Lemon Zucchini Bread

Sunshine in a Loaf Pan

If your garden or farmers market has left you buried in zucchini, this lemon zucchini bread is exactly what you need. It's one of the best summer zucchini dessert ideas out there, moist and tender from the shredded zucchini, brightened with generous lemon zest, and finished with a tangy glaze that soaks into every slice. It tastes like a cross between banana bread and lemon pound cake, and nobody will guess there's a vegetable hiding inside.

This recipe has become one of my go to lemon zucchini recipes every July and August. It's simple enough for a weekday bake, but pretty enough to bring to a brunch or bake sale.

Before we get cooking, the right tools and ingredients make a real difference here. A sturdy loaf pan and a sharp box grater help this bread bake evenly and keep the zucchini shreds fine enough to disappear right into the crumb. These are the products that genuinely help this recipe shine:

Why This Recipe Works

There's a reason lemon zucchini cake and quick bread combinations show up so often in summer baking. The zucchini adds moisture without adding a strong flavor, so the lemon can really shine through. A few things make this particular loaf stand out:

• Fresh lemon zest and juice instead of just extract, for real citrus flavor
• Squeezed zucchini so the loaf bakes up tender, not gummy
• A simple glaze that seeps into the warm crumb for extra moisture and shine

Chef's Tip: Always squeeze your grated zucchini in a clean kitchen towel before mixing it into the batter. Skipping this step is the number one reason zucchini breads turn out dense or wet in the middle.

Ingredient Notes

Most of what you need is likely already in your kitchen, which is part of why this recipe is so popular among summer zucchini baking ideas. A few notes worth knowing:

• Zucchini: No need to peel it. The skin softens completely during baking and adds tiny flecks of green throughout the loaf.
• Lemon zest: Use a microplane if you have one, and zest before you juice the lemon, it's much easier that way.
• Oil versus butter: Oil keeps this bread extra moist for days, but melted butter will give you a slightly richer flavor if you prefer.

If you love the citrus and zucchini combination, this batter also works beautifully as the base for a zucchini cake with lemon frosting instead of the simple glaze listed below. Just bake it in a round pan and top with a cream cheese frosting instead.

Let's Bake It

This batter comes together in one bowl with a whisk, no mixer required. Ready to make it? Here is the full step by step recipe:

Lemon Zucchini Bread

This lemon zucchini bread is moist, bright, and bursting with citrus flavor, the perfect way to use up summer zucchini in a tender, easy quick bread.

Prep:15 mins

Cook:55 mins

Total:70 mins

Yield:10 servings

Cuisine:American

Yield: 10 servingsCalories: 265Protein: 4g

Carbs: 38gFat: 11gSat. Fat: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 22gSodium: 190mg

Ingredients

Units

USM

Scale

1x2x3x

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt, fine sea salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tbsp lemon zest, about 2 lemons
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups zucchini, grated, excess moisture squeezed out
• 1 cup powdered sugar, for the glaze
• 2 tbsp lemon juice, for the glaze, adjust for consistency

Instruction

1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides.

2

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3

In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, oil, and eggs together until smooth and slightly pale.

4

Whisk in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.

5

Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix.

6

Fold in the grated zucchini until evenly distributed throughout the batter.

7

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

8

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

9

Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then use the parchment overhang to lift it onto a wire rack to cool completely.

10

Whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice together until smooth, then drizzle over the cooled loaf before slicing.

Equipment

• 9x5 inch loaf pan
• Box grater
• Mixing bowls
• Whisk
• Wire cooling rack

Notes

Squeezing the shredded zucchini in a clean kitchen towel before adding it to the batter is the key step for a loaf that isn't soggy. This bread keeps beautifully at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to a week, tightly wrapped.

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Serving and Storing

Let the loaf cool completely before glazing, otherwise the glaze will simply melt off instead of setting into a glossy layer. Slice it thick for breakfast alongside coffee, or thin for an afternoon treat.

To store, wrap the cooled, unglazed loaf tightly in plastic wrap and keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to a week. It also freezes beautifully, so consider making a double batch and tucking one loaf away for later.

Variations to Try

• Fold in a handful of poppy seeds for a classic lemon poppy seed twist
• Add white chocolate chips for a sweeter, more dessert-like loaf
• Turn this into a zucchini lemon cake recipe by baking the batter in two round pans and layering it with lemon buttercream

However you serve it, this lemon zucchini bread is proof that garden season and dessert season can absolutely overlap.