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This Cranberry Lemon Zucchini Bread is not only incredibly moist and delicious, but also a festive looking quick bread for the Holidays!
I absolutely LOVE lemon desserts, they are my favorite. We have made a lot of them including our popular Lemon Brownies, Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake (so moist), Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls, and Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars to just name a few.
Featured Comment
Best lemon zucchini cranberry loaf ever!! I drizzled a little lemon glaze on it and that just added to the wonderful taste. Glad I made two loves!!
Cranberry Lemon Zucchini Bread
Ingredients needed:
- Flour
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Lemon Juice
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Lemon Zest
- Zucchini
- Dried Cranberries
Zucchini
It might seem a bit odd to some of you adding zucchini to a sweet bread, but there is a very good reason. The zucchini adds and helps lock in the moisture of the bread. You will not taste any of the zucchini at all, but still get the benefits of the healthy nutrients. This is a great way to slip in some veggies to kids that are picky eaters. Plus, we think that the colors of the zucchini and cranberries give this bread such a festive look for the Holidays.
Lemon
Lemon is such a versatile fruit that we can use in so many Lemon Brownies or savory dishes. The simple addition of lemon juice or lemon zest gives any dish that wow factor. You are going to love the amount of lemon in this bread. It’s the perfect amount!
Cranberries
Dried cranberries contain the same nutrients as fresh cranberries and also really add such a nice flavor to this bread. You can plump up the dried cranberries by simply soaking them in hot water and then let them stand for 15 to 20 minutes. Strain before using them in the recipe. You can replace fresh cranberries in this recipe as well. Use 1 1/4 cups of fresh cranberries to replace the dried if you prefer.
Tips for the perfect Cranberry Lemon Zucchini Bread:
- You can top this bread with a Lemon Glaze. We personally think it’s great without it, but will give it an extra burst of lemon for all of our lemon lovers! Whisk together 1/2 cup powdered sugar (sifted) and 1/4 cup lemon juice. Poke holes in the top of the bread and brush the glaze over the warm loaf.
- Lemon zest is the outer yellow layer of the lemon. Use a lemon zester to easily remove the zest.
- You can leave the cranberries out of this recipe if you prefer and this is still a wonderful Lemon Zucchini Bread.
- Take the butter and eggs out of the fridge 40 minutes before starting.
Add as Google Trusted SourceCranberry Lemon Zucchini Bread
Equipment
- 9 x 5 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup zucchini, shredded
- 1 cup dried cranberries, divided
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Stir in lemon zest. Fold in shredded zucchini and 3/4 cup of the cranberries. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed for 3 minutes. Gradually add in the sugar and continue beating for another 2-3 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time. Add lemon juice. Now, gradually add the flour mixture and milk. Mix on low speed until combined. Do not over mix.
- Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan and top with remaining cranberries. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes.
- Let the bread cool in pan 10 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Awesome Lemon Cranberry Zucchini Bread. I made two, one with lemon glaze and one without the lemon glaze.
They were both delicious! ☺️
Thanks Bunnie!
Very good zucchini bread! I enjoy the lemon and cranberry combination. Thanks!
Thank you Janis!
Hi I made this bread today, I used margarine in place of butter And almond milk in place of milk , I am lactose intolerant. It came out very dense and tasted terrible. Did those 2 changes cause this . I see everyone’s comments, I’m sad mine came out bad.
Hi Teresa. So sorry your bread didn’t turn out to your liking. It’s hard to say if those two substitutions made the difference. Margarine and almond milk vary due to fat and water content so it can affect the overall consistency and flavor.
tried this bread in 3 3×5 Wiltons and beautiful just baked them 45 min
Thanks Ida!
I want to try these as cupcakes
Let us know if you try that Laverne!
very good we loved it just wondering can I make 3 mini lives out of this?
Thanks Ida. Yes, three mini loaves should work fine.
very very good
Thanks Ida!
what canyou substitute for zucchini?
Hi Patricia. Squash or carrots would be my first choice if you are wanting to stay with vegetables. You could also omit the zucchini and still have a good tasting bread.