Y’all… I LOVE this Strawberry Bread! It’s the perfect dessert, snack, even breakfast! Since it uses frozen strawberries, you can have this taste of summer year-round!
As you’ll see, the recipe calls for a light-colored pan… here’s why: The lightly colored pan reflects more heat than a dark pan and your bread is less likely to burn. Just for illustration purposes, I baked one loaf in a dark, non-stick coated pan and one in a light-colored pan. You can see the results. But don’t fret, even though that loaf on the left was a little too dark, I just cut those edges off and ate it anyway. No waste here!
Update: I’ve had several questions about the type of strawberries I use. Many folks have commented that their bread didn’t have the pretty pink color like mine. Here’s a photo of the strawberries I use. They are normally found at Winn-Dixie in the freezer section next to the frozen pie crusts. 
Strawberry Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 (15-ounce) container frozen sliced strawberries, thawed
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly grease two light-colored loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and cinnamon until combined. Stir in the pecans, strawberries, oil, and eggs. Mix until just combined. Pour into the loaf pans and bake 55 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaves comes out clean.
Mary says
That bread looks delectable!!! Making some this weekend…what size pans did you use. Thanks for sharing!
Stacey says
I used 8 1/2 X 4 1/2 pans, but 9 X 5 pans would work, too.
Mary says
Thanks for the info!
Tracy says
Did you use the already sweetened strawberries?
Stacey says
I use “no sugar added” frozen strawberries.
Janine says
I just made the Strawberry Bread- it tastes really good but it didn’t come out pink like strawberries- it looks like a regular sweet bread but with bits of strawberries in it- I expected it to come out looking like the photo- not even close! Wonder why it turned out like that-
Stacey says
What type of frozen strawberries did you use?
Janine William says
I used my own frozen strawberries that I had frozen this season-
Stacey says
That’s probably why. My guess is that the commercially available strawberries have been cooked down a touch and possibly even had some red dyes added. I would guess that’s why my version looks so pink and yours doesn’t.
Eli says
I made this last night with frozen strawberries from Target and mine also came out like regular sweet bread (not pink) and I can’t figure out why. I was so sad but it did taste good! 🙂
Pat M says
I used the commercial purchased strawberries as suggested and mine was NOT pink either, more like a pumpkin bread color. It was not pretty as the picture. Tasted ok though.
Stacey says
That’s just so weird. I guess I need to post a picture of the container of strawberries I used. 🙂
Gerry says
Do you drain the berries? I like the way you explained about the different pans.
Stacey says
Nope. You use them straight out of the package. 🙂
Eva says
I made this recipe today and the loaves turned out beautifully! I used a 16 oz bag of unsweetened whole strawberries and ran them through the mini-prep. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Stacey says
So glad it turned out well for you!!
Erika says
Looks yummy! And so easy! I’m glad Janine commented about the color… I would have been so disappointed if mine didn’t turn out that pretty pink 🙂
Stacey says
Isn’t that a pretty color???
Sandra C in Moulton, AL says
I can’t wait to try this.
Stacey says
I hope you enjoy it, Sandra! We sure love it at our house.
Sherry says
Can you use fresh strawberries…
Stacey says
I’ve not tested this recipe with fresh strawberries, but plan to and I’ll get back to you.
Jesse says
Just did with fresh strawberries; ran them through a blender until they were puréed and mixed them into the batter.
It came out great.
Stacey says
Great idea! Thanks for sharing, Jesse!
Pamela says
I saw you on The Today Show Sunday morning and immediately visited your website. I made the strawberry bread this afternoon and it’s delicious. Shared the bread with my neighbor and she also loves it and wanted your website. I can’t wait to make the shrimp and grits. I will be making it this weekend for relatives visiting. So glad I tuned in yesterday.
Stacey says
Welcome! I’m so glad you tuned in, too! I’m thrilled you liked the strawberry bread (and your neighbor did, too!)
Barbara says
Can you use glass pans?
Lesley Dean says
and drop to 340 degrees or even a bit less
Stacey says
Of course. You just may want to keep a close eye on them loaves while they bake as it may change the baking time. Enjoy!
Eli says
Hi there! Can you use the disposable loaf pans? I only have one glass loaf pan. Maybe it’s time to invest… 😉 Thanks – I can’t wait to make this!
