You are going to love this bright and sunny Lemon Zucchini Bread! It is extra moist, has a fresh lemon flavor, and is topped with a tangy lemon glaze. No matter what time of day you serve it, it is sure to be gobbled right up!
If all you’ve ever tried is cinnamon zucchini cake and bread, you may think that zucchini and lemon is a strange combination. But trust me, you need to branch out. I’ve served this tasty quick bread several places, and everyone who tries it raves about it!
WHY WE LOVE THIS LEMON ZUCCHINI BREAD RECIPE:
- It is ridiculously easy to make. Unlike yeast breads, this quick bread is ready to pop in the oven in under 15 minutes.
- You don’t even have to pull out your mixer. All you need is a good whisk.
- It doesn’t call for any fancy ingredients. Aside from the lemon and zucchini, I bet you have all the ingredients in your pantry.
- Other recipes use extra oil, sour cream, or buttermilk to keep the bread moist. This zucchini loaf uses additional zucchini, which not only adds moisture, it adds nutrition! (Don’t worry, no one will know.)
- It has a perfect lemon flavor, and the simple lemon glaze adds extra tang and sweetness. Seriously yummy stuff!
- It’s versatile enough that you can eat it for breakfast or dessert. All that fresh zucchini makes it healthier than most quick breads, but the glaze makes it sweet enough that you can call it cake.
Do you leave the skin on zucchini when making bread?
Yes, most often you do not need to peel your zucchini when you make zucchini bread. Of course if you want to be really sneaky, you can peel it. Without the green flecks, your kids will never know they are eating zucchini!
Do you have to dry zucchini before making bread?
It depends on the recipe. If it calls for squeezing out the excess liquid, then do it. Otherwise, you should be fine to add the shredded zucchini as is.
All of my zucchini bread recipes rely on the liquid in the zucchini, so I have only ever squeezed my zucchini dry when I had some really juicy zucchini.
How do you keep zucchini bread from getting soggy?
If you let your zucchini bread sit too long in a hot pan, it will “sweat”, and the sides will become soggy. Make sure you remove it to a wire rack after 5-8 minutes in the pan.
You also need to make sure your zucchini bread (or any quick bread) is completely cool before you store it. If you are worried about it getting soggy, you can wrap it lightly in a paper towel before storing.
If your bread is soggy the day you bake it, you did not bake it long enough.
You can skip my tips and tricks and scroll to the bottom of the post for the printable recipe card.
HOW TO MAKE LEMON ZUCCHINI BREAD
INGREDIENTS NEEDED:
- vegetable oil – You can substitute another oil that is liquid at room temperature.
- granulated sugar – Adds the perfect amount of sweetness to the bread.
- fresh lemon juice – Fresh lemon juice is essential, especially for the glaze!
- fresh lemon zest – I’ve said it before, but fresh lemon zest is essential if you want the best flavor for your lemon baked goods. Lemon extract doesn’t compare.
- eggs – Unless otherwise directed, use large eggs for baking.
- grated zucchini – No need to peel it, just wash it well, dry it off, and coarsely grate it.
- all purpose flour – I prefer unbleached flour. I have also made this bread with half freshly ground wheat flour and had good results.
- salt – Balances out the sweet and adds flavor to the bread.
- baking powder and baking soda – Both help make the bread nice and fluffy.
- powdered sugar – Also known as confectioners sugar, you need it for the lemon glaze.
DIRECTIONS:
- PREP WORK: Zest and juice your lemons, grate your zucchini, grease your loaf pan with Baker’s Joy (or use cooking spray and parchment), preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
- WET INGREDIENTS: Whisk together oil, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and eggs in a large mixing bowl, then stir in the grated zucchini.
- DRY INGREDIENTS: In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. If your flour is lumpy, you may need to sift it first.
- MIX: Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl and gently stir everything together. With quick breads, you do not want to overmix, or your bread will be tough. You just want to make sure all of the flour is barely moistened.
- BAKE: Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 325° for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. All ovens are different, so your bread may take more or less time. Use the toothpick method instead of relying solely on the time.
- GLAZE: After bread cools in the pan for 10 minutes, remove it and place it on a wire cooling rack. Whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle over the warm bread. You may need to add more or less lemon juice to get the correct consistency.
I realized after glazing this loaf in the pan that it is actually better to glaze it after it’s on the cooling rack. So do what I say, not what I did. haha
STORING QUICK BREAD
This bread keeps quite well at room temperature for 2-3 days. However, the icing does soften up a bit. You can also store it in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
You can also freeze it. I like to wrap the cooled bread in plastic wrap, then place it in a heavy duty ziplock bag. I recommend freezing it before it’s glazed, then glazing it when I am ready to serve it. It will keep for 3-4 months in the freezer.
LEMON ZUCCHINI BREAD PRO TIPS:
- Use the correct pan size. If you don’t have a large 9×5″ loaf pan, you can make two smaller 8×4″ loaves or five 5-3/4 x 3-1/4″ loaves. You will need to adjust the baking time; the smaller the loaf the faster it cooks.
- If your zucchini seems really juicy, squeeze the excess moisture out with paper towels or a clean dish towel.
- For the best flavor, you must use lemon zest. If you leave it out, your bread will be bland.
- The lemon glaze not only adds sweetness, but a punch of lemon flavor. If you want to make the bread without the glaze, I recommend adding some additional lemon zest to the batter.
- If you really like a strong lemon flavor, you can add an additional tablespoon of lemon zest to the batter, and even add some to the glaze if you like.
EASY QUICK BREAD RECIPES:
WAYS TO USE ZUCCHINI:
- Zucchini Crisp
- Pineapple Zucchini Bread
- Carrots and Zucchini
- Zucchini Cookies
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Zucchini Blondies
- Pina Colada Zucchini Bread
- Zucchini Brownies
GLAZED LEMON ZUCCHINI BREAD
Lemon Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
Bread:
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Spray a 9×5" with non stick cooking spray. (I like to use Baker’s Joy.) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Whisk together oil, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and eggs in a large mixing bowl, then stir in the zucchini.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Gently stir into the wet ingredients just until moistened.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 325° for about 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool bread in pan for about 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack.
- For icing, whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl until smooth. You may need more or less lemon juice to get the right consistency. Drizzle or spread over the top of the loaf.
Nutrition
With its bright sunny color, wonderful texture, and tangy lemon glaze, this easy lemon zucchini bread is simply amazing. Trust me, you are going to want to make it over and over again!
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This is incredibly easy to make and deliziosa. I am doing everything I can to temp my husband to eat post radiation/chemo treatments. He went back for seconds which is a huge victory!
Another note: I used Zucchino Rampicante, an old Italian heirloom squash we grow, it is not watery like grocery store zucchini; and makes for a much nicer zucchini bread. Desperate to figure out uses for this prolific producer.
I’m so sorry about your husband. Cancer just sucks. 🙁
So happy that you found something that tastes good to him! And I love hearing about people using heirloom seeds. So cool! If it worked for this bread I bet it would work with just about any zucchini bread recipe. I have about a dozen of them you could try. Good luck!
Turned out perfect. I did add a little more lemon zest and juice. Everyone loved it.
Just tried this recipe. Loved it! So bright and light.
Glad you loved it! It is much lighter than traditional zucchini bread, so it’s a nice change sometimes. 🙂
This was so good, so moist, it was the perfect treat to enjoy with my coffee!! This will become a summer staple!!