Chocolate Zucchini Bread

You'll love this chocolate zucchini bread recipe! Packed with shredded zucchini and gooey chocolate chips, it's amazingly moist and fudgy.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This double chocolate zucchini bread recipe is based on the chocolate zucchini muffins from our first cookbook. While I love that recipe, I wanted to make a version that would work well as a loaf for slicing and enjoying with a morning latte or afternoon coffee.

This super easy, delicious chocolate zucchini bread recipe came out better than I could have imagined. It has a perfect cakey crumb, delectable moist texture, and rich chocolate flavor. Like my traditional zucchini bread recipe, this one makes two loaves. We gobble them up pretty quickly at our house, but if you have extra, pop one loaf in the freezer for another day, or share it with a friend!

Chocolate zucchini bread recipe ingredients

Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe Ingredients

My chocolate zucchini bread is rich, moist, and perfectly spiced…and (chocolate chips aside) it’s fairly healthy, too! Here’s what I use to make this delightful summer treat:

  • Flour – A mix of white and whole wheat flour gives it a perfect moist texture and a little whole grain power.
  • Baking powder, baking soda, and eggs – They help the bread puff up as it bakes.
  • Cinnamon and nutmeg – They add a lovely spiced contrast to the chocolate.
  • Sea salt – I add a dash to highlight the rich chocolate flavor.
  • Maple syrup – I swap maple syrup for granulated or brown sugar, so this healthy chocolate zucchini bread is refined sugar-free!
  • Almond milk – For moisture. If you don’t keep almond milk on hand, substitute whatever kind of milk you do. Oat milk, cow’s milk, and soy milk would all work well here.
  • Coconut oil – I use just ¼ cup to make the bread rich, but not too decadent.
  • Vanilla extract – It adds warm depth to the spiced chocolate flavor.
  • Zucchini – I grate mine on the largest holes of a box grater to get the best moist, zucchini-flecked texture!
  • Chocolate chips – I don’t recommend skimping on these guys! You’ll fold some into the batter to make the inside of the bread super fudgy and delicious. Then, you’ll sprinkle more on top!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Pouring dry ingredients into bowl of wet ingredients

How to Make Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This double chocolate zucchini bread recipe couldn’t be simpler to make! Here’s how it goes:

First, whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and gently stir to combine.

Hand using wooden spoon to fold chocolate chips into batter

Fold in the chocolate chips. Look how chocolatey that batter is!!

Hand sprinkling chocolate chips over chocolate zucchini bread batter in loaf pans

Pour the batter into two pans, and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaves comes out clean.

Place the pans on wire racks, and allow the loaves to cool in the pan before digging in. So easy!

Double chocolate zucchini bread in loaf pan

Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe Tips

  • Be careful not to overmix! As with all baking recipes that use wheat flour, overmixing the batter will make the bread dense. Stir until everything is just combined to get soft, moist, and puffy loaves.
  • Use two packed cups of zucchini. The zucchini is essential for adding moisture, so pack your cups full! Skimping on it will yield a drier final loaf. No need to press or squeeze the moisture out of the zucchini. We want all of it to go into the bread!
  • Bake once, eat twice. This recipe makes two loaves of quick bread. I like to enjoy one right away and slice and freeze the other for easy breakfasts or whenever I have a chocolate zucchini bread craving. To thaw a slice, let it sit out at room temperature for an hour or so, or pop it in the microwave for around 30 seconds.
  • Try changing it up! Swap half the chocolate chips for chopped walnuts or dried tart cherries. Or, if you have it on hand, use yellow squash in place of the zucchini. Let me know what variations you try!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe

More Favorite Easy Baking Recipes

If you love this chocolate zucchini bread, try one of these yummy baking recipes next:

And for more zucchini recipes, check out this post.

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Chocolate Zucchini Bread

rate this recipe:
4.93 from 79 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Serves 16 (makes 2 loaves)
You'll love this double chocolate zucchini bread recipe! Packed with shredded zucchini and gooey chocolate chips, it's moist, fudgy, and deeply chocolatey.

Ingredients

  • cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup whole wheat flour
  • cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 3 large eggs
  • cups almond milk, at room temperature
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
  • cup maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray two 8x4” loaf pans with nonstick spray.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole wheat flours, the cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, almond milk, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir in the zucchini. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Don’t overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans. Sprinkle with more chocolate chips and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the tops spring back to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

 

159 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Teressa
    07.14.2023

    5 stars
    Have made this 2 times this week. We love it! Made exactly according to recipe but found that it was done in 35 minutes – not 50 in my oven.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.17.2023

      I’m glad you enjoyed it!

  2. Heiid
    02.27.2023

    Do you have a gluten free version?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      03.03.2023

      Hi, we haven’t tested a gluten-free version of this recipe, so I’m not sure how it would work. A 1-to-1 gluten-free blend might work fine in place of the white and wheat flours.

  3. Kelly
    01.16.2023

    3 stars
    If you’re going to make this recipe, use the whole wheat pastry flour. I tried the whole wheat flour and all purpose flour combined and like others, got a very spongy, odd consistency quick bread. I also felt like this recipe was a bit more work than usual quick breads.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.20.2023

      Hi Kelly, Did you change anything about the recipe? We’ve found the loaves made with whole wheat pastry flour and part white, part wheat to be very similar.

