I prefer glass or ceramic bread pans, but you can read all about the best bread pan.
Don’t use an electric mixer! Just mix by hand in a mixing bowl with a whisk or even a spoon. When you overmix quick bread, the bread is tough and doesn’t rise as well. It’s almost impossible to not overmix the batter if you use an electric mixer.
Don’t feel like you have to whisk out all the lumps! Most quick bread has something in it that helps the bread be moist and flavorful. So mix just to combine, then let it be.
Let the batter sit before baking. I swear by this! Just mix all the required ingredients by hand, then let the batter sit for a good 5-10 minutes. The flavors meld and the batter rests, and the result is a higher rise once baked and a delightful crumb.
Ingredients in Cake Mix Lemon Bread
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy recipe:
- lemon cake mix– the mix contains most of the dry ingredients you’ll need for the bread like all purpose flour or cake flour, salt and some type of leavening agent like baking soda or baking powder
- instant lemon pudding – adds great lemony flavor and a soft texture to the bread
- vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
- cold water
- 4 large eggs– room temperature eggs preferably (you can cheat a bit and set the whole eggs in warm water for a few minutes to bring them up to room temp!)
How to make the sweet lemon glaze
Whisk together 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar with about 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice (fresh or bottled) in a small bowl. Drizzle over the top of the bread after you have removed it from the bread pan. The drizzle can be added while the bread is warm or after it has cooled. You can top the bread with fresh grated lemon zest too, for a stronger lemon flavor if you’d like! I also love adding in 1/4 tsp vanilla extract to the glaze. Lemon zest is just grated lemon peel, for anyone wondering!
How Can I add more Lemon Flavor?
This bread is flavored by the lemon cake mix and pudding mix, but you’re always welcome to add more lemon flavor! You have several options. You can add ½ teaspoon of lemon extract. For a boost of very fresh lemon flavor, you can add 1-2 TBSP lemon zest from 1 lemon. Zest is just grated lemon peel.
EASY LEMON BREAD
Ingredients
- 16.5 oz lemon cake mix
- 3.4 oz instant lemon pudding mix
- ½ cup vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
- 1 cup cold water
- 4 eggs
Lemon Glaze
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 TBSP lemon juice
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Spray 2 bread pans with non-stick spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine cake mix, pudding mix, oil, water and eggs in a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer for about 3-4 minutes.
- Pour into prepared pans. Bake at 350° for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Leave in pans for a few minutes before removing the loaves and placing on a wire rack to cool.
- Lemon Glaze: In a small bowl, use a fork to mix the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Drizzle on top of the bread once it has cooled for at least 15-20 minutes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
📫 Save this recipe! Send it to your email! 📩
I consent to receiving emails from this site.
Can I use Lemon Essential Oil in bread?
Yes, you can also add some lemon essential oil to this bread and/or the lemon glaze if you’d like. Lemon essential oil gives the bread a fresh lemon flavor without actually using fresh lemons! Just add 2-3 drops to the batter and 1-2 drops to the glaze.
AVOID SUNKEN BREAD
The easiest and best way to avoid sunken bread is to use a cooking thermometer to check the inside of the loaf. Fully cooked bread will register 200°F on a thermometer. My all-time favorite thermometer is the Thermapen. It’s super fast and incredibly durable. Another great cooking thermometer is the ThermoPop which is a more basic version that works just as well!
What kind of oil is best in lemon bread?
The recipe also calls for vegetable oil, but I actually usually use coconut oil (melted of course!) because it adds a lighter taste to the bread, plus as you can see, I’m all about making my “bread” as healthy as possible. Cue the cake mix and the lemon pudding. Both of these ingredients add the perfect amount of lemon flavor and they just make this recipe so easy to make!
You can also use a light olive oil. I find that EVOO adds a strange tangy flavor, so aim for light instead.
For the love of homemade bread
Once you make one loaf of homemade bread, you’ll be hooked and want more! Our Buttermilk Bread is always a big hit, as is our Soft White Bread which is perfect for sandwiches.
If you love banana bread like we do, you’ll want to try our White Chocolate Banana Bread as well as our Caramel Banana Nut Bread. Yum!
Come Spring, baking lemon breads is just tradition! Our Lemon Buttermilk Quick Bread is always amazing, as is our Lemon Poppy Seed Bread. Happy Baking!
Easy Lemon Bread is moist, full of lemon flavor and made with only five ingredients! This lemon bread recipe starts with a cake mix & is topped with a sweet tart lemon glaze that everyone loves!
Kristin's Peppermints and Cherries says
Oh yum! This bread looks so moist, and I love anything lemon! Pinned!
Nancy says
You can no longer get Duncan Heinz Lemon Supreme 16.5oz. They have lessened it to 15.25oz. I make this particular recipe very often and was concerned about the amount of ingredients being Duncan Heinz reduced the volume of cake mix but I still get an awesome cake using the same ingredients.
Nellie says
Good to know- thanks for the information!
Jessica says
Glad it all worked out Nancy!
Kim Straus says
Try putting the mix in a Bundt Pan and drizzle a powdered sugar mix on top. Delicious….
Nellie says
What a great idea! That sounds delicious!
Shiho says
Yum! we just made this and my family loved it.
Samantha says
I frequently get a slice of Lemon Bread when I drive through Starbucks, but never again…this one is even better!
