The BEST Gluten-free Lemon Loaf

This gluten-free Lemon Loaf is a must make for all my Starbucks lemon loaf lovers! It is made with all nut-free and gluten-free ingredients and is incredibly delicious, moist and easy to make.

If you love the Starbucks Lemon Loaf – you are in luck! This recipe is absolutely delicious, moist and made from scratch. Plus it is really easy to prep for a sweet breakfast bread, snack or to serve at a brunch.

This lemon loaf is also gluten-free and has no refined sugars besides the glaze on top. It will have you wondering why you have spent $$$ buying the Starbucks version for all these years. This one is a must try and share with your friends.

The batter is made with freshly grated lemon zest, juice from freshly squeeze lemon and it has just the right amount of lemony flavor without it being overpowering. This is really like a lemon cake meets pound cake and is perfectly moist and fluffy.

I cannot wait to hear what you think of this recipe. Let me know if you make it!

What ingredients are in this gluten-free lemon loaf:

• Maple syrup – I use this as the form of sweetener here. You could use honey if you prefer but I don’t recommend cane sugar or coconut sugar as the texture, taste and coloring would be off.
• Milk of choice – dairy or non-dairy both work. I used full-fat coconut milk
• Unsweetened yogurt – really any yogurt you want can work but plain/unsweetened is best. I love using greek yogurt here for the thickness
• Eggs – you can also use flax eggs if you prefer
• Olive oil – can sub melted coconut oil or butter too
• Lemon juice – I squeezed from fresh lemon
• Lemon zest – from about 1 lemon
• Gluten-free flour – or sub oat flour or regular all purpose flour if you prefer here. Almond flour wouldn’t work as well 
• Tapioca flour or arrowroot flour – you can also use corn starch too
• Powdered sugar – I use this to make the glaze. I haven’t tried another sugar option here for the glaze

How to make a copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf gluten-free:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
2. Line a bread pan with parchment paper, grease and set aside
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, milk, yogurt, eggs, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla extract
4. Add in the gluten-free flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda and mix until fully combined with no lumps
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean
6. While loaf bakes, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk so there are no lumps and set aside
7. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely and glaze!

FAQs on making lemon loaf with sugary glaze:

• If you prefer to make this lemon loaf as a cake, you can bake it in a round or square baking dish as well. Just alter the bake time (it will require less time)
• For the ultimate fresh crisp lemon flavor, use freshly grated lemon zest and lemon juice. I don’t like using a bottled lemon juice for this as freshly squeezed lemon is better
• When you make the glaze for this, slowly add more milk as needed. You want the glaze to be drizzlable so not too thick!
• This loaf can stay fresh in airtight container for up to 5 days on counter or fridge. Or you can freeze it for 2 months
• Any sub recommendations are listed below in the recipe!

A few other blog favorite recipes to bake soon: