This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our privacy policy.
Use sweet summer strawberries to make this easy strawberry bread recipe. This bread has a moist, tender crumb thanks to buttermilk and fresh berries and is a dream for breakfast when lightly toasted and smeared with a bit of cream cheese.
There’s nothing quite like hitting up one of the local U-Pick berry farms once summer and strawberry season arrives. We try to go at least once each year to get our hands on beautiful, sweet strawberries.
Aside from eating them by the handful, we use them in all of our favorite fresh strawberry recipes, including everything from strawberry scones to no-bake strawberry eclair cake, all summer long.
This strawberry quick bread is always a must-make. It takes just 15 minutes to mix together and, after baking for an hour, becomes a perfectly sweet, moist bread that’s bursting with fresh strawberry flavor.
I developed this recipe back when I was teaching middle school full-time. One of my coworkers asked me if I had a fresh strawberry bread recipe, so I set out to create the right one.
I played around with this recipe for a while, tinkering until it was just right. And all of these years later, it’s still one of my family’s favorite quick breads!
A note from Jamie
2026 update: I first shared this recipe way back in 2010, just a couple of years after starting this site. It’s one of those recipes that’s help up through the years and is still one I return to season after season. I’ve since updated the post with new photos and even more tips for making the very best strawberry bread. Enjoy!
Testing notes
- Butter, cream cheese, and buttermilk work together for the perfect flavor and texture: Instead of just using butter as the fat in this quick bread, I find that pairing it with cream cheese and using buttermilk adds a delightful tanginess to the bread. The lactic acid in the buttermilk also helps keep the bread moist and the crumb tender.
- Use smaller, sweeter strawberries for more flavor: Don’t be fooled by those huge strawberries. They often don’t have as much flavor as the smaller berries, which are often sweeter!
- Switch to a spatula when it’s time to fold in the berries: The bread batter comes together with an electric mixer, but I like to use a spatula to gently fold in the chopped strawberries. The batter is very thick, so gently folding them in keeps the berries from breaking down too much before the bread goes in the oven.
- Toast slices and enjoy them with cream cheese: It’s the best breakfast. Just trust me on this.
What readers are saying
“I made this bread and it is delicious! The next morning we toasted some (under the broiler in the oven) and it was even better…toasting it brought out the taste of the strawberries. This is definitely a recipe I will keep.” -Janice
“WOW! amazing!!! I will make again and again. This is a new staple in my house.” -Kim
“We had an abundance of strawberries leftover and I knew exactly what to do with them. This is the second time I used this recipe and it did not disappoint.” -Leslie
Helpful resources
⬇️ For the full recipe, including ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below!
Make sure both the butter and cream cheese are softened to room temperature before you start making the batter. If you forget to set them out ahead of time, check out my tips for softening butter quickly, as well as how to soften cream cheese.
This recipe uses the creaming method to mix the butter and cream cheese together with the sugar. Learn more about how to cream butter and sugar correctly.
Use the fluff, scoop, and sweep method to measure the flour. Getting this simple step right can make a big difference in how your bread turns out. Learn more about this method and why it works in my post on how to measure flour.
Out of buttermilk? Don’t stress. You can use a simple 2-ingredient buttermilk substitute in this recipe instead.
Optional toppings
I think this strawberry bread recipe is perfect as-is, but you have a couple of options if you’d like to add some extra sweetness to the top of the bread.
For a crunchy sugar topping, sprinkle the top of the loaf with coarse sugar just before baking, similar to how I like to finish my pumpkin banana bread.
If you prefer a glazed strawberry bread, you can make a simple powdered sugar glaze to drizzle on top, similar to the one I use on my vanilla bean scones.
For another punch of strawberry flavor, try adding strawberry jam and a bit of lemon juice to the glaze, like the one I use on my easy strawberry brownies.
Storage and freezing tips
The fresh strawberries in this recipe make the bread dense (in just the right away) and moist. Because of this, you’ll get a longer shelf-life out of the bread if you store it in the refrigerator, especially if your kitchen is warm.
Wrap the cooled strawberry bread and store at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Freeze the bread for up to 1 month. Wrap the whole loaf in plastic wrap followed by a layer of heavy-duty foil, or wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and place them in a zip-top freezer bag.
To thaw, let the bread rest at room temperature for 1-2 hours. You can also unwrap the slices and microwave them for 30-60 seconds to both thaw and warm them through.
Frequently asked questions
This recipe really does work best with fresh berries. That said, you can use frozen diced strawberries. Do not thaw them before adding them to the batter and keep in mind that they can make the bread a bit more moist.
The batter can certainly be baked in a standard muffin tin if you’d like. Fill the wells about 2/3 fill and bake for about 18-22 minutes.
