Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe

Chocolate Zucchini Bread is loaded with chocolate chips for a super moist, ultra decadent, and secretly healthy breakfast bread or dessert recipe.  You’ll never believe that this easy loaf recipe has a vegetable in it, is gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and can easily be made dairy-free and vegan, too!

Are you a squash lover and want a few more healthy zucchini recipes?  You might also enjoy this Sauteed Zucchini & Squash, these Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups, Baked Parmesan Zucchini Fries, and this Healthy Zucchini & Squash Casserole recipe.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread – Moist, Decadent, Secretly Healthy

Let’s pretend you are blindfolded and given a slice of this zucchini bread and then a slice of your your favorite chocolate cake recipe (sans frosting, of course!)

My guess is that you would not be able to tell the difference and the two would be equally as moist, decadent, and rich.

Totally.  Not.  Kidding.

Recipe with Double the Chocolate!

This chocolate zucchini loaf is not only full of rich cocoa powder, sweet coconut sugar, and moist grated zucchini, but it is also studded with mini chocolate chips.

Think that’s a bit obsessive?

I beg to differ.  Every zucchini bread recipe is better when made with DOUBLE the chocolate!  (Of if you prefer one studded with fresh lemon zest, you might want to check out this Lemon Zucchini Bread recipe, instead.)

And if it were up to my hubby, he would probably top it off with a big ole’ serving of chocolate cashew milk ice cream on top… because chocolate on chocolate is his jam.

So if the allure of a vegetable-filled-double-chocolate-bread recipe has your curiosity piqued…

Ingredients

There are only a few easy-to-find and healthy ingredients that you will need to make this recipe.  A few of the main ingredients include:

• Zucchini – One large or two medium zucchini that have the ends trimmed.
  • Do not substitute with yellow squash or any other type of squash.
• Flour – Gluten-free 1-to-1 flour was used in this recipe, but regular all-purpose flour will work great, also.
• Coconut Sugar – This sugar works exceptionally well in this recipe but can also be substituted with regular white sugar.
• Pure Maple Syrup – Make sure you get PURE maple syrup, and not the pancake syrup kind. (I.e. – Aunt Jemima’s)
• Eggs and Butter – Two large, not extra-large or medium, eggs are used.  Read below to see how you can make this recipe vegan!
• Mini Chocolate Chips – You can use either mini or regular-sized.  However, I find the mini chocolate chips disperse more evenly throughout this loaf.

Grating Zucchini

There are two ways you can grate the zucchini for this recipe: 1) in a food processor with a grater attachment or 2) using a handheld boxed grater.

1. Food Processor with Grater Attachment
   • This is my preferred way since it grates the zucchini in a uniform size and is extremely quick to do.  The only down-side is you do have a few extra pieces of equipment to clean up.
2. Handheld Boxed Grater
   • A great option if you do not happen to have a food processor.  The down-side to using a boxed grater is the zucchini will not be exactly uniform and it will take you a bit more time and is quite an arm workout.

Once you have it grated, place it in a large bowl and dab it with a few paper towels to remove excess moisture.

You will start with about 1 3/4 cups of zucchini and once the excess moisture is removed you will end up with about 1 cup.

(And if you have any leftover, you can always learn how to freeze zucchini!)

How to Make

Now that you have all of your ingredients, your zucchini has been grated and the excess moisture is removed, it’s time to mix up the batter.

One of the best things about this recipe is that you do not need any fancy stand or hand-held mixers.  It actually comes out better when you mix it together in a large bowl by hand!

Recipe Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt in a separate bowl.  Whisk until well combined. (Step 1 above.)
3. Whisk together eggs, coconut sugar, maple syrup, oil or butter, and vanilla in a large bowl. (Step 2 above.)
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix by hand until batter is smooth. (Step 3 above.)
5. Stir in grated zucchini and chocolate chips until just combined. (Step 4 above.)
6. Spray a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and/or line it with parchment paper.  Pour in the batter and spread it out evenly in the pan.
7. Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips, if desired.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick when inserted in comes out clean.

Making It Gluten-Free and Vegan

This recipe is extremely versatile and can easily be made a little bit healthier by making it gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan.

It has been made both ways and I personally cannot tell much of a difference!

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Bread:

Gluten-free: Use Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 flour and ensure the chocolate chips are gluten-free.

Dairy-free: Use coconut oil in place of the butter and ensure the chocolate chips are dairy-free.

Vegan and Vegetarian: Use coconut oil in place of the butter, ensure the chocolate chips are dairy-free, and use 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal whisked together with 1/3 cup warm water) in place of the regular eggs.

FAQs

What Type of Pan Should I Use?

A 9 x 5-inch loaf pan is recommended for this recipe.  If a larger or smaller pan is used the time and temperature will need to be altered.

Is Parchment Paper Necessary?

Parchment paper can be used to line your loaf pan before filling with the batter.  While not necessary, it does make removing the bread extremely easy!

Do I Need to Refrigerate Zucchini Bread?

No, you do not need to refrigerate this recipe after baking, but it will last longer if stored in the refrigerator.

How Long Does It Last?

Chocolate zucchini bread will last for 2-3 days if stored at room temperature and up to 1 week if stored in the refrigerator.

Can I Freeze This Loaf?

Yes!  You absolutely can freeze it by wrapping it in wax paper and then placing it in a freezer safe bag or storage container.

Zucchini bread will freeze well for up to 3-6 months.

Healthy Bread and Muffins Recipes:

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Healthy Apple Bread Recipe

Paleo Banana Bread with Coconut Flour

Healthy Lemon Zucchini Muffins

4.53 from 17 votes

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe

Chocolate Zucchini Bread gets loaded with chocolate chips for a super moist and secretly healthy breakfast bread or dessert recipe. 

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Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword easy, healthy, loaf

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 10 servings

Calories 307 kcal

London Brazil

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cups zucchini finely grated
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup coconut sugar
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• ½ cup coconut oil or butter, melted
• 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour gluten-free
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder regular
• ¾ cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Using a food processor*, finely grate zucchini and measure out 1 ¾ cups. Squeeze excess moisture out of the zucchini by dabbing with a paper towel. (You will end up with a little over 1 cup of grated zucchini once water is squeezed out.)

3. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, coconut sugar, maple syrup, oil or butter, and vanilla.
4. In a separate medium-sized bowl combine flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk until well combined.
5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix by hand until batter is smooth.
6. Stir in grated zucchini and chocolate chips until just combined.

7. Spray a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and/or line it with parchment paper. Pour in the zucchini bread batter and spread it out evenly in the pan. Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips, if desired.

8. Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick when inserted in comes out clean.
9. Let cool to room temperature before serving. Enjoy!

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• *You can also use a boxed grater if you do not have a food processor.

Nutrition Facts

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 307 Calories from Fat 144

% Daily Value*

Fat 16g25%

Saturated Fat 12g75%

Cholesterol 35mg12%

Sodium 255mg11%

Potassium 131mg4%

Carbohydrates 40g13%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 25g28%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 120IU2%

Vitamin C 3.9mg5%

Calcium 48mg5%

Iron 1.5mg8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.