Lemon Zucchini Bread
This moist lemon zucchini bread with a lemon icing on top is one of my favorite summer cakes. It’s my mom’s zucchini bread that I’ve added a tangy lemon twist to, and it’s an easy quick bread (loaf cake) that gets made over and over again.
Best Lemon Zucchini Bread Recipe
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 she gave me the blankest stare I’d ever seen.
I have a small, almost minute, competitive streak. 😜 So when I saw the look on her face, all I could think about was proving her wrong (and all lemon zucchini non-believers) by making the best zucchini bread with a tangy lemon icing anyone has ever had.
What Makes This Lemon Zucchini Loaf The Best:
- Mom’s Recipe: Guys, mom knows best. She made the best banana bread growing up, the best pumpkin bread, and the best zucchini bread. The added lemon twist gives this a bit of a Starbucks lemon loaf cake vibe.
- Moist: The best thing about zucchini is that it makes the best moist bread recipes and moist cake recipes. There is nothing dry about this zucchini lemon loaf.
- Easy: While I love to bake, there is nothing better than a tried and true recipe you can whip up easily at a moment’s notice. This zucchini bread is that recipe. It’s why it’s referred to as a quick bread!
If you love zucchini as much as I do, try these baked zucchini desserts next: Coconut Lime Zucchini Bread, Zucchini Spice Cake, and Apple Zucchini Crumb Cake.
Ingredients:
- Canola Oil
- Greek Yogurt
- Lemon Juice and Zest
- Eggs
- Sugar
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder
- Salt
- Zucchini: You want to grate the zucchini so it’s in nice thing pieces.
- Vanilla Extract
- Powdered Sugar
How To Make This Zucchini Lemon Bread From Scratch:
- Step 1: Rub the lemon zest and sugar together. The coarse texture of the sugar will release the natural oils of the lemon zest, making the bread extra lemony.
- Step 2: Using a hand mixer or a standing mixer, cream the oil, greek yogurt, lemon juice, and lemon sugar together. Next, add in the eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition.
- Step 3: In a separate bowl, soft together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Step 4: Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Step 5: Add in grated zucchini (you don’t need to squeeze any water out) and vanilla extract.
- Step 6: Divide the batter between two 8×4 bread pans (make sure the pans are well greased or lined with parchment paper).
- Step 7: Bake for about 60 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before removing and cooling on a wire rack.
- Step 8: While the bread is cooling, whisk lemon juice and powdered sugar together. Once combined, drizzle the icing on top of the loaf cakes. Sprinkle a bit of zest over the top, if desired. Let set before slicing.
Storage Tips:
Store this lemon zucchini bread in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge. If you want to freeze this bread, I suggest leaving the glaze off. Then freeze the bread in an airtight container. When you’re ready to serve, let the bread thaw overnight in the fridge and then top with the lemon icing.
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.
Lemon Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
Bread
- 1 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 6 oz Greek Yogurt, lemon or vanilla
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups grated zucchini, about 1 large zucchini
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tbsp lemon
Topping (Optional)
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat two 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" bread pans with baking spray (or line with parchment paper).
- In a small bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together. The coarse texture of the sugar will release the natural oils of the lemon zest, making the bread much more flavorful.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer (or a stand mixer), cream together oil, Greek yogurt, lemon juice and sugar.
- Once combined, add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt.
- Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients, and mix until just combined.
- Add in grated zucchini and vanilla extract. Stir until combined.
- Once combined, divide batter evenly between the two bread pans.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Allow to cool at least 10-20 minutes before removing each from the pans and placing on a cooling rack.
Glaze
- Mix lemon juice and powdered sugar together until well combined.
- With the bread on the cooling rack, pour glaze over the bread.
Topping
- Sprinkle zest over the top of the glaze.
Notes
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Meet Michelle
I’m a self-taught baker who truly believes it’s impossible to be upset when eating dessert. It’s my life’s goal to bake everyone happy!
If I’m not baking, I’m probably reading a good book with a cup a coffee in hand.
Welcome! I’m glad you’re here!
So bright and perfect for Spring!
What a fantastic bread! Looks so delicious! I love this combo lemon/zucchini:)
Zucchini season is upon us and I really couldn’t be ahappier about it. Love this bread 🙂 Pinning!
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
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! 🙂
Thank you Michelle!!
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
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.
Love this combo! Can’t wait until zucchini starts popping up in farmers markets this spring 🙂
Zucchini season is just around the corner, and this looks perfect to make all summer long!
I love the lemon twist on this bread! It screams Summer! YUMMY!!
Such a great way to use zucchini! This bread looks crazy delicious!
Zucchini bread is one of my favorite things that my grandma used to make! I love the lemon twist on this one!
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!
I love lemon and zucchini, but I’ve never thought to combine the two! This looks so bright and delicious!
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 🙂
Turned out incredible! Wonderful recipe, will definitely make this again.
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.
Just made this as muffins. Very delicious! Wouldn’t substitute anything! Thanks for the recipe!
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.
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!!
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.
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
Simply the best recipe!
Made this for a fall festival and it was a huge hit!
This was so divine! We love the lemon and the zucchini combo!
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
I am going to try this as a sandwich cake with lemon curd and perhaps coconut cream in the middle, a treat for hubby.
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?
Lemon Zuchinni bread outstanding.
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!!
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!
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.
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! ❤️
Turned out great! Good for breakfast and dessert. Thank you for a new zucchini bread recipe.
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.
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! 😀
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!!
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!
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……
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.
Do you need to drain off the zucchini after grating?
Hi Shirley! I don’t drain the zucchini for this bread. 🙂
Absolutely the best zucchini bread ever! I didn’t change a thing and it was soft, flavoursome, and totally de lish. Honestly I can’t say enough good things about it. I’m just in love with it. Thanks for sharing it with us,. Def one for the “ keep making “ folder.