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
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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!
Ari says
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but it looks delicious! Maybe I’ll try adding poppy seeds
Lindasay says
Do you think I’d be able to add fresh raspberries to this and have it still come out nice? Thank you.
Nellie says
That sounds like a fantastic idea! I think it would work just fine…maybe lightly coat the raspberries in a thin layer of flour before adding to the batter. Let us know how it turns out!
Nina Cooper says
My favorite lemon recipe is lemon artichoke piccata chicken. Yummy never never any.
Alison says
Sounds delicious Nina!
CJ Burton-Fox says
My family loves this lemon loaf. It’s a good thing it bakes 2 loafs, I could be glazing the second loaf and the first has been eaten up😊.
Alison says
A sure sign of a family favorite! Glad you all enjoyed it!
LORI REYNOLDS says
Can you use the cook and serve pudding? That’s all I ever buy
Jessica says
Yes! I’ve used them interchangeably in recipes with success.
Bonnie Jelinek says
My favorite lemon recipe to make, as of now, is lemon bundt cake. Like yours, but the jello product is jello rather than pudding. Just gifted it to a neighbor for a late birthday greeting.
You have a bunch of goodies to try.
Please enter me in the drawing. Thanks. BONNIE j
Alison says
I love lemon bundt cake as well Bonnie!
Lynn Robinson says
making it soon…sounds amazing!
Alison says
Hope you enjoy it Lynn!
Laurie says
This is the same recipe that used to be on the side of the DH lemon cake mix box for “lemon pound cake”. It is delicious.
Nicole says
So glad you like it 🙂
Fay says
I haven’t made this yet but I can’t wait to gather the ingredients and try it. It sounds SO good! I love lemon baked goods.
Alison says
It’s one of my favorites Fay! I hope you enjoy it!
Michele says
I love all things lemon! I make lemon cookies with cake mix as well. Love your recipes!
Alison says
I love lemon cake mix cookies! Thanks so much Michele!
Lisa Ann Imes says
Delish! Daughter loves lemon, this is a keeper!
Alison says
Thank you Lisa!
Mary K. says
This Lemon Bread is dangerous! I make it and it teases me constantly—“Come eat me, Mary!” And I do….
Wonderful, easy recipe that is VERY hard to resist….
Donna J Bingamaman says
This looks so good. I make a lot of your recipes and love them all!
Alison says
Thank you so much Donna! I hope you enjoy this one as well!
Patricia says
I have not tried this yet but will for company this week. since I love lemon and every receipe I have tried with you has been great. Thank you.
Maureen says
Made this today and was so moist and lemony. Love it and also love lemon butter cookies. Love to pucker up.
Nellie says
We love everything lemon too! So glad you enjoyed the bread!
Lisa says
Can this be frozen?
Nicole says
Yes this bread can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. I recommend not adding the glaze until after the bread has thawed because it will sweat and dissolve as the bread thaws so it wont look as pretty as it could if the glaze was added after freezing/thawing
Angela says
Looking forward to making the lemon bread. Can you add raspberry jam or jelly to it as you layer the mix into the pan to give raspberry streaks throughout it? If so would you cook it longer?
Nicole says
That sounds like a delicious idea, to streak some jam throughout the bread. If you do this, use no more than 1/4 cup of jam and the baking time shouldn’t need to be extended (maybe by a minute or two, at most).
Melinda Fernie says
I’m a bit confused. At the beginning it says “this recipe is written for a regular sized bread pan 9x5x5 but then you say to use two loaf pans….🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️
Nellie says
Sorry about that! It should be fixed now, but the recipe is definitely for 2 loaf pans.
Phyllis byer says
I made this receipe but put in one pan how long should I bake for
Nicole says
Im not sure how long to bake in one pan, but it will take longer to cook than if you were to have divided the loaf into two pans. Im guessing it will take closer to an hour or a little longer to finish up
Terrie Peterson says
You say you don’t like a glass loaf pan yet the glass loaf pan is #1 in the ‘which bread pan is best’ article. I’m confused 😕
Jessica says
Sorry- this post was written by Nellie before I (Jessica) did an extensive bread pan testing/ comparison. It was eye opening and I’ve been updating posts since then! I’ll get this one updated!
Marz Barz says
I’m glad this recipe makes two loafs! One is half gone already. Very delicious.
Wish I can share my pictures.
Gracie Stapleton says
It is wonderful, good flavor,looks good and really very easy to make.
Jessica says
Glad you liked it Grace!
Patty says
Made this recipe as is and again adding blueberries every 1 loved them both. Thanks so much.
Nellie says
I love the idea of adding blueberries!
Karol says
Easy and delicious!
Linda says
In hints before recipe it says best when mixed with spoon or whisk but in recipe it says to use electric hand-held mixer. Contradictory- which is best?
Nellie says
You just want to be careful not to overmix. You can use an electric mixer, but just mix on low speed for the shortest amount of time possible to combine the ingredients. Whisking by hand may make it easier not to mix too much, but either method can work. Sorry for the confusion!