This easy, everyday vegan lemon pound cake recipe is simple enough to make during the week but flavorful enough to serve for a celebratory weekend brunch.
Similarly to my vegan orange cake, you only need about 15 minutes of active prep to get this citrusy loaf cake in the oven. Better yet, you don’t need to get out your mixer to make it!
And since this recipe is made with primarily pantry staples, you can fix yourself an entire vegan Starbucks iced lemon loaf for the same price you’d pay for just one or two slices, while being eggless and dairy-free!
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🧾 Ingredients Needed
As promised, you only need a handful of ingredients plus some pantry staples to make this easy vegan lemon loaf. Here’s what you need:
Ingredient Notes
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Lemon Juice & Zest: As with all lemon desserts, I recommend you use fresh lemons - no bottled juice, please! If possible use organic lemons since we're using both the skin and the juice.
- Granulated Sugar: I tested this loaf several times with different amounts of sugar and concluded that it's not a good idea to reduce the amount, as it brings moisture content down.
- Soy Milk: When mixed with fresh lemon juice it becomes an excellent vegan buttermilk swap. If soy is not an option for you, try using full-fat oat milk or almond milk instead.
- Vanilla Pod: Vanilla beans are a bit pricey, but their flavor is rich enough to justify the cost. To get the most from them, save the spent pods for making homemade vanilla extract or vanilla-flavored sugar. You’re also welcome to swap in 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, vanilla paste, vanilla powder, or a teaspoon of ground vanilla bean instead.
- Olive Oil: The subtle fruitiness of olive oil adds a lovely dimension of flavor and a faint tint of yellow here, it also helps to keep the cake from drying out.
- Vegan Greek-Style Yogurt or Skyr: You can also use plain soy or coconut yogurt. The protein content from the vegan yogurt with the fat from the oil acts as an egg replacer in this vegan loaf.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: You need both leaveners to achieve a soft and tender crumb. Please don’t try swapping one for the other — it simply won’t work.
- Powdered Sugar: Also named “icing sugar,” this is an essential element for a smooth and shiny glaze.
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🥣 Instructions
Here are step-by-step images showing how to make this vegan lemon loaf recipe. Please refer to the detailed printable recipe card at the end of this page for full measurements and written instructions:
Preheat your oven. Lightly grease a loaf tin and line it with parchment paper. Make vegan "buttermilk" by mixing the soy milk and lemon juice and allowing it to sit for 10 minutes.
Step 1: Flavor the sugar. Add the sugar, lemon zest, and scraped-out seeds from the vanilla pod to a large mixing bowl, using your fingertips to rub and combine.
Step 2: Cream the sugar and butter. Add the melted butter and whisk until combined.
Step 3: Whisk in the olive oil and yogurt until smooth. Then mix in the vegan buttermilk mixture, until all the wet ingredients have been combined.
Step 4: Dry ingredients. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and fold with a spatula until just combined.
Step 5: Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Cut thin strips of vegan butter and place them down the center of the loaf. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick stuck into it comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Step 6: Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and yogurt until smooth. Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, pour the lemon icing on top of the loaf. Smooth it over the sides so that it covers the entire surface. Enjoy immediately, or allow the icing to set for an hour before serving.
🍽 Variations
While I love this vegan version of Starbucks lemon loaf as is, here are a few variations to consider:
- Add up to a cup of fresh or frozen berries before baking. Blueberry lemon loaf and raspberry lemon loaf are both simply divine. Toss your berries in a bowl with a few tablespoons of plain flour before folding them into the batter. This will help to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the loaf during baking.
- Or, add up to 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds to make vegan lemon poppy seed cake. The little black flecks are both visually appealing and they add a nice bit of crunch.
💭 Recipe Tips
Make sure to leave some parchment paper overhang to help you remove the loaf from the pan. Oh, and if that parchment keeps misbehaving and rolling up on you? Crumple it into a tight ball, then unwrap it. All the little folds will help it stay in place.
Roll, zest, then juice. Firmly rolling your lemon on the countertop for 10-15 seconds will help to release all the juice inside. When zesting, remove only the top, bright yellow layer — the white pith is quite bitter. When you’re done juicing, save any extra juice for making lemon curd.
