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.
Yum! I didn’t have espresso powder but I did have coffee extract so I added 1/2 tsp and it worked nicely. This recipe will be on regular rotation at my house!
Everyone loved this chocolate zucchini bread – me, husband and friends. My husband really liked that it was not overly sweet. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips. At first I thought there was too much zucchini but when baked, it shrinks up. Now I know what to do with my other zucchini!
I’ve made this amazing loaf many, many times…it’s the best! Last night though, I missed hearing the oven timer go off and I overcooked the loaves. They are a bit dry. Is there any way to save them? Could I poke small holes and drizzle with a simple syrup? Help!
Awww… that’s happened to me! Sure, I think what you’re suggesting would help to moisten it up.
Absolutely Amazing! We all loved it and will definitely be making it again and again.
In a season of “too many zucchini”, this is a perfect addition to the recipe collection. The bread was easy to make and turned out perfectly. The only change I made was substituting Kahlua for the vanilla and espresso powder. Outstanding flavor and a perfect fix for a chocolate craving! Thanks for the recipe!
This was amazing!! It was so easy to make and incredibly delicious! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I want to bake this in a 9×5 pan how much flour will I need?
Hi Virginia, I think you can just make the recipe as is — the loaf will just be pretty short (and it may be done slightly earlier so keep a close eye on it). Hope you enjoy!
I want to bake this in a 9 x 5 pan. What is 1.5 times of 1&2/3 cup
I believe it would be 2 & 1/2 but you may want to check my math as it’s not my strong suit!
That’s correct 🙂
1-2/3 = 3/3+2/3 = 5/3
1-1/2 = 2/2+1/2 = 3/2
So, 1-1/2 times 1-2/3 cups is:
5/3X3/2 = 15/6
15 divided by 6 = 2 1/2
Wow- love it (maybe a little too much!). Even those who aren’t fans of zucchini bread will like this. May have to try a healthier version in the future but, as is this recipe is seriously perfect!!!
The recipe was easy to follow and easy to make, and the results were delicious. My first time making zucchini bread, and not the last!
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!
All my loaf pans are 9×5. 🙁 Suggestions on how to convert this recipe?
Hi Megan, You’ll need to make 1.5 times the recipe. Baking time is likely to be a bit longer. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Is the measure for flour 1 and 2/3 cups ? or 1 to 2/3 cup flour? I used 1 and 2/3 cup flour and it came out quite dry 🙁
Hi Miya, It’s 1 and 2/3 cups. Did you use the spoon and level method to measure the flour?
Can salted butter be used if I don’t have unsalted butter
Sure, Carol – just reduce the salt to 1/2 teaspoon.
Can I make these in a muffin tin? How many would a full recipe make?
Sure. I’d estimate it will make about 8 muffins. Enjoy!
This chocolate zucchini is absolutely divine! I made it exactly by the recipe, except I did not have the instant coffee to include. It is so very moist and chocolatey. And the best part is the ease of mixing it up. Everything put together by hand, no electric mixer; only a spoon/spatula and very few dishes. I will definitely make it again…..
Love it. Perfect everytime!
Hi, I’m dying to try this recipe but I have questions. I only have 1 medium zucchini. Could I add fresh yellow squash to equal the required zucchini amount? Also, I could only find espresso chips, would a few of those work? Finally, do you have any photos of the sliced bread? I really want it to be more fudgy than dry bread.
Hi Heather, It’s fine to supplement the zucchini with yellow squash, espresso chips will work, and the top pic of the recipe shows it sliced (I think you’ll find it very moist). Hope you enjoy if you make it!
I’ve had Zucchini bread at people’s homes and decided to try making one because I rarely bake for my young daughter & felt guilty (My mom is a master baker). I thought this recipe looked good, so decided to give it a whirl. It’s out of this world! So rich and moist and not too sweet. I’ve sent it to clients & friends telling them they’ve got to try it. Thank you 🌈🥇🍫
Wonderful! I added more zucchini and cooked in 4 small loaf pans for 30 minutes. Turned out perfectly! Thank you for a tasty, easy recipe.
