The Best Blueberry Bread Recipe {with Buttery Crumb Streusel} (2024)

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Moist quick bread stuffed full of fresh blueberries! This easy blueberry bread recipe is made extra special with the addition of a buttery sugar streusel baked on top.

It’s been too long that I’ve been holding onto this recipe idea. Our quick breads are some of our most popular recipes. Every time I share a picture of one on social media everyone says “Can I make this with blueberries?”

So today we’re making Blueberry Bread with a crumble topping. It’s like a blueberry muffin bread. And it is worth the wait.

Table of Contents
  1. About this Blueberry Bread Recipe
  2. What are the health benefits of blueberries?
  3. Is there a difference between fresh and frozen blueberries?
  4. Ingredients
  5. How to Make Blueberry Bread
  6. Blueberry Bread with Crumb Topping
  7. Why did my blueberries sink?
  8. Storage Instructions
  9. Recipe Variations
  10. Blueberry Bread Recipe
  11. Other Quick Bread Recipes
The Best Blueberry Bread Recipe {with Buttery Crumb Streusel} (1)

About this 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.

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!

What are the health benefits of blueberries?

Is blueberry bread healthy? Not really at all, but blueberries themselves are a super food. They are zero cholesterol and are full of fiber, both of which are good for the heart. They have potassium, Vitamin C and Vitamin B6.

Eat those fresh blueberries by the handful without any guilt, but save a few for this delicious bread recipe that is great for breakfast or brunch. (source)

Is there a difference between fresh and frozen blueberries?

Nutritionally, there is no difference between fresh and frozen berries. Both have the same nutrients. For this recipe, we normally use fresh berries, but you can use frozen berries if you’d like.

If you choose frozen berries, you do not have to defrost the berries before you bake with them unless the recipe you are using calls specifically for defrosted berries.

Ingredients

The Best Blueberry Bread Recipe {with Buttery Crumb Streusel} (2)
  • 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.

How to Make Blueberry Bread

This bread has 5 simple steps.

  • Mix the wet ingredients.
  • Mix the dry ingredients.
  • Combine the dry ingredients into the wet. It’s important not to overmix the batter. It’s ok if there are a few lumps. See the picture below!
  • Make the streusel and top the bread.
  • Bake. The bread will take about 55-70 minutes, depending on the type of pan you use. I use a 1 pound metal loaf pan and it took about 65 minutes.
The Best Blueberry Bread Recipe {with Buttery Crumb Streusel} (3)
The Best Blueberry Bread Recipe {with Buttery Crumb Streusel} (4)
The Best Blueberry Bread Recipe {with Buttery Crumb Streusel} (5)

Blueberry Bread with Crumb Topping

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.

The butter should be soft, but not melted. Simply mix the 3 ingredients together. Don’t worry…the mixture will be very crumby but that’s just how you want it. Sprinkle it over the batter before baking.

The Best Blueberry Bread Recipe {with Buttery Crumb Streusel} (6)
The Best Blueberry Bread Recipe {with Buttery Crumb Streusel} (7)

Why did my blueberries sink?

If you’ve ever baked with blueberries, you know that sometimes the blueberries sink to the bottom of the muffins or breads. That often happens when the batter is not thick enough. This quick bread batter is thick enough to support the blueberries so they should not sink.

If you have trouble with sinking berries, some say you can toss the blueberries in a few tablespoons of all-purpose flour before adding them to the batter. We haven’t found this to be 100% accurate every time, so we found another solution.

Whether you are making bread or muffins, spoon some of the batter into the prepared pan before adding the blueberries to the batter. Then mix in the blueberries to the remaining batter and scoop as you normally would. This is the most foolproof way we’ve found to fix sinking berries.

Storage Instructions

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.

The Best Blueberry Bread Recipe {with Buttery Crumb Streusel} (8)

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.
  • Love glaze like I do? Drizzle a powdered sugar glaze over the top of the bread.

