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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I followed this recipe to a T and it was rich and chocolatey and made the house smell delicious. The hardest part is waiting an hour for it to completely cool (which I of course did not do). Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Such a great recipe! Thank you for sharing, Jenn!
For information, I halved the sugar (made it with 1/2 a cup) and I also halved the amount of chocolate chip (made it with 1/2 a cup). I also substituted the butter with avocado oil instead.
The bread came up excellent!
Whoa. This bread is awesome. Reminded us of cake brownies. Made at 5280 feet and it turned out great without any altitude modifications. Thank you!
made this as mini muffins They stuck in the pans and were very dry. I made last of the batter into 6 full size muffins and under cooked them. Did work out a little better But will go back to my tried and true recipe
I am guessing need to stick to a loaf pan I like a recipe I can make into whatever size I need
Good thing I have a freezer full of shredded zucchini 🙂
Love, love, love this recipe! So easy to make. My son HATES zucchini and didn’t believe there was any in the loaf until he watched me make it. He said he’d now eat zucchini every day in loaf form! Thank you so much for this recipe. It’s truly a keeper!
Hi- trying to use this recipe to make mini bunt cakes ( the size of muffins) Any suggestions on timing?
Thanks!
Hi Colleen, I’d estimate they’d take about 20 to 22 minutes but I’ve never made them as mini bundts, so make sure you keep an eye on them. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Made this last night. The best chocolate zucchini bread I’ve ever had! My family inhaled it.
I am going to make this today. I have made it once before. Delicious. I used chocolate chunks and added some chopped walnuts. It filled the pan so full that I was sure it would “boil over”, but it didn’t. It’s my favorite (read, the only one I’ll use from now on) recipe for zucchini bread!
Made this to share at a pot luck – it was a huge hit! Not too sweet, rich and chocolaty – just delicious! Love that it’s packed with zucchini!
Hi!! I just made this last night, I loved it! I am a chocoholic! How can I freeze the rest? What should I wrap it in? Once it cooled lastnight, I wrapped in saran wrap and put in a freezer bag and put in the fridge, can I just put in freezer now? Is it easy to cut when I take it out of freezer?
Thank you!
Vee-
So glad you enjoyed it! What you’ve done will work well for freezing. It will be easy to cut after you remove it from the freezer; just thaw it overnight in the fridge first.
Baked it with substitutes of coconut oil for butter and a banana because my zucchini ended up only a cup. Smelled so good baking. Tastes great.