Recipe Roundup

43 Lightning-Fast Quick Bread Recipes

Easy loaves, yes. But also our favorite muffins, cornbread, biscuits, and more.
A loaf of banana bread half sliced on a marble surface with a dish of softened butter to the side.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Rhoda Boone

Maybe you've been baking a lot of banana bread, but quick bread recipes extend beyond the banana to many other baked goods, including anything leavened with baking powder and/or baking soda instead of yeast. Below you'll find some of our favorite loaf cakes, soda breads, cornbread, and more no-stress baking projects.

  • A loaf of banana bread half sliced on a marble surface with a dish of softened butter to the side.
    Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Rhoda Boone
    1/43

    Classic Easy Banana Bread

    This sweet, nutty, and supremely moist loaf is everything you could ever want in classic banana bread.

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  • Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Christina Allen, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht
    2/43

    Chocolate Chip Scones

    A batch of homemade chocolate chip scones has the power to turn any regular morning into a special occasion.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    3/43

    Skillet Cornbread

    Proof that the best cornbread isn’t necessarily the most complicated, this easy recipe gets it on the table in 30 minutes.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart
    4/43

    Pumpkin Bread

    Reduced apple cider gives this pumpkin bread extra sweetness and a freshening tang, not to mention double the fall vibes.

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  • Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Kate Schmidt
    5/43

    Classic Blueberry Muffins

    Chock-full of berries, our ultimate muffins have just the right amount of sweetness, plus a gentle tang and tender crumb thanks to sour cream.

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  • Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Susan Spungen
    6/43

    Sour Cream and Onion Biscuits

    Not all quick bread recipes make big loaves. These sour cream-enriched biscuits have a tangy flavor and wonderful, tender texture.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Joe Sevier and Anna Stockwell
    9/43

    Fluffy Cathead Biscuits With Honey Butter

    Cathead biscuits are a Southern staple whose name refers to their large size (about as big as a cat's head). The dough for this hand-rolled biscuit recipe is made by incorporating flour into the wet ingredients, instead of the reverse. The result is a fluffy (rather than flaky) biscuit, ready to be split and spread with flavorful honey butter.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks
    10/43

    French Spiced Bread

    This classic French spiced bread is perfumed with a vibrant spice mix of star anise, ginger, and cinnamon. It's great for a sweet toast in the morning, or it can be sliced thinly and served with pâté for a pretty appetizer.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Styling by Ali Nardi
    11/43

    Raspberry Corn Muffins

    Buttermilk and honey makes these muffins impossibly tender and indescribably delicious.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau
    12/43

    Skillet Cornbread With Chives

    A true Southerner wouldn’t dare add sugar to this cornbread recipe, but a Yankee might miss it. Do what you will; we don’t judge.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks
    15/43

    Banana-Pecan Ice Cream Bread

    This fun dessert magically turns store-bought ice cream into bread with a little help from self-rising flour. The butter pecan ice cream does double duty, adding caramelly sweetness and nutty crunch.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova
    16/43

    Strawberry Nut Bread

    Bananas are great and all, but in the summer there's better fruit around and it bakes up (IMHO) even better.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Grace Parisi
    21/43

    Buttermilk Biscuits with Honey Butter

    Sweet honey butter, seasoned with a kiss of flaky sea salt, is the ultimate topping for these light-as-air biscuits.

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  • Photo by Lindsay Anderson and Dana VanVeller
    22/43

    Bannock Two Ways

    While the dough is similar to that of a scone or biscuit, this Canadian quick bread is cooked in a frying pan instead of being baked.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau
    23/43

    Gluten-Free Coconut Bread

    We’ve found that the best gluten-free recipes rely on a custom blend of flours and starches. To make your own sorghum flour, blitz whole sorghum to a powder with a Vitamix blender or a NutriBullet.

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  • Photo by Myles New
    24/43

    Raspberry & Banana No-Knead Breakfast Loaf

    This wholesome loaf uses a combination of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour for optimum flavor and texture.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
    25/43

    Blueberry Lemon Corn Muffins

    Savory cornmeal meets the sweetness of blueberries and zest of a lemon for tender muffins that come together in 45 minutes. This easy recipe calls for fresh blueberries, but frozen berries work just as well.

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  • Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott
    26/43

    Lemon-Pistachio Loaf

    Don’t even think about lifting this cake out of the pan before it’s completely—and we mean completely—cool.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks
    27/43

    Bite-Size Stollen

    Want the rich, buttery, spicy flavor of Stollen without the work of a yeasted dough and the weeks of impatiently waiting for the loaves to be ready? If so, Stollenkonfekt is the thing for you.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova
    28/43

    Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

    Make these quick and savory drop biscuits to serve alongside a big bowl of chili or as the base for an incredible breakfast sandwich.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone
    31/43

    Banana Bread With Variations

    This version of banana bread comes from Mark Bittman. It's just sweet enough, with fabulous crunch if you add walnuts and coconut, which he suggests as optional additions.

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  • Nava Atlas
    32/43

    Just-as-Sweet-as-Honey Cake

    This recipe forgoes honey in place of a mix of agave nectar and maple syrup for a twist on the classic Jewish cake.

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  • Laura Letinsky
    33/43

    Bacon Cheddar Quick Bread with Dried Pears

    We love to serve this quick bread cut into strips, alongside a salad. It tastes best the day it's made. The day after, try it toasted and topped with butter. For best texture, make sure the dried pears you use are plump and moist.

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  • Lisa Hubbard
    34/43

    Persimmon Bread

    Made with pureed Hachiya persimmons, this unique cinnamon-spiced bread just begs for a thick swipe of softened cream cheese.

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  • Photo by Yuki Sugiura
    41/43

    Korean Egg Bread

    Usually just a pancake-like dough with egg, this version sports bacon, tomato, and gooey cheese for a completely gratifying breakfast.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
    42/43

    Peanut Butter–Banana Muffins

    Wheat germ boosts the nutty flavor in these kid-friendly muffins. This easy recipe is a good way to use up bananas that have gotten really ripe.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li
    43/43

    Butternut Squash, Coconut, and Ginger Muffins

    Like the best possible Morning Glory muffins, this classic gets an update with grated butternut squash in place of carrot—plus coconut, ginger, and a crystalline brown sugar crust.

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