Homemade Lemon Zucchini Bread is sweet, moist, and slightly tangy thanks to the homemade lemon glaze on top!
This easy zucchini bread recipe has a lemon bread twist to it, making it the perfect quick bread for spring and summer! It just might be your newest summer dessert obsession!
Apparently the words “lemon” and “zucchini bread” are not as obvious a pairing as I originally thought they were.
My mom has a fabulous recipe for a classic zucchini bread that she used to make all the time when we were kids. It’s nothing short of ahh-mazing!
When getting said fabulous recipe, I mentioned how I was going to spice up the recipe with a little bit of lemony pizzazz, because, honestly, who doesn’t love lemon (you know, like Classic Lemon Bars, Lemon Blueberry Cream Tarts, Lemon Coconut Cake…)??
And lemons and zucchini sound natural together–to everyone, right?
Wrong.
She was, well, less than enthused about the sound of this magical Lemon Zucchini Bread.
Ohh, ye of little faith.
Challenge accepted.
I mean, if we’re going to get technical here, I’ve never actually had lemon and zucchini together before, but I’m a dreamer.
I also base a lot of my decisions on feelings, and I totally felt like this was a winner.
…
Well, considering that this post is titled “Lemon Zucchini Bread,” and I just shared with you more photos than you probably cared to see, I think you know how this story ends.
Lemons and zucchini actually go hand in hand.
In fact, the lemon addition makes for the Best Zucchini Bread Recipe ever!
As an added bonus, or as I like to say, “Bonus Round!” (bonus points to anyone who gets that movie reference), this Lemon Zucchini Bread recipe is seriously so simple to make!
It’s sweet without being overly sweet, it has this nice tang to it from the lemon flavor, and the texture is just perfect.
If you want to simplify the recipe even more, you can definitely omit the glaze. However, if you’re like me, then the glaze is always necessary. Always. #wordstoliveby
Am I right??
Lemon Zucchini Bread Recipe Tips & Tricks:
- This zucchini bread recipe calls for both oil and greek yogurt. The oil keeps the bread nice and moist while the greek yogurt adds a nice texture to the lemon zucchini bread without making it too dense.
- The zucchini does need to be grated, and I find the best way to grate zucchini is with a standing box grater. Lots of people have success shredding zucchini in a food processor, but I’ve always used a standing box grater.
- You do not need to peel the zucchini before grating it. Just slice off one end of the zucchini, and carefully begin to grate it (be careful when you get to the end of your zucchini, as it can be super easy to accidentally cut your finger).
- Make sure you use fresh lemon juice (zest your lemon first, then slice it and squeeze it for lemon juice). For this recipe, you will need 1-2 large lemons.
I had more slices than I care to admit.
- 1 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 6 oz Greek Yogurt, lemon or vanilla
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups grated zucchini, about 1 large zucchini
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tbsp lemon
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat two 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" bread pans with baking spray.
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In a large bowl, cream together oil, Greek yogurt, lemon juice and sugar. Once combined, add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
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In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Add in lemon zest, and stir together.
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Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients, and mix just until combined.
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Add in zucchini and vanilla extract, and stir.
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Once combined, divide batter evenly between the two bread pans.
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Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
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Allow to cool at least 10-20 minutes before removing from the pan and placing on a cooling rack.
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Mix lemon juice and powdered sugar together until well combined.
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With the bread on the cooling rack, pour glaze over the bread.
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Sprinkle zest over the top of the glaze.
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Enjoy!
My favorite products used in this recipe:
If you love lemon as much as I do, here are some other recipes I think you’ll dig!
Berry Vanilla Naked Cake with Lemon Whipped Cream
Justine | Cooking and Beer says
So bright and perfect for Spring!
ZazaCook says
What a fantastic bread! Looks so delicious! I love this combo lemon/zucchini:)
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
Zucchini season is upon us and I really couldn’t be ahappier about it. Love this bread 🙂 Pinning!
Paulette Buffington says
Hi Michelle. The Lemon Zucchini Bread sounds fabulous! But omg, 1 cup of oil! Can the oil be replace with something else like applesauce? How would that taste? Trying to eat vegan (as much as possible) and that calls for no oil of any kind. Even the greek yogurt is pushing it since I don’t do dairy. Do you have any advice? Thank you! Paulette
Michelle says
Hi Paulette! Applesauce is a great substitute for oil and Greek Yogurt! If you use applesauce in place of both the oil and yogurt, I would probably use about 1 1/2 cups of applesauce since applesauce is a really moist ingredient. Your bread might be a bit stickier than the original recipe, but I do think applesauce would work! 🙂
Paulette Buffington says
Thank you Michelle!!
Paulette says
Well, I finally got around to making this bread and used 1 1/2 cups of unsweetened applesauce in place of the oil & yogurt. I also used GF flour, Brown Rice Flour, and it came out great! THX
Kate says
Good to know. I was scared to put that much sugar in there also. I used a 1-1 gf flour blend. And keifer instead of yogurt. It was sooo sticky. Greased my pan really well. It’s in the oven. Will make the next batch with applesauce instead and let you know which way comes out better.
Rebeccah @ Of Hops and Honey says
Love this combo! Can’t wait until zucchini starts popping up in farmers markets this spring 🙂
Laura / I Heart Naptime says
Zucchini season is just around the corner, and this looks perfect to make all summer long!
Andi @ The Weary Chef says
I love the lemon twist on this bread! It screams Summer! YUMMY!!
Cathy | Lemon Tree Dwelling says
Such a great way to use zucchini! This bread looks crazy delicious!
Ashlyn @ Belle of the Kitchen says
Zucchini bread is one of my favorite things that my grandma used to make! I love the lemon twist on this one!
