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Who knew that a single loaf of bread could combine the richness of chocolate, the wholesome goodness of zucchini, and have no refined sugar? Chocolate Zucchini Bread is moist, delicious, and even healthy! It’s incredibly easy to make and perfect for breakfast, a snack, or dessert. This recipe is sure to become a family favorite in no time.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s Super Moist and Delicious: Just like my zucchini cheddar bread and zucchini muffins recipes, this bread stays incredibly moist and tender. Even better, every bite is packed with rich, chocolatey goodness that melts in your mouth.
- A Nutritious Twist: You’ll feel great about indulging in this chocolatey goodness. The whole wheat flour and zucchini add a nutritional boost, while the honey and banana naturally sweeten it, making this bread a treat you can enjoy any time of day.
- Easy and Fun to Make: This recipe is straightforward and perfect for bakers of all levels. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to get the kids involved in the kitchen – older kids will love grating the zucchini and littler ones can help mix the batter.
- Versatile and Convenient: Whether you’re having it for breakfast, a snack, or dessert, this bread fits the bill. It also freezes beautifully, so you can always have some on hand.
The Ingredients
- Flour: A mixture of all purpose and whole wheat flour provides a light and airy texture with a little added fiber and whole wheat nutty flavor.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Gives the zucchini bread a rich chocolate flavor without added sweetness.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: These ingredients help the bread rise and achieve the perfect texture.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds a subtle sweetness and enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Vegetable or Canola Oil: The oil keeps the bread moist and tender.
- Large Eggs: Help hold everything together and provides structure to the bread.
- Banana: Adds natural sweetness and moisture, complementing the zucchini.
- Honey: A natural sweetener that adds a rich flavor and also keeps the bread moist.
- Grated Zucchini: The star ingredient that adds moisture and a nutritional boost without being detectable in taste. Grate your zucchini using the largest holes on a box grater.
*For a full list of ingredients and instructions, see the recipe card below*
Variations and Substitutions
- Flour: Substitute your favorite cup-for-cup gluten-free flour for a gluten-free version. You can also combine flours by using gluten-free flour in place of the all-purpose flour and almond flour instead of whole wheat flour.
- Eggs: If you need to substitute the eggs in this recipe, I would suggest using a banana or applesauce. You could also use a flax egg which is 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water per egg.
- Oil: Feel free to use melted coconut oil or olive oil instead of vegetable or canola oil.
- Sweeteners: Use maple syrup or agave nectar in place of the honey.
- Add-Ins: Want to double down on perfection? You can also add a big handful of chocolate chips or walnuts for a little added crunch.
How to Make Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Step 1: In a bowl, combine the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Step 2: In a separate large bowl, beat the vanilla, oil, eggs, banana and honey until combined.
Step 3: Slowly combine the dry ingredients into the wet then stir in the grated zucchini.
Step 4: Pour the batter into a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan.
Step 5: Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 6: Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove bread from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Slice and serve.
Tips and Tricks
- Grating Zucchini: No need to peel the zucchini before grating. You also don’t need to strain the water out of the grated zucchini before adding it to the batter.
- Don’t Overmix: Stir the batter until just combined to avoid a dense loaf.
- Cooling: Let the bread cool completely before slicing. This helps the bread hold together better.
- Make Muffins: This quick bread batter can easily be used to make muffins. Bake at the same temperature for 18-20 minutes.
FAQs
Store your Chocolate Zucchini Bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. It also freezes well; wrap it tightly in foil, placed in freezer bags labeled with the date and freeze for up to 3 months.
A box grater is the easiest way to shred zucchini. Hold the zucchini firmly and grate it on the medium or large holes of the box grater. Be careful with your fingers as you near the end of the zucchini.
No, you don’t need to strain out the water from the shredded zucchini. The moisture from the zucchini helps keep the bread moist and delicious.
More Quick Bread Recipes
This chocolate zucchini bread will be one you make all summer long! It’s delicious yet healthy and a perfect recipe for the surplus of zucchini you might have. Let me know what you think of this recipe by leaving a rating and comment below!
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Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Equipment
- 9×5 inch loaf pan (or 3 mini loaf pans)
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 1 banana, mashed
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 cups grated zucchini
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In a bowl, combine the first 6 dry ingredients.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the vanilla, oil, eggs, banana and honey until combined.
- Slowly combine the dry ingredients into the wet then stir in the grated zucchini.
- Pour the batter into a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove bread from the pan and cool completely.
- Serve.
I would start with 18-22 minutes. Enjoy!
How much baking time would you suggest for turning these into mini cupcakes for the kiddos?
Omg…just made it, I made it into muffins and substituted applesauce for oil…so good and my kids love it too…thank you.
The recipe came out great, light and perfect for a snack without all the sugar. I did have the same problem asbothers in that I barely got 2 breads, i think if I filled up 1 whole bread pan it would have been perfect. None the less still good, thanks Catherine.
Thanks for a great recipe!!! My 16 month old has been asking to munch on this all day. I love how moist it is and it is just sweet enough (all without the sugar)! I will definitely make this over and over!
YUMMY.. Thanks for sharing.. 🙂 🙂
Found the batter to be very thick I added a bit of whole milk! I did nothave any choc powder I uused Choc chips instead…
Thanks for the recipe!!I love it! Instead of loaves, I made muffins! And added chocolate chips! They were a big hit with my 2 yr. old daughter!
This came out absolutely delicious! My 20
month old son loves it too which is wonderful!! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so sad I just found this site!!! I strictly made all my own babyfood for both my daughters (now 3 and 1). I wish I had this site to refer to. I will have to keep this in mind for my next child and for my friends.
This is in the oven right now…has about 25 minutes left and it already looks delicious! I am keeping my fingers crossed my 2 yr old twins will like it, they are picky as can be. If not, more for me & the hubs I guess 🙂
Just made this and we love it! I have seen quite a few quick bread recipes that call for cooling the loaf and then wrapping it overnight and not slicing until the next day. I think this recipe would benefit from doing that, but I couldn’t help myself and sliced it while warm and it’s still yummy! I did only make one loaf – I think my pan is a 9×5 – and it worked perfectly (I cooked it for about 60-65 minutes). Also, I used sucanat instead of honey (so I added a bit of milk to make up for the liquid difference and an extra t of baking powder), all whole wheat pastry flour and coconut oil. Hopefully I’ll remember to make this recipe again when zucchini is in season here!
I made this this afternoon and just had my first slice and I can say, with all honesty, that I will have a loaf available at all times. It’s genuinely brilliant.
The only problem I had with the recipe was the instruction to “pour” the batter into the pans. For me, there was no pouring. More like globbing into the pan with my big wooden spoon!
Yum.
I second Sarah! A box grater or a regular-sized (larger holes) cheese grater. You definitely can us the grating attachment on the food processor as well!
I would suggest a box grater for the zucchini. That’s what I always use (I use the side with the largest holes) and it goes very quickly. I think they run around $15. Perhaps you could use the food processor with the correct blade too, but with the time you’d have to spend cleaning that I’d say just go with the box grater.
I made this today – thank you for the recipe! Since I hope to be doing this again, I have a question about prep – I found the zucchini-grating the most time-consuming part, probably because I’m working with a long, thin microplane grater. Do you have any equipment recommendations (or best practices) that might make grating easier?