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When it’s zucchini season you need to make this Chocolate Zucchini Bread! It’s an easy quick bread recipe with chocolate, grated zucchini, and chocolate chips. It’s also freezer-friendly!

sliced zucchini bread


Table of Contents

Best Easy Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Have you ever thought to turn zucchini bread chocolate? This is a seriously easy chocolate bread that is the best way to use up all the zucchini. It always seems like by the end of the summer we are up to our ears with zucchini – well, this choc zucchini bread is one of my favorite ways to use it.

Of course, zucchini is available all year so you don’t have to wait to try this recipe, but if it happens to be summer and you’ve got a bounty of this veggie in your fridge, easy chocolate zucchini bread is about to be your new best friend.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • This is a quick bread: It’s a one-bowl chocolate zucchini bread recipe that is ready in no time at all. And it’s DOUBLE Chocolate Zucchini Bread!
  • It bakes up moist, soft, and loaded with chocolate. And, no, you can’t taste the shredded zucchini – it melts into the bread adding tons of moisture. You don’t have to worry about a dry quick bread with this one.
  • I love this recipe because it freezes great. Make a loaf and freeze the whole thing for later or slice it and freeze the individual pieces. They thaw in no time for an easy sweet treat when you get a chocolate craving.

Ingredients Needed

  • Vegetable oil: I prefer using a neutral oil in this quick bread.
  • Sugars: I like to use a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar to keep the bread moist.
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder: Regular is best, not dutch process.
  • All-purpose flour: Be sure to measure flour correctly.
  • Shredded zucchini: Shred it yourself – there is no need to ring it out.
  • Chocolate chips: Use regular or mini chips! Or trade out the chips for chopped nuts, or use half and half.

Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!

Recipe Swap: Gluten Free Bread

Oh, and there’s one more thing to love about this recipe – you can make it gluten-free chocolate zucchini bread. Use your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour!

How to make Chocolate Zucchini Bread

  1. Combine the oil, both kinds of sugar, egg, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add the cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder and mix to combine.
  3. Stir in the flour.
  4. Then fold in the zucchini and the chocolate chips and mix.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Bake the bread for 45 to 55 minutes.
  6. Cool the chocolate zucchini bread for at least ten minutes before slicing it.
overhead shot of sliced zucchini bread

Other Variations

Storing and Making Ahead

You can store this zucchini bread at room temperature or you can freeze it. It’s a great make-ahead bread and keeps well either way.

  • Room temperature: Once the bread is cool, wrap it in plastic wrap and it will keep at room temperature for three days.
  • Freezer: Or you can freeze the whole loaf or individually wrapped slices for up to three months.
overhead shot of sliced zucchini bread

Why did my quick bread fall after baking?

There could be a few reasons why your bread collapsed:

  • Did you measure the ingredients correctly? Too much liquid in the batter can cause the bread to sink in the middle when it cools.
  • Don’t let the batter sit around too long before baking it. As soon as you’ve made it, it’s best to get that loaf into the oven. If the batter sits too long, the leavening agents lose their effectiveness.
  • Did you bake it long enough? If you take the chocolate zucchini bread out of the oven too soon the center will not be done, causing the loaf to sink. So, always do the toothpick test – once it comes out with just a few crumbs, it’s done. If there is batter on it, leave the bread in the oven.
stacked zucchini bread slices

FAQs

How do you know zucchini bread is done?

You know the zucchini bread is done once you insert a toothpick in the center of the bread and it comes out with just a few moist crumbs.

What cocoa is best for zucchini bread?

The best cocoa for this recipe is unsweetened cocoa powder. I haven’t tested it with Dutch-process cocoa powder.

How do you shred zucchini?

You can shred it with a box grater or in a food processor fitted with a grating disc attachment.

Why is my chocolate zucchini bread flat?

The culprit may be your baking soda and/or baking powder if it’s expired so check the expiration date. If either are expired your bread won’t rise properly as it bakes. It could also be the way you mixed the batter. If you mix the batter too hard and fast, air bubbles get trapped in it. When the bread bakes those air pockets pop causing your bread to collapse. To avoid this, don’t use a mixer at high speed or, better yet, mix the batter with a spoon or spatula. It could also be the pan – I like to use an 8×4” loaf pan for this recipe because the bread gets a nice dome. You can use a 9×5” loaf pan, but the bread will have a flatter top.

Can you make muffins with this recipe?

