Lemon Zucchini Bread

This is an easy moist lemon zucchini bread to use up all that zucchini that’s in abundance right now! Fresh lemon zest, lemon juice get folded into this moist zucchini batter. After it’s baked I top it off with a sweet, tart lemon glaze made from powdered sugar. 

If you told me as an adult that I would be eating slice after slice of a bread made of vegetables. No wait. A zucchini bread, that’s also made with lemon I definitely would laughed at you.

Ok I was a polite kid. I would have smiled and laughed later as I listened to my N’Sync CD’s. Please don’t judge me. 

But as I’ve gotten older I have grown quite a fondness for all things lemon. So I figured why not stir some fresh lemon zest and lemon juice into my zucchini bread. This lemon zucchini bread recipe is actually a fun twist on my zucchini bread recipe from my cookbook, Beginner’s Baking Bible.

I’m so glad my tastebuds grew up. My taste in music? Not so much. Still love me N’Sync. 

Why You Will Love This Lemon Zucchini Bread

• Quick To Throw Together. You have to love a good quick bread recipe. No mixer is required. And they come together quickly. 
• Delicious Way To Use Up Zucchini. Let’s face it if it’s summertime then zucchini reigns supreme. 
• Can Make All Year Long. Ok, yes I love baking with zucchini in the summer. But this lemon zucchini bread is wonderful to make any time of year. 
• Freezes Well. I love freezing my desserts. I love it so much I actually put together a handy dandy freezer guide for you. 

Ingredients Needed For The Bread

For the glaze:

• Confectioners sugar
• Lemon juice
• Vanilla

How To Make This Lemon Zucchini Bread Recipe

Step One: Preheat and prepare pan.

Preheat oven to 350oF. Spray a 9×5” loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease with butter and set aside. Or line with parchment paper. I prefer parchment paper so I can easily lift the bread out of the pan. 

Step Two: Shred Your Zucchini.

I use a box grater but if you need to you can use a food processor. No need to wring it out. We want all that moisture!

Step 3: Combine dry ingredients.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. No need to sift her, just give it all a quick whisk. 

Step 4: Combine wet ingredients.

In a second mixing bowl, whisk together  eggs, oil, sugars, lemon juice, zest, and vanilla extract. 

Step 5: Combine wet and dry ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together with a spatula until just combined.

Step 6: Fold in shredded zucchini. 

Just a couple quick stirs. You don’t want to overmix!

Note: I accidentally threw the zucchini into the wet ingredients in the video – oops but quick breads are forgiving! But otherwise, the zucchini is best to be mixed in at the end.

Step 7: Bake. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-65 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely in the pan set on a wire cooling rack. 

Step 8: Make The Glaze.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the glaze ingredients and pour over the bread.

Recipe Tips

• Measure your flour accurately. I use the spoon and level method. You can learn how to measure your flour in this post.
• Careful to not over mix. I like to use a spatula and fold in the dry ingredients by hand. You want to stop mixing once they have been incorporated. Too much mixing = too much gluten forming. Gluten is what will give a bread its chew, but for a banana bread you want less gluten to form. So we can accomplish that by making sure we don’t overmix!
• Do not wring out the zucchini. Zucchini has a lot of moisture. But if you squeeze it out then it will result in a dry quick bread. That extra moisture is going to make for one moist bread!

Lemon Zucchini Bread FAQ’s

More Recipes

• Lemon Buttercream Frosting
• Toasted Coconut Lemon Bars
• Easy Lemon Bars (+Video!)
• Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bread
• The Ultimate Guide To Baking Homemade Bread Recipes

Tools Needed To Make This Lemon Zucchini Bread Recipe:

• Loaf Pan
• Dry measuring cups  (or use a kitchen scale <– highly recommend for better accuracy!)
• Measuring spoons – My new favorite measuring spoons!! 
• Liquid measuring cup
• Mixing bowls

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Lemon Zucchini Bread

I love when it’s summertime and zucchini is in abundance. And zucchini bread, like this moist and delicious one, with lemon zest and fresh lemon juice is a great and easy way to use it up. .

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: 12 servings (one 9×5 loaf)

Calories: 367kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

For the bread:

• ▢ 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 2 large eggs room temperature
• ▢ 3/4 cup (180 mL) vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups (297 g) granulated white sugar
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 cups (300 g) shredded zucchini
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 1 Tbs. lemon zest about 2 lemons

For the glaze:

• ▢ 1 ½ cups (170 g) confectioners sugar
• ▢ 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat and prepare pan. Preheat oven to 350oF. Spray a 9×5” loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray, or line with parchment paper and set aside.
• Combine dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
• Combine wet ingredients. In a second mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, sugars, and lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
• Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together with a spatula until just combined. Fold in zucchini.
• Bake. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-65 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely in the pan set on a wire cooling rack.
• Make the glaze. Mix all ingredients. In a mixing bowl with a whisk, combine confectioners sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, until smooth. You can additional juice, or water to thin out for the desired consistency.

Notes

Do I need to wring out the zucchini?

Zucchini has a lot of moisture. But if you squeeze it out then it will result in a dry quick bread. That extra moisture is going to make for one moist bread!

So just simply shred the zucchini  and add it to your bowl.

How do I store this bread?

I like to store mine at room temperature for up to 2 days. Or you can freeze for your bread for up to 3 months, just be sure to wrap and store it well. I like to wrap mine in plastic wrap first. Then either in one more layer of foil or in a plastic bag. 

To thaw it, I simply unwrap the bread and let it thaw at room temperature. 

Can I use a different oil?

I usually bake with vegetable or canola and I haven’t tested it with another kind. But I think coconut or olive oil would  work fine. 

You could also lighten it up with half applesauce in lieu of the oil.

Nutrition

Calories: 367kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 227mg | Potassium: 115mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 81IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg

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