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Chocolate Zucchini Bread

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By Jenn Segal
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This rich chocolate zucchini bread makes the perfect afternoon snack whenever you’re in need of a chocolate fix.

Loaf of chocolate zucchini bread with the end sliced off.

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

Bread ingredients including cocoa powder, zucchini, and eggs.

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.

Food processor of shredded zucchini.

Next, melt the butter in a large mixing bowl.

Bowl of butter.

Add the brown sugar.

Butter and brown sugar in a bowl.

And stir until smooth.

Fork mixing butter and brown sugar.

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.)

Eggs and vanilla in a bowl with a brown sugar mixture.

Next, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.

Whisk in a bowl of unmixed dry ingredients.

Add it to the wet ingredients.

Dry ingredients pouring into a bowl of wet ingredients.

And stir to combine — it will be very thick.

Bowl of chocolate dough.

Next, add the grated zucchini and chocolate chips.

Zucchini and chocolate chips in a bowl with dough.

Stir until well combined. It will still be very thick — that’s okay.

Batter with zucchini and chocolate chips.

Transfer the mixture to a greased loaf pan, and spread the batter evenly with a spatula.

Bread pan with chocolate zucchini bread batter.

Bake for about an hour, then let the loaf cool in the pan for about ten minutes.

Loaf of chocolate zucchini bread in a loaf pan.

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!

Loaf of chocolate zucchini bread on a wire rack.

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

Metric Cup Measures
By Jenn Segal

This rich chocolate zucchini bread makes the perfect afternoon snack whenever you’re in need of a chocolate fix.

Servings: One 8½ x 4½-inch loaf
Total Time: 1 Hour 20 Minutes

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

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees and grease an 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. 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.)
  3. 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.
  4. Stir in the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips. (It will still be thick -- that's okay.)
  5. 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.
  6. 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

Powered by Edamam

  • 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
Nutritional Data Disclaimer

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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  • All my loaf pans are 9×5. 🙁 Suggestions on how to convert this recipe?

    • Hi Megan, You’ll need to make 1.5 times the recipe. Baking time is likely to be a bit longer. Hope you enjoy! 🙂

  • Is the measure for flour 1 and 2/3 cups ? or 1 to 2/3 cup flour? I used 1 and 2/3 cup flour and it came out quite dry 🙁

    • Hi Miya, It’s 1 and 2/3 cups. Did you use the spoon and level method to measure the flour?

  • Can salted butter be used if I don’t have unsalted butter

    • Sure, Carol – just reduce the salt to 1/2 teaspoon.

      • Can I make these in a muffin tin? How many would a full recipe make?

        • — Kristin Anderson
        • Reply

        • Sure. I’d estimate it will make about 8 muffins. Enjoy!

  • This chocolate zucchini is absolutely divine! I made it exactly by the recipe, except I did not have the instant coffee to include. It is so very moist and chocolatey. And the best part is the ease of mixing it up. Everything put together by hand, no electric mixer; only a spoon/spatula and very few dishes. I will definitely make it again…..

    • Love it. Perfect everytime!

  • Hi, I’m dying to try this recipe but I have questions. I only have 1 medium zucchini. Could I add fresh yellow squash to equal the required zucchini amount? Also, I could only find espresso chips, would a few of those work? Finally, do you have any photos of the sliced bread? I really want it to be more fudgy than dry bread.

    • Hi Heather, It’s fine to supplement the zucchini with yellow squash, espresso chips will work, and the top pic of the recipe shows it sliced (I think you’ll find it very moist). Hope you enjoy if you make it!

  • I’ve had Zucchini bread at people’s homes and decided to try making one because I rarely bake for my young daughter & felt guilty (My mom is a master baker). I thought this recipe looked good, so decided to give it a whirl. It’s out of this world! So rich and moist and not too sweet. I’ve sent it to clients & friends telling them they’ve got to try it. Thank you 🌈🥇🍫

    • Wonderful! I added more zucchini and cooked in 4 small loaf pans for 30 minutes. Turned out perfectly! Thank you for a tasty, easy recipe.

    • Did you drain, strain, or press the zucchini at all?

      • How can I convert this to a muffin recipe?

  • Are the chocolate chips necessary for the recipe to come out right? I rather skip those.

    • — Diana Gromowski
    • Reply

    • It’s perfectly fine to skip them. Hope you enjoy!

  • I have been making this loaf for quite sometime now and every time, it turns out great. Just put one in the oven; but will need to pull out my wooden spoon to ensure that there is enough left for dessert tonight!!! Thanks for such a great recipe that sneaks in veggies.

    • Wow I really like this recipe. It tastes really good. you should try it.

  • At a rental house and no loaf pan. However, I would really love to make this for my daughter. I do have an 8.5 X 8.5 glass plan. Could I bake it in that pan and if so how long would I bake and at what temperature? Stay safe and well.

    • Also found a 9.5 by 13.5 glass pan. Would that be better?

      • Hi Grace, I’d stick with the other one. 🙂

    • Hi Grace, it should work in that pan. Bake time will be less but it’s hard to say how long it will take so just keep a close eye on it (and I’d keep the temperature the same). Hope you all enjoy!

      • I baked it this morning in the 8.5 X 8.5 at 350 deg. I started checking at 25 mins and every 5 minutes afterwords. It seemed done at 45 mins. Very moist and delicious! Thank you.

        • So glad it worked out well — thanks for reporting back! 🙂

    • My first zucchini chocolate and it was so delicious! Will be making again and again!

  • I followed this recipe exactly and then the mixture was so dry that I added 1/2 cup of applesauce and still it came out like a heavy brick. Disappointing!

    • Hi Shannon, sorry to hear you had a problem with this! Is there any chance you could’ve made a measuring error?

    • I had exactly the same problem. It was so thick when combining the wet and dry I had to combine it with my hands like bread dough. It took 1.5 hours to bake and still wasn’t cooked through. My baked goods usually turn out great. I double checked the ingredients many times but the only wet ingredient seems to be 1/2cup of butter. How can this be?!

      • So sorry this was such a fail for you! Did you wring out the zucchini by any chance?

      • Did you use the 2 large eggs?

      • I had the exact same problem Karina. Aside from eggs and butter no more wet ingredients. I will add a bit more butter next time 😊

    • I see some people say it was dry. I packed my zucchini in the cup, maybe that’s the difference? Mine turn out really moist.

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