This simple recipe features fresh lemon juice and lemon zest for a bright twist on classic zucchini quick bread. Shredded summer zucchini keeps this bread moist, while a tangy lemon icing helps it feel extra indulgent.
Jessie's Note
My team and I tested and tweaked this recipe for what felt like forever in order to achieve the *perfect* texture (my kitchen smelled like lemon for days). The resulting crumb is moist and delicate, with a bright, zingy flavor from fresh lemon zest and lemon juice.
This easy loaf tips towards the dessert side of things (as opposed to our zucchini banana bread, which leans a little more savory). The bread itself isn't terribly sweet, but a layer of lemon glaze on top helps it feel decadent.
Be sure to read through the post below: Our recipe testers have included plenty of notes to help you succeed on the first try. (Fun fact: Two of our taste testers said this lemon loaf was their favorite recipe of the summer!)
Ingredients
Find a full ingredients list with exact quantities in the recipe card below.
Before you jump in, there are a few things we want to highlight:
- Shredded zucchini. Shred your squash with the large holes of a box grater, and don't squeeze out any of the water - it lends important moisture to this loaf! This recipe calls for 180 grams, which is about 1 medium-to-large sized zucchini.
- One fresh lemon. You'll use the juice and zest of the lemon here: Some of it will go directly into the batter; some will form the backbone of our lemon glaze.
- If you can, let the egg and milk come to room temperature on the counter for 30 minutes before you start baking: They'll incorporate more smoothly into the batter, giving you a more even texture and a higher rise.
Use a kitchen scale
Measuring ingredients like flour by volume (with cups) is notoriously unreliable. Because each person fills a cup of flour a little bit differently, it's easy to accidentally use too much in a recipe and end up with dry, dense bread.
But when you use a kitchen scale to measure by weight (in grams), you get a perfect measurement every time. So if you have a kitchen scale, please use it! (No kitchen scale? Measure ingredients like flour with the scoop and level method for best results!)
Variations and Substitutions
- No fresh lemon? Use bottled lemon juice instead, and omit the lemon zest (it will still taste good!)
- Replace the white sugar with light brown sugar for a slightly more complex flavor, but note that this swap yields a less impressive rise. (Our testers agreed the overall flavor was slightly more interesting with brown sugar, but the shape and texture of the loaf was better with white sugar).
Instructions
Start by zesting and juicing one large lemon. You'll use some of the fresh lemon juice and lemon zest in the batter itself; some will go in the lemon glaze at the very end.
Mix the batter
Whisk wet ingredients and sugar together in a large mixing bowl, then stir in the shredded zucchini.
Fold in dry ingredients and half of your fresh lemon zest. You should be left with a thick, airy batter.
Bake
Transfer batter to a 9x5" metal loaf pan lined with parchment paper, and spread it into a relatively even layer.
Bake in a preheated oven at 325° F, until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Let your lemon zucchini bread cool for just a few minutes in the pan, then use the parchment paper to carefully lift the bread onto a wire rack. Let cool completely before adding the glaze.
Don't skip the wire cooling rack! If the bread cools completely in the pan, it can stick to the parchment paper and develop a chewy texture along the sides.
Make the lemon glaze
Whisk powdered sugar, melted butter, more lemon juice, and remaining lemon zest together in a small mixing bowl with a pinch of kosher salt. The mixture may be a bit clumpy: That's ok!
Slowly whisk hot water into the icing, working out any clumps until you have a drizzle-able consistency. It doesn't take a lot here: Add the water a tiny bit at a time.
Pour the glaze over your cooled zucchini bread. Use a spoon to spread it into an even layer, and let a few drips run down the side of the loaf for a photo-worthy presentation. Let the glaze set for an hour or so, then slice and serve.
Pro Tip: Melted butter and very hot water help this glaze set into a relatively firm icing that's dry to the touch - just like you'd find at a bakery! We also use this technique in our maple icing, this chocolate glaze for donuts, and our quick cinnamon glaze.
Storage
Store cooled, sliced zucchini bread in an airtight container on the counter. As it sits, the loaf will absorb some of the lemon glaze: We recommend eating it within a day or two for the best texture.
Make Ahead Tip: Bake the bread a day ahead of time, and add the icing the next day for maximum freshness!
FAQs
No. Lemon juice is highly acidic, which interferes with the leavening agents here and can cause the loaf to deflate.
If you'd like more lemon flavor in the loaf itself, we recommend adding a bit of lemon extract to the zucchini bread batter (similar to our lemon vanilla cupcakes or this lemon scone recipe!) as opposed to simply adding more lemon juice.
Extra lemon juice speeds up the chemical reactions with the baking powder and soda in this recipe, which essentially "burns through" our leavening agents and causes the loaf to collapse under its own weight in the oven. (Importantly, our recipe testers also agreed that adding additional lemon juice DIDN'T make a noticeable difference in the intensity of the lemon flavor - so by adding extra lemon juice, you lose a lot of this loaf's airy texture without actually gaining more lemon-y-ness in return).
