Lighter Lemon Zucchini Bread

4.20 from 5 votes

This lightened-up lemon zucchini bread is bright, cozy, and comes together in one bowl with feel-good ingredients like yogurt, white whole wheat flour, and 2 cups (!) of grated zucchini. It’s perfectly sweet with less added sugar, full of lemony flavor, and just right with coffee or as a quick snack. Wildly delicious all on its own, but level it up by adding the homemade lemon glaze and it becomes the most amazing feel-good dessert.

Prep Time15

Cook Time50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Keyword: lemon, zucchini

Servings: slices

Calories: 166kcal

Author: Taesha Butler

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons lemon zest from about 2 lemons
½ cup coconut sugar or light brown sugar
2 cups loosely packed grated zucchini don't squeeze out
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs
⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
⅓ cup avocado oil or other light flavored oil or melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups white whole wheat flour or 1¾ cup all-purpose
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Optional lemon glaze

⅓ cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease a 9×5-inch heavy-weight steel loaf pan or line it with parchment paper.
Place lemon zest and sugar in a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the lemon zest and sugar together for at least a minute. This step helps to release the lemon oils into the sugar and really brings out the lemon flavor without needing to use an extract.
Whisk in the grated zucchini, lemon juice, egg, yogurt, oil, and vanilla.
Add the flour then sprinkle over the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a rubber spatula or large spoon to mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until the loaf is a light golden brown around the edges and no longer look wet in the center, about 45-55 minutes
If you have a kitchen thermometer, bake until the loaf has an internal temperature of 200℉. This will indicate that the bread is baked through without over baking.
Allow to cool for 15 minutes in the pan then transfer the loaf to a cooling rack to cool for 20 minutes before enjoying.
While the loaf cools, make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth and there are no lumps. Drizzle the glaze over the loaf.
Once completely cool, slice into 12 pieces. The loaf can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerated for 4-5 days. You can also freeze it for up to 2 months.

Nutrition