Stacey says
Sure, Eli! Just watch them carefully, the pan make change the cooking time a bit.
Lauren Brady says
I can’t wait to make this. It looks so yummy! Thanks for sharing. Love your recipes!
And we are food dye free at our house. Kids get eczema from them all. So here is a tip on how to get that pretty pink naturally…use a touch of beet juice or smash raspberries and use a bit of the juice. They both will give a nice pink color and are so much better for you!
Stacey says
What great suggestions! Thanks, Lauren!
crystal says
Hey stacey! i’m making this right now, is the batter suppose to be thick and sticky-like? or is it supposed to be runny and wet? not too sure if i was supposed to use 3 large eggs?
Stacey says
Hi Crystal! It does come out kind of sticky and thick. Hopefully it turned out great for you!
Kathy says
What brand of “light” loaf pans do you suggest?
Stacey says
I don’t have a favorite, per se. My collection is made up of odds and ends pieces from here and there. That being said, I recently was given a few Wilton pans and I’ve been pretty happy with those.
Leah B says
This looks delish! Has anyone tried this recipe with alternative flours? Coconut, soy, etc?
Krista Z. says
I am on a gf diet, and plan on making this yummy looking bread tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Stacey says
Please do! Enjoy!
Connie says
Do the strawberries you buy have a liquid in it that you include in the batter? The only frozen sliced strawberries I could find were sliced and frozen with sugar. I included the liquid because it was thick with some pieces of strawberries. Only the outside of the bread cooked after an hour.
Stacey says
Yes and yes. That’s strange. I’ve not had that issue.
Julia M. says
Pink vs non-pink bread mystery solved.
Above on March 5, 2014 you said you used no sugar added strawberries. Now you’re saying you use the ones that are in liquid with sugar. That would explain why your batter turns pink. The others above must have used the actually no sugar added (therefore no liquid) frozen strawberries.
Is this a very sweet bread? 2 Cups of sugar plus sugar in the berries sounds like a lot.
Julia M. says
Forgot to select email notification. =)
Stacey says
Not quite. The strawberries I used were “no sugar added” strawberries in liquid. I didn’t think I was contradicting myself, but maybe it sounded that way. They were strawberries in liquid but there was no sugar added. Also notice it calls for a container of strawberries and not a bag. That might also be part of the difference.
June says
Hi,
I would like to make this bread Gluten Free! do you know if I can use Gluten Free all purpose flour in place of regular flour and do I need to add anything else to the ingredients?
Hope to hear from you! Looks delicious.
Stacey says
Hi June! I don’t have much experience with gluten free baking. Let’s see if anyone else chimes in to help.
Sandy says
I can’t wait to try this recipe but would like to have the pink color. Can you post a picture of the strawberries you use?
Stacey says
It’s a small container (think sour cream container) of frozen “No Sugar Added” sliced strawberries from Winn-Dixie. I’ll try to get a picture the next time I’m in there. 🙂
Kim says
I could only find frozen strawberries with sugar, can I leave out the 2cups of sugar?
Stacey says
I would just cut the amount of sugar in half, then taste the batter to see if it’s sweet enough for your taste. 🙂
Aimee says
I just made this bread for the second time in as many nights. My first batch didn’t come out well, but that’s on me. I love strawberries so much I had to give another go. First time (bad batch) I used fresh strawberries sliced and no nuts. The color was not pink and I don’t think it cooked long enough. Second time (good batch) I used applesauce instead of the oil. I chopped/ pureed my fresh strawberries in hopes of better chucks and pretty color. Tastes great! But alas, no pretty color. I suppose food coloring next time. Possibly some mixture of berries too.
The frozen berries are usually “cooked” in a sugar water and that juice is what makes the color and adds moisture. Of course, you can buy no sugar added…
For those trying to make healthier options you can use gluten-free flour, applesauce in lieu of oil, no nuts, and no processed berries (check ingredients).
Joanne says
Unfortunately, my bread doesn’t look anything like yours after baking. That particular brand of sliced strawberries must be the trick. Can you post a pic of the back of the container that shows the ingredients? Thanks!
Stacey says
Hi Joanne! How does it taste?
