Coconut Bread Recipe (2024)

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This easy Coconut Bread Recipe is drizzled with a sweet coconut glaze and sprinkled with toasted coconut. It’s a coconut lover’s dream!

My friends, there are few things in this world that I love more than coconut. So it is no surprise that I can’t get enough of this coconut bread.

Not only is it super easy to make, but it so dense and moist and just absolutely scrumptious. It’s great alongside my morning coffee or served warmed with a scoop of ice cream on top for dessert. You’ll love it!

Do you love quick bread? I didn’t know a lot about it until a few years ago. As a child, I remember my grandmother making this recipe and others similar to it – I just never knew it was called quick bread.

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I loved it when she would make this and all her other quick bread recipes. It always made me feel like I was getting dessert early and I wasn’t going to complain about that.

This one is so good, it makes a great gift for the neighbors. I whip up several loaves and send the kids out with them to deliver the loaves to everyone during the holidays.

coconut quick bread

Here are some commonly asked questions

What is the best way to store leftover coconut bread?

I find this bread is best when kept in an airtight container and refrigerated. It should keep for up to a week when chilled or 1-2 days at room temperature. I just give it a quick zap in the microwave to take the chill off of it a bit before serving again.

Can I use regular milk instead of coconut milk?

Yes – that will work for this recipe, but then it won’t be coconut bread. You need that coconut milk to give it the coconut flavor. But you could use regular milk and then add coconut extract in place of the vanilla extract if you like.

Don’t miss these other great recipes with coconut!

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons
Coconut Poke Cake
Easy Coconut Cupcakes
Coconut Cream Cake
Banana Coconut Bundt Cake
Banana Coconut Donuts
Easter Egg Coconut Cheesecake
Coconut Macaroons

coconut bread

Should I use salted or unsalted butter?

This is really a personal preference. If you are happy with just a little salt to cut the sweetness, then use salted butter.

I usually use whatever I have on hand & I really don’t pay too close attention to what butter I have. But I typically keep salted butter on hand & I love that little bit of extra salt with the sweet in this recipe.

These days with groceries being more difficult to find – I basically get whatever the store has available at the time and make it work.

Can this coconut bread be frozen?

Yes, I do it often. I find that it stays nice and moist if you wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then place it in a zip-top bag before freezing. Please use within 3 months.

recipe for coconut bread

How to soften the butter to room temperature?

There are a couple of ways to do this. The first being that you can take the butter (& any other ingredients that need to be at room temperature) out, leave it on the counter for about 30 minutes while you prep for baking.

I usually start with all my chilled ingredients and pull everything I need out onto the counter before getting started – so I know for sure I have everything before I’m mid-way through I realize I’m out of something.

But sometimes it’s winter and that isn’t enough time to get the ingredients warmed up – OR – I’m just not that organized to plan ahead. It happens. So I have another couple of tricks.

Second – I place the butter in the microwave – wrapped in the paper. (don’t do this if it is wrapped in foil) Then I microwave for 2 seconds – flip – go another 2 seconds – flip again – and continue for 2 seconds on each side.

This is usually enough to get it perfect – sometimes stopping before if it feels soft enough. Take care when doing this method – overly softened butter from the microwave WILL ALTER the end result of the recipe. Don’t over-do it.

My third method is to place the wrapped butter sticks in a zip-top bag and place it in a bowl of warm water. I do this with the eggs too. If the water isn’t too hot it can be THE PERFECT way to get “room-temperature” ingredients.

Can this recipe be doubled?

Yes- doubling works great. Just divide the large quantity of batter between 2 loaf pans and make sure to rotate them in the oven about half way through the baking process.

sweet coconut bread

Ingredients for Coconut Bread

all-purpose flour
baking powder
salt
granulated sugar
butter – room temperature
eggs
unsweetened coconut milk
vanilla extract
sweetened coconut

GLAZE/TOPPING

confectioner’s sugar
unsweetened coconut milk
toasted coconut

How do I properly measure the confectioner’s sugar?

The official way is to spoon the sugar into the measuring cup & level off. This makes sure the sugar isn’t packed tightly into your measuring cup, adding more than you need, as that will make your recipe too dry.

Sometimes if you fluff the sugar with a spoon, then gently scoop it into the measuring cup, taking care to not pack it in – that can work. For THIS RECIPE you can fluff and gently scoop.

coconut glaze

HOW TO MAKE COCONUT BREAD

BREAD

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir & set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, butter, eggs, coconut milk, and vanilla. Whisk well until combined.
Stir in the dry ingredients.
Fold in the coconut.
Transfer to a greased loaf pan.
Bake 45-55 minutes or until the toothpick test is clean.
Let the bread cool on a wire rack in the pan until it reaches room temperature before adding the glaze and removing it from the pan.

