This Lemon Zucchini Poppy Seed Bread is the most amazing lemony, moist sweet bread. The yogurt, lemon pudding mix, zucchini, and lemon give incredible flavor and texture and the creamy lemon almond glaze takes it over the top.
What we love about this Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Bread
I first fell in love with pairing lemon and zucchini after eating the Lemon Zucchini Cookies at Jacob’s Lake Inn. Those cookies were the inspiration for this recipe and I love this bread for so many reasons. The bread is incredibly moist with the yogurt, lemon pudding mix, and zucchini in the recipe. The lemon pudding mix with the lemon juice and zest gives the perfect amount of lemon flavor, and who doesn’t love lemon poppy seed anything? This recipe is a must try and fortunately, it makes two loaves so there is plenty to eat and share.
The creamy glaze, like the bread, has a hint of almond and vanilla which combined with the lemon is absolutely delicious. This recipe is great in the summer to use up that zucchini in the garden, or year round when you are craving something lemony sweet. We love this as well during the holidays as it has just the smallest tint of green due to the zucchini in the bread.
If you are looking for another sweet breakfast treat, try our favorite Orange French Toast!
What you need to make this Zucchini Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
You will need the following ingredients:
- Butter (for greasing the pan)
- All-purpose flour
- White granulated sugar
- Lemon instant pudding mix
- Baking powder
- Baking sugar
- Salt
- Large eggs
- Vegetable oil
- Plain whole-milk yogurt
- Lemons, juice and zest
- Zucchini
- Poppy seeds
- Vanilla extract
- Almond Extract
- Powdered sugar
- Heavy whipping cream
Lemon Zucchini Poppy Seed Bread Substitutions
I know what it’s like when you don’t have everything on hand and the last thing you want to do is run to the store and pick something up. Here are a few ideas to substitute items on the ingredients list if needed:
- Sour cream, milk, buttermilk, or vanilla-flavored yogurt can be substituted for plain yogurt 1:1. For every cup of yogurt substitute one cup of milk or sour cream. The extra protein and sugars in the yogurt help the bread to brown.
- The bread is delicious without the icing or the icing could be thinned with additional milk or cream for a light glaze.
- You can substitute vanilla extract for the almond extract if desired.
- Milk, half and half, or even water could be used as a substitute for the cream for the icing. However, the additional fat from the cream makes the icing more creamy and flavorful.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Step 2. In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together the whisk eggs, oil, yogurt, and lemon juice. Combine the wet and ingredients with the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Step 3. Stir in shredded zucchini, poppy seeds, lemon juice, and almond and vanilla extracts, until just combined.
Step 4. Pour lemon zucchini batter into prepared pans and bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.
Step 5. Cool bread in the pan for 20 minutes then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Step 6. Beat together with an electric mixer icing ingredients: powdered sugar, cream, lemon juice, and almond extract. Spread icing over loaf and allow to set for 10 minutes before slicing.
Tips
- Do not squeeze out the moisture from the zucchini after shredding, that moisture adds to the texture of the bread.
- I like using light pans for baking quick breads to prevent the crust from burning. I really like USA pans and used this USA bread ban from Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Frequently Asked Questions
| What to serve with Lemon Zucchini Poppy Seed Bread? |
| This bread is so versatile. Serve it as a snack with some tea or milk. It is lovely as a breakfast choice, served alongside eggs, sausage, bacon, quiche, or a breakfast casserole. It can also pair well with dinner, with or without the icing, to serve alongside salad, soup, or as part of a bread basket with a larger meal. |
| How do I store Lemon Zucchini Poppy Seed Bread? |
| Store at room temperature, covered for up to 2 days. Can be wrapped and frozen in the freezer for up to 3 months. I would freeze without the icing and add icing when served. |
Lemon Zucchini Poppy Seed Bread
2
8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaves25
minutes50
minutes1
hour15
minutesThis Lemon Zucchini Poppy Seed Bread is the most amazing lemony, moist sweet bread. The yogurt, lemon pudding mix, zucchini, and lemon give incredible flavor and texture and the creamy lemon almond glaze takes it over the top.
Ingredients
Bread:
1 Tablespoon Butter
3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus additional 2 tablespoons for pans
1 ½ cups sugar
1 package instant lemon pudding mix
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
½ c vegetable oil
½ c plain whole-milk yogurt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 ½ cups shredded zucchini (2-3 medium zucchini)
¼ cup poppy seeds
2 tablespoons lemon zest
¼ teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing:
2 ¼ cups powdered sugar
2 ½ tablespoons heavy whipping cream, adding additional cream if desired
1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon – 1 teaspoon lemon zest for garnish (optional)
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease and flour 2 bread pans size 8 ½ x 4 ½.
- In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients: flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, yogurt, and lemon juice. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined.
- Stir in shredded zucchini, poppy seeds, lemon juice, and almond and vanilla extracts, taking care not to stir too much, just until combined.
- Pour lemon zucchini batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, checking at 50 minutes for doneness. Check with a toothpick in the center of the bread to ensure bread is cooked. If toothpick doesn’t come out clean, add additional cooking time if necessary. Bread should be a light golden brown color
- Cool bread pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen, carefully invert on to a wire rack and let cool completely.
- When bread is completely cooled, beat together with an electric mixer icing ingredients: powdered sugar, cream, lemon juice and almond extract. Use the back of a spoon or butter knife to spread icing on to the loaf. Sprinkle with lemon zest if desired.
- Allow icing to harden for about 10 minutes before slicing to serve.
Notes
- Do not squeeze out the moisture from the zucchini after shredding, that moisture adds to the texture of the bread.
- Icing consistency should be thick enough to spread on the bread, but thin enough so that it slightly drizzles over on to sides of loaf. If icing is too thin, add small amounts of powdered sugar to thicken. If icing is too thick, add small amount of additional cream until desired consistency is reached.
- Use the larger side of a cheese grater to shred the zucchini. It does not need to be peeled, unless desired.
This was delish! It was so quick and easy to put together. I decided to do muffins instead of bread loaves so I could freeze some, and it worked great! I cooked them for 18 minutes, and they were perfect. It made 24 hearty muffins. I’ll definitely make this recipe again. Thanks, Risa!
I love that you made this into muffins! Thanks for sharing the baking time and how it worked for you. I love the idea of making these into muffins, we will try that the next time we make this. Thanks so much for the great feedback!
Zucchini is my favorite and the lemon and poppyseed take it up a notch! Love it!
Thank you so much! Its a great flavor combination and the bread is so moist and lemony. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and leave a review!
!
I would have never thought to combine zucchini and lemon poppyseed but it worked so well! I made this for the lemon lovers in my family and they gobbled it up.
Thank you so much! I was inspired to make this from a cookie I had years ago and I loved the lemon zucchini combination. I am so glad to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for taking the time to give me the feedback!