Julie Clark
Updated:
Blueberry Bread with Buttery Crumble Top, Foolproof Loaf
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This easy blueberry bread is a moist, homemade quick bread loaded with fresh blueberries and finished with a buttery streusel crumb on top. No mixer needed and baked in a 9×5″ loaf pan.
Our quick breads are some of our most requested recipes (we even have a quick bread cookbook!). The streusel on this blueberry bread sets it apart. The crumbs make every bite taste like a bakery treat.
Do you like lemon? Try our lemon blueberry cake recipe, mixed berry bread and lemon blueberry bread, too.
Quick Look: Blueberry Bread Recipe
- Flavor: Although it might seem like this bread is overly sweet, it is not. The bread itself doesn’t have a lot of sugar in it, but the crumb topping adds a lot of flavor. You can leave the topping off, but it won’t be as sweet of a bread.
- Texture: This bread is soft and moist, but loaded with texture. The berries soften in the bread and the buttery crumb streusel on top adds just a slight sugary crunch, just like our peach blueberry cake and blueberry banana bread.
- What makes this bread over-the-top is the buttery crumble baked onto the top. It’s just three ingredients: flour, sugar and butter. It gives the top of the bread just a little bit of a crunch and extra sweetness.
What is the streusel topping made of?
The crumble topping is just 3 ingredients: granulated sugar, all-purpose flour and salted butter. Mix them until crumbly and sprinkle over the batter before baking. The crumbs turn into a sweet, crunchy crust that pairs well with the tender loaf.
Why is this called bread? It’s cake.
Well, true. This is definitely like a blueberry loaf cake. However, this type of dessert is also called a quick bread. Call it whichever you’d like! You’ll love our orange chocolate chip bread and lemon poppy seed bread, too.
Is there a difference between fresh and frozen blueberries?
There is no nutritional difference between fresh and frozen berries. Both have the same nutrients and are great in blueberry recipes. We normally use fresh berries, but frozen berries are a great option. Add them straight to the batter without thawing.
We choose frozen berries for our brown sugar blueberry muffins.
Ingredients for Blueberry Bread
- Friends have made this with gluten free all-purpose flour and it works well.
- I use canola oil, but vegetable or melted coconut oil work well, too.
- Non-dairy milk can be substituted for 2% milk.
- For best results, use a kitchen scale to measure out ingredients when you can.
✨ For full list of ingredients and amounts, see the recipe card below.
How to Make Blueberry Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Greased and flour a 9″x5″ loaf pan. You can line the pan with parchment paper if you’d like to ensure it removes easily.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, milk, oil, egg and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not over mix! It’s ok if there is still a little dry flour showing.
- Fold the blueberries gently into the batter. Then pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Make the crumble by mixing together the sugar, flour and butter in a small bowl. This mixture will be crumbly.
- Sprinkle the crumbs evenly on top of the bread batter in the pan.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes. The exact time will depend on the type of pan you have and your oven. If it is a smaller pan, it may take up to 70 minutes in the oven. A toothpick inserted in the center of the bread should come out clean. Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges and turn it out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Why did my blueberries sink?
Blueberries sink when the batter is too thin to hold them up. This batter is thick enough to keep the berries suspended.
The most foolproof fix we have found is to spoon some of the plain batter into the pan first, then fold the blueberries in the rest of the batter and scoop that on top. That works better for us than the usual trick of tossing berries in flour.
How do you store blueberry bread?
This bread is safe to store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. After that, refrigerate to keep the bread fresh.
Can you freeze blueberry bread? Yes! This bread freezes well. Wrap in plastic wrap, then place the loaf in a freezer bag or another airtight container so that it is double wrapped.
Allow the bread to thaw completely before you open the package. This will keep it fresh.
Recipe Variations
- Make an amazing lemon blueberry bread. Add a tablespoon or two of fresh lemon juice to the measuring cup, then fill the rest of the way with milk. Add lemon zest to the batter when you add the blueberries. Drizzle a simple lemon glaze over the top.
- Love glaze like I do? Drizzle a glaze icing over the top of the bread.
- Add finely chopped pecans or walnuts to the crumble topping.
Other Quick Bread Recipes
- banana bread
- cream cheese banana bread
- zucchini bread
- strawberry bread
- chocolate chip bread with raspberries
Other Blueberry Recipes
Blueberry Bread with Buttery Crumble
Moist, easy blueberry bread with a buttery streusel top. My one folding trick keeps the berries from sinking, so every slice bakes up bakery perfect.
Servings 10 slices
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
For the Bread:
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup 2% milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil or coconut oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
For the Crumble:
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons salted butter softened, but not melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 9"x5" loaf pan. You can line the pan with parchment paper if you'd like to ensure it removes easily.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, milk, oil, egg and vanilla. ¾ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup 2% milk, ½ cup vegetable oil, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not over mix! 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Fold the blueberries gently into the batter. Then pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. 2 cups fresh blueberries
- Make the crumble by mixing together the sugar, flour and butter in a small bowl. This mixture will be crumbly. ⅓ cup granulated sugar, ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons salted butter
- Sprinkle the crumbs evenly on top of the bread batter in the pan.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes. The exact time will depend on the type of pan you have and your oven. If it is a smaller pan, it may take up to 70 minutes in the oven. A toothpick inserted in the center of the bread should come out clean.
- Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the bread to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
- I do not recommend using an electric mixer for this recipe as it would be too easy to overmix the batter. Simply mix by hand with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
- To keep berries from sinking, spoon a little plain batter into the pan first, then fold the blueberries into the remaining batter.
- If the bread looks like it is getting too brown on top, cover it loosely with a piece of aluminum foil for the remainder of baking.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 4 days. To freeze, double wrap and thaw fully before opening.
Nutrition
Calories: 373kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 102mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 170IU | Vitamin C: 2.9mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1.7mg
Omgosh ! 💯 the best ever ! Entire family loved it ! Best recipe EVER !
I wish I had read more reviews before baking this bread. Like others, I had issues with the crumble and baking time. The crumble was a lot and it was a dry mess. The recipe clearly states the butter should be softened, but not melted, but the accompanying video shows melted butter, which looked like it worked better. Which is it? Like others I also had to bake this loaf for well above the time noted in the recipe, an additional 30 mins! I would not make this recipe again unless the author addresses the feedback being given.
Just made it for the second year. In Maine it’s wild Blueberry season. If you’ve never had Fresh Maine Wild Blueberries, they are soooo flavorful and this recipe is a family favorite.
It was excellent we loved it
would it work if the blueberries were substituted with raspberries?