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This Lemon Zucchini Bread is the best way to use up fresh zucchini produce. Moist zucchini bread bursting with fresh & bright lemon flavor in the bread and the simple lemon glaze on top. We love a simple no-yeast quick bread recipe!
Lemon Zucchini Bread Recipe
One of the only things we can ever seem to grow in our garden is zucchini! Which means that this lemon zucchini bread is pretty much on repeat at my house during the summer.
Bursting with bright and fresh lemon flavor, thanks to the fresh lemon juice and zest, this bread is super moist and really delicious. The simple lemon glaze on top takes it to the next level.
The combination of lemon + zucchini is downright delicious and tastes better than anything you could get at the store. Promise. Let’s learn how to make zucchini bread with fresh lemon and all my helpful tips below!
Why We Love Making This Zucchini Bread with Lemon
- Bursting with fresh & bright lemon flavor.
- Easy to make smaller loaves to take to friends & neighbors.
- No mixer needed! Just a whisk and a spatula.
Ingredients Needed
- All-Purpose Flour – I prefer using unbleached all-purpose flour when I bake.
- Granulated Sugar
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda
- Ground Cinnamon – Just a touch adds a nice flavor to this lemon zucchini bread and boosts the other flavors.
- Kosher Salt – Sea salt or table salt can also be used here.
- Large Eggs – Crack the eggs into a bowl and use a fork to lightly whisk them together before adding them in with the other ingredients.
- Vegetable Oil – Canola oil will also work.
- Water – Use purified or filtered water for the best results.
- Fresh Lemon Juice – 1 large juicy lemon will be enough for this.
- Lemon Zest – Zest the lemon first before juicing it.
- Shredded Zucchini – Use a box grater (cheese grater) to shred the zucchini.
- Lemon Glaze – Simple lemon glaze made with powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice.
How To Make Lemon Zucchini Bread (Step-by-Step Process Instructions)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. You can also use Baker’s Joy spray which is cooking spray + flour but in the spray type bottle.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and kosher salt until combined. Set aside for now.
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the lightly whisked eggs, oil, water, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and shredded zucchini. Stir together to combine.
- Add half the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and mix gently with a spatula just until combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix again just until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean with no wet batter on it. If the top of the bread is getting too browned, loosely lay a piece of foil over top the bread for the last 10-15 minutes of the bake time.
- Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool completely before glazing it with the simple lemon glaze.
Do I Need To Squeeze The Extra Water From The Grated Zucchini?
There is no need to squeeze the excess moisture/water from the shredded zucchini. This extra moisture is what makes this bread super delicious and moist. I use a box grater to shred the zucchini and whatever water/liquid is left on the plat4e after going that, I just measure it all out and use it. It’s not necessary to soak the shredded zucchini in paper towel or anything like that.
Is Fresh Lemon or Bottled Lemon Juice Better?
I recommend only using fresh lemon juice from a large lemon. The fresh lemon will provide a brighter and stronger lemon flavor to this lemon zucchini bread than the bottled lemon juice will. In a pinch, bottled lemon juice can be used if needed. You do need lemon zest anyways so you should juice the lemon to get the juice out anyways!
How To Store Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread
Keep the bread at room temperature for 3-4 days. Either wrap the bread in plastic wrap or place the bread slices onto a plate that is covered with plastic wrap, or you can stick the cooled loaf in a gallon sized Ziploc bag and store it at room temperature in there.
It’s important that the bread loaf is completely cooled to room temperature before wrapping it in plastic wrap for storage or freezing.
To freeze this bread, wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and then again in tin foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Again, make sure the loaf is cooled to room temperature before wrapping it up. To eat, let the lemon zucchini loaf thaw at room temperature or the fridge.
My Tips For Success
- One of the most common baking mistakes is not making sure that you are using non-expired, fresh baking soda and baking powder. Especially for those that don’t cook a lot at home, ensure that the baking soda and baking powder are not expired.
- For the best flavor use fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. The bottled lemon juice will work in a pinch (if absolutely necessary) but it provide that fresh, bright, & zesty lemon flavor that only fresh lemon can.
- Make smaller loaves by dividing the batter between mini loaf pans. You will probably get 6-7 mini loaves of lemon zucchini bread from this recipe.
More Zucchini Recipe
- Zucchini Walnut Muffins
- Perfectly Roasted Zucchini
- Zucchini Parmesan
- Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Lemon Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
Lemon Zucchini Bread
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
- lemon zest (from the large lemon)
Lemon Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray or baking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir together with a whisk until combined. Set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a separate larger mixing bowl, add the grated zucchini, eggs, oil, water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir with a whisk or spatula until combined.2 cups grated zucchini, 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil, 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest
- Dump half the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and stir together just until combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and stir together just until combined and no flour streaks or pockets remain.
- Dump the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean with no wet batter on it. * If the bread is getting too browned, loosely lay a piece of foil over top it for the last 15 minutes or so of the bake time.
- Once baked, remove the loaf pan from the oven and let it cool completely at room temperature. Once cooled, remove the bread loaf from the pan and set it on a plate or cooling rack for glazing.
- Make The Lemon Glaze : Stir together the powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice until smooth and combined. Use a fork to drizzle it over the cooled loaf of lemon zucchini bread.2 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Notes
Nutrition
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