Don’t overmix the batter. Consider this Baking 101. Overmixing results in the overproduction of gluten, which creates a tough, dense cake.
Adding a thin line of butter slices down the middle of the batter helps to create a lovely crack in the center of the cake. Thanks to CloudyKitchen for the idea!
Before pouring on your glaze, place a sheet of parchment paper under the cooling rack to catch any icing.
💬 FAQs
Store the glazed loaf in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze this cake in an airtight container for up to a month and defrost it at room temperature for a couple of hours before serving.
I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour. Making lemon loaf vegan is one thing, but eggless GF bakes can be tricky. If you try it out, remember to let the batter rest for 30 minutes before baking to let the flour rehydrate. Also, please let me know how it turns out in the comments below!
When I tested this recipe using only olive oil and no butter, it wasn’t as soft, moist, or rich. My instinct leads me to believe that using strictly fat substitutes like applesauce will result in a dry, tough cake, so I don’t recommend it.
While you could probably bake this recipe in an 8-inch round pan, I recommend trying my vegan lemon cake instead, which is layered with vegan cream cheese frosting and tangy lemon curd.
If you're looking for a sheet cake, this lemon drizzle cake is also made with real lemons and features fresh lemon syrup for extra moisture.
You can! I recommend following my vegan lemon poppy seed cake recipe which uses olive oil instead.
🍞 More Vegan Loaf Cake Recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegan Lemon Loaf Cake (Starbucks Copycat)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 118 ml (½ cup) soy milk
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) lemon juice freshly squeezed, *see notes
- 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar use organic if in the US
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest approx 2 large lemons
- ½ vanilla pod seeds scraped out
- 75 g (2.6 oz) vegan butter melted and cooled to room temperature
- 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil or plain soy or coconut yogurt
- 140 g (⅗ cup) vegan Greek-style yogurt or Skyr or plain soy or coconut yogurt
- 240 g (2 cups) plain flour (all purpose) sifted
- 2 teaspoons baking powder sifted
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda sifted
- ¼ teaspoon salt sifted
Icing
- 150 g (1 ¼ cups) powdered sugar sifted
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon vegan Greek-style yogurt or Skyr or plain soy or coconut yogurt
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Lightly grease an 8" loaf tin and place a sling of parchment paper into it to help lift out the cake once baked.
- To make the vegan "buttermilk" add the soy milk and lemon juice to a small bowl, stir and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
- Add the sugar, lemon zest, and scraped-out seeds from the vanilla pod to a large mixing bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar.
- Add the melted butter and whisk to combine. Add in the olive oil and yogurt and whisk for a minute until everything is combined. Then add the vegan buttermilk mixture, and whisk again.
- Add the sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl with the wet ingredients and fold with a spatula until just combined and there aren't any visible pockets of flour - be careful not to overmix the batter.
- Bake: Transfer the cake batter to the prepared loaf pan. Cut thin strips of vegan butter and place them down the center of the loaf, this will help the loaf to crack in the center once it bakes (*see notes). Bake for 40-45 mins. Check the cake is ready by inserting a knife or toothpick into it, which should come out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the glaze: Meanwhile, add the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and yogurt to a bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Once the cake has cooled, place a sheet of parchment paper under the cooling rack to catch any icing. Pour the glaze on top of the cake, and smooth it over the sides so that it covers the entire surface. You can eat the cake as is, or allow the icing to set for an hour or so before serving.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze this cake in an airtight container and defrost it a couple of hours before serving.
Notes
- When you’re done juicing, save any extra juice for making lemon curd.
- Use organic sugar to ensure that it's vegan if you live in the US.
- Adding a thin line of butter slices down the middle of the batter helps to create a lovely crack in the center of the cake. Thanks to CloudyKitchen for the idea!
- Add up to 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds to make vegan lemon poppy seed cake. The little black flecks are both visually appealing and they add a nice bit of crunch.
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I have tried many vegan recipes and this exceeds them all. Fluffy. Flavoursome and better than a non vegan cake.
I’m not even vegan but this is delicious
Hi Annie,
That’s such a lovely compliment, thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, it really means a lot to hear it topped even non-vegan cakes!