Below is an example from one of our recipe tests, which used just 2 extra Tablespoons of lemon juice. The interior crumb was fairly dense, and you can see that the loaf sinks noticeably in the middle and down to one side, with a rectangular shape (as opposed to a domed top): 
This lemon zucchini bread recipe freezes fairly well (although truth be told, we prefer it fresh out of the oven!) You can freeze it with or without the frosting.
We recommend freezing individual slices of leftover bread in an airtight container or freezer bag and defrosting just a slice or two at a time, as needed.
Defrost for an hour or two on the counter when you're ready to serve. Sliced bread will keep in the freezer for 3-4 months before it starts to dry out.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment and star rating below to let us know how it turned out!
📖 Recipe
Lemon Zucchini Bread
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 55 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: Bread
- Cuisine: American
Description
This moist zucchini bread is soft and summery, with a pop of flavor from fresh lemon zest and a tangy lemon glaze on top!
Ingredients
Prep:
- 1 large lemon
For the batter:
- 53 grams unsalted butter (½ stick, or ¼ cup), melted
- 80 grams milk
- 1 egg
- 4 grams vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
- 100 grams sugar
- 15 grams lemon juice (1 Tablespoon)
- 180 grams shredded zucchini (about 1 medium-large zucchini; do not squeeze any of the moisture out)
- 270 grams all purpose flour (2 ¼ cup)
- 4 grams kosher salt (1 teaspoon)
- 5 grams baking soda (1 teaspoon)
- 7 grams baking powder (1 ½ teaspoons)
- 1 gram lemon zest (1 teaspoon), about half of your total lemon zest
For the glaze:
- 1 Tablespoon butter, melted
- 75 grams powdered sugar (¾ cup)
- 5 grams lemon juice (1 teaspoon)
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Remaining lemon zest (about 1 teaspoon)
- 1-2 Tablespoons very hot water
Instructions
Prep
- Heat oven to 325° Fahrenheit. Line a 9x5" metal loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Zest and juice the lemon. Use a microplane or fine grater to remove the zest from the lemon and set it aside, then juice the lemon. You should have about 2 teaspoons of zest and 3-4 Tablespoons of juice. Note: You'll use just 15 grams (1 Tablespoon) of lemon juice in the batter, and another 5 grams (1 teaspoon) in the icing. The lemon zest will be split evenly between the batter and the icing. Save any leftover lemon juice for another recipe.
Make the Batter
- In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, milk, egg, vanilla, and sugar together, along with 15 grams (1 Tablespoon) of your lemon juice.
- Stir shredded zucchini into the wet ingredients.
- Add flour, kosher salt, baking soda, and baking powder to the wet ingredients, along with half of the lemon zest. Stir until just combined. You should have a thick, airy batter.
- Transfer batter to the prepared bread pan and spread it into a fairly even layer. Bake at 325° F for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Let the loaf cool for 5-10 minutes right in the pan, then carefully transfer it to a wire rack. Let the loaf cool completely before making the lemon glaze.
Make the glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, powdered sugar, a pinch of kosher salt, the remaining lemon zest, and 5 grams (1 teaspoon) of the remaining fresh lemon juice. The mixture will look a little clumpy at this point - that's ok!
- Whisk hot water into the glaze a tiny bit at a time, until you've worked out any lumps and the icing has reached a smooth, drizzle-able consistency. You won't need all of the hot water here!
- Drizzle the lemon glaze over the cooled zucchini loaf. If needed, use the back of a spoon to spread the glaze over the loaf in an even layer. Let it set for an hour or so, then slice and serve.
Notes
Please use a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients like flour by volume (with cups) is notoriously unreliable. While we've provided approximate volume measurements for convenience, we recommend using a kitchen scale and following the gram measurements listed above. We use and recommend Escali kitchen scales. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, measure ingredients (especially flour, which is the most finicky) with the scoop and level method for best results. Note: If you have a different brand of kitchen scale, you may want to use a volume (teaspoon) measurement for ingredients less than 5 grams; some scale brands struggle to measure such small amounts, although we've found Escali scales to be very reliable at small quantities!
Don't worry if your zucchini isn't a perfect 180 grams. We've successfully tested this recipe with as low as 125 grams of shredded zucchini - the loaf won't be quite as moist, but it'll still taste good! If you have extra zucchini, save it in an airtight container in the fridge for other recipes later in the week.
How hot should my water be? Hot water is our secret ingredient for a smooth icing that sets as it dries. We heat our water to near-boiling with an electric tea kettle; you can also use tap water on its hottest setting.
Additions and Substitutions. If you'd like more lemon flavor, add up to 1 teaspoon of lemon extract to the batter here (We don't recommend adding additional lemon juice to the batter, as it will affect the shape and texture of the loaf). Adjust the amount of lemon juice and lemon zest in the icing to suit your tastes. You may use brown sugar in place of white granulated sugar here, which will yield a slightly more complex flavor but a less dramatic rise with a tighter crumb.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One ¾-inch slice
- Calories: 184
- Sugar: 12.9 g
- Sodium: 259.3 mg
- Fat: 5.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Protein: 3.5 g
- Cholesterol: 27.7 mg
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