Yes it will make approximately 12 muffins. Bake time approximately 15-20 minutes.

overhead shot of sliced zucchini bread

Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe

4.67 from 3 votes
A classic double chocolate quick bread recipe with zucchini – the perfect breakfast or brunch!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield 10 servings
Serving Size 1 serving
Save RecipeRate RecipePrint Recipe

Ingredients
 

  • ½ cup (118ml) vegetable oil
  • ¾ cup (150g) packed brown sugar
  • ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup (124g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups (152g) shredded zucchini
  • 1 cup (170g) chocolate chips (plus more for topping)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 8×4-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Add oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla to a large bowl. Stir to mix.
  • Add cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa to the mixture and stir to combine.
  • Stir in flour, then fold in zucchini. Stir in chocolate chips.
  • Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with additional chocolate chips. Bake until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs from the center of the bread, about 45-55 minutes.
  • Cool at least 10 minutes before slicing. Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

  • This recipe hasn’t been tested with dutch process cooca, so use regular unsweetened cocoa powder.
  • Swap chocolate chips with chopped nuts, or add ½ cup chopped nuts in addition to the chocolate chips in the bread.
  • If you use a 9×5-inch loaf pan the bread will be flatter and not as domed, but it works just fine.
  • Freezing instructions: Wrap tightly in plastic and freeze for up to 3 months, or freeze slices in sandwich bags for grab and go.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 195mg | Potassium: 184mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 86IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern

Did you try this recipe? Click the stars to rate the recipe below

Other Quick Breads & Muffins

So, let’s load up on all the zucchini, shall we? You’ll want plenty on hand so you can make this easy chocolate zucchini bread recipe. It won’t disappoint!

Last Updated on January 28, 2023



Dorothy Kern

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43 Comments

  1. Now I wish that I did have frozen shredded Zucchini in my freezer! Guess I will have to run to the store!

    Reply

  2. I love zucchini – love the word zucchini: courgette sounds so much less Latin and masculine and charismatic. I wish we had zuchini here in Scotland. I would be all over it. Will just have to make do with courgette though… ;-D It’s a gorgeous looking bread. Fabulous texture and colour. Notice I’m ignoring all mention of Twilight… (Least said, soonest mended.)

    Reply

  3. I’ve read the books once, but have to admit that I liked them better than the movies (yes, K.S. really bothers me that much). If you’re looking for another series to fall in love with, check out Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. It’s a bit of science fiction, a bunch of love story, tons of history and a whole lot of gorgeous Scotsmen rolled in to one fantastic set of books.

    In fact, I think I’ll start reading them again. Can you hand me a slice (or three) of that amazing bread, please?

    Reply

    1. I need to get the Outlander series. I read the first one and really liked it. I need it on Kindle though. They’re just so heavy, lol!

      Reply

  4. I need to read the books every so often, too.

    …but I’ll forgive you on liking the movies and not minding K Stew. Cuz I love ya.

    And this bread. I seriously need to start baking with zucchiniiiiii!

    Reply

  5. That giant chocolate swirl is amazing! Wow oh wow, it is picture perfect and I am loving everything about this bread! Oh and you a going to LOVE Harry Potter! Well, at least I do!

    Reply

  6. Oh I loved the Harry Potter books (and movies). So so good!! I’m not sci fi either…although since Twilight i find myself loving vampires…and zombies 🙂

    Reply

  7. I love zucchini bread! Add chocolate to it and it is a match made in heaven! This bread looks wonderful!

    Reply

  8. That is so me with some series! I don’t want to finish because then its done and then there is nothing else! Its depressing. Which I why I don’t read/watch that series very often:) I totally agree with Averie, you are the queen of breads! Zucchini is one of the best sweet bread ingredients and since there is no oil or butter, definitely qualifies as post workout food. Yes, I do it, too! 🙂

    Reply

  9. Haha – I’m TOTALLY one of those people! I loved the Twilight series (though, I think the movies can be a little silly) and really, I love lots of young adults books. I just finished Pivot Point, which was good, but nothing to write home about. If you haven’t yet, DON’T read Hush, Hush – it was plugged as another supernatural love story and OMG, it was so awful. Not even awful in a redeeming way. Just awful 😉

    This bread looks amazing!!

    Reply

  10. You have pumpkin bread, zuke, avocado, banana, and let’s see what other breads can you do..squash? I dunno, you are the bread queen! Ok so me too. I love putting zuke in bread, actually. Makes it so moist and wonderful. I actually have a zuke cake/bars on my site and get complaints on the recipe…that it’s…too moist and soft 🙂 NEVER! Your bread looks the same. Pinned.

    Reply

    1. I’m kind of addicted to breads. I still need to post the original banana bread, the one that all these others are based on. Kinda funny I’ve never re-done that one!

      Reply