This moist Coconut Bread is made with coconut milk, coconut extract, shredded coconut, Greek yogurt, and pantry staples for a quick tropical treat! It’s topped with a rich cream cheese glaze for the perfect finishing touch.
Keep it tropical with these coconut desserts — Coconut Lime Tarts, Coconut Date Pudding Cake, and Easy Coconut Cream Pie recipe!
Table of Contents
This moist Coconut Bread is soft, sweet, and has just the right amount of coconut flavor!
The rich cream cheese glaze adds just the right amount of indulgence, making it a must-have for any brunch or dessert table.
Serve it with a cup of coffee in the morning or as a treat after dinner!
Why you’ll love this easy Coconut Bread recipe:
- Perfect for coconut lovers: This sweet bread is loaded with coconut milk, extract, and shredded coconut for a hit of tropical flavor!
- Quick: This recipe only has 10 minutes of prep and is ready in an hour, so it’s perfect for whipping up at a moment’s notice.
- Moist: The coconut milk, oil, and Greek yogurt keep this bread super moist and fluffy.
Coconut Bread Ingredients:
Coconut Bread
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness.
- Canned light coconut milk: Light coconut milk is thinner and has less fat than regular coconut milk, so it’s a bit lighter with a milder flavor.
- Greek yogurt: Keeps the bread moist and adds a little tang to balance the sweetness.
- Oil: Makes sure the bread stays soft and doesn’t dry out. Use any neutral-flavored cooking oil for this recipe, like canola, vegetable, or avocado oil. You could even use melted coconut oil for even more coconut flavor.
- Eggs: Hold everything together and give the bread structure.
- Coconut extract: Kicks up the coconut flavor for an extra tropical taste! You can omit this, but the coconut flavor will be much more subtle.
- Vanilla extract: Adds depth of flavor.
- Baking powder and baking soda: These leavening agents help the bread rise so it’s nice and fluffy.
- All-purpose flour: Gives the bread its shape and texture while keeping it tender.
- Sweetened shredded coconut: Adds a little texture and even more coconut flavor.
Cream Cheese Glaze
- Cream cheese: Creates a rich, creamy base for the glaze. Make sure to use a full-fat cream cheese block, not the kind that comes in a tub, for best results.
- Powdered sugar: Sweetens and thickens up the glaze.
- Milk: Thins out the glaze for easy drizzling. You can use any kind of milk here.
How to make Coconut Bread:
This Coconut Bread is made in one bowl and only takes 10 minutes to prep! For the full list of recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card below!
- Whisk together the sugar, coconut milk, yogurt, oil, eggs, coconut and vanilla extracts.
- Add the baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk until combined.
- Add the flour and coconut and stir to combine.
- Pour it into a lightly greased bread loaf pan and bake.
- Beat the glaze ingredients together.
- Spoon over the top of the loaf.
Tips and notes:
- Use room-temperature ingredients: Let your cream cheese sit out before making the glaze. It mixes much more easily!
- Don’t overmix: Stir the batter just until everything is combined. Overmixing can make the bread dense instead of soft and fluffy.
- Check your baking powder and soda: If they’re old, your bread won’t rise properly. You can test to see if they’re still good by dropping some baking powder in water. If it fizzes, it’s still good!
- Toast the coconut: For extra flavor, spread the shredded coconut on a baking sheet and toast it until golden brown. It makes the coconut flavor even better!
Variations and Substitutions
- Add nuts: Add chopped nuts like almonds or macadamia nuts to the batter for extra texture.
- Add citrus zest: Mix in some lemon or lime zest to the batter or glaze for a fresh, zesty kick!
How to store this Coconut Bread loaf:
Store the loaf at room temperature for 1-2 days. After that, pop it into the fridge for up to one week!
If you want a warm slice of Coconut Bread, pop it into the microwave for 10 seconds.
How to freeze Coconut Bread:
Coconut Bread, like most quick bread recipes, freezes beautifully, which means it’s perfect for making ahead and saving for a day when you have surprise guests or need something for a potluck!
Simply wrap tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container for up to 3 months before thawing.
To thaw, leave out at room temperature for 3-4 hours or in the refrigerator overnight.
More coconut desserts you’ll love:
- Hot Milk Cake with Broiled Coconut Frosting — a personal favorite!
- Homemade Coconut Cream Poke Cake
- Easy No-Churn Coconut Cream Pie Ice Cream — a summertime treat!
- Gluten-Free Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting — perfectly moist.
Coconut Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- ¾ cup canned light coconut milk
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups all purpose flour (188 grams)
- ¾ cup sweetened, shredded coconut
Cream Cheese Glaze
- ¼ cup cream cheese (2 oz) room temperature
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8×4″ loaf pan (a 9″ will work fine, you will just have a lower loaf and need to reduce the bake time by about 10 minutes)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, coconut milk, yogurt, oil, eggs, coconut and vanilla extracts.
- Add the baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk until combined.
- Add the flour and coconut and stir just until moistened.
- Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Cover with tin foil for the last 15 minutes of bake time if you want to prevent additional browning.
- Let sit for 10 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Glaze
- Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar and milk and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add additional sugar if needed to reach desired consistency.
- Drizzle over cooled loaf, slice and serve.
Nutrition Information
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Andrea says
Do you glaze it before freezing? Or add it after it’s unthawed? I doubled the recipe and have it in the oven right now!
Ashley Fehr says
I think either would work but I would probably glaze before serving!
Cynthia says
can this be made as muffins?
Ashley Fehr says
I haven’t tried it yet but I should!
Janey says
Hi, the topping looks like what I usually do for my carrot cake! Can I do this coconut cake without the coconut extract? Will it have much difference in the taste?
Ashley Fehr says
You can skip the coconut extract! It will be quite a bit less coconut-y, but if that doesn’t bother you it will still be awesome!