For those days when you have too much zucchini and not enough willpower to eat another zoodle, this recipe is for you! This vegan lemon zucchini bread is sweet, moist, and reasonably healthy but not so healthy that your kids won’t eat it.
Honestly, this is one of our favorite quick breads of all time. There are a ton of lemon zucchini bread recipes online, but most of them were too sweet, or didn’t rise well, or contained some of our allergens. So I took what I liked from several recipes and combined them with my tried-and-true vegan banana bread recipe.
I called victory with this final version! This vegan lemon zucchini bread is light and moist, but the flax seed and white whole wheat flour keep it healthy-ish. If you use yellow-skinned summer squash, the veggie-averse people in your house won’t even notice the extra nutrition. The yellow flecks??? That’s just the lemon zest! (while you silently laugh maniacally in the kitchen)
Soak up the last few days of summer with this citrusy goodness! Because next week begins all of the fall things, ha!
Recipe Notes
- If your zucchini are large, you won’t use the entire squash for this recipe. Never fear, because shredded zucchini freezes really well! Just divide into one-cup portions and place in a zip top freezer bag. Squeeze out all of the air, and freeze for 3-4 months. You can make this bread again when winter lemons come into season, or you can add the shreds to your favorite soup or spaghetti sauce for some extra nutrition! When making this bread with frozen zucchini, simply thaw before using. Do not drain out the extra liquid, the bread will end up too dry and won’t rise properly.
- The white whole wheat flour gives this bread a lighter texture and color. If you cannot find white whole wheat flour in your area, you can substitute 1 cup of all-purpose flour combined with 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. regular whole wheat flour.
- This recipe uses the zest from one full lemon, but the juice from only half of the lemon. If you’re feeling super fancy, a glaze made from powdered sugar and lemon juice would be delicious on top of this bread. And definitely bring this into the dessert category. But you can also save that half lemon to squeeze into water or iced tea, or use it in my dairy free mulligatawny soup!
Make Vegan Lemon Zucchini Bread Allergy-Friendly for You!
As written, this recipe is dairy free, egg free, soy free, and nut free. This recipe has not been tested with gluten-free flour, but if you have success with it please let me know in the comments! I use light olive oil for baking, but you can use your favorite cooking oil in its place.
Let me know in the comments how this lemon zucchini bread turned out for you! Post a photo on social media with the hashtag #coffeetableeats to share your creations.
Vegan Lemon Zucchini Bread
Light, moist, and healthy-ish, this vegan lemon zucchini bread will convert even the most veggie-averse person in your house. Use white whole wheat flour and golden flax seeds for the lightest texture. Yellow-skinned summer squash is also great in this recipe, it will completely disappear after baking!
Ingredients
- 3/4 c. granulated sugar
- Zest of one lemon
- 1/2 c. light olive oil (NOT extra virgin)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp. ground golden flaxseed
- 5 Tbsp. water
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1 c. shredded zucchini, lightly spooned into the cup
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 c. + 2 Tbsp. white whole wheat flour
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease one 8.5 x 4.5" loaf pan with olive oil, then coat the sides lightly with flour. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine granulated sugar with lemon zest. Stir with a spatula, pressing the zest into the sugar to release the oils and making sure there are no clumps of zest.
- Add oil, vanilla extract, flax seed, water, and lemon juice into the bowl with the sugar. Stir until thoroughly combined, then add in the zucchini and gently stir again to distribute the zucchini.
- Whisk salt, baking powder, baking soda, and flour in a separate bowl. Then add the dry ingredients into the liquid ingredients and stir until just combined. A few streaks of flour are okay, it's important not to overmix.
- Pour the mixture into your prepared loaf pan, gently smoothing out the top of the dough as needed. Bake in your preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the loaf has risen and is lightly golden on top. When you insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf, it should come out clean with just a few crumbs on it.
- Remove the pan from the oven and cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then flip the pan over to gently release the loaf, and cool loaf completely on a wire rack. The cooling time is important with this bread, because the loaf will crumble if you slice it too early. Patience is your friend! This bread keeps for 3-4 days in an airtight zip top bag on the counter, or can be wrapped in plastic wrap and foil then frozen for up to 2-3 months.
Notes
When measuring out your zucchini, DO NOT pack the shreds tightly into your measuring cup. Just gently spoon in the shreds until the cup is full. You don't want air pockets, but you don't want it packed jam tight.
The same goes with your flour. Gently spoon your flour into your measuring cup, then even off the top with a knife. Do not shake the measuring cup to settle the flour and remove air pockets, you could end up with too much flour.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 Amount Per Serving: Calories: 161Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 204mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 16gProtein: 1gNutrition facts may vary based on the ingredients, swaps, and products used.