GLAZE

Whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and milk, starting with just 1 tbsp and increasing up to 2 tbsp – until you reach your desired consistency. Some like it thin enough to soak in and others like it thicker like frosting.
Pour or spread the mixture on top of the cooled bread.
Sprinkle with toasted coconut before slicing and serving.

Can I use a vanilla substitute instead of vanilla extract?

Yes. Vanilla essence does not provide quite the same flavor as regular vanilla extract. However, it is a good alternative.

best coconut bread

Products I love when making coconut bread…

This coconut bread recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me, then you probably already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made quick bread before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love it. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this bread recipe.

no yeast bread

If you love this Easy Coconut Bread recipe, you’re going to love these other recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

Coconut Bread Recipe

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Servings: 1 loaf

This easy Coconut Bread Recipe is drizzled with a sweet coconut glaze and sprinkled with toasted coconut. It’s a coconut lover’s dream!

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Ingredients

BREAD

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup butter – room temperature
2 large eggs
¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup sweetened coconut

GLAZE/TOPPING

1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1-2 tbsp unsweetened coconut milk
⅓ cup toasted coconut

Instructions

BREAD

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir & set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, butter, eggs, coconut milk, and vanilla. Whisk well until combined.
Stir in the dry ingredients.
Fold in the coconut.
Transfer to a greased loaf pan.
Bake 45-55 minutes or until the toothpick test is clean.
Let the bread cool on a wire rack in the pan until it reaches room temperature before adding the glaze and removing it from the pan.

GLAZE

Whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and milk, starting with just 1 tbsp and increasing up to 2 tbsp – until you reach your desired consistency. Some like it thin enough to soak in and others like it thicker like frosting.
Pour or spread the mixture on top of the cooled bread.
Sprinkle with toasted coconut before slicing and serving.

Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Taste of the Frontier cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.

Love this recipe?Follow @KleinworthCo for even more tasty recipes!

Reader Interactions

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Claire M Vassil says
March 18, 2021

How does bread taste without the glaze/topping? Trying to watch sugars.
Reply
- Gina Kleinworth says
  March 19, 2021
  
  The bread has some sweetness and is still moist without the glaze.
  The glaze only really covers the top, so most of what you are eating would be without it anyway – so it is easy to leave it off.
Ann says
December 31, 2021

Hi there…!I have a question on Instructions number 3, when you say whisk well untill combined – should be like a whipped?
Thank you!
Reply
- Gina Kleinworth says
  January 2, 2022
  
  No – just until all of the ingredients are combined and there aren’t any remaining whole egg yolks or dry pockets of sugar. You don’t want to whisk beyond when the ingredients are fully incorporated because you don’t want to over-work the eggs – which still need to go through mixing the dry ingredients at that point in the recipe.
Anne F says
August 14, 2022

This was so simple and a huge hit in our home!!
Reply
- Lindsay Chalmers says
  September 1, 2023
  
  I found that I had to mix it for quite a while when adding all those wet ingredients together at the beginning. I had chunks of soft butter floating in it so I kept running my mixer for longer. Have you tried creaming the butter and sugar together first to see if that helps with the butter chunks that are resistance to mixing in?
  Thank you for the recipe! 😊
D says
March 15, 2023

Measurements are not listed — only ingredients.
Reply
- Gina Kleinworth says
  March 16, 2023
  
  You scrolled past the printable recipe card with the FULL recipe. It is DIRECTLY ABOVE the comments section. If you click the jump to recipe button at the very top of the post – it takes you right there.
kimberley says
May 9, 2023

Coconut milk, is that the clear liquid from inside the coconut?
Reply
- Gina Kleinworth says
  May 11, 2023
  
  No. The kind found in the carton as a replacement to milk. There is a link to the product used in the post under the section “Products I love when making coconut bread…”
Sarah Cole says
July 17, 2023

Can I use “Premium Coconut Milk” in the can in place of the “unsweetened coconut milk”?
Reply
- Gina Kleinworth says
  July 17, 2023
  
  I have never tried it. I would think that as long as it is the same consistency and isn’t sweetened, that it would work just fine.
Sabrina says
March 28, 2024

This was excellent and so easy to pull together. I made it all in one bowl and it came out moist and delicious. My husband said it is in his top ten!
Reply