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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.
I made this bread and it was a HUGE hit! Everyone loved it! I got some great pictures of it and posted it on my blog! http://livingbeyondmeasure.com/strawberry-cream-cheese-bread/
What an super looking loaf! Can’t wait to make it. Is there a way to use regular salt as Kosher salt is impossible to find in my tiny town. Thanks for your help.
Sherry-
You can certainly substitute regular salt for Kosher salt, this shouldn’t create any problems. Stop back and let us know hoe it turned out!
-Jamie
This is lovely! I am in the mood for all things spring, so this jumped right out at me! :)
I am now following you via Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Google Reader. I am looking forward to browsing your Essentials, Fundamentals, and Recipe Index! :)
I have a question.
Is there any substitute for butter milk?
My friend wants to try this but she can’t find butter milk from local store.
Thanks~
Jihye-
You can make your own buttermilk by adding one tablespoon of vinegar to a a little less than one cup of milk. Let it rest for about 5 minutes and you have your buttermilk. Thanks so much for stopping by – have a great day!
-Jamie
OMG!!!!
This is soooo good!
I wanted to spend my cream cheese and I like strawberry.
I used organic strawberries as you suggested.
Oh this is so yummy.
It’s good even when it’s warm.
(couldn’t wait to chill cause the smell was too tempting)
I shared with my friends when it’s hot and he said wow.
Thank you so much!!!!!
Will try with blue berry too.
Happy New Year!!
I just baked this, just one word: Amazing! I featured on my site. Thanks!
I’m pretty late finding this recipe, but wanted to let you know anyway … I made this and it is UHmazing!! I’ve made a few different breads like this and there is just something about the strawberries and cream cheese in yours. I’m making a second loaf today. It’s wonderful with tea. Thank you! I’m a new follower.
Kori-
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe – thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback! Have a great day.
-Jamie
sounds yummy,
what is the measurement if using regular table salt?
Candice-
I would recommend using 1/4 teaspoon of table salt. I hope this helps, thanks for stopping by!
-Jamie
I’m a little late to the party, but I made this bread yesterday. It totally overflowed my pan and smelled up my house (not in a good way). I baked it 60 min and the middle still did not get done, although the top was getting too brown. The flavor is great though, and I’m trying to decide if I should try this again, and if I do what besides baking longer should I do. Should I put it in two pans? Less baking powder? Any suggestions?