Lemon Blueberry Zucchini Bread

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Sweet zucchini bread loaded with juicy blueberries and topped with a sweet lemon glaze. This easy zucchini bread recipe is super moist, uses loads of zucchini, and doesn’t require a mixer!

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If you’ve ever planted zucchini before, then you know it grows fast! And when that time of year rolls around and I’ve got zucchini taking over my countertop, my favorite way to use a lot of zucchini up is with zucchini bread!

Normally I make a classic zucchini bread from America’s Test Kitchen, but I had a ton of blueberries and lemons leftover from another recipe, so I thought they’d be perfect for zucchini bread!

To create this recipe, I used America’s Test Kitchen’s “Zucchini Bread” recipe as a base.  The original recipe has the best proportions and ingredients of any zucchini bread recipe I’ve used over the years. I just made some zesty adjustments for this blueberry bread version, omitting any of the cinnamon and spices you normally see. 

The results were fresh and delicious! So if you’re looking for a fun spin on classic zucchini bread, try this version!

And while you’re at it, try my delicious Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Bread and my crispy Air Fryer Zucchini Chips!

Why You’ll Love This Blueberry Zucchini Bread Recipe

• A no mixer recipe. You don’t need to break out any mixers, the whole recipe can be made by hand.
• This is a 1 loaf zucchini bread recipe. Perfect for if you don’t have the freezer or counter space for 2 loaves.
• It’s the best way to use up extra zucchini! This delicious zucchini bread is the perfect solution for the times you have too much zucchini and need to use it up!
• This zucchini bread is also a great way to sneak in some extra veggies for the kids!

How To Make A Blueberry Zucchini Bread With Lemon Glaze

Makes 1 9×5″ Loaf

Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen’s “Zucchini Bread” recipe.

The Ingredients You’ll Need:

• Shredded Zucchini- no peeling required but do scoop out the big seeds.
• All purpose flour
• Baking powder and baking soda
• Coarse Kosher salt
• Lemon zest (zest of two small lemons)
• Unsalted butter
• White Sugar
• Large Eggs
• Greek Yogurt– I used 2% Greek yogurt, but use what you have or sour cream
• Fresh Lemon Juice
• Vanilla Extract
• Blueberries -Frozen or fresh blueberries work for this quick bread 

Lemon Glaze

• Powdered sugar
• Zest and juice of one small lemon

Hint: The whole recipe uses about 3 small lemons.

Instructions For Making the Bread:

Preheat oven to 375° and grease and flour a 9×5″ loaf pan.

Toss the shredded zucchini with 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Add the zucchini to a colander set over a bowl and drain for 30 minutes.

Melt the butter and set aside to cool while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, lemon zest, and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.

In another bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the butter, yogurt, eggs, remaining 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons of sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice until combined.

Once the zucchini is done draining for 30 minutes, use some paper towels, and press as much additional water out as possible. I ended up with 1/2 cup of water removed.

Add the drained zucchini to the yogurt mixture.

Add the blueberries to the dry ingredients and give a quick toss to coat. This will keep the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the loaf.

Fold the zucchini mixture into the dry ingredients gently as to not mash up the blueberries. 

Continue folding in the wet ingredients until there are no more visible flour streaks.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 375° for 60-70 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean in the center.

After baking, allow the zucchini bread to cool for one hour before removing it from the pan and setting it on a wire rack.

Make the glaze by combining the lemon zest and powdered sugar in a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and stir. The glaze should be thick, but still pour off a spoon. If the glaze is too thick, add a teaspoon of lemon juice to thin it out.

Pour the prepared glaze over the cooling zucchini bread and let cool completely.

Serve and enjoy!

Substitutions

• Blueberries- Frozen or fresh blueberries work for this recipe
• Lemon- If you’re not a lemon fan, swap the juice and zest for orange or lime
• Greek Yogurt- Sour cream can be swapped or just plain non-Greek yogurt can be used.

Controlling The Moisture Content Of Zucchini

Zucchini is an extremely watery vegetable, so by draining the grated zucchini before we mix it into the bread ensures that it will bake through and won’t sink in the middle or get soggy.

We use a little sugar to help draw out the excess water in the zucchini. This also helps to tenderize the vegetable, remove any bitterness, and of course, add extra sweetness!

After draining in the colander, we take some paper towels and give the zucchini a good squeeze. This is just to make sure we’ve gotten out as much water as possible.

If you happen to be using a large or overgrown zucchini, it’s still good to use for bread, just scoop out the seeds before shredding and draining. The seeds tend to be bitter and super watery and just unpleasant to eat.

Storing Your Leftover Zucchini Bread

Your Blueberry Zucchini Bread can be stored at room temperature on the countertop for 2-3 days. FYI the glaze will melt into the bread as it sits.

Another way to store leftovers is storing the zucchini bread in an airtight container in the fridge. This is helpful if you live in a particularly humid climate.

You can freeze this bread, but don’t glaze it until after it’s thawed.

Should I Peel The Zucchini Before Grating It?

Nope!

The skin is so thin and so tender, that you do not need to peel it before grating it.

Leaving the skin on also adds nice little green flecks throughout the bread.

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