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This easy strawberry bread is a moist, tender quick bread packed with sweet, juicy strawberries — no yeast, no mixer, and just one bowl. It’s the kind of simple loaf that’s perfect for spring and summer when berries are everywhere, whether you serve it for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon snack.
If you love this recipe, be sure to check out my Strawberry Banana Bread and these banana bread recipes too!
Why you’ll love this strawberry quick bread recipe!
Every June, my girls and I go a little overboard at the strawberry patch — we always come home with way more berries than we can eat before they go soft. This strawberry bread is what happens to the “oops, we picked too many” pile, and honestly, it’s become the thing my family looks forward to more than the berries themselves. I’ve been making it for years, and it’s one of those recipes I get texted about after every potluck.
- One bowl, no mixer — I’ve stirred this together before school drop-off more times than I can count.
- Moist and tender with bursts of fresh strawberry — the glaze soaks into the top just a little, and that first slice never survives long enough to cool.
- Freezer-friendly — I always bake two: one for us, one for the freezer (or a neighbor).
- Great for gifting — this is my go-to for teacher gifts and new-mom meal drop-offs. Loaves travel beautifully.
Table of Contents
Ingredient Notes
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
For the Cake:
- All-purpose flour – You’ll need some for the batter and some for dusting the berries to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the loaf pan.
- Baking powder – For lift.
- Granulated sugar – Not just to sweeten the bread! Sugar also helps it stay moist.
- Whole milk – Whole milk will give you a moist, tender crumb.
- Vegetable oil – You can use canola oil if that’s what you have on hand.
- Egg – Here’s the best way to crack an egg.
- Strawberries – Here’s a tip for refreshing your strawberries if they’ve started to get soft!
For the Glaze:
- Powdered sugar – Because it’s so finely ground, this melts right into the milk to form the glaze.
- Whole milk – You can use lemon or orange juice instead to add a citrus flavor to your glaze!
Variations
- Lemon-strawberry – Add lemon zest to the batter and a lemon glaze.
- Frozen strawberries – Use straight from frozen (don’t thaw); toss in flour so they don’t bleed.
- Add-ins – White chocolate chips or chopped nuts.
- Muffins – Divide into a muffin tin and reduce the bake time.
- Cinnamon – Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients for a cozy, spiced loaf.
How to Make Strawberry Bread
- Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Whisk the wet ingredients (eggs, oil, milk) in another.
- Combine just until barely mixed, then fold in the floured strawberries.
- Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350°F until a toothpick comes out clean, about 50–60 minutes. Cool in the pan, then on a rack. Glaze if desired.
How to Store
If you plan on eating your strawberry bread within a few days, you can store it wrapped at room temperature. However, if you want the bread to last for a full week, it’s best to store it in the fridge, either wrapped or in an airtight storage container. Just be sure to bring the bread back to room temperature before serving, as cold bread can be dense and hard.
You can also freeze strawberry bread for up to 3 months. Let it thaw at room temperature before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Frozen strawberries work great in this bread — no need to wait for berry season. Don’t thaw them first; toss the frozen berries in a tablespoon of flour and fold them straight into the batter. This keeps them from sinking and stops the juice from streaking the batter pink. You may need to add 5–10 extra minutes to the bake time. I skip frozen berries for the glaze, though — fresh (or thawed and drained) work best there.
They weren’t tossed in flour, or the batter was too thin — flour-coating fixes it.
Usually overmixing or underbaking — mix gently and test the center.
Only if glazed or for longer storage; otherwise wrapped at room temp is fine for a couple of days.
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Strawberry Bread
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups diced strawberries
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour for dusting
Glaze
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp whole milk more if needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
- In another mixing bowl, combine the sugar, milk, oil, and egg. Stir to combine.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to just combined. Toss the strawberries in the flour to coat and gently fold into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow the bread to cool for 10-15 minutes before removing it onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- For the glaze, combine both ingredients and stir to combine adding more milk if needed for the desired consistency. Once the bread has cooled to room temperature, pour the glaze over the loaf.
Notes
- Toss the strawberries in a little flour before folding them in — this keeps them from sinking.
- Don’t overmix — stir just until combined for a tender crumb.
- Dice the berries small so every slice gets strawberry.
- Test with a toothpick — quick breads can look done before the center sets.
- Cool completely before glazing so the glaze doesn’t melt off.
- Sour cream/buttermilk moisture note. You can swap the milk for buttermilk or ¼ cup sour cream for an even more tender crumb.
I love this easy quick bread every year when strawberries are in season! It’s so good!
This is a great recipe. I substituted 1/4 cup of applesauce plus 1/4 cup melted butter for the oil and it turned out fantastic!
If I double the recipe, can I bake in a 9×11 glass dish?
I made this twice. The first batch went like hotcakes. So I made a double batch the second time. I used half and half milk instead of whole. The bread turned out delicious. My family loved it.
We’re so happy to hear this! Thank you for trying it out, Mary Lou!
This is a GREAT recipe. Delicious and easy. I’m going to try it with blueberries but I wonder if I need to coat them in flour first? I will report back with what I decide
I made a double batch. 1.5 cups of diced strawberries and 1.5 cups of blueberries. I put slightly less than 1 cup of oil and added some vanilla. The bread is so good!! I will definitely be making it again. (It is sweet enough without the glaze so I left it off- save myself a few calories. If I was serving it for dessert, I’d make the glaze.)
So glad to hear you loved it! Thanks for sharing 🙂