Made it for my coworkers and they loved it. So moist and lemony!
Thanks so much for your lovely feedback, Crystal!
I made this as a beginner with my daughter who has a dairy allergy. We substituted the vanilla seeds with vanilla abstract and used soy milk and silk vanilla dairy free yogurt. Turned out just like Starbucks!
Hi Kryzzle,
That's so wonderful to hear, thank you so much for your feedback. The vanilla yogurt sounds lovely!
Hi there,
Can we use regular butter, milk and yogurt instead of vegan?
I Love every recipe you share!! ❤️❤️
Thank you so much, Carolina! 🙂
I just love how simple this recipe is. Absolutely delicious too! Best one I’ve ever come across - Thank you!
Aw you're the best, thanks Symone!
Dear Addicted to Dates, why not use date sugar? Would that not work?
Hi Jeanne,
Granulated sugar works best for this recipe as it gives a neutral base for the lemon flavor to shine through. Date sugar will give a more caramelized flavor and color, and perhaps throw off the texture as well.
Amazing!! Now being vegan, I was missing the Starbucks lemon loaf, but not anymore. This is even better, so moist & lemony. Thanks so much for the recipe, it's a keeper!
Hi Mariana,
This is so wonderful to hear, thank you for commenting!
Amazing recipe! I have made it so many times and it never fails! I even tried it in cupcakes and turned out lovely! I was wondering though do you think agave syrup or maple syrup or another kind of sweetener would work instead of sugar? Thank you so much for your great recipes!
Hi Dimitra,
That's amazing that you were able to make it into cupcakes as well, thank you so much for your lovely feedback! I don't suggest using a liquid sweetener for this one as it will throw out the ratios of the other ingredients x
Love this recipe! It is so full of flavor but still balanced. Non-vegans loved it also!
That's fantastic Isa, thanks so much for your comment!
Hii Christina ,
I couldn't find vegan yoghurt so I substituted Vegan creme fraiche. Do you think it can be used? The cake turned out soft and tasty but now I'm wondering about the original taste.
Hi Gini,
So happy you enjoyed the recipe! I reckon there shouldn't be too much difference between vegan creme fraiche and the yogurt.
Lovely lemon drizzle cake, every one enjoyed it.👍
Hi Christine,
So glad to hear it!
thank you for this recipe!! i made it for a bake sale at my work, and people could not stop raving about it! someone even asked for the recipe! it was so quick and easy, and people commented how moist it was. (i also had so much for revealing to people it was vegan😉)
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback, Sophie! 🙂
This turned out unbelievably delicious, fluffy, light and lemony!! I didn't have soy milk so I used "coconut beverage" (from Trader Joe's) instead and it was still a success. I can't stop eating this cake!
Hi Charvi,
Thanks so much for your lovely feedback 🙂
This cake was absolutely delicious!! I typically use unsweetened coconut yogurt but that day only had vanilla coconut yogurt and so I used that. Also, used 1/2 tsp of vanilla bean paste because I did not have a vanilla pod. It was an amazing cake. Perfect amount of lemon flavor in the cake and glaze, perfect texture. It was exactly the type of lemon loaf cake I was looking for! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Hi Maria,
That sounds absolutely gorgeous! I will have to give it a try with vanilla yogurt sometime. Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! Christina x
Made this about 5 times now.
It’s everyone’s favorite!
The kids ask me to bake it all the time ❤️
Hi Indri,
Ah that has made my day! So happy you're all enjoying it. Christina xx
Hi Christina,
I’d love to try this recipe!
Is it possible to replace the vegan butter with oil? Or any other suggestions to replace it?
Thank you 😊
Hi Ivon,
Yes, I think you can swap it for more olive oil or additional vegan yogurt. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
le meilleur cake citron que j'ai fais ! incroyablement moelleux comme j'aime.......
je ne ferais que cette recette désormais, en réduisant la quantité de sucre par contre.
Merçi pour cette recette encore délicieuse!
Hi Celine,
I´m so happy to hear that! Thank you for your wonderful feedback 🙂
I love this recipe!!!! My only question is subbing the vegan yogurt. Do you have any alternate recommendations? I find the taste is always unpleasant, and I've used a variety of brands in a variety of baked goods, including this one. Would silken tofu, or apple sauce (I've subbed a few times in some other recipes with success), work? Thank you 🙂 I hate to deviate from the recipe too much, but I really dislike how vegan yogurt tastes sadly!
