A tried-and-tested family favorite of more than 25 years, this recipe for Blueberry Orange Juice Bread yields a moist loaf made with olive oil, citrus and berries!
I love recipes that stand the test of time, especially ones that are passed on from generation to generation, and that’s exactly where you’ll find this recipe for Blueberry Orange Juice Bread.
This recipe started off as a family recipe more than 25 years ago, and it was passed down from my Grandmom to my mom, and now on to me. It’s been tweaked slightly over the years, with my version introducing olive oil to guarantee the moisture factor remains high.
How to Make Bread with Orange Juice
The base of this bread recipe is loaded with tangy citrus flavor courtesy of nearly a cup of orange juice. In addition to pairing beautifully with fresh berries, the zesty beverage provides intense moisture. (Are you sensing the theme here? No dry quickbreads allowed!)
Can You Use Other Mix-Ins?
Absolutely, yes! The beauty of this recipe is that it can be a template for a wide range of mix-ins, from fruits to nuts to chocolate chips. A few of my favorites (aside from blueberries, of course!) are:
- Chocolate chips and chopped walnuts
- Cranberries and fresh orange zest
- Raspberries and chopped pistachios
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2/3 cup orange juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups blueberries, rinsed and patted dry
- Sanding sugar, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 9-inch loaf pan with parchment paper then grease it with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the egg, sugar, olive oil and orange juice.
- Beat in the baking powder, baking soda and salt, then add the flour in two increments and continue mixing just until combined.
- Use a spatula to carefully fold in the blueberries.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan then sprinkle sanding sugar on top (optional). Bake the loaf for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan and allow it to continue cooling on a rack before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
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Is there a way to make the batter and freeze it for a later date to bake? I have a ton of orange juice I’m trying to use up before traveling. I just don’t want to go to waste. Thanks!
Hi Bianca! Freezing the unbaked batter will cause problems with the leavener so the bread won’t rise. It’s best to bake the bread, cool it completely and then freeze it (ideally in single slices for easy reheating!).
I had a glut of plums last year so I stewed a lot of them and put them in the freezer. Hadn’t a clue what to do with them. Found your simple recipe and replaced orange juice and blueberries with cup of stewed plums and adjusted temperature and time slightly. This has resulted in a nice bread/cake. Thanks.
This bread was SO good, my husband devoured it! Making it again for a church meeting!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Tammie!
Can I use frozen blueberries in this recipe?
Hi Arlene! While fresh is always best, you definitely could use frozen blueberries. There are two schools of thought: Either thaw and drain the frozen berries before adding them, or just mix in the frozen berries and up your baking time by about 5 minutes. I’ve never tried this recipe with frozen blueberries, but I would opt for the thawing/draining method. Hope this helps!
Love this recipe so much! Is there a way I can ommit the orange juice? Do you just have a Greek Yogurt Blueberry Bread recipe instead with banana?
Thanks!
Janice
Hi Janice! Use the search bar and type in “greek yogurt banana bread.” The recipe you’re looking for will pop right up!
This bread is the BOMB! Thank you!
You are so welcome, Kristi! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
Great recipe! Wondering if orange fruit powder could be used for this kind of recipe instead of orange juice? I suppose that would also give me the more fruit sweetness/tanginess instead of adding too much sugar.
Hi Linda! I’ve never tried that, but eliminating the orange juice will make the batter (and the resulting bread) way too dry.
I usually love your recipes and they are always a hit. I made this bread today and it has no flavor. My taste testers agreed :) It needs vanilla or almond extract or even orange zest to give it a kick. Will try again with some additions….not giving up because we love quick breads.
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it, Suzanne.
If you substitute the blueberries for chocolate chips is it 1 1/4 cup of chocolate chips? Can crushed pineapple also be a substitute for the blueberries?
Absolutely! It’s a 1:1 substitute for any mix-ins. Just make sure you really drain the crushed pineapple.
