This lemon zucchini bread is tangy, moist, soft, and packed full of lemon flavor! To give it the ultimate lemon tang, it’s topped with a lemon drizzle immediately after baking. The lemon drizzle soaks through adding even more flavor, a crunchy top, and lots of moisture. The loaf gets a gorgeous moist texture from two cups of shredded zucchini, and comes together in one bowl without an electric mixer!
The perfect loaf to make if you have lots of zucchini on hand, or just want to just enjoy an easy summery dessert packed full of veggies.
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🍋 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- Easy: The zucchini bread comes together in one bowl without an electric mixer! You will need a separate bowl and spoon for the drizzle.
- Drizzle: A sweet and tangy mixture of lemon juice and granulated sugar is poured on top of the bread when hot, soaking it with moisture, more lemon flavor, and giving it a crunchy crust.
- Soft & moist: The texture is ultra soft, moist and tender.
- Zucchini: Shredded zucchini is added into the batter and gives the loaf stunning green specks, and lots of moisture. You only get some subtle zucchini flavor.
- Lemon: This zucchini loaf has lemon zest and juice to give it all that zesty, tangy lemon flavor.
If you love lemon breads, you're going to love this lemon raspberry loaf! It's similar to this recipe, but has a bright pink raspberry lemon glaze and lots of juicy raspberries.
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
- Zucchini: This gives so much moisture, texture, and a bit of flavor into the lemon zucchini bread. You will need about 1 to 2 medium zucchinis - make sure you measure out two cups of packed grated zucchini. I grate them on the larger setting on my box grater. No need to squeeze the juice out of the zucchini.
- Butter: Melted butter gives the loaf a buttery flavor and richness, but you could also use a mild olive or vegetable oil for a dairy free zucchini bread.
- Lemons: You will need about three lemons for this recipe. Depending on the size of the lemons you may need more or less. Only one is for the zest and you will need all three are squeezed for the juice.
- All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
You can serve it with this thick and creamy lemon curd for an extra pop of lemon!
👩🍳 How to make lemon zucchini bread
Batter step by step
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 365°F (185°C). Line a nine inch by five inch (9"×5") loaf pan with parchment paper. Leave longer parchment paper handles on the sides so that you can easily remove the loaf after baking.
Step 2: In a large bowl, combine sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Rub together with your fingers or a spoon until fragrant, yellow, and moist.
Step 3: Add 3 large eggs into the bowl and whisk with a wire whisk until fully smooth.
Step 4: Add melted butter, vanilla extract, and lemon juice into the egg and sugar mixture. Whisk until smooth.
Step 5: Sift flour, baking powder, and baking soda right into the same bowl. Fold the batter with a wire whisk until a thick batter forms.
Step 6: Add two packed cups of grated zucchini into the batter and fold just until incorporated. Don't squeeze any liquid out of the zucchini.
Step 7: Transfer the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Tap the pan on a counter a few times to remove any large air pockets.
Step 8: Bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs attached. Poke a skewer or toothpick all over the top of the loaf. This will help the drizzle soak in.
Lemon drizzle step by step
Step 1: In a clean medium bowl, combine lemon juice and sugar. Stir to combine. Immediately pour it over the hot loaf and let it soak in as it cools.
Step 2: Remove the loaf from the loaf pan after 20 minutes of cooling or when completely cool. The parchment paper will prevent it from sticking to the pan. Slice and serve!
✔️ Expert zucchini bread tips
- Measure zucchini properly: Grate zucchini on the larger grater setting on a box grater and pack it into the measuring cup when measuring. Don't squeeze out any juice - you need the juice to make an ultra moist bread.
- Don't overmix the batter: As soon as you add the flour, be careful not to overmix the batter. An overmixed batter will create too much gluten formation, resulting in a dense loaf that pulls away from the sides.
- Use room temperature ingredients: Have the melted butter and eggs at room temperature to create an even batter that bakes into an even crumb.
- Don't overbake the loaf: It's ready when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean with a few crumbs attached.
- Pour the drizzle when loaf is hot: It soaks through while it cools, making sure that it's moist (not wet), and the heat helps melt the sugar creating a crunchy crust.
🥄 Make ahead and storage
The zucchini bread will store well at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also refrigerate it if you prefer.
You can freeze the slices with parchment paper in between each piece in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let the lemon zucchini bread come to room temperature before eating. Or even better - reheat it gently so it gets ultra soft again.
💧 Why should I pour lemon drizzle while my bread is hot?