Hi Eva,
I'm happy you love the recipe! Have you tried alpro greek-style yogurt by any chance? I find it has a nice clean and neutral flavor, but that's just me personally!
I think you could probably use applesauce or silken tofu, just make sure it's the soft variety, but I can't stand over the results unfortunately as it's not something I've tried.
I made this once, turned out great. But I should have printed out or written down the recipe because all the ads make my cell phone screen jump to different places in the recipe and the second time I made it, I didn't see the making of the buttermilk part and ...well, we'll see how it turns out, I just saw the buttermilk part when I got on my laptop. I know that ads are the way you monetize these recipes but it's such a deterrent when they take command of the screen.
Hi Nina,
Thank you so much for letting me know about this, I am so sorry that you had a negative experience. I have flagged this with my ad network to try and get this sorted as the ads certainly should not be jumping around like that. I hope the recipe still turned out nice for you 🙁
Loooooveee! Easy to make and really tastes like the Starbucks lemon pound cake! Soooo good! Thanks for the amazing recipe 🤤😁
Hi Nicole,
I'm delighted you enjoyed the recipe, thank you so much for your wonderful feedback 🙂
so delicious!!
Happy you loved it Sarah 🙂
This is the best lemon loaf I’ve ever made, and I’ve made quite a few! Followed the recipe with the only exceptions of increasing the lemon zest (used 3 large lemons) and using nonfat dairy Greek yogurt because that’s what I had on-hand. The rest of the recipe was followed as written using soy milk, vegan stick butter and olive oil. The loaf only rose halfway. I was careful to gently fold the wet into the dry and not overmix, and I tested both the baking powder and soda to make sure they were active. Any ideas? Still the best lemon loaf despite and got rave reviews all around- even no need for lemon extract!
Hello! I'm so happy you loved the recipe so much, thank you for your lovely review 🙂 A couple of things to check, was your loaf pan the same size as the one linked in the recipe? Also, have you used a thermometer in your oven? Sometimes, it can have hot spots and I wonder if that could be a reason why there was an issue with the cake rising properly.
This loaf is absolutely divine, and pretty easy to make. I have made it so many times now. It is a family favorite and at Easter I made a few to give to a neighbor and friends. I make it as instructed, but do cut the sugar just a bit to 170g and still comes out perfectly. Wonderful recipe!! Thank you.
Hi Nicola,
I'm delighted to read this! Thank you so much for adding the recipe to your baking rotation, it is lovely to know that it's being enjoyed by so many people.
Also, thank you for sharing your experience with reducing the sugar, I'm sure this will help many others who would like to do the same 🙂
Hi Christina,
I made this before and I remember the ingredients said you could sub the oil for yoghurt, which I did. Looking at it now it doesn't say that anymore. Did I imagine it or did you change the recipe?
I really loved the original.
Maria
Hi Maria,
You didn't imagine it at all! It was a typo and actually belonged to the line underneath 🙂 But I'm glad it worked well for you, I'll add back in the note there as well. Thanks so much for checking in and sharing your experince!
HI, Love the loaf but wondering if it's possible to make mini lemon loaf cakes? Any thoughts on how it could be adapted to do small loafs for tea?
Hi Maria,
Yes, you could do that, what a lovely idea! The recipe would remain the same, however the baking time will be less. I would check them after 20 minutes, and bake for longer if needed.
Hello,thank you for this amazing recipe. Can we replace the vegan butter with extra olive oil? Or maybe a nut butter?
I made this cake 6 times or so by now, because it's soooo good 😻 I made only half of the frosting, that was enough for me 😅 Today I'll make it again 😎
Hi Nina,
I am delighted to hear that! Wow, thank you so much for always trusting in my recipes and its an honor that my loaf has made it onto your baking rotation. Always love seeing your remakes over on Instagram!
Love, Christina x
The loaf was very tasty. I do think I would cook it 5 minutes longer next time though as the cake itself was very soft and fell apart a bit.
Hi Chris, I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe! I do recommend testing the cake for doneness before finishing up baking, so I'd suggest this for next time as ovens can vary a lot. You can do this by simply inserting a toothpick or skewer into the center and it will come out clean once done, if there is still batter on the toothpick, simply bake for another 5 minutes.
That is the best lemon cake I ever made. Super moist and still fluffy, zingy from the lemon. The glaze is the perfect consistency and looks really pretty, too.
So happy you enjoyed the recipe, Carolin. Thank you so much for leaving your review 🙂
Lovely, really enjoyed it A*****
So happy you loved the recipe, Tom!
I was surprised that the recipe called for an 8 inch pan. However, I followed the directions and now I have cake batter all over my oven. I should’ve followed my gut and put it in a 9 inch pan. Don’t make the same mistake!
Hi Ginx,
Can you double-check the size of your pan? I'm surprised this happened to you. I designed the recipe in an 8", the pan I use is linked in the equipment section of the recipe.
How much buttermilk in this recipe
Hi Candice,
The soy milk and lemon juice are combined to make vegan buttermilk. Sorry for the confusion, you'll see it addressed in the recipe instructions.
Hi if I just used buttermilk straight from the store how much should I use ??
Made this recipe last night and it is delicious!! I am also gluten free so I used King Arthur measure for measure gf flour and it worked perfectly!
Hi Colleen,
That's fantastic that it worked out with GF flour, thank you so much for sharing - this will be very helpful for others too 🙂
Hi, can you tell me what is the size of the tin in cm? The recipe is fantastic just I don’t know which pan I should use
Hi Sasha,
I use an 8", so you can use a 20cm or 21cm pan. I've linked the one I use in the equipment section just above the ingredients in the recipe card in case this helps. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
As a big citrus lover i can say this is a perfect cake, will definitely make it again!
I used lemon and lime half/half and sparkling water instead of the vegan butter, turned out great.
Hi Anita,
I'm delighted you loved the recipe. Th lemon and lime combo sounds incredible and I'm so intrigued about the sparkling water! I've used it in the past but not in place of butter so will have to give this a try!
The BEST vegan lemon loaf I have ever made, hands down! So soft, moist, lemony. This is the closest to the Madeira cake I loved as a child.
Hi Lucy,
Goodness yes! My partner likened it to Madeira cake as well. I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe, and thank you so much for taking the time to leave your positive feedback!
I knew the minute I saw this recipe it was going to be a winner. I've already made this twice. Whisking together the grated lemon peel with the sugar is an excellent idea and an important step. The oil from the peel really "fragrances up" the sugar - it's amazing. And the vegan greek yogurt really adds some density while keeping the cake quite light. I prefer a loaf that has a bit of "heft" to it, rather than it being too airy or cakey. I really appreciate the effort that goes into creating these recipes - the work effort really pays off. The glaze was perfect - easy to spread and thick enough not to soak into the cake or run off in rivers down the sides. Well done, Christina! Warm regards from western Canada.
Hi Stephen,
Thank you so much for your lovely comment and detailed review! I'm delighted you love the loaf so much you've made it twice already. I totally agree about the citrus and yogurt too!
Thanks again for your kind words 🙂
Hey, can I use limes instead of lemons? Eagerly waiting to try out this mouth watering recipe.
Absolutely, that sounds lovely!
Soooo good! Will definitely make this recipe again. I multiplied the recipe by 1.5 and used a 9” x 13” pan. I also added frozen blueberries tossed in flour. It worked out so well. Looks beautiful and tastes delicious.
Hi Lydia,
The blueberries sound like an amazing addition! Thank you so much for sharing your feedback 🙂
Absolutely divine! Will definitely be making again 🙂
Looks delicious! Just had a question, what can we use instead of the greek yoghurt or Skyr in the batter?
Hi Yogitha,
Thank you! You can use another plain dairy-free yogurt instead
So easy to make and so good. Have to say the best vegan sponge recipe for coming out Moist, fluffy and light. Literally the best sponge
That means a lot Nathan, I'm so happy you loved it as much as I did! Thank you for you kind words 🙂
Lindo hummmm! Amei.
Thank you so much Silvana, I'm so happy you loved it!