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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Hi Jenn!
Thank you for another great recipe. Made this today, and used the dark cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips. We loved it!
I never hesitate to use one of your recipes……they have all been outstanding.
Happy Cooking 😊
Mary McEntire
Made this chocolate zucchini bread yesterday. I was a little hesitant not draining the zucchini but decided to follow your instructions and not drain it. It came out perfect. Absolutely delicious. Will keep this as a go to for zucchini bread and will definitely make it again and again!
We made this chocolate zucchini bread over the weekend and the entire family LOVED it, teens to toddlers! I’m planning on printing it out for neighbors to give with zucchini from our garden. 🙂 Very moist, excellent flavor and hands down the best zucchini bread we’ve ever made. Plus, it’s easy – no squeezing out the zucchini (my least favorite part of making zucchini baked goods). This one is a keeper – another home-run, Jenn!
HI Jenn,
I hope you and your family are staying safe and well.
I absolutely adore your recipes and the way in which you have laid them out. I’m a slightly unconfident cook, and I really appreciate the step-by-step layout, so thank you!
I’m in the UK, and I wondered if there were any possible way to please add ingredient weights in grams to your recipes? As a working mum, I’m finding it a struggle to convert each time and this would be so handy.
Thank you for listening!
Carla
Hi Carla, So glad you like the recipes! The majority of my recipes (including this one) actually have weight/metric conversions. To view them, scroll down to the recipe and immediately under the recipe title on the right side, you’ll see a little toggle. If you move it from “cup measures” to metric, you’ll see measurements that will work for you. Hope that helps and that you enjoy the zucchini bread if you make it!
This is some serious chocolate! I wanted to include the coffee, but the jar in my cupboard (sell-by date sometime in 2013…) had turned into one solid lump of tar. My husband could not believe that there were 2 packed cups of zucchini in this loaf. Definitely a keeper recipe!
I would love to try this for my diabetic brother, any suggestions on how to reduce the sugar or swaps?
Thankyou !
Hi Maria, I wish I could help but I’ve never worked with sugar substitutes so I can’t say how it would impact recipes. (If it helps at all, I have read plenty of comments from readers who have said they’ve replaced some or all of the sugar in a recipe with a substitute like Stevia and have had good results.) You could also just reduce the sugar a bit. I wouldn’t cut it back my more than 1/4 or it will change the texture of the bread. Hope that helps!
I made this with Splenda brown sugar blend and sugar free chocolate chips! It was fabulous!
Made this yesterday and loved it! We ate it with lite cream cheese and fresh blueberries, btw. On a different note, thanks so much for setting up your print version of the recipe so well – no extra pages and full title and your name. Good job!
😊
Has anyone used the recipe and baked in cupcakes/muffins. I’d like to make them easy serve for my kids. How long do you recommend to put them in?
Hi Ankita, You can make these into muffins. Keep in mind that based on the amount of batter, it will probably render about 8 muffins. I’d start checking them for doneness at 20 – 22 minutes. Hope you enjoy!
This is a go-to recipe for my family. I change absolutely NOTHING and it comes out perfectly every time. Baked in one of my old timey Corningware loaf pans, it makes one large loaf. Large is good because it’s never around for long. Everyone loves it!
I love, love, love this recipe. I make it often, as long as I have Zucchini. I can maybe add a tip as to why sometimes it is dry, because I make it so often. Sometimes the zucchini makes more liquid than other times, after it is grated. If there is not a lot of liquid, the bread will come out drier than if the zucchini is very moist. I double this recipe and make this in a bundt pan and it is usually eaten in one or two days. Because of the texture you can serve it with berries, whipped cream, ice cream. My kids say it’s like a chocolate / volcano/brownie cake. Everyone loves it.
Sounds delish! How long did you cook the Bundt for?
This was amazing! The best recipe I’ve found. So moist and goey from the chocolate chips.. I added chopped walnuts on top. Will definitely be making again!