      • Kelly
        01.21.2023

        Hi Phoebe,

        I followed the recipe exactly as written since it was the first time making it. It did get less spongy over the course of a day or two but initially it was very unappealing to eat.

        • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
          01.26.2023

          Hi Kelly, Thanks for your feedback! I’m glad you were happier with the texture over time.

  4. mandy
    11.29.2022

    5 stars
    I made this as muffins and they came out great! 17 minutes in my oven. YUM!

    • mandy
      11.29.2022

      And it made 2 dozen.

      • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
        12.02.2022

        Thanks for sharing this!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      12.02.2022

      Hi Mandy, I’m so glad you loved the muffins!

  5. Becky
    11.19.2022

    I saw the comment about the recipe being changed. Can you provide details of the previous recipe? That worked so well for us!! I subbed out the pastry flour for almond flour and wasn’t sure of the ratio between the two.

  6. Cierra
    09.27.2022

    Hi! I’m really excited to make this with my son, but just curious if you thought I could use all whole wheat flour instead of part that and part all-purpose. Thanks you!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.27.2022

      Hi Cierra, I think all whole wheat would be pretty dense which is why we did this mix. Although, I do find that whole wheat pastry flour is lighter than regular whole wheat so you could use that here in place of all flours. Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur make it.

  7. SandyH
    09.22.2022

    What’s a good substitute for the eggs if I want to make it vegan?

  8. Jen G
    09.06.2022

    Amazing! Did anyone break down the nutrition and calories by chance?

  9. Lorie
    08.24.2022

    5 stars
    I have been making this recipe for over a year now and always bake it in a Bundt pan instead of 2 loaf pans. It comes out perfect, moist and chocolatey every time. I made it last night for my son to take back to college and it came out spongy. It didn’t rise as much and is more dense than normal. I have no idea why, but I also wondered if the recipe changed because it used to call for whole wheat pastry flour. Was it always 3 eggs? I’m sad because my family loves this recipe so much. Thank you!!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.26.2022

      Hi Lorie, we changed the flour because whole wheat pastry flour isn’t accessible for most people to find. I’m sorry it didn’t come out the same, we thought our loaves came out the same. You can definitely go back to the WW pastry flour (2 1/2 cups). We didn’t change the eggs.

  10. Sue Stockman
    08.23.2022

    5 stars
    Very good bread. Followed recipe exactly. It was perfect!!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.26.2022

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  11. Lanelle
    08.19.2022

    Can you use two 9×5 loaf pans?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.20.2022

      Hi Lanelle, you could, your loaves will be a little shorter.

  12. Zara
    08.18.2022

    5 stars
    This is a super tasty recipe! I switched up liquid after the first batch I made and added 1 cup EVOO and 3/4 cup oat milk and it was so luxurious.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.19.2022

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  13. Lori Satter
    07.22.2022

    Can I use butter instead of coconut oil? My husband is allergic to coconuts. Will also sub oat milk for almond as he’s allergic to that too.
    TY, Lori

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.25.2022

      Hi Lori, melted butter might work, but I’d probably go with a neutral oil first (vegetable oil, canola, or avocado).

      • Lori Satter
        07.26.2022

        Would it be the same amount of avocado oil as coconut? I said butter because I was thinking closest saturated fat to coconut

        Thank you
        Lori

        • Jeanine Donofrio
          07.28.2022

          Hi Lori, yes, it would be the same amount of oil. I think melted better might work too. (same amount).

  14. judi
    07.22.2022

    Wondering about the flour as I am allergice to wheat and I notice not just regular flour, but specifically whole wheat flour. I wonder what happens with all 1-for-1 GF flour? Asking first bc the stuff is expensive – LOL if the recipe crashes that’s a lot of GF flour, though results may still be salvageable with ice cream…

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.25.2022

      Hi Judy, I haven’t tried this bread with GF flour so I can’t say for sure.

  15. Frederique
    07.21.2022

    Can you use this recipe to make muffins as well? Would the oven time be different?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.25.2022

      Hi, I’d bake them less (maybe around 16-22 minutes) – and I’m not exactly sure what the yield would be.

  16. Melissa
    07.20.2022

    Could I use milk instead of almond milk? Is it Dutch processed cocoa?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.21.2022

      Hi Melissa, yes, you can use regular milk. And I use regular cocoa powder.

  17. Kathryn
    07.19.2022

    Looks delicious! I don’t have maple syrup, can I sub brown sugar, or will that alter the moisture of the bread?

  18. Kripa Valia
    06.20.2022

    hello. I love baking I have not baked a lot but ya sort of my happy hour. I had a question what shall I use instead of eggs in the bread . I am a vegetarians many cookies and breads have eggs involved. what can I use instead of eggs?

    • Kate
      07.21.2022

      I made this with flax eggs, which worked just fine.

  19. Lon
    04.16.2022

    5 stars
    I am new at baking. I had great success. The chocolate zucchini bread turned out great. The family loved it. Really clear instructions. First class website, great presentation.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.16.2022

      I’m so glad everyone loved it!

  20. Sarah
    03.06.2022

    Hi Jeanine! Do you think I could swap the cocoa powder with all purpose or whole wheat flour to make a regular zucchini bread? I like how this recipe uses maple syrup instead of cane sugar like your recipe for regular zucchini bread, so I was hoping to use this one instead!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      03.07.2022

      Hi Sarah, I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure. Can you let me know if you give it a go?

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.