Keep in mind that while you can bake quick bread batter in muffin tins without making any adjustments, you may not get the same domed top that you often see in muffin recipes. If you are looking for strawberry muffins, check out my strawberry banana muffins recipe.
Fresh Strawberry Bread
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 ½ cups chopped fresh strawberries
Video
Instructions
- Grease and flour (1) 9×5-inch loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- With electric mixer, cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until well combined. Mix in vanilla.1/2 cup unsalted butter, 4 ounces cream cheese, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to the butter mixture, mixing until just combined. Add the buttermilk and mix only until just combined; do not over mix.2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1/2 cup buttermilk
- Switch to a spatula and carefully fold in strawberries. Batter will be thick.1 1/2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
- Spread batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let bread cool in the loaf pan for about 30 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Ingredients
- If you are out of buttermilk, make a 2-ingredient buttermilk substitute.
- This recipe is best with fresh strawberries, but you can use frozen diced strawberries in a pinch. Do not thaw them before adding them to the batter.
Optional toppings
- If you’d like, you can sprinkle the top of the loaf with coarse sugar before baking for a crunchy sugar topping.
- If you prefer a glaze on your strawberry bread, try the lemony strawberry glaze from my strawberry brownies recipe.
Storage
- Store well wrapped at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
- The bread can be frozen whole or in slices. Wrap the cooled loaf in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of heavy-duty foil, or wrap individual slices in a layer of plastic wrap before placing in a zip-top freezer bag. Freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature for 1-2 hours, or unwrap individual slices and microwave for 30-60 seconds to thaw and warm through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
You may also like
More easy quick bread recipes
If you love this fresh strawberry bread recipe, be sure to check out the rest of my quick bread recipes.
Some of my summer favorites include my rich chocolate zucchini bread, glazed lemon blueberry bread, and melt-in-your-mouth pineapple banana bread.
Jamie, Love your recipes! I’ve repeatedly made and enjoyed more than any other banana bread more than any I’ve prepared. I’m reading this recipe to try and notice the batter ingredients differ. I’m always looking to maximize flavor, which you do as well. I’m considering incorporating the best of both the banana and strawberry bread batters if that’s possible. Would you recommend taking the shining star ingredients of one and moving to the other (example: cream cheese in the strawberry bread into the banana bread or brown sugar from banana bread to the strawberry bread). Perhaps what you’ve presented here is the best as they are presented. I’d try all sorts of things, but you are clearly the more experienced in skill and palate. Thank you!
I made this and hubby loves it! All my strawberries have been frozen, can they be substituted?
Hi Lori – You should be able to use frozen strawberries if they are already chopped, but I would not thaw them before adding them to the batter. I don’t know that thawed strawberries would work very well, but if you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it turns out.
Happy baking!
Jamie
I plan to use this recipe but substitute chopped peaches. I hope it works. I have 25 lbs of beautiful fresh peaches to use up!
Let me know how to turns out! I have a bunch of peaches on hand too!
-Jamie
Strawberry season is over in Florida, but it is blueberry season. The California berries that we get are hard! Have you ever tried blueberries?
Hello! I haven’t attempted this recipe with this substitution, so I am not sure of the result. If you happen to give it a try, I’d love to know how it turned out. Thanks so much for stopping by.
-Jamie
What flour is used in this recipe please? I would like to make it, sounds delicious!
Hello! You will want to use all purpose flour in this recipe. Hope this helps! Happy baking.
Jamie
can i use apple as well?
Hello! I haven’t attempted this recipe with apples instead, so I am not sure of the result. If you happen to give it a try, I’d love to know how it turned out. I also have an apple bread recipe you might like:https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/apple-pie-bread/
Thanks so much for stopping by.
-Jamie
This look very delicious. But we dont usually have buttermilk, what is the good alternative for the buttermilk? Is it the same measurement? Thanks in advance for the response.
Hello! You can easily use my buttermilk substitute instead: https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/buttermilk-substitute/
Hope this helps! Happy baking.
Jamie
Sounds luscious! Could this recipe be adapted for scones?
Hello! I haven’t attempted making this recipe into scones, so I am not sure of the best method or result. If you happen to give it a try, I’d love to know how they turned out. Thanks so much for stopping by.
-Jamie
Looks so delicious! I love strawberry in pastries! Perfect for weekend brunch!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Natalie! I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Baking!
-Jamie
This was moist. I made one loaf as the recipe stated and made the other loaf with puréed strawberries folded into the batter. Both were good. The loaf with strawberry purée had a more intense strawberry flavour. I would make this recipe again.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the bread, Sunshine! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie