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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One of the best!!! I can’t get enough of this moist chocolate bread. You can’t even taste the zucchini. My 8 year old loves to help out on this simple recipe. I use Penzeys Dutch cocoa. If you haven’t been introduced to the glove for use with a shredder box or mandolin, let me tell you it’s a must have. Thank you for this amazing recipe.
Jenn, this bread was SO delicious, but I did have a problem. By mistake, I added two cups of chocolate chips (to my surprise, they melted) at the end. Baked for 65 minutes and thought the bread was done, but it was still a tad under baked in the middle and a litle browner on top then i would have liked despite covering it with foil for the last ten minutes. My oven temp is spot on. Could it have been he extra chocolate chips that caused this to happen? Tasted so good with them t I am tempted to switch to a 9 x 5 pan. Won’t be as high and look as pretty. What do you think?
Hi Carol, While very chocolatey sounds yummy, I do think the addition to the batter volume plus the moistness that the melted chips contributed caused the inside of the bread to be underbaked. I don’t think you need to bake this in a 9 x 5-inch pan; I’d just try it again with the correct amount of chips. 🙂
Finally remade it with the correct amount of chocolate chips and served it with espreesio gelato…came out perfect and was a great finish to my dinner out on the terrace tonight. Thanks, Jenn
This bread is delicious. It is so easy to make and more importantly, so delicious. (I always dial back a bit on sugar/salt with all recipes as that’s our preference.) I’m not a huge zucchini fan but I think it’s perfect when used in baked goods. This bread is moist, with great chocolate flavor and I serve it for dessert with a dusting of powdered sugar. Oh and of course we enjoy any leftovers with coffee the next day! Jen’s recipes have never disappointed; I’m perfectly comfortable with trying a new recipe of hers when having company.
Super dense, moist and delicious!!
The best chocolate zucchini bread recipe
This recipe is outstanding! It has a nice rich flavor, it is not too sweet, and with just some typical ingredients, it really has something unique and special about the flavor. Thank you! By the way, I substituted oil and a bit of shortening for the butter, since I’m trying to cut back on Dairy while breastfeeding. And I used Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder. Everything was just delicious. Thanks again.
I just made this this morning because I had the ingredients and couldn’t sleep, so why not do something. It is absolutely delicious, the zucchini keeps it so moist. We are gonna heat it up for dessert with Hagen Das coffee ice cream on top, talk about spoiled. I’m thinking of trying this recipe doubled in a Bundy pan with nuts on the bottom which would then be the top and a bourbon glaze,kinda like that Bacardi rum cake, thanks for an awesome recipe, I knew I had to make it the moment I saw it!
This has more chocolate flavor than any other chocolate zucchini recipe you will find! My husband had no idea there was zucchini in them. It’s so quick and easy I made them several times in a week. This will be my go to zucchini recipe from now on.
Easy to make and so good!
Recipe is super. Loaf didn’t make it past day two in our household of three. Wondering if I could swap all or a portion of the flour to whole wheat
Glad you liked it! If you want to swap in some whole wheat flour, I’d suggest starting by using half whole wheat and half all-purpose to make sure you like the texture. If you do like it, the next time you make it, you can up the ratio of whole wheat to white a bit more.
This was amazing!! An absolute favorite. Will definitely make this again.
Excellent, the right amount of chocolate and not too sweet! It took much much longer to bake, I’m wondering if it was the glass loaf pan (vs. metal)? I also think adding the zucchini in with the wet ingredients first would have been very helpful. I added walnuts…..which were yummy!
Hi Erin, glad you enjoyed this! The glass pan shouldn’t require you to add baking time to the bread. I’m wondering if your oven temperature may be a bit inaccurate. Here is an easy way to test it.