My family loved it. They polished off the loaf in under 30 minutes and asked me to make more. Usually they’re pretty reserved about food so it was an amazing response. Thank you.
Woohoo! I’m so happy to read this, Annie!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Made it today only I used frozen blueberries, and it turned out absolutely delicious.
I’m thrilled you enjoyed it, Shannon!
Delicious recipe! It’s moist and flavorful. Thank you!
You are so welcome, Mary! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I am going to bake this now and presume that 1 egg is needed. It seems to be missing as an ingredient!
from Canada
Yes, apologies! This error has been fixed. Thanks and enjoy!
Hi kelly,
I just discovered your site and can´t wait to try all the receipes.
Do you think I can freeze the breads?
regards from argentina! :)
Thanks so much, Carla! I’ve never tried freezing this bread so I’m not sure what the consistency would be like once you thaw it.
Hi Kelly,
I just stumbled upon your site and I love it already! All your recipes look so delicious and I can’t wait to try them. I had a question – can you replace the all purpose flour with whole wheat or use half of each?
Hi Kelly, planning to bake this for my friend. Just one question, how much does a cup measure….could you please tell me the quantities in gms
Hi Anagha – Thanks so much for your note. I hesitate providing the amounts in grams for this recipe because I don’t use grams when I bake, and I’m concerned if I tried to convert everything just using an online converter, it wouldn’t be accurate.
BTW: I didn’t use my mixer. Just used a whip.
I was looking for recipes to use up some OJ and found this. I always have blueberries in the freezer, so I made this earlier today. I have a pancake recipe that calls for stirring the blueberries into 1/2 tsp ground ginger, so I did that & then sprinkled a little cinnamon over them too. I also added 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. I’m sure the recipe is probably just fine the way it is written, but I’m always tweaking recipes as I go. ;-) It’s a really good bread! Thanks for sharing your family recipe! Perhaps next time I’ll make it according to the recipe?! ;-)
I love bread like this for breakfast! This one looks so delicious! Great post and awesome photos!
What if I don’t have a paddle attachment?
I made this bread today. It turned out perfectly!
I did make a couple substitutions…..
1. I used whole wheat pastry flour (Bob’s Red Mill brand)
2. I used a 1/2 cup of sugar
3. I used frozen berries
Thanks for the great recipe! I shall bring it to a friend’s house tomorrow : )
Trying to cut back on sugar. Can I sub sugar with apple sauce and flour with whole wheat?
Could I use frozen blueberries in this?
Hi Mary Jane! Per my answer above… while fresh is always best, you definitely could use frozen blueberries. There are two schools of thought: Either thaw and drain the frozen berries before adding them, or just mix in the frozen berries and up your baking time by about 5 minutes. I’ve never tried this recipe with frozen blueberries, but I would opt for the thawing/draining method. Hope this helps!
This looks yummy… What an amazing photo, it’s good that I saw it now before going to sleep, I am guaranteed to have sweet dreams :-)
My family would love this gorgeous bread too.
Thank you for stopping by, Barbara! This bread is incredibly moist (and super easy to make). Enjoy!
I’m dreaming of waking up to this for breakfast tomorrow morning. If only it weren’t so late already — I truly would break out the pans and start baking this. ;)
I know the feeling! The good news is that it’s super quick to make, and it lasts for a week. Thanks for stopping by!
I really want to make this for my kids this week! Yum!
I love using ‘tried & true’ family favourite recipes. This recipe is very similar to one of my all-time favs Cranberry Orange Bread. I’m currently baking some banana bread but will definitely give this recipe a try once I get my hands on fresh blueberries. Have you ever used frozen blueberries instead??
Thanks for stopping by, Laurie! While fresh is always best, you definitely could use frozen blueberries. There are two schools of thought: Either thaw and drain the frozen berries before adding them, or just mix in the frozen berries and up your baking time by about 5 minutes. I’ve never tried this recipe with frozen blueberries, but I would opt for the thawing/draining method. Hope this helps!