If you like Starbucks Lemon Loaf, you will love this VEGAN copycat lemon loaf! This recipe is easy to make, loaded with lemon flavor and topped with a delicious lemon glaze.
If you find yourself standing in the line at Starbucks in front of the pastry case, staring longingly at that glazed lemon loaf, then this recipe is for you! Anyone else wish Starbucks would get some vegan pastries already? I know sometimes they have salads that are vegan, and maybe some snacks, but can I get a vegan scone or muffin with my coffee, PLEASE?
I did several trial runs to perfect this vegan lemon loaf. My first several tries were delicious, but they didn’t have that pound cake quality I was going for. Instead, they were light and fluffy, like a delicate lemon cake. To achieve a pound cake texture, I had to get creative! The secret ingredient? Tofu. Okay, don’t run away! I promise you can’t taste it at all, but it works like magic to achieve pound cake perfection.
How to make Starbucks Copycat Vegan Lemon Loaf:
It’s super easy! You should know by now I like to keep things as simple as possible in the kitchen.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan.
- Blend all wet ingredients in a blender (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW)
- Whisk dry ingredients in a bowl, then add the wet and mix.
- Pour in pan and bake for 35-45 minutes.
- Let cool, then glaze.
Glaze for Lemon Loaf:
The glaze is probably the best part of this whole thing. It’s simple: 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. Whisk in a bowl, pour over your loaf, and devour. Well, I do like to let the glaze harden for a little bit before slicing and serving, but it’s not necessary!
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What kind of tofu should I use and where can I find it?
For this recipe, you want the silken tofu in the vaccum packs. You could use soft, firm or even extra firm. But it should be silken. Try to avoid the tofu packed in water, as it tends to leave a bit of a taste of tofu, while the silken in vaccum packs is pretty much undetectable. It’s in several grocery stores, but you can also order it on Amazon here.
You will only use 1/2 the package for 1 loaf, so maybe consider doubling the recipe and make 2 loaves at once! You can freeze the 2nd.
Want more vegan baked goods? Try one of these:
- 1 Bowl Vegan Blueberry Muffins
- 1 Bowl Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- Easy Vegan Banana Bread
- Starbucks Copycat Vegan Pumpkin Scones
- Vegan Lemon Cake
Starbucks Copycat Lemon Loaf (Vegan)
Ingredients
Wet ingredients:
- 6 ounces silken tofu (1/2 package)
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 cup non-dairy milk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- zest from 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry ingredients:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Lemon glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a standard loaf pan.
- Blend all of the wet ingredients in a blender until smooth.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Now pour the wet mixture into the dry and mix with a large spoon until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then move to a cooling rack.
- While the loaf cools, add the icing ingredients to a medium sized bowl and whisk until smooth. Once the loaf is cooled, drizzle or pour the glaze on top of the loaf. Let the glaze harden, if desired, before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Calories estimate is for 1/8th of the loaf.
- Look for the silken tofu in a vaccum pack, not packed in water.
- May sub coconut oil or melted vegan butter for the canola oil. For oil free, sub non-dairy yogurt or applesauce.
- May use any non-dairy milk, such as soy, coconut, almond, hemp or oat. Unsweetened is best; if you only have sweetened milk you may want to reduce the amount of sugar you add.
- Make sure to use fresh squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor, and a full zested lemon. I love this grater/zester!
- You can try subbing white whole wheat flour/ whole wheat pastry flour for the white, but it will change the flavor. I haven't tried this with gluten free flour.
AMAZING! I can’t believe how good this turned out; I admit I was a little skeptical about the silken tofu. I could only find silken tofu packed in water so doubled the lemon zest thinking that would mask any soy flavor. I don’t think it was necessary at all, and I’ll make the recipe as written next time.
Hi Laura! I’m glad you loved the lemon loaf, tofu and all! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and comments! Happy cooking!
Amazing, exactly as I expected it to be. My kids and partner always know when I’m cooking from your site. First because I say so but second because literally every recipe has been perfectly perfect. I added lemon extract on account of personal taste.
Next on my list is your cranberry orange bread!
Thanks Nora!
Thank you for great review and encouraging words! I’m glad you loved the lemon loaf. I think you’ll really enjoy the cranberry orange bread! I appreciate you taking your time to reach out and share you review and comments!
Great recipe!!
First time baking with tofu and it turned out super delicious. I used a little more lemon juice and zest and a little bit less sugar.
Glad you loved it! Thank you for sharing your review!
When I want it done right, I turn to Ms. Nora. My cake turned out perfect. I was hoping I could post a picture. Ms. Nora thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much Christy, I’m happy you enjoyed the loaf!
Just made this and it turned out fabulous. Thank you for sharing the recipe! How long can this loaf be stored ? And can it be stored in fridge? Will the loaf harden if I do ?
