Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This easy Chocolate Zucchini Bread recipe is not only moist and chocolaty but also has a rich, decadent flavor that will remind you of your favorite chocolate cake.

The best part? You’d never guess it’s made with a vegetable! It’s the perfect way to sneak in some extra goodness without sacrificing taste. Whether you’re serving it for breakfast, a snack, or dessert, this bread is sure to be a hit with everyone who tries it.

I love baking with zucchini! I love it in my zucchini oatmeal muffins, in zucchini breakfast cookies and in zucchini bread. It’s the secret ingredient that adds incredible moisture and fluffiness by bulking up the batter – and it’s barely notable! Paired with rich chocolate? Even better!

The zucchini blends seamlessly into the batter, giving you all the benefits without anyone ever guessing it’s there. It’s the perfect way to add some extra goodness to your baking without compromising on taste or texture.

When I first told my kids they were getting chocolate zucchini bread for their snack, they all looked at me in shock and disbelief. Well, the first bite convinced them to trust mom’s baking, and this chocolate zucchini bread has been a regular summer staple for us ever since!

How to make chocolate zucchini bread

Here is the step by step process with photos of each step to help guide you:

Before you begin: First things first, you’ll want to preheat your oven to 350°F to ensure it’s nice and hot when you’re ready to bake.

While the oven is warming up, take a moment to prepare your loaf pan. You can use either a 9×5-inch loaf pan or an 8×4-inch loaf pan if you prefer a taller loaf.

To prevent sticking and make sure your bread comes out easily, give the pan a good coating with nonstick spray or line with baking parchment (I always line my pan – makes it easy to lift out the bread even while the pan is still hot!).

Once that’s done, set the pan aside and you’re all set to start mixing up your delicious batter.

Pro tip: How to easily line a loaf pan: Just place your pan on your piece of parchment paper, cut away the four corners as shown in my very bad drawing below, and your paper will magically fit into your pan without any crumpling, folding or stuffing needed!

1. Combine the wet ingredients:

Grab a medium-sized measuring jug and let’s get started on mixing our wet ingredients.

First, crack the eggs into the bowl. Next, pour in the oil, followed by the yogurt or sour cream, which will help to keep the bread fudge and moist. Then add both sugar to bring in some sweetness. Finally, drizzle in the vanilla extract for that extra hint of flavor.

Whisk everything together until it’s well combined and smooth. You’ll know it’s ready when the mixture looks uniform and slightly frothy.

2. Combine the dry ingredients:

Use a separate medium-large mixing bowl for the dry ingredients. Start by measuring out the flour. Next, add the rich cocoa powder, which will give our bread its deep chocolate flavor and color. Then, sprinkle in the baking powder and baking soda – these are the magic ingredients that will help our bread rise beautifully in the oven. Don’t forget a pinch of salt to balance out the flavors and bring out the sweetness.

Whisk all these ingredients together until they’re thoroughly combined and you have a uniform, chocolaty mixture.

3. Fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips:

Now add the shredded zucchini to the bowl with the dry ingredients. It may seem strange and counter-intuitive to fold it into the flour mixture, but trust me: This is how you’ll end up with evenly distributed zucchini and a lovely fudgy texture without any soggy spots.

Work quickly here to keep the zucchini from clumping together. You’ll want it all evenly coated with flour mixture and evenly distributed. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon here for the best results – a whisk doesn’t work well for this step.

Once you’ve stirred in the zucchini, do the same with the chocolate chips. Again, adding them to the dry ingredients will help distribute them more evenly in your finished bread.

4. Combine the batter:

Now it’s time to bring everything together: Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. As you do this, gently stir the mixture using a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to combine everything. You’ll start to see the batter come together into a thick, chocolaty mix.

The batter will be quite thick, but don’t worry; this is exactly how it should be. The zucchini will release moisture as it bakes, making sure your bread turns out perfectly moist and delicious. Keep folding until you see no more dry flour – some lumps are fine!

5. Bake and cool the bread

Spread the batter in your prepared loaf pan. Bake at 350°F in the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, or until the bread is cooked all the way through and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out without any liquid batter attached.

Depending on your oven, it may be necessary to loosely cover the top of your bread with a piece of aluminium foil after 25-30 minutes of baking time to keep the bread from getting too dark, so keep an eye on your bread!

Once done, remove the bread from the oven and place it on a cooling rack in the pan for 5 minutes before lifting it out to cool completely on the rack.

Helpful hints

Recipe variations

• Double the recipe: Double all ingredients, divide the batter between 2 loaf pans and bake according to the recipe instructions.
• Make muffins: You can easily bake this batter in muffin cups instead of a loaf pan. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Divide the batter between 12 muffins cups. Lower the oven temperature to 400°F right before placing the muffins in the oven. Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes, then without opening the oven door, lower the heat to 350°F and finish baking for around 15 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the middle of a muffin comes out without any liquid batter attached (crumbs or melted chocolate are fine).
• Add nuts: Add ⅓ cup chopped pecans or walnuts for some extra nutty crunch.

Storage

Leftovers:

Store the cooled bread loosely covered on the counter at normal room temperature for up to 3 days.

If you live in a hot/humid climate and your house gets warm, I highly recommend storing the bread wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 4 days. We live in a place where it gets very hot in the summer and I don’t like running the AC all the time. I’ve had more than one zucchini bread go bad very quickly when I didn’t place it in the fridge, so make sure to take this precaution if this applies to you.

Freezer:

This bread freezes well. Allow it to cool completely on a cooling rack, then wrap well in plastic wrap and then in aluminium foil. Label with the name and use-by date, then freeze for up to 3 months.

Defrost the bread on the counter until it’s no longer frozen in the middle. Serve at room temperature.

Serving ideas

My kids like this bread by itself as a sweet afternoon snack on lazy summer days. If we’re having it for breakfast, I add a side of Greek yogurt for some protein. One kid likes it with a spread of peanut butter.

If you’re wanting to serve this as a simple dessert, a scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream certainly doesn’t hurt! You can also frost the bread with a quick whipped chocolate frosting, or serve it with a dollop of whipped cream!

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.

Printable recipe