This Healthy Lemon Zucchini Bread is ultra-moist, bursting with fresh citrus flavor, and naturally gluten-free thanks to almond flour. The perfect guilt-free snack!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This healthy lemon zucchini bread recipe is one of my all-time favorites on iFoodReal and is something I’ve made for almost a decade for healthy breakfast and snacks!
Here is why you will consider it the best zucchini bread recipe too:
- Incredibly moist and soft: Thanks to the grated zucchini, this bread turns out beautifully moist and soft on the inside, with perfectly golden, slightly crispy edges on the outside. Just like my lemon zucchini bread!
- Packed with bright flavor: It features a vibrant, zesty burst of real lemon flavor that completely masks any vegetable taste – making it a hit even for picky eaters!
- Naturally gluten-free: Made with high-protein, nutrient-dense almond flour instead of regular white flour, it is naturally gluten-free and keeps you full longer. It has all almond flour zucchini bread vibes.
- Healthier: This recipe completely skips the refined oils and processed sugars, using clean ingredients like maple syrup or honey to keep it guilt-free.
- Simple to make: You only need 5 main ingredients and a few baking staples to whip up this quick bread. Plus, there is no need to squeeze the liquid out of the zucchini!
Reader’s Review
I never review recipes…but this one was just too good to not review. I followed the directions exactly and every person in my family LOVES this bread!
Annie
Ingredients for Healthy Lemon Zucchini Bread
- Eggs: Use large eggs to bind ingredients. I have not tested this recipe with a flax egg or chia egg.
- Zucchini: You’ll need around 1/2 a medium zucchini. This will help to add moisture to the bread without impacting flavor.
- Lemon: It’s best to use an unwaxed organic lemon since we’re using the zest and juice. Use one large or two small lemons.
- Sweetener: I’ve used maple syrup and honey before. Other liquid sweeteners will also work, but the flavor will vary.
- Almond flour: Use superfine blanched almond flour for the best results. You can experiment with a coarser almond meal, but the texture will differ.
- Leavening agents: Baking powder and baking soda both work to provide lift and texture.
- Salt: Just a little is needed to balance and enhance the depth of flavor.
- Vanilla extract: I recommend using pure vanilla for the best flavor.
How To Make Healthy Lemon Zucchini Bread
- Prep your lemon and zucchini: Zest and juice the lemon, and grate the zucchini on the medium side of a box grater or using a food processor disk. Don’t squeeze any of the liquid from the zucchini.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is light and foamy.
- Fold in the zucchini and almond flour: Use a spatula to gently fold the almond flour and the shredded zucchini into the wet ingredients. Stir just until combined; your batter should be thick, similar to a muffin batter consistency.
- Bake the bread: Pour batter into prepared 9×5-inch loaf pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool and slice: Remove it from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing with a sharp serrated knife so it doesn’t crumble!
Tips for Best Results
- Make sure to allow it cool: I know it’s hard to resist, but please let the lemon zucchini bread cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting it with a serrated knife. That way it won’t fall apart on you!
- Grease the pan: That way it should be easy to remove the lemon bread from your pan. I actually find that parchment paper is unnecessary but I recommend it, just in case. I recently bought this ceramic non-stick loaf pan and I adore it – no parchment paper needed!
- Stick to the recipe: Almond flour behaves completely differently than wheat flour or coconut flour. To get that perfect, ultra-moist texture, I highly recommend making the recipe exactly as written before trying any major substitutions.
- Zest before you juice: Always make sure to zest your lemon before cutting it in half and squeezing it! I love using this zester and this lemon squeezer to get every last drop.
- Use the spoon and level method: When measuring your almond flour, spoon it gently into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife instead of scooping directly from the bag. Scooping packs the flour down, which will make your zucchini cake dense.
Variations
- Lavender: Just 1 teaspoon of culinary grade dried lavender is enough to delicately scent the lemon bread without overwhelming.
- Poppy seeds: Lemon and poppyseed are a classic pairing. Add 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds to this lemon zucchini bread. You may also love this healthy lemon poppy seed bread made with almond flour, too!
- Berries: This recipe is already very moist. If adding berries, you may want to squeeze out a little excess liquid from the zucchini. I recommend adding around 1/2 cup of blueberries, chopped strawberries, or raspberries. Keep some of that to dot the top of the loaf with before baking. You can also use dried fruits or berries too.
- Glaze: Drizzle this sweet lemon glaze from almond flour lemon cookies or this vanilla one from healthy cinnamon rolls.
Serving Recommendations
You can enjoy a slice of this lemon zucchini bread in several ways including as-is, at room temperature, or even warmed up (just 10-20 seconds in the microwave). Here are a few of my top suggestions:
- Butter: Spread a little butter.
- Yogurt and fruit: Top a slice of the lemon bread with a dollop of Instant Pot yogurt or blended cottage cheese and some berries or fruit.
- Whipped cream: Use a dollop of whipped coconut cream with berries instead of yogurt.
- Ice cream: For a simple dessert, add a small scoop of ice cream over a warmed slice of lemon zucchini bread.
How to Store
I’ll be honest, in my house, this lemon zucchini bread is gone within 12 hours, so I’ve never had to struggle with storing. However, if you do have leftovers (lucky you!), then:
Store: Store it covered with a kitchen towel on a counter for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
Freeze: You can bake 2 loaves and freeze one for up to 3 months in a sealed Ziploc bag. To thaw, just leave it on a counter for 3-4 hours.
Make ahead: Prepare the batter minus the leavening agents up to a day in advance and store covered in the refrigerator. When you want to continue, add the baking powder and soda, mix well, and then bake as per recipe.
