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’ve made this MANY times and love that it uses more zucchini than most recipes. I omit the choc. chips and add just a pinch extra of cocoa and instant coffee. Made in loafs, muffin tins, and mini muffins. And it’s never dry!!
This recipe is delicious!!! I had to a near 4 lb zucchini to deal with, and in the interests of efficiency, tripled it- that’s also the quantity the zuch provided, 6 cups. I pulled out a mini-muffin mold, 4 small loaf pans, a medium loaf pan, and one the size recommended. This method was FAR from efficient, as cooking time and temperature varied vastly. In the future, I would do one recipe at a time, much easier to adjust time & temp that way. I followed the recipe to the letter. A rarity for me 😉
I have made this so many times and it’s just the absolute best! Sometimes I slice the cake in half (lengthwise and add a layer of vanilla ice cream and thinly sliced strawberries in the middle. Then top with the other cake half. Then I pop in the freezer for a few hours, slice and serve. It’s so delicious!
Very disappointed, the batter was so thick it was more like cookie dough, and the loaf came out very dry and crumbly. Wouldn’t make again.
Outstanding recipe!
This is one of my all time top 5 baking recipes. It’s one of the few that I swear by. I have made this bread several times now, and each time I am blown away by how utterly delicious it is. Thank you so much for creating this recipe and sharing it with us.
I want to say first that I really love your recipes and have never found one I didn’t like till now. This looks amazing out of the oven and because of the comments that it was dry I used oil instead of butter but it just doesn’t have any flavor. I personally think it need more sugar and to use both white & brown sugar. Will try it again with some sugar adjustment.
Hi there. This recipe sounds great, as do all of your recipes I’ve made. I have one question. In the description you have written about using bitter-sweet chocolate chips, but in the recipe it says semi-sweet chocolate chips. Which is preferable?
Thanks.
Hi Susan, Sorry about the confusion! You really can go with either one, but I’m going to align those so they both mention semi-sweet chocolate. Hope you enjoy!
Oh my! This was great. 5 stars from me and also from the six others in my quilting group. Many went back for seconds. I weighed the flour and removed it from the oven promptly and had no trouble with dryness. The bread was moist and very chocolatey. Absolutely delicious.
Hi Jen!
I love all your recipes. I was wondering if I can make your chocolate zucchini bread substituting the butter with oil and applesauce to lighten up the calories?
Yes, you can use oil in place of the butter. If you want to use applesauce as well, I’d use 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup applesauce. Hope you enjoy!