Lemon Zucchini Bread

Light, fluffy lemon zucchini bread topped with a bright and lemony glaze. This is one quick bread you will want to keep baking!

close up slices of bread on wood cutting board

Why you'll love it

This bread is packed full of bright flavor that is hard to resist. It is delightfully moist, but is still fluffy and light.

We use fresh ingredients and finely grate the zucchini so you can easily convince picky eaters to give it a try.

It takes only minutes to make the batter. The longest part of the entire recipe is baking and waiting for it to cool enough to slice and eat! It makes a great anytime baked good because of how easy it is to make. You can always make a lemon mug cake for a quick lemon treat while you wait!

If you are looking to bake for several people, you can also double the recipe easily to give to a neighbor or include in a bake sale.

Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients to make this lemon zucchini bread. Chances are, you have most of them already in your kitchen!

Flour - I highly recommend sticking to all-purpose flour here! If you want to make it healthier, you can use white whole wheat flour, or substitute one cup of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. You cannot use pastry or bread flour in this recipe. Most gluten-free baking mixes also work well with this recipe.
Sugar - I use granulated sugar in this recipe, but if you want a deeper and rounded flavor, you can use light brown sugar. I don't recommend substituting with a liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup.
Baking powder - This is what we use to help the bread rise. I do not recommend trying baking soda.
Salt - Salt helps to bring out the flavor of the lemon to make it even brighter. You should use fine sea salt for the best results.
Lemon - Fresh lemons are amazing and this bread has a wonderful and bright lemon flavor that feels like summer in a slice. I recommend zesting the lemon before squeezing it. Before you squeeze your lemon, press it firmly on your counter and roll it under your hand. This helps make it easier for the juices to release.
Milk - I prefer using whole milk, but you can also use buttermilk for extra tang. Dairy alternatives are also a suitable substitute if you prefer.
Vegetable oil - Any neutral-flavored oil will work really, so don't worry if you don't have vegetable oil. Stay away from olive oil, sesame oil, or any oil that has a flavor to it.
Vanilla - I prefer pure vanilla extract. If you have vanilla bean paste, it would work really well here, too!
Zucchini - It wouldn't be zucchini bread without the zucchini! Don't bother peeling the zucchini, just make sure it is well-washed and shredded!
Powdered sugar - We need powdered sugar to make the delicious lemon icing. If you want to make your icing even better, you can also add in a bit of cream cheese!

Remember, this is just an overview of some of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

Step by step instructions

This is a classic quick bread recipe, which means that the steps are simple and do not take much time to complete.

Preheat your oven and prep your loaf pan.
Combine the wet ingredients together in a large bowl.
Combine the dry ingredients together in a separate medium-sized bowl.
Mix together the wet and dry ingredients until there are no streaks of flour, but there are still lumps in the batter.
Gently fold in the shredded zucchini.
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake.
Make the icing by mixing all the ingredients together until smooth while the loaf is baking, or while the finished loaf is cooling.
Pour the icing over the cooled loaf.
Slice and enjoy!

icing being poured on lemon zucchini bread

Baking tips

What I love about this lemon zucchini bread is that it is a basic quick bread. This means you mix the dry ingredients together, and then the wet ingredients together. From there, mix the wet and just until just combined.

When making your bread, make sure you squeeze out the excess liquid from the zucchini before using. This is very important so you have the right texture when baking.

It is best when baked in a 9 x 5 baking pan, but you can also bake it in a muffin tin. Just remember that it will require a shorter baking time. Use a toothpick to test doneness. It should have just a few crumbs stuck to it when inserted in the middle of a muffin.

Recipe F.A.Q.S

Why didn't my bread rise?

There could be a few reasons for this. The three main reasons would be you waited too long after mixing your batter to bake it, you are using expired baking powder, or your loaf pan was overfilled.

Why is my bread dense?

There could be a few reasons, but it is likely that your zucchini still had a lot of liquid in it or your leavening agent is old and needs replacing.

Do I need to refrigerate my zucchini bread?

It isn't necessary at all. As long as you keep it in an airtight container, it will be fine at room temperature for about a week. You can freeze your bread if you wrap it tightly, then store it in an airtight container. When frozen, it should last about a month. Thaw it at room temperature.

Lemon Zucchini Bread

Yield: 1 loaf

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Additional Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

A light and moist lemon zucchini bread

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup whole milk, room temperature
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup shredded zucchini

For Icing

2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch baking pan.
In one bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.
In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, oil, two tablespoons of lemon juice, and vanilla.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry. There should be plenty of lumps in the batter.
Squeeze the zucchini of some of its liquid and gently fold into the batter.
Pour in the batter into the baking pan.
Bake in the middle oven rack for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and run a knife along the edges. Leave to cool for 15 minutes, then take out the loaf from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Whisk together the remaining lemon juice, powdered sugar, and milk until it forms a loose paste. Brush over the cooled bread.

Notes

The recipe easily doubles for extra loaves.
Make sure zucchini is squeezed of some of its excess moisture to prevent the bread from becoming dense.
Lemons are more easily juiced when they are at room temperature. After zesting the lemon, roll it under your palm on the counter to help encourage the juices to release when you squeeze it.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 256Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 317mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 1gSugar: 27gProtein: 4g

Calculations are estimations, use your own calculations using the brands you specifically used for more accurate numbers.