Karen says
I bought your book and planned on making the strawberry bread today. The recipe in the book is quite a bit different than this one.? I made this one and it was good. Like the others mine did not turn out pink. I used glass pans and had to cook a little longer.
Stacey says
The recipe in the book is a reader submitted recipe. The recipe here is mine own recipes. That’s the difference.
Sylvia Young says
Can this be made in a bundt pan or have you ever tried that? I don’t have 2 loaf pans and I just heard of this bread from someone at work. I really want to try it today.
Sylvia Young says
I think I misspelled the pan but I mean like a pound cake
Stacey says
It should work just fine, you’ll just need to adjust your cook time. Enjoy!
Evelyn Stackhouse says
I have made this bread several times and everyone I’ve shared with loves it. It is one of the best I have ever eaten!
Stacey says
Wonderful, Evelyn! Thanks for letting me know!
Gigi says
Going to stop @ winndixie, and get the strawberry container showed, and make this bread tonight. I bake several different flavors of breads every other few days. I’ll let you know how it is. Hoping it’s a good one ! Hoping it turns out PINK !!
Gigi says
Got the strawberries last night. Made the bread. 4 am this morning . Excellent tasting . The colors was PINK just not as vibrant as you’re picture of the bread.
Thanks for a awesome recipes.
Stacey says
Whew, that’s early! So glad it turned out well for you!
Tiffany says
I baked this delicious bread a few weeks ago. I kept one for my family and shared one with our neighbors. We all loved it! I had to laugh though because the common theme for the recipe reviews seem to be how to get the pink color in the bread and as much as I told myself that color didn’t matter, it was the first thing I looked for when I sliced it 🙂 Although my bread didn’t mimic the vibrant color in your bread, the flavor was wonderful! Thank you so much for this recipe! I have added it to my permanent file 🙂
Oh Happy Dane says
WOW!! Never thought about this combination!! Definitely a need to try!!! Hugs from http://www.ohhappydane.com
Stacey says
It’s so good and super easy!
Debra says
For those who are having trouble with color, try a box of strawberry gelatin or a few drops of red food coloring. Either of these will enhance the color.
Stacey says
Great tip! Thanks, Debra!
Dorothy Dunton says
Hey Stacey! Made this today and it turned out perfect! I am giving one to a friend, just because we don’t need to eat both! 🙂
Stacey says
Wonderful! I sure hope y’all enjoy it!
Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Stacey! It was so good that I only gave my friend a half of a loaf – we will be eating the rest! Thanks!
Stacey says
LOL! Wonderful! So glad y’all enjoyed it!
Moo says
I tried this recipe with fresh and frozen strawberries. Even though I didn’t get the pink color like the pictures, I found that the frozen strawberries yielded more juice when thawed and therefore more flavor through the entire loaf.
I’ve also found that the full teaspoon of cinnamon overpowers the strawberry, so I cut it down to half a teaspoon and it was even more amazing!
I’ve also tried different fruit as well! I’ve done cherries, blackberries, mixed berries, mango and I have pineapple in the oven. I always froze my fruit and then thawed them for the best results. I also used applesauce instead of oil. That made the loaf a lot more moist.
Thanks for the recipe!
Stacey says
Thanks for the info and so glad you’re enjoying it!
Brandi says
If I omit the cinnamon entirely would that change the taste very much? I’d love to make this to share but my sister and I are both allergic to cinnamon. 🙁
Stacey says
It shouldn’t change it much.
Rachel Garcia says
Can I use agave instead of sugar?
And would whole wheat flour be ok to use?
Stacey says
I’ve not tried it that way, so I can’t tell you for sure.
Farah says
How much applesauce should I use if I omit oil?
Stacey says
Try equal parts. 🙂 Hope it turns out great!
Jayme says
Hi! First off I’d like to thank you for posting this delightful recipe. It’s not everyday i use the first recipe i find. But you had me at”Southern”… ? …
I made some this evening. I absolutely loved em. My lil ones and I couldn’t help ourselves. We about ate them all in one sitting. Altho i made mini muffins instead. Seeing as I don’t actually have a loaf pan. But they were so good.
Thanks!
Stacey says
What a great idea! I’m so glad you took a chance on me and enjoyed it!!
Linda Forman says
Made this for the first time today. It was incredibly easy to make. I didn’t realize that I was low on sugar so I substituted with Splenda for baking. I also basted with butter after it came out of the oven. I had one bite and fell in love.
