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Lemon Zucchini Bread

Averie Sunshine

4.86 from 7 votes

Updated: Jul 25, 2026

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Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread 🍋🍞 is an EASY, no mixer quick bread with bright lemon flavor and tender zucchini that keeps it incredibly soft and moist. A simple lemon glaze makes it perfect for breakfast, brunch, snacking, or a light summer dessert!

Easy Lemon Zucchini Bread Recipe

• Zucchini is one of my favorite ingredients to bake with because it adds moisture, softness, a little color and texture, and is an easy way to sneak in some veggies.
• In this lemon zucchini bread, the shredded zucchini keeps the loaf light, tender, and moist without needing Greek yogurt, which also helps keep the recipe dairy-free.
• The bread is lightly sweetened and bursting with fresh lemon flavor from both lemon juice and lemon zest.
• A simple lemon glaze adds the perfect finishing touch, making this fluffy quick bread great for breakfast, brunch, an afternoon snack, or an easy spring and summer dessert.

Ingredients in Lemon Zucchini Bread

• Grated zucchini: There is no need to peel the zucchini first. Grate it on the coarsest blade of a box grater, then wring it out with sturdy paper towels or a clean dish towel so the extra moisture does not prevent the loaf from setting properly. A few good squeezes is enough.
• Bread flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt: The combination of bread flour and all-purpose flour it creates a tender crumb with a soft bounce. I only use King Arthur Bread Flour and King Arthur All-Purpose Flour in any recipe that calls for flour. I recommend using both for the best texture, but you can use additional all-purpose flour instead of bread flour if needed. I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, but a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour would likely work.
• Granulated sugar, vegetable oil or canola oil, eggs, egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla: These create a soft, moist loaf with bright lemon flavor. Use fresh lemon juice and zest for the best flavor. And a Pure vanilla extract.
• Powdered sugar and lemon juice: These make the simple lemon glaze that goes on top of the bread.
• Optional spices or poppy seeds: If you prefer a warmer flavor, add a dash of nutmeg or ground cinnamon. To make lemon zucchini poppy seed bread, stir 1 to 2 tablespoons poppy seeds into the batter at the very end before adding it to the pan. Start with 1 tablespoon and add more to taste. No other adjustments are needed.

Note: All ingredients amounts are listed in the recipe card section when you keep scrolling down.

How to Make Zucchini Lemon Bread

1. Whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl, then combine the sugar and lemon zest in a separate large bowl.
2. Add the oil, eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla to the sugar mixture, stirring until everything is well combined.
3. Gently fold in the shredded zucchini, then stir in the dry ingredients until just combined.
4. Turn the batter into a loaf pan and bake until the bread is set, lightly golden, and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
5. Let the bread cool completely, then whisk together the lemon glaze and drizzle it over the top before slicing and serving.

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for step-by-step photos and process shots of the cooking process.

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4.86 from 7 votes

Lemon Zucchini Bread

By Averie Sunshine

🍋🍞 is an EASY, no mixer quick bread with bright lemon flavor and tender zucchini that keeps it incredibly soft and moist. A simple lemon glaze makes it perfect for breakfast, brunch, snacking, or a light summer dessert!

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 servings

Equipment

• 1 9×5-inch loaf pan
• 1 Box Grater
• 1 Large Mixing Bowl

Ingredients 

Bread

• ▢ 2 cups grated zucchini, loosely laid in measuring cup (not peeled, well wrung and moisture squeezed)
• ▢ 1 ½ cup bread flour
• ▢ ⅓ cup all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• ▢ ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 2 yolks, from large eggs, discard whites or save for another use
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla

Lemon Glaze

• ▢ ⅔ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted if lumpy
• ▢ Zest from one lemon, with a bit reserved for garnishing
• ▢ 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray (optionally create a sling with a sheet of parchment paper for easier removal); set aside.
• Bread – Grate the zucchini by hand on the coarsest blade of a box grater (I see no reason to dirty a food processor fitted with the grating attachment for such a simple job, although it's an option). Then, place the zucchini in a wad or bunch of high quality paper towels that won't rip (or in a clean dish towel that you don't care if it gets stained a bit green), and squeeze well to wring out the moisture from the zucchini. It doesn't have to be bone dry, but it should be wrung out. If in doubt, grate a bit more zucchini than you think you will need rather than less. Now let the zucchini just sit in the paper towel wad or dish towel while you move on with the next steps.
• To a large mixing bowl, add the bread flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and whisk to combine; set aside. Tip – I like using a mixture of bread and all-purpose flours for the perfect crumb texture and a softer bounce in the bread, although if you don't have bread flour, you can use solely AP flour. If you need ideas and ways to use the extra flour, read the blog post for recipe links and ideas.
• To a separate medium bowl, add the sugar, lemon zest, and whisk to combine for about 1 minute to allow the oil from the lemon to infuse the sugar.
  
• Add the oil and whisk to combine.
• Add the eggs, the yolks (Tip – use the egg whites in an omelette or make the Best White Cake), and whisk to combine.
  
• Add the lemon juice, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
• Add 2 cups of zucchini (loosely measured, not packed into the measuring cup), and stir to combine.
  
• Add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and stir to just combine; don't overmix or you will over-develop the gluten which causes a more dry and more crumbly final texture.
  
• Turn the batter out into the prepared baking pan, and bake for about 45 minutes, or until done. Please see Baking Tips below!
  
• Allow the baked bread to cool for about 10 minutes in the baking pan, or until it's cool enough to handle, before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely.
• Glaze – After the bread has cooled completely (at least 30 minutes, possibly longer depending on climate), make the glaze by whisking together all ingredients. Tips – Sift your confectioners' sugar if it's at all lumpy. It takes left time to sift the sugar than to later on try to whisk out lumps! For a thicker glaze, don't add as much lemon juice and for a thinner glaze, add a bit more.
• If desired, garnish the glazed loaf with a bit of reserved lemon zest, slice, and serve.
• Storage – Extra bread will keep airtight at room temp for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5-7 days. I don't like storing quick breads in the fridge because it dries them out, so I don't recommend it unless you know for sure you won't consume it in the first 3 days or so. Unglazed bread will keep airitght in the freezer for up to 4 months. Wrap completely cooled bread tightly in foil and place in an extra large ziptop plastic bag intended for freezer storage.

Notes

Baking Tips – The bread is done when the top is set, it may have a crack like banana bread gets, it's golden in color, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.

Baking times when using zucchini can vary dramatically based on how moist (or not) your zucchini is, your climate if it's a hot and humid summer day or not, your oven, your baking pan, etc.

Therefore, always watch your item and not the clock when determining doneness. If it takes closer to 60 minutes for your loaf to bake through and set, so be it. Bake as long as necessary so your bread is done.

You cannot pull it out of the oven, decide that it wasn't actually done, and put it back into the oven. That never works and you will need to toss it out!

If your loaf looks like it’s getting too browned on the outside too quickly into the baking process, after about 25-30 minutes, loosely drape a sheet of foil over the top of the pan, otherwise known as tenting your pan. Another trick it to rotate your pan halfway through baking because ovens tend to over-brown the side of the loaf that’s nearest to the back oven wall.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 328cal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 74mg, Sodium: 237mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 28g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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