Janice says
I made it it was delicious both loves were gone before they even got cool
Nellie says
So glad you enjoyed it Janice!
Nancy K January says
This bread is awesome!! Everyone that I’ve shared it with has raved.. The glaze really complements the bread!!
Joan says
I live in the United Kingdom and am unsure what lemon pudding is. Is it jelly crystals? If not what can I substitute?
Nellie says
Joan – lemon pudding is a mix that you use to make pudding – all you have to do is add milk. I’m not sure what a good substitute would be! I did a quick google search for “instant pudding substitute” and there are a quite a few recipes where you can make your own mix. Most were for vanilla pudding, but you could just add some lemon extract/lemon zest to add the lemon flavor.
Laura says
The first time making this I didn’t have ingredients for the glaze so I melted a bar of white chocolate and brushed it over the top and sides. It was fantastic but I’ll be trying the glaze next. I think it’s more of a cake than a typical sweet bread but it’s tasty either way!
Linda says
Question, what size loaf pan(s).
Jessica says
I’ve used both 8″ and 9″ standard loaf pans with success!
JoAnn says
It was so easy to make and delicious, I added about a teaspoon of lemon juice also to the oil. I will be making this again. Thanks
Trish says
Have you ever added blueberries to the recipe if so how did it come out
Nellie says
I’ve never tried it, but I’m sure that would be absolutely delicious!
Anna M Miller says
This cake/bread was so easy and absolutely delicious. I made it for a family lunch and all ages devoured it. The only change I would make next time is to use a single loaf pan, there wasn’t much batter in the two and it came out a little flat (no change to texture of flavor, just wasn’t as pretty). I also saw another commentor suggested adding blueberries – I will have to try that!
Doreen says
These breads do not come out looking like what you see in this picture. I made 2 at first and when they ca.e out half the size if my pan I thought I did something wrong so I made them again double checking the recipe. Same thing happened. When they are done and removed from the oven they are nice and high. The minute they hit the air they are half the size they should be. Very disappointed. Not going to waste my time and money again.
Nellie says
I’m so sorry that your bread sank! That’s happened to me before too! This bread recipe will sink a little bit, but shouldn’t be that extreme. I promise the loaves in the pictures are ones that I made! The main thing that helps any quick bread not to sink as much is to avoid overmixing. You should barely mix all of the ingredients together before pouring into the pans. Sometimes it’s because the pans are overfilled, so maybe try larger pans if you were using anything smaller than a full sized bread pan. Or maybe fill 2 loaf pans and then make one tiny loaf with the rest of the batter just to make sure there isn’t too much batter in your pans. Sometimes in regular quick breads, the sinking happens because the baking soda is old, so in this recipe, make sure that the cake mix isn’t old or expired as that might have an effect on this too.
Doreen Hogan says
I wish I could send a picture of the bread I made. I followed the recipe to the letter. I happen to be an excellent cook. This loaf cake did not come out at all looking like the picture this person posted. I was making these for Christmas gifts. Not anymore. I would be ashamed to give them away as a gift.
Jessica says
Sounds like something didn’t go quite right Doreen! I’m sorry- that’s so frustrating! Not sure what to tell you. What kind of pan are you using? Was your cake mix expired?
Christie says
I made this using the coconut oil and instant cheesecake pudding. It was Fantastic! My hubby ate half a loaf before I could even get the dishes done! I did have a problem with mixing the ingredients for a full 3 – 4 minutes as called for in the recipe. It got very thick at about 2 1/2 minutes, so I mixed a few seconds more and then stopped. The notes say don’t overmix, but then the recipe card calls for 3 – 4 minutes. Maybe this needs to be adjusted.
Jessica says
Thanks Christie!
Sherri Zeliadt says
This is very good, moist and easy to make. Some folks were saying they had trouble with the cake falling after cooked, I did not. I mixed my liquids together with the mixer then added the cake mix and incorporated together then added the pudding and mixed just long enough to mix in.
Alison says
So glad it worked for you and that you enjoyed it!
Traci says
What if you accidentally got cook and serve pudding instead of Instant? Will it work or should I just go back to the store? Thanks!
Jessica says
I’ve used it on accident and it worked great!!
Mary says
I have them in the oven now, but instructions say mix for 3-4 minutes which I did, but I now see in the comments that it says barely mix otherwise or it will fall….. not sure now how these will come out. Which is the correct time to use? It’s too late for me to adjust, so hoping for the best!
Jessica says
Quick Bread tends to be pretty forgiving- I bet it’ll be great Mary!
Gloria says
I have a white cake mix can I use that insteAd of lemon cake?
Nellie says
Absolutely. The lemon flavor won’t be as strong, but should still taste like lemon if you use the lemon pudding. Good luck!
Bridget Barrett says
Hello, would like to use 2 boxes do I need to use 8 eggs and 2 instant pudding 2 cups of water and 1 cup oil? I’m using 9×13 psn since I don’t have a loaf pan. Thank you
Nellie says
The recipe makes 2 loaves, so you probably don’t need to double the recipe in order to make it in a 9X13 pan. I’m just worried that if you double it, it will be too thick and have a hard time baking through to the center. And make sure to reduce the cooking time as well, probably closer to 25-30 minutes.
Judith Lee says
I made this in a Bundt pan and baked it 35 minutes at 350*. Glazed with Realemon and powdered sugar. Absolutely scrumptious!
Jessica says
So glad you enjoyed it Judith!!