This healthy Lemon Zucchini Bread recipe is the ultimate quick bread duo! It’s equal parts lemon poppy seed bread and zucchini bread.
This lemon zucchini bread is moist, tender and full-flavored, is made with olive oil, is 100% whole-wheat, naturally sweetened with honey and filled with zucchini! Does it get any better?!
How to make moist lemon zucchini bread:
Just a few common ingredients are needed to make THE most moist and delicious lemon zucchini bread. Maybe the greatest thing about this bread is that it’s healthy through-and-through and is still addictively delicious. It’s 100% whole-wheat and, other than the color being slightly darker, you would never know!
The key components to making super moist lemon zucchini bread:
- Shredded zucchini
- Honey
- Olive oil
Shredding the zucchini on a box hole grater is key to evenly dispersing the zucchini throughout the bread. Additionally, pressing the shredded zucchini between towels to absorb excess liquid is essential to creating the perfect textured bread.
Honey and olive oil, healthier alternatives to white sugar and butter, also add moistness. If you prefer, you can use grapeseed or canola oil in place of the olive oil. If you do opt to use olive oil (I highly recommend doing so) you can use whatever kind you have on hand, whether that’s light or extra virgin.
A simple glaze for lemon poppy seed zucchini bread:
I love, love, love to finish this bread with a 2-ingredient lemon glaze. Yup, two ingredients is all you need for this glaze, and, you’re already using these ingredients in the bread, so really it’s a zero-ingredient glaze. Too much of a stretch maybe?! 😉
All you’ve got to do is whisk together 1 tablespoon each lemon juice and honey, zap quickly in the microwave then brush or drizzle over the baked bread. Easy and adds a sweet finish!
Does this lemon zucchini bread taste like zucchini?
Since the zucchini used in this bread recipe is shredded, it gets evenly distributed and almost disappears into the bread. Its main job is to add moisture and texture, not flavor. So you don’t have to worry that this bread will taste like squash!
Love a good quick bread?! I’ve got a few more recipes you might like!
Love a good quick bread?! I’ve got a few more recipes you might like! - Healthy Olive Oil Banana Bread with Whole Wheat Flour
- Whole Wheat Browned Butter Carrot Bread
- Buckwheat Rhubarb Bread
- Actually Healthy Bran Muffins
- Whole Wheat Pear and Fennel Quick Bread
Make sure to tag me @ZESTFULKITCHEN ON INSTAGRAM or comment below if you make this Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Bread recipe!
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Print
Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Bread
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 ¼ hours
- Yield: 1 loaf (10 servings) 1x
- Category: Breakfast/Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This healthy Lemon Zucchini Bread recipe is the ultimate quick bread duo! It’s equal parts lemon poppy seed bread and zucchini bread.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (7 ¼ ounces; 204 grams)
- 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ⅔ cup honey
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced lemon zest, packed
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
- 1 small zucchini (8 ounces), trimmed
Honey-Lemon Glaze
- 1 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Heat oven to 350°F with rack set in middle position.
Coat an 8½ × 4½-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides; coat paper with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, poppy seeds, baking soda, and salt.
Whisk together honey, eggs, oil, zest, juice, and extract in a separate bowl.
Shred zucchini on a large hole box grater. Squeeze shredded zucchini between kitchen towels to absorb excess moisture.
Fold honey mixture and zucchini into flour mixture just until combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smooth top, and bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55–60 minutes, rotating halfway through baking.
Let bread cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes, then turn bread out on to wire rack to cool.
Microwave 1 tablespoon each honey and lemon juice together in a microwave-safe bowl on medium power for 30 seconds; whisk to combine then brush glaze over top of bread.
Let bread cool completely.
Notes
Store bread wrapped in foil or in a resealable zipper-lock bag at room temperature. Bread is best enjoyed within the first three days of baking but will last up to one week.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 165
- Sugar: 19g
- Sodium: 132mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 33mg
Keywords: Lemon Zucchini Bread, Lemon Poppy Seed Bread, Heathy lemon poppy seed bread, healthy zucchini bread
Billy says
Hi. I’d really like to make this recipe today but I’m a bit confused about the recipe. You have said that buttermilk is a key ingredient but it’s not included in your ingredient list or in the method.
Lauren says
Hi Billy, gosh so sorry about that! The recipe is correct as written. I had tested it multiple times with buttermilk and in the end decided to remove the buttermilk altogether and increase the honey. Buttermilk is a key ingredient in most of my quick breads, but for this one I opted to remove it in favor of more sweetness. I will make that change to the article. So sorry for the confusion!
Billy says
Thank you for the update. I can’t wait to make this today.
Anna says
Hello, any chance you have tried to make your breads with almond meal.
Am keen to try.
Lauren says
Hi Anna,
I have not tried my breads with almond meal. If the flour is replaced completely with almond meal, I predict they would come out dense and gluey. Partially using almond meal might work out OK, but I can’t say for certain. I can add it to my test list! Are you looking to make these gluten-free? Would you be open to using a gluten-free flour blend? I can text that too!