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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Linda
Turned out awesome. We loved it! We’ve been trying lots of recipes to use up all the zucchinis from the garden. Will definitely make this again.
Only regret, I made only one loaf!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Linda! I am so glad that you liked the bread. I need to make this again soon. It is so yummy!
Shery Sullivan
Excited to try your recipe. I love all your helpful tips. Thank you
Melissa
The lemon gives it a clean refreshing taste. We really enjoyed it. Thank you!
Vanessa Palma
The flavor on this was ah-mazzzingg! I always love zucchini bread recipes that are unique like this.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Vanessa! So glad that you liked it!
Pooja
This sounds like an amazing combination. Lemon with Zucchini. I can’t wait to try it!
Autumn Murray
This lemon zucchini bread recipe was delish! I am saving this recipe to make again for my daughter.
Rose Ann Sales
Wow! This was absolutely delicious and tasty! I really loved this amazing recipe with real lemon flavor.
John
Very nice. This was a really tasty, sweet bread. Thanks for the great recipe. Next time I am going to make two loaves and freeze one.
Stephanie
I love making zucchini bread but never thought to add lemon to it. My boys devour anything with lemon flavor so I’ll have to make it this way soon so they’ll eat it even with “green stuff” in there!
Anna
This looks good. A nice twist on Zucchini Bread. I’ll have to try it this weekend.
Neely Moldovan
Oh this was soooo yummy! I love baking bread and this was so easy and moist.
Jupiter Hadley
I have had zucchini bread before, but not a lemon one! This was so delicious, thank you for the recipe.
Michele
This was so good. I love a recipe that you can hide vegetables in. It keeps the little ones eating their vegetables.
Eileen M Loya
I love the flavor of lemon in baked goodies. I love this bread recipe. Delicious, refreshing and healthy in every bite. The glaze really made it even more yummy!
Rosey
Now that’s a good way to use up some of this excess zucchini. I love that you’ve put lemon in there. It’s my favorite summer flavor.
Risa Lopez
Wow, this was so good and moist! Thank you for sharing your recipe. My family loved it!