Stacey says
Sounds great! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Brandi says
Could this be made in a bunt pan?
Stacey says
I don’t see what not. Just be cautious not to overfill your pan. 🙂
Monique says
I have fresh strawberries that I picked in the freezer; do I drain whatever juice has formed from being in the freezer for a while? I froze them whole; do I cut them up or crush them?
Stacey says
Slice them and add a few tablespoons of sugar to them before mixing them in.
Olivia Sequin says
I made a few tweaks to this recipe: I used fresh whole strawberries that had been frozen. I pureed them and added that to the batter. I omitted the pecans and replaced half the oil with 1/2c plain yogurt. I baked it in a 13×9 pan for 35 minutes. They came out slightly gummy and a little less sweet than I would have wanted so I drizzles the bars with a simple confectioners glaze. They all got eaten up regardless.
Stacey says
You really made this your own! Glad everyone enjoyed them!
Shannon says
Hi Stacey! I love your blog, I will be checking out the other recipes. I am also a southerner, from Virginia. I wish that our state still had Winn Dixie but we don’t anymore. I came to your website from the picture of this lovely bread. I read the reviews and what I did was added a few drops of red food coloring to the batter. It was really pretty and I shared it with my boyfriend and his co-worker. Otherwise, if wanted red beet juice could be used to “dye” foods naturally but I did not have any on hand. I also used frozen whole strawberries, 12 ounces thawed and pureed. This will be made again and again. Thank you for sharing with us.
Stacey says
So glad you enjoyed it, Shannon!!
Nicole says
So I had a whole bunch of strawberries in the freezer (and some slices strawberries and bananas for smoothies in little portion baggies). Usually for smoothies and whatnot. Then comes hurricane Irma and I’m trying to use up stuff in the freezer in case the power went out. Cue the search for strawberry recipes on Pinterest. Came across this recipe.
Read the other comments about it not being pink, that didn’t bother me but I generally don’t like sliced strawberries in bread… the mush factor gets my texture issues going. So I pureed the strawberries and added an old box of strawberry jello for a little extra strawberry kick. Turned out AMAZING.
Used the same recipe with the strawberry/banana mixture as well. Still came out great. Omitted the nuts and added a little bit of chocolate chips on top right before putting in the oven. Made a mixture of bread and muffins. Probably made 4 batches of this over the course of 2 days… hunkered down at my parents house with my family and they all hate me now because they all gained about 5 lbs from eating so many muffins while boarded up without power, internet, and cable. 🙂
Stacey says
SO glad that you all have enjoyed this one! Way to make it your own. Hope you guys didn’t sustain any damage in the hurricane.
Steve says
Tasted fantastic. Thankfully I had read all the comments about the color or lack thereof, so I was prepared for a non pink color (I used fresh strawberries). I also swapped out the pecans for chopped walnuts.
Stacey says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Lori Peters says
I just found this recipe and plan to try it today! But I have one concern…are there any suggestions about making high altitude adjustments? I am at about a 9000 feet elevation in Colorado and sometimes my breads get done on the outside but undone in the middle. I have all of the ingredients and am dying to give this a shot! Comments please!
Lori Peters says
Patience ran out and I just couldn’t wait any longer for a reply about baking at a higher altitude, so I went ahead and gave this recipe my best try and it actually turned out great! And no, not as pink as pictured but slightly pink with a wonderful flavor! Since I used sweetened sliced strawberries (frozen in a container, not a bag) I then cut the sugar down to 1 cup instead of two; and with the higher elevation of 9000 feet I also cut back on the baking soda little as well! Somehow cinnamon didn’t sound that great combined with strawberries so that was cut in half too! The last time I made a bread that called for oil to be added, it came out under baked and slightly oily…so I also cut the oil in half and made up the other half with vanilla yogurt. Sorry, Stacey, I really didn’t mean to redo your fabulous recipe! But living here in the Colorado mountains, I knew that the sugar (and baking soda) needed to be cut back and the flour had to be increased a teeny bit too. This is such a great “new” bread, especially when you get a little tired of making endless loaves of banana, pumpkin and zucchini breads! Thanks again!
Stacey says
Hi Lori! Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner, but I’m so glad it turned out great with your adjustments!