Make sure you pour the lemon drizzle on while the lemon zucchini bread is hot! You'll get a soggy loaf without a crunchy crust if you wait to pour it when it cools.
The sugar crystals in the granulated sugar need heat to dissolve and form a crunchy crust when the cake cools.
And the lemon juice gets absorbed by the starch particles, creating a tender moist texture. If you wait for the cake to cool, the moisture will just surround the starch particles creating a soggy, as opposed to a moist cake.
Or you can make a glaze like in these tangy fudgy lemon brownies.
🥒 Which zucchini variety is best for zucchini bread
Zucchinis come in all shapes and sizes! They fall under the summer squash category which encompasses green, yellow, and white zucchini, patty pan squash... Any of these are probably fine to use in this recipe.
Unless your zucchini is large and has a tough skin or large seeds, you don't need to peel and de-seed the zucchini. The skin gives it a pretty speckled look, extra fiber and nutrients.
If you're using a large or oversized zucchini, I recommend peeling and de-seeding it so that you don't get any tough bits of skin or seeds.
My favorite types of zucchini to use are small or medium sized green zucchini. Yellow zucchini is also a favorite! The smaller the zucchini the more tender and flavorful they tend to be.
If you're looking for an easy lemon dessert without zucchini, you'd love my lemon olive oil cake. It's an upside down single layer cake with a sticky lemon topping.
📖 Recipe FAQs
Traditionally, lemon drizzle is made using granulated sugar. The granulated sugar won't completely dissolve and will sit on top of the top creating a crunchy sugary crust that's just so delicious!
If you use powdered sugar for a drizzle, it will turn out more like a glaze. Like in these cinnamon roll muffins.
Yes, you can use an eight inch or nine inch round cake pan, or even a square baking pan. Since it will be thinner, you may need to reduce the baking time. Start checking it after 30 minutes of baking.
I don't think this zucchini bread recipe needs a glaze because of the drizzle topping, but you can definitely be extra and add one after it cools.
The general rule is 2 cups of powdered sugar to 3-4 tablespoons of liquid. Lemon juice will create a sweet and tangy glaze; you can use milk instead.
No, for this recipe I used the zucchini water content to my advantage! It's needed to add moisture to the batter.
You'll need about 1 to 2 medium zucchini. Shred it before measuring and using in this recipe. Add leftover zucchini into whatever you'll be cooking for your next meal.
🍞 More related recipes
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📖 Recipe
Lemon Zucchini Bread
Equipment
- nine inch by five inch loaf pan
Ingredients
Lemon Zucchini Batter
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest from about 1 lemon
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- ¾ cups melted butter cooled to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice from about 1 ½ lemons
- 2 ¾ cup all purpose flour 325g
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups grated zucchini packed, from about 1-2 medium zucchini
Lemon Drizzle
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice from about 1 ½ lemons
- ½ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
Lemon Zucchini Batter
- Prepare a nine inch by five inch (9"×5") loaf pan by lining with parchment paper, leaving longer parchment paper handles on the sides so that you can easily remove the loaf after baking. Preheat oven to 365°F (185°C).
- In a large bowl, combine sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Rub together with your fingers or a spoon until fragrant and moist.⅔ cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Add 3 large eggs into the sugar and whisk with a wire whisk until fully smooth.3 large eggs
- Add melted butter, vanilla extract, and lemon juice into the mixture, whisking until smooth.¾ cups melted butter, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- Sift flour, baking powder, and baking soda right into the same bowl. Fold the mixture with a wire whisk until a thick batter forms.2 ¾ cup all purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Add two packed cups of grated zucchini (don’t squeeze out the moisture) into the batter and fold just until incorporated.2 cups grated zucchini
- Transfer the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Tap the pan on a counter a few times to remove any large air pockets.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs attached. Poke a skewer or toothpick through the whole loaf, all over the loaf. This will help the drizzle soak in.
Lemon Drizzle
- Combine lemon juice and sugar in a clean bowl and stir together. Immediately pour it over the hot loaf and let it soak in as it cools.3 tablespoons lemon juice, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Remove the loaf from the loaf pan after 20 minutes of cooling or when completely cool. The parchment paper will prevent it from sticking to the pan. Slice and serve!
Notes
- Measure zucchini properly, pack it into the measuring cup and don't squeeze out the moisture
- Don't overmix the batter after adding the flour
- Use room temperature ingredients for a smooth batter and an even crumb
- Don't overbake the loaf
- Pour the drizzle when loaf is hot
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