This eggless orange blueberry bread is soft, fluffy, and packed with juicy blueberries, fresh orange flavor, and crunchy pecans. Made with applesauce and yogurt as egg substitutes, this easy quick bread is perfect for breakfast, snacking, or dessert.
Blueberries never seem to fail me in baking. Some of the most loved blueberry recipes on the blog, like my vegan blueberry muffins and low fat blueberry coffee cake, continue to be reader favorites even after all these years.
So when I had some fresh blueberries sitting in the kitchen, I wanted to bake something a little different from the usual muffins or cake. I remembered a lemon blueberry bread recipe I had bookmarked quite a while ago and decided to give it an orange twist instead.
I usually prefer orange over lemon in baked goods because the flavor feels softer and less sharp. It adds a light citrus flavor without taking over the whole recipe, which worked perfectly in this orange blueberry bread.
I have used homemade applesauce and yogurt as egg substitutes for baking this bread, and it turned out wonderfully soft and light. The juicy blueberries, fresh orange flavor, and crunchy pecans make every slice so good. The smell while this bread bakes is probably my favorite part. The whole kitchen smells warm, buttery, and full of fresh citrus.
More Blueberry Recipes You'll Love:
If you tried this Orange Blueberry Bread recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
💌 Save This Recipe!
We'll email this recipe post to you, so you can come back to it later!
We will also add you to our email list. Unsubscribe at any time.
Recipe
Orange Blueberry Bread
Ingredients
- 1 and ½ cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 and ¼ teaspoons Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 5 tablespoons Butter (measured and melted)
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ cup Applesauce (Homemade, dry measuring cup)
- ¼ cup Plain Yogurt (I used fat free - dry measuring cup)
- 4 tablespoons Orange Juice (Freshly Squeezed)
- 1 tablespoon Orange Zest
- ½ cup Milk (I used 2%)
- 1 cup Blueberries (Fresh or Frozen)
- ½ cup Pecans (Chopped, or any nuts of your choice/optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchments paper, grease it lightly with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together the applesauce, yogurt, orange juice, and orange zest.
- In a large bowl, beat the melted butter and sugar for about 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture may look slightly crumbly and that is fine.
- Add the yogurt mixture and beat until combined. The batter may look curdled.
- Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk, mixing gently after each addition.
- Fold in the blueberries and pecans. If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the bread in the pan for about 1 hour before removing it. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before slicing. For neat slices, let the bread rest for a few hours or overnight.
My Notes
- Line the loaf pan with parchment paper for easy removal and cleanup. It helps the bread come out cleanly after cooling.
- I used a combination of applesauce and yogurt as the egg substitute in this recipe. You can use all yogurt instead if preferred. If using only applesauce, increase the baking soda to ½ teaspoon for a better rise and texture.
- Freshly squeezed orange juice gives the best flavor in this Orange Blueberry Bread. Store bought juice can leave a slightly bitter aftertaste in baked goods.
- I used the zest from 2 large oranges for a fresh orange flavor throughout the bread.
- You can skip the blueberries and pecans to make a simple eggless orange loaf cake instead.
Anne says
Thanks so much for the recipe. My daughter has many allergies eggs and nuts included. So finding a cake / bread she can make and joy to eat is wonderful. It was easy enough for new bakers and we have made 3 so far.
Madhuram says
You're welcome, Anne and thank you very much for the feedback.
Srishti Agarwal says
Hi.
1. If we use frozen blueberries, do we need to thaw them?
2. Can we use canned orange juice ?
3. If orange is not in season, can I use orange essence? If yes, how much?
Madhuram says
Do not thaw frozen blueberries. Use it directly from the freezer. Yes, you can use canned juice. You can use orange essence but it might be too strong so try using 1/4 teaspoon and see how you like it and decide accordingly.
Raspreet says
Thank you for the recipe! I omitted nuts and replaced orange with tangerine, and used only 3/4 cup sugar. It was delicious!
Madhuram says
You're very welcome Raspreet.
Jane says
Hi! Can I substitute All Purpose Flour with Whole Wheat flour? Does that work for all recipes? Cakes, muffins, cookies...
Madhuram says
It doesn't work for all recipes Jane. The taste and texture will definitely differ. So you can try out substituting half the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour and slowly increase the proportion.
MikeyD says
Absolutely amazing. Though I had to make some minor modifications as I'm on a plant based diet. I used almost 3/4 cup fresh almond milk and about 2 tbsp tahini to replace the milk and yogurt.
Thank you. This is definitely going into my cookbook.
Madhuram says
You're very welcome Mikey.
Bharat Jadav says
Same problem happened with me ma'am. It didn't rise properly..I added 1/4th teaspoon baking soda still, I dont know wht went wrong..please guide
Madhuram says
Did you use the 1 and 1/4 teaspoon baking powder too?
Bharat Jadav says
yes ma'am ..1.1/4th teaspoon baking powder
Jigita doshi says
Hi I tried three times but it is not rising properly. It is very soft and yummy but the only problem is it dosent rise properly. Thank u
Madhuram says
Hmm...can't guess where you are going wrong.