Looking for a tasty way to use up your garden zucchini? This lemon zucchini bread recipe is easy to make and bursting with flavor. Give it a try today. This easy, quick bread recipe is full of flavor and moisture from zucchini, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and a two-ingredient lemon glaze.
We enjoy this lightly sweetened quick-bread zucchini loaf with fresh lemon for dessert or a light breakfast. It reheats to just baked goodness in the microwave at reduced power or in the toaster oven.
Whether it grows in your garden or is available at the farmers’ market, zucchini adds texture, color, flavor, and moisture to baked goods. You should try my zucchini cake, zucchini muffins, and zucchini bread.
What’s In This Post
Ingredients Needed
- All-purpose flour
- Leaveners: baking powder and baking soda
- Salt: just a bit as a flavor enhancer
- Granulated sugar
- Vegetable oil: or canola oil
- Lemons: for lemon juice and lemon zest
- Vanilla extract: the pure stuff
- Zucchini: look for firm zucchini free of blemishes
- Egg: large
How to make Lemon Zucchini Bread
Mix the dry ingredients – whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Mix the rest of the ingredients – In a separate large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, vegetable oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, grated zucchini, and egg with a spoon.
Add the dry ingredients – Mix the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Mixing just until combined.
Bake the bread – Pour the mixture into a greased loaf pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.
Make the glaze – Heat the lemon juice and sugar over medium heat, stirring just until the sugar dissolves. Brush or drizzle over the warm loaf. Fully cool on a cooling rack before slicing.
Recipe Tips
- This loaf is best made in an 8×4-inch pan. It can also be made in a 9×5-inch pan, but it will not be as tall.
- Grease the loaf pan well. I use shortening to grease my pans, and it works very well.
- Finely grate the zucchini using a box cutter. The appearance is better, and the texture is better with fine little bits of zucchini.
- Let the bread cool in the pan on a cooling rack for about 10-12 minutes before inverting it. If it tries to stick, use a thin knife to run the rim and loosen the loaf carefully.
- When making the glaze, heat the lemon juice and sugar to a low boil to dissolve the sugar. Stir frequently to dissolve the sugar, and don’t step away; it takes just a couple of minutes.
Storage and Freezing
Store this bread in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
First, cool the bread completely. Then freeze it in an airtight freezer-safe container or wrap it in 2 layers of plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the airtight container in the fridge overnight. Freeze the bread as a single loaf or slice it so you can remove as many slices as you want at a time.
More Lemon Recipes
Lemon Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
Lemon Zucchini Bread
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups shredded zucchini unpeeled
- 1 egg
Lemon Glaze
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 ½ tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×4 inch loaf pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate larger bowl, using a spoon, mix together the sugar, vegetable oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, grated zucchini, and egg. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients mixing just until combined.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.
- Heat the lemon juice and sugar over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves, stirring several times. Brush over the warm loaf.
Notes
- This loaf is best made in an 8×4-inch pan. It can also be made in a 9×5-inch pan, but it will not be as tall.
- Grease the loaf pan well. I use shortening to grease my pans, and it works very well.
- Finely grate the zucchini using a box cutter. The appearance is better, and the texture is better with fine little bits of zucchini.
- Let the bread cool in the pan on a cooling rack for about 10-12 minutes before inverting it. If it tries to stick, use a thin knife to run the rim and loosen the loaf carefully.
- When making the glaze, heat the lemon juice and sugar to a low boil to dissolve the sugar. Stir frequently to dissolve the sugar, and don’t step away; it takes just a couple of minutes.
Nutrition
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Cheryl Kysiak
Can you use an alternate for vegetable or canola oil? Has anyone tried avocado or olive or coconut oil?
Cheryl Lewis
love this lemon zucchini bread so most and yummy!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Cheryl!
Sally
One of my favorites! We have been making this since you first published it. It is a great way to use up garden zucchini and it tastes delicious!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Sally! So happy that you like it!
Justine
Yum! Best zucchini bread ever!
Gus
The lemon zucchini bread was absolutely delicious. The balance of citrus and zucchini made for a moist and flavorful treat. I loved how simple the instructions were and that it turned out perfectly on my first attempt. Definitely a new favorite in our household!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Gus! I am so glad that you liked the lemon zucchini bread!
chara
My family loves this recipe, so easy to make and delicious. thank you for sharing.
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, Chara!
Paula
This zucchini bread was so moist and tasty! We loved it!!!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Paula! So glad that you liked the zucchini bread.
DK
This zucchini bread was fantastic for our breakfast this morning! I doubled the lemon juice and zest to make it extra tart and it was so good!
Erika Szostak
This came out perfect. I made it with the zest and juice of 2 lemons and 1 grated medium size zucchini (not sure of exact measurements on all those) plus sprinkled the top with rosemary right before I put it in the oven. Everyone I’ve served it to has absolutely loved it, thanks so much for this recipe
Beth Pierce
I love rosemary! So happy that you like it!
Vicky
This came out wonderful! I will be using it for my church ministry going forward. I tweaked it a little. I used 1 T. lemon flavoring in stead of the vanilla and sprinkled the top with raspberries before baking (instead of putting the glaze on it after baking). Really a keeper recipe!
Beth Pierce
Glad that you liked the lemon zucchini bread! Thanks for the tips!
Sandra
This is my 2nd time using your recipe. I’ve been cutting the bread slices in half (to make strips/bars) and freeze-drying them to use as coffee (or tea)-dipping biscotti. Very yummy! I added poppy seeds, and this time, because I’m out of zucchini, I made it with yellow squash. It’s very pretty, and just as yummy.
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the heads up on the yellow squash. So glad that you liked the lemon zucchini bread.
Debra
Such a lovely recipe! Made a few times now. I use my stone loaf pan comes out perfect. I also have been adding blueberries fresh and/or frozen. Very nice. Thanks!
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome, Debra! I will try the blueberry suggestion. That sounds delicious!