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 bread was easy to throw together on a Sunday morning and did not disappoint! My family of 6 gobbled it up as soon as it came out of the oven.
Loved this bread and so did my family. It tastes like chocolate cake only not as sweet. The best part is that my picky kids had no idea there was zucchini in it 🙂 thanks Jenn!
Made this with my kids this morning and it was delicious! We didn’t have any Dutch process cocoa so we substituted Hershey’s natural cocoa powder. We also had only one zucchini so we had to use some grated yellow squash. Was nervous about the substitutions but it came out great. Thank you!
Did exactly everything the recipe called for and somehow mine came out dense and very wet. Was I supposed to have drained the grated zucchini before adding? Can’t understand why it was such a disaster!! When I put the toothpick into it to test it, it came out clean. After it cooled, it was glue!! Go figure!
Hi Pat, So sorry you had trouble with the recipe. The zucchini does not need to be drained for this recipe. Are you sure you added both the baking soda and the baking powder?
Yes, added everything exactly as you indicated, but I think I may have grated the zucchini too finely and it caused it to be too wet. Definitely going to try again. And this time I won’t hand grate it, I will use the food processor. Somehow, I thought finely grated was better, but it was wet. My batter looked exactly like your photos, except the last one, my zucchini was not like that, which now makes me realize what went wrong…my friends still liked the taste of it, despite it being kind of dense and gluey! 🙂 Will report back when I try again…hopefully next week sometime. Thanks for your quick reply! And what I think will be a great recipe once I get figure out it!
Need to know calories and carbs.
Is the flour supposed to be 1 cup plus 2/3 cup or 1-2 thirds of a cup? I tried it as 1 & 2/3 cup last night and couldnt even mix it, it was beyond dry and didnt look like the picture at all. Hoping to try it again tonight but just wanted some clarification. Thanks!
Hi Sylvia, It is supposed to be 1 cup plus 2/3 so you definitely measured correctly. It’s a very thick batter because of the water content in the zucchini. As long as you don’t make any substitutions, it should come out just fine. Please let me know how the next one turns out. Thanks!
This was soon good! I will add some walnuts next time.
I want to make this but I’m not sure when to add the instant coffee. Do I need to dissolve the granules first or just add to dry ingredients as is?
Hi Dalila, Just add it as is…it will dissolve on its own in the batter.
I used a flat grater to prep the zucchini since I am way too lazy to bust out the food processor – turned out great and less clean up afterwards!
made this with the abundance of zucchini from my Garden this summer. Delicious!!