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
I love that you added the lemon into the zucchini bread! What a great idea! I love zucchini bread anyways but now it’s totally perfect for spring!
Danielle says
I love lemon and zucchini, but I’ve never thought to combine the two! This looks so bright and delicious!
JudyH says
I made this today (yup it is 89 outside, but I couldn’t resist!-crank up the air conditioner!) i added mini chocolate chips- not a lot, just enough to complete this party for my palate, and I left off the glaze- came out so good!! thanks for the recipe- it was worth heating up the house for a little bit 🙂
Cristina says
Turned out incredible! Wonderful recipe, will definitely make this again.
Barbara Frohn says
This was a hit at my house. Now I have everyone bringing me their zucchini so I can make them this bread. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe.
Cheryl says
Just made this as muffins. Very delicious! Wouldn’t substitute anything! Thanks for the recipe!
CarolAnn says
I made this today. Instead of white flour I used whole wheat I cut the sugar in half and doubled the amount of lemon juice and it turned out perfect! Thank you for the recipe. This will definately become a staple in our home.
Lisa S. says
Yummyyyyy!!!! Lip smaking good!! Lol… what a nice twist by adding the lemon inside and out!! I have always used lemon in All my fruit breads to bring out the flavor!! 5 stars!! Super easy to make and tastes wonderful!!
Home Cookable says
Thank you for the recipe! I will definitely try to make this dish with my convection oven. I will have to adjust the temperature before baking though.
Dee Robinson says
This is an amazing recipe, I LOVE it. I made it exactly as printed. It was sweet with tartness of lemon. Perfect with a cup of tea! The only variation I made was baking them as mini muffins. The recipe about 30 mini muffins. It was easy to box them up and share with my friends. Thank you
Kara says
Simply the best recipe!
Michele says
Made this for a fall festival and it was a huge hit!
Misty says
This was so divine! We love the lemon and the zucchini combo!
Larisa says
I made this and it was delicious! Some things I adjusted were; squeezing out the grated zucchini and only using half the sugar. Will definitely make this again
Tracy says
I am going to try this as a sandwich cake with lemon curd and perhaps coconut cream in the middle, a treat for hubby.
Nicole Petrillo-Boyd says
Absolutely loved this recipe! 😍😍
Tip: I added mini chocolate chips and made them into muffins rather than the bread loaf.
Question: my glaze was really runny. Any suggestions as to how to make it thicker?
Diane lewis says
Lemon Zuchinni bread outstanding.
Kelli Bonacci says
Oh my goodness soooo good!! I used yellow squash instead of zucchini, because it needed to be used. I also put it into a 9×13 pan because I only have 1 loaf pan and it turned out awesome!! So good in fact my 9year old devoured it (of course I only mentioned the lemon part 😉) Thank you so much for sharing…. Definitely a keeper!!
Susan says
I made this the other day. I thought I had lemons in the fridge. Turns out it was limes! Loved the flavor! Then, when I had the pans in the oven, I realized I had put only half the sugar called for. What can I say, I was distracted by my grandson. So, I had enough zucchini left to make half a recipe (one loaf). I put the right amount of sugar this time. Comparing the two different loaves, I preferred the one with half the amount of sugar. With the glaze, it was plenty sweet, and I thought, less heavy texture. Next time, I’m going to try substituting applesauce for part of the oil. This is my new favorite quick bread!
Sandi says
Hi Michelle,
I made your Lemon Zucchini bread this afternoon. I did use Grapeseed Oil because the health aspects of canola and vegetable oil are bad. The break, I think of it more like a delicious donut, is amazing. I’ve passed your recipe on to my sister and a friend.
Michelle says
Hi Sandi!
Thank you so much for sharing, and I am so glad you enjoyed it! I am definitely going to try this with Grapeseed Oil! ❤️
Kathy Derrick says
Turned out great! Good for breakfast and dessert. Thank you for a new zucchini bread recipe.
Melissa says
Have any advice on making this gluten and dairy free? Can’t seem to get the correct ratio of ingredients and timing. Comes out really mushy at 1hr.
Michelle says
Hi Melissa! I am not an expert when it comes to working with gluten free/dairy free ingredients. However, I do like using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour, as I have found it has a pretty similar texture to regular flour. As far as dairy free yogurt, I like So Delicious Coconut yogurt, but I’ve never baked with it so I don’t know if it would substitute well for regular yogurt. I’m sorry I’m not of more help! 😀
Becky says
My bread fell the outside was crispy and cooked the inside was mushy and very oily. I used almond flour and coconut milk Greek yogurt, which I’m assuming is where I went wrong. What I did taste, was yummy! Any suggestions to help? I’d like to try this again. Thanks!!
Somi says
So good! I used plain greek yogurt and added a bit more vanilla, olive oil instead of canola/veg oil and only 1.5 cups sugar. For the lemon glaze I only used 1/4 c powdered sugar and brushed the glaze on. Froze one loaf and ate it 4 months later and it was still moist and delicious.
I have family members who are diabetic so I was wondering how much Splenda or Stevia I would need to use to substitute the sugar in the cake & glaze.
Thank you!
Chris Kroot says
Absolutely wonderful! It’s especially my go to recipe for a hostess gift or surprising a neighbor. Freezes well also. Didn’t change a thing……
Dee says
Great recipe. I made it today and I added 1 cup of organic pure cane sugar and 1 cup of honey instead of 2 cups of regular table sugar.
Shirley says
Do you need to drain off the zucchini after grating?
Michelle says
Hi Shirley! I don’t drain the zucchini for this bread. 🙂