Chocolate Zucchini Bread
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This rich chocolate zucchini bread makes the perfect afternoon snack whenever you’re in need of a chocolate fix.
This chocolate zucchini bread makes the perfect afternoon snack whenever you’re in need of a chocolate fix. It has a deep chocolate flavor from unsweetened cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate chips, yet it’s not so sweet that it tastes like dessert. Plus, it’s loaded with zucchini, so there’s some virtue in it.
What you’ll need to make Chocolate zucchini Bread
How to make Chocolate zucchini Bread
Begin by grating the zucchini. I use a food processor as it’s a bit quicker, but you can also do it by hand with a box grater.
Next, melt the butter in a large mixing bowl.
Add the brown sugar.
And stir until smooth.
Stir in the eggs and vanilla, then set aside. (Note: it’s important to stir the brown sugar into the melted butter before adding the eggs, as the hot butter alone could cook the eggs.)
Next, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.
Add it to the wet ingredients.
And stir to combine — it will be very thick.
Next, add the grated zucchini and chocolate chips.
Stir until well combined. It will still be very thick — that’s okay.
Transfer the mixture to a greased loaf pan, and spread the batter evenly with a spatula.
Bake for about an hour, then let the loaf cool in the pan for about ten minutes.
Turn the loaf out onto a rack to cool completely. It’s delicious right out of the oven but it’s best to wait at least an hour to slice it, otherwise it may crumble a little. Enjoy!
Note: My starting point for this recipe was this recipe from King Arthur Flour. I replaced the vegetable oil with butter, swapped out the honey for more brown sugar, and reduced the salt.
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Chocolate Zucchini Bread
This rich chocolate zucchini bread makes the perfect afternoon snack whenever you’re in need of a chocolate fix.
Ingredients
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1⅔ cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with a knife
- ⅓ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (ok to substitute natural cocoa powder)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee (optional)
- 2 cups shredded zucchini, gently packed (you'll need about 2 medium zucchini; do not wring out the liquid)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees and grease an 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the butter in a large microwave-safe mixing bowl and microwave for one minute, or until just melted. Stir in the brown sugar until completely smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir until incorporated. (Be sure to add the eggs after the brown sugar is mixed in, as the hot butter alone could cook the eggs.)
- Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda and instant coffee (if using) in a medium bowl. Add to the butter mixture and stir until well combined. It will be very thick.
- Stir in the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips. (It will still be thick -- that's okay.)
- Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean (save for perhaps a smear from the melted chocolate chips). Let the loaf cool on a rack for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a rack to cool completely.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil, freezer wrap or place in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (16 1/2-inch slices servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 231
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 33g
- Sugar: 21g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Sodium: 184mg
- Cholesterol: 41mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This the first recipe I made after discovering Once Upon a Chef website! I’ve already bookmarked many recipes to try soon!
This zucchini bread was awesome! I used whole wheat flour and added walnuts! Instead of a bread pan, I made them into muffins and they were just perfect for a quick snack.
This is fantastic and super easy! As my father is a pre-diabetic, I was able to substitute part of the flour with almond flour and used mostly stevia. The second try was perfection!
This has amazing flavour for all chocolate lovers.
I finally made this. It was excellent in flavor and texture. It was very moist and the most difficult part of this recipe was trying not to eat too much of it at once. It is delicious anytime of the day. The loaf baked beautifully and looked beautiful too. This will be a repeater for sure.
We just finished having a slice (warmed in the microwave so the chocolate chips got a little melty) of this bread, and oh my WORD it is good! So chocolatey and moist and delicious. I followed the recipe exactly, and it baked up perfectly. Another wonderful recipe, and it was perfect timing too since I had the last 3 zucchinis from our garden to grate up for the freezer. Thank you!
I just made 4 loaves of you chocolate zucchini bread. It is a wonderful recipe!
The last batch I used 4 mini foil pans to use as gifts for friends. I made it from one recipe just didn’t fill the pan to the top.
I tried this recipe and it never seemed to fully cook. I had it in the oven for 1 hour 25 mins and it was still goo in the middle. The recipe makes sense. Maybe there was too much moisture in my zucchini.
Hi Justeen, I’m so sorry to hear you had a problem with this! Is there any chance you could have measured something incorrectly? If not, you may have had a particularly moist zucchini. Although I haven’t found it necessary in this recipe, if you try this again, you could use a clean kitchen towel to squeeze the extra moisture out of the zucchini before adding it to the batter.
Two things I have learned when cooking with zucchini. Don’t grate zucchini until it’s time to add it to the recipe. When filling measuring cup don’t pack zucchini, drop handfuls in cups till its filled and don’t be tempted to dump in any leftover zucchini. That extra may be just enough to prevent your item from fully cooking.
Absolutely delicious !!!
I used milk chocolate chips & baked for 55 min. Otherwise all instructions & ingredients were just perfect – so moist too
Can I use yellow squash mixed with the zucchini? I’m short like a cup and a half of the zucchini and have an abundance of yellow squash.
Sure, Tricia – that’ll be fine.
Seriously A-MAZ-ing said the girl who’s not crazy about chocolate but ate half the loaf. The best zucchini bread ever!