Blueberry Bread

4.64 from 399 votes

Moist quick bread stuffed full of fresh blueberries! This easy blueberry bread recipe is made extra special with the addition of a buttery sugar streusel baked on top.

Servings 10

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Print RecipeSave Recipe

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

For the Bread:

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar 150 grams
  • 1/2 cup 2% milk 4 ounces
  • 1/2 cup canola oil or vegetable or coconut oil, 4 ounces
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5 grams
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour 260 grams
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder 8 grams
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries

For the Crumble:

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

  • In a medium 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!

  • Fold the blueberries gently into the batter.

  • Pour the bread batter into a greased and floured 9"x5" loaf pan.(You can line the pan with parchment paper if you'd like to ensure it removes easily.)

  • Make the crumble by mixing together the flour, sugar 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 remove the bread to a wire rack to cool completely.

  • Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

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.
  • 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.

The calories shown are based on the bread being cut into 10 pieces (and all of the crumble used), with 1 serving being 1 slice of bread. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.

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

Author Julie Clark

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Calories 373

Keyword blueberry recipe, quick bread, quick bread recipe

Have you tried this recipe?

Share a review below or share on Instagram with the tag #tastesoflizzyt.

Love quick breads? Our cookbook is for you.

The Best Blueberry Bread Recipe {with Buttery Crumb Streusel} (11)

Bonus!!! We’ve included our top 5 tips for making any type of quick bread. These will be sure to give you success every time!

Other Quick Bread Recipes

Love quick bread? Try one of these delicious recipes.

The Best Blueberry Bread Recipe {with Buttery Crumb Streusel} (2024)

FAQs

How to store blueberry bread? ›

Storage Tips:

After letting the Blueberry Bread cool completely, I store my bread by placing it on a paper towel in an airtight container and leaving it on the counter for 4-5 days.

Why does my blueberry bread sink in the middle? ›

Too much: If you accidentally overmeasure your baking soda or powder it can also cause your cake or loaf to sink in the middle. High altitude: If you're baking at a higher altitude you'll need less leavening to achieve the same result as sea level. Without proper altitude adjustments, your products may sink.

Should you coat blueberries in flour before baking? ›

The light coating of flour around the berries will absorb some of the fruit's liquid, making them less likely to sink. This is especially helpful when the batter is thin; thicker batters are a little better at cradling the fruit and keeping it suspended.

Which flour is best for yeast bread? ›

For best results, base your yeast dough on wheat flour — only wheat-based flour provides the type and amount of protein yeast dough needs to support its structure. Whole wheat flour, white whole wheat flour, bread flour, or all-purpose flour are all good choices.

Why is my blueberry bread crumbly? ›

Your Bread Has Too Much Flour

Adding too much flour is one common mistake for beginning bakers. This produces dry bread with more crumbs. The key is to find a balance between the flour and liquid ingredients in your recipe.

Is it better to freeze or refrigerate bread to keep it fresh? ›

"Freezing bread is the best way to preserve that crusty loaf for the longest time possible. Wrap tightly in a freezer bag, either whole or sliced. I like to put wax paper between slices when I freeze, as this makes it easier to take out just what I need.

How do you stop fruit sinking to the bottom of a cake? ›

The best way to avoid sinking fruit is to toss the fruit in a couple of tablespoons of the flour (just use some from the measured amount for the recipe) to coat it lightly. Once added to the cake mixture the flour coating will thicken the batter immediately surrounding the fruit and help suspend the fruit.

How to prep blueberries for baking? ›

Prevent your batter and baked goods from turning a purple-blue hue by rinsing frozen blueberries several times in cold water until the water becomes lighter in color. Then pat them dry on a paper towel and fold into your batter gently.

Why do my blueberry muffins sink in the middle? ›

Muffin was underbaked and cell structure wasn't set. When the cell structure doesn't set, the air spaces created by the leavening in the recipe collapses, causing the muffin to sink.

What does it mean when blueberries float and sink? ›

You'll quickly notice that some sink and some float. The floaters are not fully ripe, while the ones at sink are. That's because as berries ripen, the increasing sugar content.

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