I’m so glad you enjoyed the lemon loaf. It will keep at room temperature, covered, for about 2 days. In the refrigerator you might get an extra day or two. It may get a bit harder and dry in the fridge though. Hope that helps!
Just made this and it has turned out fabulous!!! Should this be stored at room temp? Wondering if it’ll harden on refrigeration.
This loaf was beautiful, light, and perfect for spring and summer. I didn’t have any problem with the lemon flavor—mine had a lovely citrus tang. My favorite, though, was the texture. The tofu rendered a perfect pound cake-like sponge. I think I’ll have to look for more vegan quick breads with silken tofu. Thanks for another great recipe, Nora!
Thanks so much, Kayla, for sharing your review! I am glad you liked the lemon loaf, and I appreciate the details of what you liked about it!
My loaf rises like bread and splits at the top every time. Mine also times 1 he took cook to get the middle done. What am I doing wrong? That amount of time makes my sides hard.
Loaf breads/cakes often do split, and that is okay. Some people consider this a sign of a good loaf recipe, whether it’s pumpkin bread, banana bread or even lemon bread! I’m not sure why it’s taking a bit longer in the oven for you, but that’s okay. Ovens can vary. If it’s browning too much, cover loosely with foil towards the end. Hope that helps!
The bread was moist but a little too springy? I also wish I read the comments before I made this because the bread definitely needs more lemon flavor. Maybe lemon extract? I still gave it four stars because the kids loved it and the bread is a nice little sweet treat. I can’t wait to play around with this recipe in the future.
Hi Layne. It has kind of a cake pound cake type texture, so different than regular cake, if that makes sense. You could add 1 teaspoon of lemon extract for more lemon flavor, or even more lemon zest. Glad the kids enjoyed it!
It’s good! Definitely needs more lemon. I did the 2 tbsp. plus a tsp. lemon extract, but I could still barely taste the lemon! Baked for 50 minutes instead of 35-45, and I think it was still a little under-baked because there is a layer of slightly darker/moister looking bread toward the bottom of the loaf (don’t know if that made sense but basically I believe I under-baked or something separated). Anyone know what could prevent that next time in case it wasn’t just under-baked? Anyway, overall very good. Glaze is yummy and the loaf has a good texture, just really missing that lemon flavor!
Thanks for the review! I think I need to revisit this recipe and add more lemon flavor. Maybe more zest and lemon extract would do the trick! I’ve never had trouble with it baking like you describe, I wonder if you over mixed by accident? Sometimes that dark layer forms when I mix quick breads too much, or it may have needed a little longer in the oven, I’m not sure.
Yes, I believe I over mixed trying to get the lumps out! Thanks for the response, Nora!
Hello! So excited to make this vegan lemon loaf 🙂 I am actually a big fan of light & fluffy cakes. You mentioned that prior to putting silken tofu, you had a fluffy cake. I was wondering if I can go ahead & make this without the tofu, and do I keep the measurements for all the ingredients the same? Thank you!
Hi Nicole! I first started trying to bake my lemon cake in a loaf pan. But I found it too fluffy, not like pound cake. I can’t quite remember though exactly what I did because it was quite a while ago I was testing. I wouldn’t suggest just taking out the tofu, that will probably not work at all. But if you wanted to try making my lemon cake recipe in a loaf pan that might work. I think I’d probably cut the recipe in half though. Hope that helps!
Great recipe. Just add 2 tabs. Zofran sour cream
Simply delicious.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, thank you!
Will this recipe work with a sugar substitute like erythritol or coconut sugar? (I’m aware the coconut sugar would make it brown) I just need it for my dad who is diabetic.
It should work just fine with coconut sugar, and another sugar sub might work but I haven’t tried it. Thanks!
The bread was really good! The only thing I would change is adding another tablespoon of lemon juice since I could barely taste it. It was nice and moist though. The one part of the recipe that I didn’t like was the icing strangely. Both me and my partner thought it had a very strange taste to it, almost dish soap like. I used oat milk if that helps. Do you know what might’ve happened?
Hi Lindsey! I’m glad you liked the loaf. You could also try adding a teaspoon of lemon extract to the batter for more lemony flavor next time. 🙂 The icing is a pretty basic recipe that should not taste like soap. I think it was probably the oat milk, which can have an odd flavor sometimes to me, plus it can be a little slimy. Try a different milk next time for sure, I like soy or almond milk. Hope that helps!
Hi Nora,
This looks really delicious and I can’t wait to make it. I was wondering, how long can it sit out once it’s sliced? Can it handle being exposed to air for half a day or so?
I hope you love it! Yes, I’d say it will keep for 2-3 days at room temperature, though I would cover it to keep it fresh. You could also stick it in the fridge.
