Do you love zucchini bread? If so, this rich and decadent chocolate zucchini bread is a must-make quick bread. It is a double chocolate zucchini bread made with fresh zucchini, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and ground cinnamon.
This is the perfect way to use up some of the summer zucchini or fall zucchini you have on hand—tons of flavor, sliceable, and great for breakfast or even a dessert.
Make sure to try out my crispy zucchini fries or this easy zucchini and tomatoes dish. Both of these are phenomenal.
Recipe ingredients and notes:
- Butter – You will use unsalted butter, but you can also use salted if that is all you have. I don’t recommend using margarine.
- Granulated Sugar – This will help sweeten up the bread without being too much.
- Milk – We use full fat oat milk, but you can use whole milk as well if you’re not dairy free.
- Egg – If you can’t have eggs, use 1/4 cup applesauce or a flax egg.
- Vanilla Extract – Make sure you use good quality vanilla.
- All Purpose Flour – Make sure you scoop the flour into the measuring cup and then level it off to ensure you don’t add too much flour into the dough.
- Cocoa Powder – For this recipe, you will use unsweetened cocoa powder. If you want to elevate the flavor even more you can use dark cocoa powder.
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Ground Cinnamon – The cinnamon adds a nice warm spice to the bread that offers a stand out flavor to the bread.
- Zucchini –Make sure to grate your zucchini and then I like to place the zucchini on a paper towel lined plate to soak up some of the excess liquid.
Step-by-step instructions
For the full ingredient amount and full instructions on how to make this double chocolate zucchini bread see the recipe card below.
Preheat the oven as directed, and prep your loaf pan. I used a nonstick cooking spray, and then lined it with parchment paper.
Melt your butter in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Mix in the sugar and combine well. Then slowly add in the milk, eggs, and vanilla.
After mixing, you will add the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Then toss in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips once it is mixed.
Mix to combine. Make sure not to overmix the batter, though.
Pour into your prepared pan and bake as directed. Once the zucchini bread is done, remove and allow it to cool on a wire cooling rack.
Recipe Tips and Alterations:
- I grate my zucchini and then place it on paper towels or cheesecloth. This will help pull out extra moisture to ensure your bread bakes properly.
- Take your dry ingredients and mix them in a small bowl, and then slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet.
- Once you add in the chocolate chips and zucchini, lightly fold them into the batter. Then pour and bake. Don’t overmix, or it will cause your bread to be heavy and dense.
- You could also make this into muffins, about a dozen.
Storage and reheating tips:
- Refrigerate: You can refrigerate any leftover zucchini bread for 3-5 days. It will dry out a bit the longer it sits, but you can warm it up in the microwave to soften it up.
- Freeze: Store any homemade zucchini bread in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
How to serve:
You can serve up this quick bread as a breakfast option for yourself or as a dessert. Serve it with a warm cup of coffee and enjoy. Or pair it with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream for a decadent dessert.
Frequently asked questions
Chocolate zucchini bread is a nice rich chocolate bread with a hint of cinnamon in each bite. The cinnamon balances out, making the bread not too sweet. Now, if you use semi-sweet chocolate chips, then that, of course, will enhance the richness.
You do not need to peel the zucchini before shredding. Simply shred with the peel on. Zucchini has a very thin skin that will bake up and go unnoticed.
A medium-sized zucchini can yield around 1 cup of zucchini. If it is slightly bigger round, it can do 1 1/2 cups.
more zucchini recipes
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons butter melted, we use country crock plant butter
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup oat milk whole oat milk or regular whole milk
- 1 large egg or 1/4 cup applesauce, or flax egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup zucchini shredded
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F and grease a 9×5 loaf pan with nonstick baking spray or butter (we use dairy free butter). Line the pan with parchment paper for easy removal. You can also line a muffin tin with 12 muffin liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and granulated sugar until both are well combined.
- Next, add the milk, eggs, and vanilla to the sugar and butter mixture. Whisk to combine.
- Next, combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl; flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.
- Add the combined dry ingredients to the wet and mix until they are barely combined, as you don't want to overmix the batter.
- Add the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips. Gently fold them into the batter.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake it for 50-55 minutes, or 12 muffins for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the zucchini bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then remove it to a wire rack to cool completely.
- You can store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
The nutritional information is automatically calculated and can vary based ingredients and products used. If the nutrition numbers are important for you we recommend calculating them yourself.
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