Sugar says
Hey, Stacey,
I think I have an answer to The Pink Dilemma for those who are okay with using sugar-free products: sugar-free strawberry Jell-O.
My strawberry bread recipe is very similar to yours except that it calls for one small box of sugar-free strawberry Jell-O. And my strawberry bread is always pink!
The reason I came looking for another strawberry bread recipe (and ended up at your website) is because my daughter, a chiropractor, is trying to get me to cut sugar-free products from my diet. I’ve been reluctant to try another recipe because mine is positively ambrosia of the gods, but I’m going to try yours and ditch the Jell-O.
A coworker shared this recipe with me many years ago. It came from his late mother in Independence, Kansas. She always made it for him when he was growing up and he loved it.
For reference, here it is (the only differences between yours and hers, besides the Jell-O, being that hers has an extra: half-teaspoon of cinnamon, egg, ounce of strawberries and fourth cup of oil):
*~*
3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 t. soda
1½ t. cinnamon
1 t. salt
1 small box sugar-free strawberry Jell-O
4 eggs, beaten
16 oz. frozen sliced strawberries, thawed
1¼ c. oil
1 c. chopped nuts (optional)
Sift dry ingredients, including Jell-O, into bowl. Make well in mixture. Mix rest of ingredients (except nuts) in different bowl. Pour this mixture into well. Mix thoroughly with spoon. Stir in nuts. Grease and flour pans well–will stick. Bake at 350 for one hour. Turn out immediately on rack to cool.
*~*
My daughter hated the texture of the gloppy, stringy, slimy frozen strawberries we got at Dillons when she was young so after that I always pulverized them in a blender before adding them to the batter. (The only brand we could get were kind of chunky and not sliced.) Also, I don’t care for nuts so I’ve never tried adding them.
Thank you for the recipe, Stacey! I can’t wait to try it!
Stacey says
Thanks so much for taking the time to share that! I’ll certainly try it. I sure hope you’ll enjoy!!
cat says
was really disappointed. was dry like cookie dough and no way you could mix in strawberries or POUR it. ended up adding a lot of milk and beating until it came to a decent batter you could pour, something is definitely missing from the recipe as there is not enough liquid listed. once we added the milk and baked it it was good but not like the one my daughter made which was to die for. so will get the recipe from her. if yours also turns out like cookie dough either make cookies or start adding milk!!!
Stacey says
This is super strange! We’ve had some issues with folks not having the right strawberries, but I haven’t heard of anyone with issues of it being dry. Are you sure you added all of the ingredients?
J says
Super tasty! I reduced the sugar by 1/2 cup, and substituted most of the oil with applesauce. Baked in mini lag pans for 20-22 minutes. Made a bakers dozen mini loaves.
Stacey says
Glad it turned out great for you!
KIMBERLEY DUNNE says
I don’t want to use nuts at all so do I need to adjust any of the ingredients? Ty in advance!
Stacey says
You can simply leave them out. There’s no need for any other adjustment.
Victoria Bell says
The bread is great, but I so wanted it to be pink, and it’s deep brown inside and out; looks like I used whole wheat flour. I used everything you used. The strawberries were bright red, as was the syrup they were in. Not one brown ingredient in the mix. Help! Is it my gas stove?
Stacey says
Honestly, I think they stopped adding some of the red dye to the strawberries that they used to.
Kathy says
Greetings from Tunisia! My home and heart are in the south, but I’m currently living in Tunisia, where we have had fresh strawberries like crazy the last month or so. I tried this bread last night with some strawberries I had frozen and, as noted above, no pink color. We have a lot of strawberry juice in the store now as well. I wonder if adding some of that would give it some more color. Nevertheless, it all disappeared by the end of book club so I guess the taste was just fine! Thanks!
Stacey says
I’m just so glad everyone enjoyed it! I feel like many companies have started removing artificial colors and flavors in products today. That said, when I developed this recipe a while back, it could be that the strawberries I used has some additional coloring added to them and that’s what made the bread turn out pink. I recently made this with the same brand of strawberries as the original recipe but didn’t get the vibrant pink color like I once did.
Lisa says
Hello! Can this recipe be converted to muffins?
Stacey says
I’ve not tried that, so I can’t say for sure.