As far as lemon treats go, I love them! Lemon is such a refreshing flavor that I am honestly happy to eat anytime of year. Since I still have an abundance of zucchini, I figured why not try making a loaf of lemon zucchini bread. Let’s just say it was one of my best ideas lately!
About this Lemon Zucchini Bread
Since I have had so much luck with my cinnamon swirl zucchini bread (recipe here), I used it as the foundation of this recipe. The ratios of sugar, vegetable oil, and zucchini work really well together in producing a moist loaf without being gummy. I have tried zucchini bread recipes in the past that ended up tasting a little bit too much like a vegetable. They weren’t good.
This bread bakes up into a delicious, light loaf with the perfect amount of lemon flavor thanks to lemon zest and juice from a fresh lemon. It is honestly quite similar to cake! To make it even better, I highly recommend including the lemon glaze over the top. You may drizzle it or spread it depending on your preferences. Either way, it is simple to make and really adds that zippy lemon flavor that you want. The stark white glaze looks beautiful too!
Zucchini Tips
Like with any of my zucchini recipes, make sure you are using small to medium sized zucchini if possible. The large zucchini will work, but you will end up having to cut out all of the pithy seed chamber because no one wants seeds in their bread. That would be weird. It is also important to get the excess water out of your grated zucchini. You may do this by letting the grated zucchini sit in a fine mesh strainer and press with a spoon over a larger bowl or squeeze with some paper towels.
In addition, I also recommend peeling the green skin off the zucchini for this recipe. Even though the peel is nutritious, get the peel off. The green will really stand out in this loaf which may be unpleasant for some. This bread will look best as a subtle yellow color without all of that vibrant green.
I hope you enjoy this luscious lemon zucchini bread as much as us! It really is a tasty treat to enjoy anytime of year, but especially summer when garden zucchini are plentiful. If you try this recipe, please tag me on Instagram @runtothetable and comment below to let me know what you think.
Lemon Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
Lemon Zucchini Bread Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Zest from 1 lemon
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 ¾ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup peeled and grated zucchini see note below
Lemon Glaze Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Up to 1 Tablespoon milk
Instructions
Lemon Zucchini Bread Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F and prepare pans. Grease, spray, or place parchment paper in either two 7-⅜ x 3-⅝ inch loaf pans or one 9x5 inch loaf pan plus one mini loaf pan. Just make sure that you do not fill your pans more than ⅔ of the way full with batter.
- Peel and grate your zucchini. Let drain in a fine mesh strainer and press gently with a spoon to remove excess liquid. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisktogether sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice untilthe mixture is combined and smooth. In a separate bowl, combine all dryingredients and mix until combined.
- Gently stir all dry ingredients into the large bowl of wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Fold in the grated zucchini.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans, not to exceed ⅔ of the way full. Bake in the preheated oven until center is firm and a tester comes out clean. Bake times will vary depending on the size of your loaf pans. Small to medium loaf pans may take around 20-30 minutes and upwards of 55-60 minutes for a large loaf pan.
- Let cool completely before topping with lemon glaze, otherwise it will melt.
Lemon Glaze Instructions
- Whisk together 1 cup of powdered sugar and the lemon juice. The glaze will be very thick. Thin with the remaining milk and powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency. Add additional powdered sugar or milk as needed.
Notes
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Sharon
I tried it and I loved it!
Sharon
So so exceptionally good!
LoLo
I love lemon desserts and this was stellar! The glaze really makes it extra special!