Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

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Moist and flavorful, enjoy a scrumptious slice of this quick and easy 5-ingredient lemon poppy seed bread for breakfast or an afternoon snack.

Slices of lemon poppy seed bread.

I have a dear reader to thank for sharing this lemon poppy seed bread recipe with me. It’s one of her mother’s best-loved recipes and it’s becoming one of mine. We all know how much I love using cake mixes in many of my baking recipes. They just make life so much easier, what can I say!

For this lemon poppy seed loaf, we’re using a lemon cake mix along with a lemon instant pudding mix for all the zesty lemon flavor you could possibly want. Other than that, you just need some eggs, oil, water, and the all-important poppy seeds. Now, the instructions for this one are really hard (just kidding!). All you have to do is combine all of the ingredients, spread the batter into two pans, and your lemon bread will be ready in a flash. 

Who can say no to a five-ingredient quick bread recipe that’s this easy? Not me! I highly recommend serving a warm slice of lemon poppy seed bread with butter alongside your morning cup of coffee. It’s soft, moist, and has the perfect amount of lemon flavor. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as me. If you’re on the lookout for more lemon recipes, check out this blog post for 10 lemon recipes to brighten your day.

Labeled recipe ingredients for lemon poppy seed beead.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Lemon cake mix
  • Lemon instant pudding mix
  • Vegetable oil (I personally use coconut oil)
  • Eggs
  • Poppy seeds

How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Grease 2 loaf pans.

Grease 2 loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray. Instead of adding flour, use sugar.

Mix together all ingredients until well combined.

Mix both the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients together until well combined.

Note: I like to add 1 teaspoon of lemon oil (you can also use lemon extract or fresh lemon juice) for an extra lemon “kick”.

Pour batter into greased loaf pans.

Pour batter evenly into the loaf pans.

Lemon loaf ready for the oven.

Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350° F.

Baked lemon poppy seed bread on wire rack.

Test with a toothpick for doneness. Transfer lemon poppy seed bread from the prepared pan to a wire rack to cool. 

Slices of lemon poppy seed bread.

Serve your lemon loaf slices warm or cold. Enjoy!

Storage

  • Cover and store your lemon bread at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. 
  • Freeze leftover slices for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature before enjoying.

Slices of lemon poppy seed bread.

Recipe Notes

  • To enhance the lemon flavor in this quick bread recipe, while the bread is still warm drizzle it with a lemon glaze that will soak into the bread. All you need to do is combine 1/2-cup of confectioner’s sugar with 1 tablespoon of bottled or fresh lemon juice. You can also drizzle over some lemon syrup.
  • Another way to add more lemon flavor is to add some grated lemon rind (lemon zest) to the lemon bread batter or grate some on top of the glaze.
  • If you want to get fancy, add some candied lemon slices to the top of your lemon poppyseed bread.
  • You can swap the poppy seeds for black sesame seeds or chia seeds if you like. Otherwise, omit them completely.
  • Serve a slice of the lemon poppy seed loaf with lemon curd for a delicious treat.
  • You can definitely use this recipe to make lemon poppy seed muffins too. You’ll just need to adjust the cooking time by about half.
  • Add Mama’s Custard Sauce or Cream Cheese and you have yourself some heaven on a plate.

Check out these other lovely lemon-flavored recipes:

Lemon Bars Recipe

Impossible Lemon Pie Recipe

Lemon Blossom Cookies

Lemon Chess Pie: A Southern Family Tradition

Slices of lemon poppy seed bread.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Moist and flavorful, enjoy a scrumptious slice of this quick and easy 5-ingredient lemon poppy seed bread for breakfast or afternoon tea.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bread, lemon, loaf
Servings: 0

Ingredients

  • 1 box lemon cake mix with pudding in the mix
  • 1 packet lemon instant pudding mix 4-serving size
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup water
  • 4 lightly beaten eggs
  • 1/8 cup poppy seeds

Instructions

  • Grease 2 loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray. Instead of adding flour, use sugar.
  • Mix both the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl until well combined.
    1 box lemon cake mix, 1 packet lemon instant pudding mix, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup water, 4 lightly beaten eggs, 1/8 cup poppy seeds
  • Note: I like to add 1 teaspoon lemon oil (you can also use lemon extract or fresh lemon juice) for an extra lemon “kick”.
  • Pour batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350° F. Test with a toothpick for doneness.
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

Recipe from Betty Barnes, given by her loving daughter, Pat.

Me (Pat Barnes)

I’m a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.

-Thomas Jefferson. Submitted by Amy. Submit your quote by clicking here.

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46 Comments

  1. I’m having a senior moment, what is lemon oil, is it lemon extract, where would I find it ? I looked at Kroger and couldn’t find it…Lemon oil to me is in furniture polish….lol Thanks, can’t wait to try this recipe….

    1. Ha Ha!!! My name is Linda, I’m 59, and when I saw “Lemon Oil” I immediately thought of furniture polish!!! I thought, hey, I just bought some of that!!! Yes, where do you get it?

  2. One thing I like a lot about having these blog type comments after the recipes is the variations that people contribute to the ‘how tos’ or ingredients of the recipes. I like to mull them over and decide whether I want to tinker with the recipe as stated, make some variation suggested or come up with a variation of my own from all the things suggested. Great thing you started Christy!

  3. Thank you Pat and a very gracious thank you to Miss Betty for this delicious recipe. I can’t wait to make it!

  4. I have made this many times , but always have used a bundt cake. I glaze it with a simple syrup made of butter, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. The glaze keeps it moist and the cake is even better the next day.

  5. I love lemon-poppyseed anything, and this looks so easy. I can’t wait to try it! Thanks for sharing your mother’s recipe and CONGRATS on graduating from culinary school. What an accomplishment!

  6. My husband will take the time to eat breakfast when there is something like this available. He will love it ( and so will I). Thanks for sharing the recipe and the story!

  7. THis recipe is very close to my Mother in laws Lenom pound cake. We top that off with a glaze of powder sugar and 2 large lemons juiced. It is the bomb. I am sure if you add that to this cake it would be wonderful also.

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