FAQs
No, you must use almond flour for this recipe. Almond flour is unique because it is made of finely ground blanched almonds; it does not contain gluten and behaves completely differently than wheat-based or coconut flours, which absorb liquids much faster. If you want to use regular gluten-free flour: Try my traditional lemon zucchini bread. If you want to use whole wheat flour: Try my healthy lemon blueberry bread or healthy lemon blueberry muffins.
You sure do. Zucchini skin in very thin and, once baked, practically disappears into the lemon zucchini loaf. That’s what makes it such an easy addition to baked goods – just grate, mix, and bake for extra nutrients but no zucchini taste!
According to a reader, yes. You can make 12 muffins, baked in a silicone muffin pan for 22 minutes. Then cool for 20 minutes and enjoy.
You sure can. This lemon zucchini loaf will work amazingly with lime, orange, or blood orange too! It may even work with grapefruit, though I haven’t tried.
Some ovens seem to have an issue with baking the outside of cakes too quickly. If this seems to be happening, cover the bread loosely with parchment paper or aluminum foil halfway through.
More Lemon and Zucchini Recipes to Try
- Healthy zucchini bread
- Healthy zucchini banana bread
- Cottage cheese zucchini bread
- Almond flour zucchini muffins
- Healthy zucchini cake
Healthy Lemon Zucchini Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large lemon, zest and juice of
- 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shredded zucchini, not squeezed
- 3 1/3 cups almond flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, line 9 x 5 loaf pan with unbleached parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add eggs, lemon zest and juice (zest first before squeezing juice), maple syrup, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract and salt. Whisk until combined. Mixture will be foamy.
- Add zucchini and almond flour (don't forget to skim the top of measuring cup with a knife). Mix gently with spatula to combine.
- Pour batter into previously prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove bread from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool off for 10 minutes. Holding onto the flaps of parchment paper remove bread from a loaf pan and let it cool off completely before slicing with sharp serrated knife.
Notes
- Store: Store covered in a cool dry place for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: In an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Almond flour does not contain gluten like wheat. Nor it is thirsty like coconut flour. All flours differ. You have to use almond flour in this recipe.
- Feel free to add 1/2 cup blueberries or 1 tbsp of poppy seeds to the batter.
- And about the baking dish. This bread will not stick and should slide right out of your baking dish if you spray it with cooking spray. You do not have to use parchment paper but I included that recommendation just in case.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Trust her when she says this recipe should not be made with coconut flour. I made this recipe last week according to her recipe and it came out beautifully!!! Moist and full of flavor. Then this weekend I made it with …. you guessed it, 1/2 coconut flour and 1/2 almond flour ( I just had to try it ) …. well, the batter was a bit dry and the loaf was even drier. It taste good at best, but dry. So next weekend, I will, without hesitation, make this according to the recipe. Thank you for sharing your yummies with us.
This lemon bread is so delicious I just want to keep eating it, it baked really well part from the crust would crumble off the edges, even though I used a bread knife, so not sure if I didn’t wait long enough for it to get cool, I was just too excited to try it, also I would have liked it a bit more lemony, so would it be ok to use more lemons in it?
So glad to hear you loved it! If you add more liquid (lemon juice) it could affect the ratio of dry to wet ingredients. You could definitely add more lemon zest OR even dried lemon peel (sometimes you can find that in the baking spice aisle at the grocer).
Yummy bread ! Very moist and great lemon taste I did make a light glaze for top Thanks
Have made this recipe twice now and my family loves it. Not perfect though, as my baking skills are somewhat lacking; but I try.
Both times the loaf has sunk in the middle before I remove it from the oven. I saw another post here that mentioned the same issue. The solution was to add a bit more flour. I did that the second time with the same result.
I live at altitude, 5,000 ft., and wondering if that could be the issue? Would you have any suggestions in that regard?
Usually falling in the middle means the batter was over mixed. High altitude in your case sounds like it may have affected it too. Usually for baking at 5,000 ft altitude you can try to decrease the baking powder – for each tsp reduce the amount by 1/8-1/4 tsp. You could also try to increase oven temperature by 25 degrees F. Note: that I have not tested either of those but they may help your high altitude baking situation.
Over mixing? Definite possibility! I over tighten every nut, bolt and screw I come in contact with, so over mixing would not be a surprise. Will be more attentive.
I will also try your suggestion on using less baking powder for my elevation and increasing oven temp by 25 degrees. Tweaking is all part of the fun. Thanks for the reply.
This looks amazing! I am doing whole 30 and can’t have maple syrup, honey, sugars or sweetners. Do you think an extra 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla would work instead? Or do you have other ideas for a substitute?
Unfortunately not on the vanilla as baking is a science and altering the ratio of liquid to flour etc can really impact the texture and how it bakes.
Just pulled this out of the oven and we waited a whole 20 mins before we couldn’t wait any longer to try it. This bread is perfect. Absolutely perfect. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Do you think that adding an additional cup of squeezed zucchini per loaf would make the bread to heavy or dense?
Baking is a bit art and a bit science and we have not tested it with extra zucchini.
Delicious! Made it for a lazy Sunday morning and kids, hubby and brother all loved it! Hubby says it’s better than Starbucks lemon loaf!! It’s super moist and easy to throw together.
This is such a yummy recipe I’m so glad I found it. Thank you for posting healthy foods Olena!! Sooo nice!
I can’t wait to try this an with variations of the recipe! Thanks soooooo much for sharing!
Enjoy!!!