Coconut bread is one of those wonderful baked goods that straddles the line between breakfast and dessert. Could it be breakfast toasted with a bit of jam? Sure thing. Could it be served for dessert with a cup of coffee and a scoop of ice cream? You bet. This is one of those treats that you are going to make again and again. I’m sure of it!

close up of coconut bread in parchment paper

This recipe for coconut bread was one of the first recipes I ever printed off the interwebs. It originally came from a site that doesn’t exist anymore and I haven’t found a recipe quite like it since then.

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What makes this coconut bread so special?

The subtle taste of coconut is what makes this recipe a star. It’s not overwhelming sweet and has just the right hint of coconut to make it feel grown-up. I happen to love coconut, but even people who aren’t big fans, have told me that this bread is a winner. Because the coconut is so subtle, it appeals to many palates.

If you want to make this cake even fancier or more coconut forward you could add some sweetened coconut flakes to the top about halfway through baking so that they got toasted and crunchy. Another idea is to make simple glaze for the top with powdered sugar, a few tablespoons of coconut milk and a hint of coconut extract. It would take the coconut flavor up about a hundred notches. However, I think it’s great as is.

slice of coconut bread on a gray plate garnished with coconut flakes. The rest of the loaf sits next to the plate

What can you serve this coconut bread with?

Like I said before, it can either be breakfast, brunch, tea time or dessert. It’s really quite versatile. If I were serving this for breakfast/brunch, I would pair it with strawberry or blueberry jam. They are both flavors that play well with coconut. You could also toast it and schmear with almond butter or lemon curd.

For dessert, I would most likely serve with a scoop of ice cream. To pair with the coconut you could go with a pineapple sorbet if you wanted to keep things dairy free (and reminsce about your favorite tropical vacation). Chocolate, toasted almond and vanilla bean ice creams would also pair quite nicely.

Can this coconut bread be made dairy free?

Yes, you can easily make this recipe dairy free. You would swap the milk with either almond or coconut milk and swap the butter with any dairy free baking stick. These are simple swaps that will still give you delicious results.

Tips and Tricks

wet ingredients and dry ingredients for coconut bread in separate bowls

Use your liquid measuring cup as your extra bowl. Once you measure the milk, crack the eggs right into the same measuring cup along with the vanilla.
Melt you butter in that same measuring cup once you’ve incorporated the wet and dry ingredients together to save washing extra dishes.
When melting butter, I like to do it in 10 second increments. Stop melting when there is still some solid bits just swirl the melted butter around it to help the last bit melt. This also means you don’t have to wait for super hot butter to cool down before you fold it in the batter.

Looking for other recipes that straddle the line between breakfast and dessert? Check these out: