Lemon Zucchini Bread with Lemon Glaze
My perfect zucchini bread base transformed into the most addicting lemon zucchini bread with a sweet lemon glaze. It’s sweet, it’s bright and giving all the summer vibes. Not to mention, glazed like a gorgeous tangy donut.
Lemon has always had my heart so I don’t know why every time I try a new lemon dessert, it surprises me how much I love it. So of course I took my Zucchini Bread recipe and turned it into the most luscious lemon bread frosted with a tangy and sweet lemon glaze. & If you missed it, I also made a double chocolate version, brown butter chocolate chip one and
How To Make The Best Lemon Zucchini Bread
Again, just like my other zucchini bread recipes, it’s quite simple – mix the wet ingredients well. I like to add the eggs in one at a time and beat really well between each one. Then add the dry ingredients followed by the shredded zucchini.
The only extra steps are that I rubbed the zest of two lemons into the sugar to release some lemon flavor into the bread. Then I made a simple lemon glaze with the lemon juice.
The most tedious part is just shredding the zucchini so I definitely recommend a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer Shredding Attachment. It’s fairly inexpensive and so useful for so many recipes!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Zucchini: I had very large zucchini and made several recipes from one. Some zucchinis can be more dry than others but if you weigh the amount, this shouldn’t matter too much. If you’re a little short on zucchini, you can also make up the difference in weight with apple sauce or yogurt.
- Flour: I use all purpose flour in most of my recipes and I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour is so often over measured.
- 1:1 Gluten-free flour substitutes should also work fine.
- Baking Powder/Soda: I use both baking powder and baking soda to get a nice rise on the heavy batter.
- Sugar: I use granulated sugar. Brown sugar also works fine and if you’re trying to reduce the sugar, I don’t recommend reducing it by more than 25g.
- Oil/Butter: My zucchini bread recipes work with both oil and butter, but I love the melt-in-your-mouth texture that the butter gives so I recommend that.
- Eggs: I use room temperature, large eggs. Place them in hot water for a few minutes if they’re cold.
- Greek yogurt: I love using plain greek yogurt in loaf cakes/breads/muffins, etc. It’s giving sour cream texture but higher protein, lower fat. Full-fat or fat-free works fine and sour cream also works fine.
- Lemon: I used two large FRESH lemons. When you’re using the lemon zest you want to use fresh lemons for the best flavor. If your lemon isn’t fresh, the skin can get a little weird and not zest right and not have as much flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions with Photos
- Shred the zucchinis (with the peel is fine). Small seeds are fine but I discard the large ones.
- Zest the lemons on top of the sugar and use your fingers to rub them together well.
- Whisk together the sugar and butter until they’re well combined.
- Whisk in the eggs. For extra fluffy bread, add one egg at a time, whisking until each one is completely combined. Then add the other egg, etc.
- Mix in the greek yogurt and vanilla, mixing just until they’re combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, whisking just until they’re completely combined.
- Fold in the shredded zucchini just until it’s combined.
- Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake for about 60-65 minutes, until you insert a knife in the center and no wet batter comes out.
- Combine the lemon juice, powdered sugar, vanilla and a pinch of salt until they’re well combined. Drizzle on top of the cake.
Pro Tips for the best zucchini bread:
- Make sure to use the right pan for this zucchini bread. I recommend a 9×5” metal loaf pan. If you’re using a glass pan it may not bake properly.
- Don’t swap or reduce any of the ingredients if I didn’t mention them in the ingredient section above.
- Use a digital scale to measure your ingredients for the most accurate measurements. If your zucchini doesn’t add up to the exact weight, you can add a little water, applesauce or yogurt to make up the difference.
Frequently Asked Questions
I stick a knife all the way down the center (the tallest part) and if it comes out with moist crumbs instead of gummy batter it’s done baking.
You can also check the temperature with a digital thermometer – you want it around 200F (93C).
I made this zucchini bread into like 5 flavors and tested them all as muffins – I won’t double post the recipe as muffins lol but they do work perfectly if you follow the baking instructions of my vanilla muffin recipe (rest for about an hour, bake 12 large muffins at 425F and then 375F).
How to store zucchini bread
I place the bread under a cake dome or in an airtight container or baggy at room temperature for 2-3 days. If it’s longer you can refrigerate it for a couple of days but it may dry out quicker in the fridge, so I recommend freezing instead.
You can freeze the whole thing or each individual slice with plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer bag. Bring back to room temperature before serving.
Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below.
If you loved this lemon zucchini bread as much as I do, I would appreciate it if you left a 5-star rating or a review below lol & don’t forget to save on Pinterest!
As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!
Love, B
