Lightened Up Lemon Blueberry Bread

This Lightened Up Lemon Blueberry Bread is a moist, fluffy, flavor-packed bread you will fall in love with. Made with biscuit dough, cream cheese, fresh blueberries, and plenty of lemon flavor, it will leave you wanting more and more. You'll also love this healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread and Cinnamon Banana Bread.

I have always loved blueberries and lemon together. In my mind, it is the perfect combination and one I look to use whenever I can. Plus blueberries are nutritional powerhouses, so I love using them in recipes. So when thinking about making a moist biscuit bread, this delicious combination was immediately what came to mind. What's better than a freshly baked bread bursting with blueberries and lemon.

Now when it comes to making this bread, the key to making it incredibly moist is the cream cheese. Not only does it add richness and flavor, but it also makes for a really moist bread. Paired with the biscuit dough, it's a great base for almost any breakfast bread. From there all you need is some sugar and eggs.

We like this bread on the sweet side so there is a good amount of sugar but you could cut back and add some mashed bananas if you want to lower the amount of sugar. Then all you need is your fresh blueberries, lemon extract, and lemon rind. This is all baked until moist and fluffy. Then to kick up the lemon flavor, a simple syrup made with lemon juice and sugar is poured over top. So good.

Recipes Ideas for Lemon Blueberry Bread

There are lots of fun ways to customize this recipe and make it your own. Here are some of our favorites:

• Try this out with different berries. It comes out great with raspberries, strawberries, and a combination of berries.
• Instead of lemon juice, use another citrus. Orange juice and orange zest are amazing and it is really good with lime juice as well. Swap out the lemon extract for another citrus extract, or use vanilla extract.
• For some crunch, add some sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, or pecans.
• Cut back on the sugar for a healthier option. Consider using half the amount of sugar and adding 2 mashed bananas instead. For the best results, mix the mashed bananas in with cream cheese, eggs, and sugar until well combined.
• For some extra crunch, sprinkle some hemp seeds or chia seeds on top of the bread before baking.

How to Serve Healthy Lemon Blueberry Bread

This bread makes a really great snack with coffee or tea in the afternoon. However, if you want to have it for breakfast, you will want to add some protein to your meal for staying power. 

• Serve it with a couple of boiled or scrambled eggs on the side.
• Crumble it on top of your favorite plain or vanilla Greek yogurt with fresh fruit. This makes the best parfait.
• Top the bread with some almond butter and banana slices.
• Make a protein-packed smoothie to enjoy on the side.
• Top some reduced fat cottage cheese with fresh blueberries, lemon zest, and a drizzle of maple syrup.
• Make some chia seed pudding. 
• Having this for dessert? Grab some healthy frozen yogurt and crumble this on top. It is so amazing with a warm cup of tea.

How to keep blueberries from falling to the bottom?

If you have problems with the blueberries falling to the bottom of your baked bread or muffins, just toss them in a couple of tablespoons of flour before adding them to your bread mixture. In this specific recipe, you can use two tablespoons of the biscuit mix. Just make sure to use the already measured biscuit mix so you aren't adding extra to the recipe.

How would I make Blueberry Lemon Muffins?

This recipe works great for muffins as well. Generally speaking, you want to cook muffins at a higher temperature than bread so that the outside browns and the inside stays moist. Therefore, bump the temperature up to 400 degrees and cook the muffins for 20-25 minutes, checking them after 15 minutes for doneness. Make sure to grease the muffin tin before or use muffin liners so they don't stick. Also, make sure to only fill the muffin tins 3/4 of the way up so there is space for the muffins to rise.

This recipe could also be used to make mini loaves. For mini loaves, you will want to cook them at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes depending on the exact size of the mini loaves. 

Does this bread freeze well?

Absolutely! This lemon blueberry bread freezes great. I like to freeze it in individual slices and then just pop them in the toaster oven to reheat.