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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Delicious, moist, and the perfect size!
Such a tasty zucchini bread!
AMAZING Recipe!!! I am so glad I’ve found you! I LOVE to bake- just not so much in the summer heat. With a surplus of zucchini at this time of year, and accidently coming across your site and this recipe, I gave in to turning on my oven last night. OMGOSH, Jen, I absolutely love this bread! I tried it while it was still very warm and the chocolate chunks were melt-y and sooooo…good! This weekend I am doubling the recipe, and making smaller loaves to give out to some of my fellow church goers on Sunday-they’ll be happy they showed up! ; ) Thank you for sharing your wonderful gifts-(baking and cooking)- with us! Have a great day! Kim
I tried this last night and it was so moist, and decadent…my family loved it. The zucchini was not noticeable at all (I used a smaller grater). I made sure I did not packed the zucchini, too much (I think that it may cause the center of the bread not to rise properly or to be wet–it happened to me once when I put too much carrot on my carrot cake). My bread baked exactly as on the picture. ..love it and will make it again!!!
Wow! This is the first chocolate zucchini bread I’ve tried and I am now hooked! I loved how dense it was, but not dry. It smelled divine while baking and tasted even better. My husband kept asking if it had cooled enough so he could try it. Definitely a keeper! Next time I might try smaller pans so I can share with friends and neighbors.
I just tried the Double Chocolate Zucchini and this recipe is so easy to make and so good. I love Zucchini Bread but is so much better. I was so excited I took some to my neighbor and she called me wanting the recipe. Thanks for my new Chocolate Fix.
It looked exactly like the picture and I cut it after resting 10 min. I couldn’t wait. I wish you had more stars to rate.
Joyce
I skipped the coffee, and I rate this a 5. I made it last night with fresh zucchini from my garden. I pureed the zucchini and used half semi sweet and half milk chocolate chips as thats what i had on hand. It is moist amd the gooey chocolate chips are yummy. Great recipe, glad I found it. I reserved a couple of canning jars full of pureed zucchini….good thing because I will definitely make this again. Thanks!
If using pureed zucchini, how much did you use in the recipe? Do you need to alter other ingredients?
I made this recipe today and it was easy to put together. Loafs look awesome. I have one out of its pan, however the bottom did not want to release. So I did lose part of the bottom. I did not have non-stick spray so I used my olive oil spray and it worked well for the sides, but not the bottom. I’m cooling the other pan a bit longer to see if it will come out better. The batter tasted delicious so I can only imagine the loaf tasting wonderful as well. Thank you for the recipe.
I don’t know how to edit my first post so I’m replying to my own post. Lol! The bread is AWESOME! Every one loved it! We had it for lunch and I served it as a dessert with a little side of cool whip mixed the sliced strawberries. So yummy! Again thank you for the recipe. This will be a great way to use up the Zucchini’s I’m growing in our garden.
We had company for brunch over the weekend and I made this bread along with your sausage casserole. Both received rave reviews!
This looks great! I’m going to try it with coconut oil instead of butter because I’m finding it works great in sweet baked goods.
This reply is to Rebecca – I was curious as to why you want to try with coconut oil and how it turns out. I have coconut oil but have not used it yet. I tasted a teeny bit of it thinking it would taste like coconuts, but, to me, it didn’t. Would it make the zucchini bread moister than the butter? Thanks!
LOVE this! Our three year old grandson thinks it is chocolate cake. He shoves it in his mouth. Have shared this recipe with family and friends!