I’m that person who had all the ingredients needed for this loaf, so I made it kinda impulsively. What can I say? Super easy and absolutely delicious! I used silken tofu of which I had exactly a half left, and even though it was in a brine, I don’t think it affected the texture in any way. I had to bake it a bit longer, for about 50 minutes though, but it wasn’t a problem for me.
I never had the Starbucks lemon loaf, as I don’t like the chain and therefore never go there, so I can’t compare this one to the original. But even if it’s not what the original tastes like, it’s still worth making, 100%.
Thank you, Nora! Another amazing recipe.
Hi Eva! I’m thrilled you had great results with the lemon loaf, and that you loved it! Thank you for taking your time to share your terrific review!
Nora, I love all your recipes. I was so excited to make the lemon loaf with fresh lemons from my lemon tree in my backyard. I had all the ingredients I needed for a vegan lemon loaf, I thought. I looked at the recipe again and realized there was tofu in it. No offense, but who puts tofu in dessert! (Sorry, my own strong opinion I just don’t think tofu is good and desserts.) I was so excited to make this but the tofu kind of disappoints me because it’s not a normal, easy ingredient that I have on hand as you said earlier in your post. I was wondering if you had a replacement for that because I would prefer to not use tofu. (Do you also have a replacement for aquafaba and xanthan gum? Don’t want to open a can of chickpeas just for that and don’t know where to buy xanthan gum.) Sorry if it sounds like I’m complaining or being ungrateful I just want a replacement for these few ingredients if you have them.
I’m glad you enjoy my recipes, Brianna, thank you. I don’t often put tofu in desserts, but occasionally it works really well, and in this particular recipe, I found that tofu actually gives it that pound cake like texture. I’m a little confused about the aquafaba and xantham gum because neither are called for here. I’m not sure what else would work in place of the tofu here, maybe coconut milk or another milk, but I’ve never tried it so I can’t be sure, sorry!
I know this is really late, but yogurt would probably work great! I deally a less runny type of yogurt like greek or sky. I’m assuming you’re not vegan if tofu isn’t a ‘normal, easy ingredient’ you normally have on hand so you should be able to find a thick yogurt without a problem! I hope this helps 🙂
This is a beautiful and fabulous cake. I arranged it on a white pedestal platter and tossed organic blackberries on top, as one of my desserts at a small family gathering. People raved. Luckily a slice was left over for me to have this morning with coffee. Berries go spectacularly well with this cake.
I baked a few minutes longer than stated and added a little more lemon juice because of a comment that it was not lemony enough. I used only lemon juice with the confectioner sugar in the glaze and I sifted the sugar first
Hi Lynne. Your description with the berries sounds delicious! Also, so beautiful! I’m glad it turned out delicious and was loved at your gathering. Thank you very much for taking the time to share!
I made this tonight & it was delicious. We all were so excited. I’ve had Starbucks lemon loaf many times in the past. This definitely tasted cleaner & lighter. This will be in our rotation for sure.
I made some substitutions. I used applesauce in place of the oil & gluten free all purpose flour instead of the regular flour. The only issue I had was that the crust of the loaf was a little chewy. I was wondering if this was because of the applesauce sub or flour sub? How do you think this would taste using half almond flour & half gluten free all purpose flour? I might try that next time to see if there’s a difference.
Thanks for making this Nora. We love lemon cakes over here!!
Hi Christina! I’m glad you enjoyed the lemon loaf even with your substitutions. The crust being chewy is definitely what happens when you make oil free cakes and quick breads. It’s the whole fat free thing. Sometimes almond flour does help, but it can be tricky. I’m not sure it would work or not, but it would be interesting to try it! Thank you, hope that helps!
This was delicious! I added 1.5 tablespoons of lemon extract and baked it closer to 45 mins.
Perfect, they couldn’t believe it was vegan, texture on point. Thank you! Sidenote, I blended seeded Meyer Lemons right into the tofu/sugar.
You’re welcome!
This cake was perfection. Brought it to Thanksgiving and my family devoured it. They said the texture was amazing!
Followed the recipe exactly, as I almost always do the first time I make a recipe. If I make it again, I’ll add lemon extract to the zest and juice used; I can barely taste the lemon flavor in mine. The texture of the one I made is also a little strange. The middle is fine, but the edges are like… chewy. I’m pretty new to vegan baking so I’m not sure if that’s just something to expect, but I don’t find it entirely pleasant. Maybe I did something wrong? Not sure.
Second time I’m making this very lemony moist cake and this winner will be a regular on my table.
I’m happy to hear that, thank you!
Hi Nora,
I made this yummy cake last year without the tofu but I no longer have the recipe saved and I can’t have tofu. Do you still have the old recipe?
This recipe has never changed and has always had tofu, perhaps you made a recipe from a different blog? I do have a double layer lemon cake as well, in case that is what you made. Thanks!