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A wooden cutting board with two slices of bread in the foreground and a whole loaf in the background.
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Lemon Olive Oil Zucchini Bread

This easy zucchini bread is bright with fresh lemon flavor, wonderfully moist, and not overly sweet. Enjoy it on its own, or top it with a zesty lemon butter glaze for an extra burst of citrusy goodness.
This recipe makes 1 loaf using an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf baking pan
Prep Time10 minutes
Course: Dessert, Frosting, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: lemon olive oil zucchini bread, lemon zucchini bread, zucchini bread
Author: Hani Bacova

Equipment

  • Food chopper/processor
  • loaf pan
  • microplane

Ingredients

Zucchini Bread

  • 1¼ cup all-purpose flour 175 grams
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp zest from 2 large lemons
  • ¼+⅛ cup granulated sugar 75 grams
  • 1/4 cup light olive oil 55 grams, 60 ml
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 tsp Lemon Extract
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk or kefir 80 grams, 80 ml
  • 1½ cups 1 medium-size coarsely shredded unpeeled zucchini Squeeze out as much liquid as you can. If using frozen zucchini, let it thaw .

Lemon Glaze

  • 1½ tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar 120-125 grams
  • 1 tsp lemon zest optional
  • sea or Himalayan salt

Instructions

Zucchini Batter

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
    Tip: If using a fan-forced oven, preheat to 340°F (170℃)
  • Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour (1¼ cups, 175 grams), baking soda (1/2 teaspoon), baking powder (1/2 teaspoon), and salt (1/4 teaspoon).
  • In a blender or a food processor, pulse granulated sugar and lemon zest (2 tablespoons)10 times.
    Pour in light olive oil (1/4 cup, 55 grams), eggs (2 eggs), Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon), lemon extract (1/2 teaspoon), and buttermilk (1/3 cup, 80 grams). Blend until smooth.
    Add grated and squeezed zucchini and blend for 30 seconds, until smooth with bit of green
  • Pour wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Stir, just until combined. Don't overmix.
    Pour a batter into a prepared loaf pan

Bake

  • Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the toothpick comes out mostly clean with just a few crumbs sticking to it.
  • Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then lift the bread from the pan using parchment and allow it to cool before glazing.

Glaze

  • In a small pan, heat lemon juice (1½ tablespoons) and butter (1 tablespoon), just until butter is melted.
    Add powdered sugar (1 cup, 120-125 grams) and stir vigorously until smooth and thick.
    Tip: If needed, place the bowl in a cold water bath to speed up cooling. As the glaze cools, it will naturally thicken. If it gets too thick, heat it over a simmering water for 5-10 seconds.

Drizzle Glaze

  • With a whisk, drizzle glaze over cooled bread. Allow to set. Slice and enjoy. Or freeze for up to 3 months.