Healthier Lemon Zucchini Bread (No Glaze)
When summer gives you zucchini, make this healthier lemon zucchini bread recipe. You’ll love it for breakfast, an afternoon snack with a cup of tea, or a healthier dessert.
This freezer-friendly quick bread features nutritious ingredients like whole-grain white whole-wheat flour, honey, eggs, and Greek yogurt. Instead of a sugary lemon glaze, it gets its lemon flavor from lots of fresh lemon juice and zest.
It’s moist, tender, and slightly sweet, and has a lighter citrus flavor that pairs beautifully with the complex, natural sweetness of honey.
If you love better-for-you baking, try my healthy oat bran muffins too!
Dietitian tip: With more fiber and protein and less sugar, this lemon zucchini bread is better for your blood sugar, and the olive oil and walnuts in this recipe add plenty of heart-healthy fats.
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Recipe At-A-Glance
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 45 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour
SERVES: 1 loaf, about 10 slices
DIFFICULTY: easy
RECIPE HIGHLIGHTS: A better-for-you zucchini bread recipe with whole wheat flour, honey, Greek yogurt, and a hint of bright lemon flavor.
FEATURED INGREDIENTS: white whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, honey, fresh lemon juice and zest
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Key Recipe Ingredients
Here are the key ingredients for making this healthier lemon zucchini bread. Substitutions and variations are listed in the section below.
Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients with measurements.
Zucchini – Buy two small or one larger zucchini for a total weight of about 12 ounces (¾ pound). This will yield about 1½ to 2 cups when shredded. Make sure the zucchini is fresh and has unblemished skin. Smaller zucchini have fewer seeds, so I prefer them.
White whole wheat flour – A whole grain flour made from white instead of red wheat. It’s nutritionally similar to darker whole-wheat flour, but it has a milder flavor and lighter color, like all-purpose flour. Whole wheat flour is fairly low in gluten and doesn’t rise well, so I use a blend of white whole wheat and all-purpose flour for this recipe.
Honey – This natural sweetener adds a lovely, complex, floral sweetness that complements the lemon flavor.
Plain Greek yogurt – Just a little bit helps tenderize the zucchini bread, keeps it moist, and adds extra protein.
Lemon zest and juice – Since this healthier zucchini bread doesn’t rely on a lemon glaze for its lemon flavor, I use a generous amount of fresh lemon zest and lemon juice for that hint of lemon.
Olive oil – This is my go-to for baking healthier cakes, like my flourless chocolate olive oil torte and my lemon olive oil cake, and it works amazingly well in this recipe to keep the zucchini bread tender, moist, and heart healthy.
Substitutions and Variations
- If you only have darker whole wheat flour on hand, you can use it in place of white whole wheat flour. Note that it will give the bread a slightly nuttier flavor and a darker brown color.
- Add about ½ teaspoon of lemon extract to the batter for more lemon flavor.
- If you prefer a lower-carb, no-sugar-added zucchini bread, use a monkfruit sweetener like Lakanto, instead of honey.
- Omit the walnuts if you need a nut-free version.
- For flavor variations, stir 1 cup of fresh blueberries, ½ cup of dark chocolate chips, or 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds into the batter before pouring it into the loaf pan.
How to Make Lemon Zucchini Bread
1. Toast the walnuts. Place them in a pan over medium-high heat and toss for about 2 minutes, until they start to smell nutty and turn light golden. Keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn!
2. Shred the zucchini and squeeze it dry. Use a box grater or a food processor fitted with the grating blade to shred the unpeeled zucchini. Don’t use a knife to slice it because it will be too thick. Once shredded, line a colander with paper towels, place the zucchini on the paper towels, wrap it, and squeeze out excess moisture.
3. Whisk the dry ingredients. Combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Use a whisk to combine everything well.
4. Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk the eggs, then add honey, olive oil, Greek yogurt, and lemon juice. Whisk everything well, then add the zucchini and mix again.
5. Combine the wet and dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Use a spatula to mix all of the ingredients together. Stir the nuts in last. Let the batter sit for 3-4 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate.
6. Transfer the batter into a loaf pan. Generously spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Transfer the batter into the loaf pan and bake at 350ºF for 45-50 minutes.
Expert Tips
Honey contains fructose and glucose, which cause baked goods to brown faster than sugar (sucrose) does. I tested this at 375ºF, and it browned too quickly, before the inside was fully baked. In my oven, 350ºF for about 47 minutes was perfect, but some ovens run hotter than others, so keep an eye on it. If your bread looks too brown, reduce the heat a bit and bake it for a few extra minutes.
A larger-sized zucchini may have seeds. Cut in half lengthwise, and if you notice lots of seeds, use a spoon to scoop them out before you shred the zucchini.
Don’t skip squeezing the excess water from the zucchini. It’s a high-water vegetable, and if you don’t remove some of the water, your bread may be soggy.
When mixing the wet and dry ingredients, use a spatula instead of a whisk so you can scrape the bottom and ensure all the flour is combined. However, don’t overmix the batter, or the bread will become dense and rubbery
Use a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan for best results. You may have too much batter for a smaller loaf pan.
Use a serrated knife to slice the bread.
How to Freeze and Store Healthy Zucchini Bread
Once baked, let the loaf cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes. Then run a paring knife around the edges of the pan, turn it over, and gently remove the lemon zucchini bread. Let it cool completely, for at least one hour, before slicing it.
If you’ll be enjoying the bread within the next few days, wrap the unsliced loaf tightly in plastic wrap and then foil, and keep it on the counter for up to three days. You can also refrigerate it for up to one week, but the bread will be less moist when stored in the refrigerator.
You can also freeze this bread for at least 3 months. Wrap the entire loaf or cut it into thirds or slices and wrap them individually. I recommend plastic wrap and an airtight container or a freezer storage bag. Thaw it at room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! If you have two 9×5-inch pans, double each ingredient in the recipe and divide the batter between the pans. You shouldn’t have to adjust the bake time as long as your pans are the same size and you leave plenty of room around them in the oven.
You can add slightly more than 2 cups of shredded and squeezed zucchini, but I don’t recommend adding much more, as your loaf may be too moist and gummy.
You do not have to peel the zucchini before shredding it. The peel is tender and won’t affect the texture of the baked loaf. It also adds flecks of green color, along with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Related Recipes
Want more baked goods with health benefits? Try these recipes.
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Healthy Lemon Zucchini Bread (Whole Grain, Honey, Greek Yogurt)
Equipment
- 1 9×5 loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup walnut halves or pieces
- 12 ounces zucchini
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour or regular dark whole wheat flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 heaping tablespoon fresh lemon zest
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and set the rack to the middle position.
- Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the walnuts. Toss them for about 2 minutes or until they're fragrant and start to turn golden. Remove them from the heat, chop them, and set them aside.
- Trim the ends off the zucchini, then use a box shredder or a food processor fitted with the grating blade to shred it. Lay the shredded zucchini on paper towels and squeeze it to remove the excess water. Set this aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Use a whisk to mix the ingredients well.
- In a second mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the honey, olive oil, yogurt, and lemon juice. Whisk everything until combined. Add the zucchini and mix again.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and use a spatula to mix well, scraping up any flour from the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the nuts last so they stay suspended in the batter. Make sure everything is combined, but don't overmix or the batter will be tough. Let the batter sit for 3-4 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate.
- Spray a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan liberally with cooking spray (do this even if it's non-stick). Transfer the batter into the loaf pan. Bake the zucchini bread for 45-50 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Let the loaf cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan, invert it, and gently remove the lemon zucchini bread. Let the loaf cool on a cooling rack for at least one hour before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
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