Did you drain, strain, or press the zucchini at all?
How can I convert this to a muffin recipe?
Hi Riley, You can follow the baking instructions for these muffins.
Are the chocolate chips necessary for the recipe to come out right? I rather skip those.
It’s perfectly fine to skip them. Hope you enjoy!
I have been making this loaf for quite sometime now and every time, it turns out great. Just put one in the oven; but will need to pull out my wooden spoon to ensure that there is enough left for dessert tonight!!! Thanks for such a great recipe that sneaks in veggies.
Wow I really like this recipe. It tastes really good. you should try it.
At a rental house and no loaf pan. However, I would really love to make this for my daughter. I do have an 8.5 X 8.5 glass plan. Could I bake it in that pan and if so how long would I bake and at what temperature? Stay safe and well.
Also found a 9.5 by 13.5 glass pan. Would that be better?
Hi Grace, I’d stick with the other one. 🙂
Hi Grace, it should work in that pan. Bake time will be less but it’s hard to say how long it will take so just keep a close eye on it (and I’d keep the temperature the same). Hope you all enjoy!
I baked it this morning in the 8.5 X 8.5 at 350 deg. I started checking at 25 mins and every 5 minutes afterwords. It seemed done at 45 mins. Very moist and delicious! Thank you.
So glad it worked out well — thanks for reporting back! 🙂
My first zucchini chocolate and it was so delicious! Will be making again and again!
I followed this recipe exactly and then the mixture was so dry that I added 1/2 cup of applesauce and still it came out like a heavy brick. Disappointing!
Hi Shannon, sorry to hear you had a problem with this! Is there any chance you could’ve made a measuring error?
I had exactly the same problem. It was so thick when combining the wet and dry I had to combine it with my hands like bread dough. It took 1.5 hours to bake and still wasn’t cooked through. My baked goods usually turn out great. I double checked the ingredients many times but the only wet ingredient seems to be 1/2cup of butter. How can this be?!
So sorry this was such a fail for you! Did you wring out the zucchini by any chance?
Did you use the 2 large eggs?
I had the exact same problem Karina. Aside from eggs and butter no more wet ingredients. I will add a bit more butter next time 😊
I see some people say it was dry. I packed my zucchini in the cup, maybe that’s the difference? Mine turn out really moist.
Can I use almond flour instead of all purpose flour?
I don’t recommend it, Sakshi – sorry!
Delish on my first go round. Used bobs 1:1 gluten free flour and made muffins. 20-25 min in a gas oven. Not too sweet. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed. It replaced my $2.50 morning muffin habit at the coffee shop at work. 🙂
I made it for a workshop and had several people ask for the recipe!
Great recipe, very good chocolate flavor. will make again. I like how there isn’t so much sugar. Good work.
Waiting for my first batch to cool, but it looks and smells so yummy! Can’t wait!
Note: On the second batch, I added my chocolate chips to the dry mix and the shredded zucchini into the wet mix. I found I had much better incorporation and an easier time mixing the batter the second time.
Can I substitute walnuts for chocolate chips
Sure — just dice them a bit (it will make the bread easier to slice). Hope you enjoy!
I was given three huge home-grown zucchini. After grating and using two cups for the recipe, I still had some left over for a savory dish I made.
This recipe baked into a delicious loaf cake. Not too sweet and wonderful with yogurt or without for breakfast, snack…anytime! I used ½ coconut sugar and ½ brown. Great for a light dessert with vanilla or coffee ice cream.
0mg where is the temperature listed for the OVEN????
Hi Linda, The first paragraph of the instructions indicates the oven temp (350°F/175°C). Hope you enjoy the bread!
I have made this recipe at least 4 times and each time it is delicious. I really like your format for the recipes with pictures and easy to follow instructions. I’ve also made the regular zucchini bread and it was delicious as well. Thanks.
Can’t wait to try! Would this recipe for muffins or would the ratios need to change?
Hi MuffinMan 🙂 You can definitely make these as muffins; the recipe will remain the same but the bake time will be different. I’d start checking them at 20 minutes. Hope you enjoy!