Lemon zucchini bread on wood cutting board

This lemon zucchini bread is a great way to use up a stockpile of zucchini.

If you keep a garden, or have a friend or family member who keeps a garden or you belong to a CSA, right about now you are probably staring down a whole lot of zucchini. This is the time of year when the zucchini crop explodes and every kitchen counter from here to Albuquerque is piled high with summer squash.

And while there are tons of great zucchini recipes out there, there is no better way to use up this summer veggie than with a big batch of lemon zucchini bread.

Why You’ll Love It:

If you like zucchini, you’ll love this bread. Heck . . even if you don’t like zucchini, you’ll like this bread. While I am not an advocate of “hiding” veggies in foods, this zucchini based bread is a great way to get in an extra serving of veggies for those who don’t like “rabbit food.”

This lemon zucchini bread is moist and delicious. It’s light, bright, and bursting with a lemony flavor. And if you add an optional glaze, it tastes just like dessert.

You can serve this bread for breakfast, an anytime snack, or after dinner with a cup of tea. I love to add a slice of quick bread to my kids lunches. It’s a nice little treat and a slice of bread travels easily. More easily than muffins usually. Ask me how I know.

It’s also a breeze to whip up a couple of loaves of this lemon zucchini bread. Ten minutes of hands-on time and then about an hour in the oven and you are ready to enjoy a nice slice of summery bread.

How to Make Lemon Zucchini Bread:

Start by preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. We want this bread to bake low and slow to maintain the moistness. While the oven heats up, grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans and set aside. You can also use a baking spray to coat the pans. Pam for Baking is my favorite. Or you can even line the pans with parchment paper.

The next step is to grate your zucchini. I usually grate mine in the food processor. It’s super quick and saves your arm a workout. But you could also use a box grater. If you’re in the market for a new one, I love this option that comes with a cup to grate into. No messy zucchini everywhere.

Lay you grated zucchini in a tea towel and squeeze out the excess moisture. You want the zucchini to be damp, but not dripping.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Then set the dry ingredients aside.

In another large bowl (this is the bowl you will be adding all your ingredients to, including all that zucchini, smoke sure it is big enough), combine sugar and lemon zest, until fragrant. You can use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar if you want to. (It’s kind of fun).

Then add the eggs, olive oil, apple sauce, lemon juice, and vanilla to the sugar mixture. Mix it all together until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. The batter will be really thick at this point. Don’t worry, the zucchini adds lots of .

Stir in the zucchini and mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.

Bake your lemon zucchini bread for 45-60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. I know this is a long time window. But oven temperatures, and hence cooking times, vary greatly. Be sure to start checking the bread at the 45 minutes mark. You don’t want it to burn. But you do want to be sure it’s cooked through.

Once a tester comes out clean (use a toothpick if you don’t have a cake tester), remove the lemon zucchini bread from the oven and place the pans on a cooling rack. Let cool for 15 minutes in the pans. Loosen the sides of the bread with a knife and carefully remove the loaves. Let cool completely on rack.

Store at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Enjoy!

This lemon zucchini bread is a great breakfast and would make a fun addition to your brunch table. You can also enjoy it as any time snack. It’s also delicious with a cup of tea.

Want to make it extra special? Add a lemon glaze. Simply whisk together 2 cups of confectioner’s sugar and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice until smooth. (It helps to sift the sugar first, but I usually don’t. If you don’t mind lumpy glaze you don’t have to either).

You can also easily switch things up. Sub all purpose flour for the white whole wheat. Try it with orange zest and juice instead of lemon. Reduce the sugar or substitute an artificial sweetener. (I’ve done this for my Dad who is diabetic and it’s still delicious. I usually use Truvia and follow the substitution instructions on the bag).

Let me know how you are going to enjoy this lemon zucchini bread.

Happy Eating!

P.S. For another great lemon recipe, try my lemon poppyseed muffins.