Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This chocolate zucchini bread is a moist, rich, and fudgy quick bread. It’s easy to make with shredded zucchini, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips. The zucchini melts into the batter, giving it an incredibly tender crumb. You would never know there’s a vegetable hiding in this tasty loaf!

Every summer, my mom gives me a ton of zucchini that she grows in her garden. This chocolate zucchini bread is my absolute favorite recipe to make with zucchini.

It tastes like a rich and decadent chocolate cake, but it’s loaded with this shredded green vegetable.

The first time I made this chocolate zucchini loaf, it disappeared within 24 hours in my house!

My husband had no idea there was zucchini in it. I immediately made another loaf to store in the freezer so we could enjoy a slice for breakfast or an afternoon snack to satisfy our craving for chocolate.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread Ingredients

All-purpose flour: This flour helps keep the loaf tender and moist.

Dutch-processed cocoa powder: This is unsweetened cocoa powder that’s washed with an alkaline solution to neutralize its natural acidity. I have not tested this recipe with natural cocoa powder.

Baking powder and baking soda: These are leavening agents that help the bread rise and results in a light, fluffy loaf. It’s important to make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh to ensure a proper rise.

Fine sea salt: This helps balance the sweetness and enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.

Instant espresso powder: This deepens and enhances the rich chocolate flavor without making the loaf taste like coffee.

Add ½ teaspoon if you don’t want to taste the espresso powder and ¾ teaspoon if you want a slight hint of the coffee taste.

Ground cinnamon: This enhances the cocoa notes and adds warmth to the chocolate zucchini bread.

Eggs: I use two eggs for this recipe which helps make the bread moist and binds the ingredients together.

Butter: Butter adds a richer flavor than using oil.

Greek yogurt: This helps keep the bread moist and adds a boost of protein. I usually use 0% plain yogurt. 

Brown and granulated sugar: Combing both brown and white sugar in this loaf helps balance the moisture, structure, and flavor of the bread.

Vanilla extract: This gives the bread good flavor. For a more subtle vanilla flavor, use 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Shredded zucchini: This adds moisture to the bread and gives it a delicious tender crumb without altering the flavor. It also adds extra fiber and nutrition, which is a win-win.

Chocolate chips: I like using semi-sweet chocolate chips for the best flavor. I fold in ½ cup chocolate chips into the batter and sprinkle the top with the remaining chocolate chips before baking.

How to make chocolate zucchini bread

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, instant espresso powder, and cinnamon. Whisk to combine.

In a medium mixing bowl, add the eggs, melted butter, Greek yogurt, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine. Add the grated zucchini and whisk to combine.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk or stir just until combined. AVOID OVERMIXING. You just want to make sure there are no dry clumps of flour left in the batter.

Fold in ½ cup of the chocolate chips. The batter will be very thick.

Spread the batter evenly in the greased loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the bread comes out mostly clean with no raw batter. (My oven takes 50 minutes to bake).

Remove the bread from the oven and set on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully remove the bread from the pan to let cool completely on the wire rack.

I like to let the bread cool on its side. This helps circulate the air flow better and prevents the bottom from getting soggy.

Use a serrated knife to slice and enjoy when the bread is cool. I like it slathered with salted butter.

Tips for making chocolate zucchini bread

Choose the right zucchini. Use small to medium size zucchini.

These are younger squashes, which are more tender and less watery than larger zucchini. They also lack the tough, bitter seeds and fibrous skin found in overgrown zucchini.

It’s easy to find small to medium size zucchini at the grocery store. If using zucchini from the garden, pick it when the squash is young, before it becomes overgrown.

Don’t peel the zucchini. Leave the skin on, or not. It’s up to you. I never peel the zucchini. You don’t taste or notice it once it’s baked.

Be mindful of the moisture. I use small to medium size zucchini to make this recipe and grate it on the large holes or a box grater. I never have to blot the zucchini dry or squeeze out the excess water.

The extra moisture helps to keep the bread soft and moist, which I like.

If you notice after grating the zucchini that it’s visibly dripping a lot of water (or sitting in a pool of water), then I recommend using a paper towel to gently blot the zucchini. But there’s no need to squeeze out the excess water.

Avoid overmixing. Mix the wet and dry ingredients just until you no longer see any dry clumps of flour and everything is combined.

Overmixing the batter develops the gluten, which can result in a dense, tough loaf.

Measure the ingredients correctly. I use a $15 kitchen scale that I bought from Amazon to weigh the ingredients. I’ve included the weighted measurements in the recipe to help you achieve perfect results every time.

If you don’t have a scale, make sure to lightly spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Using too much flour that’s tightly packed will result in a dry or crumbly loaf.

Keep an eye on your loaf while baking. If the top of your loaf is getting too brown before the center is fully baked, you can loosely tent a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the loaf. It will continue to bake without overcooking the top.

Zucchini bread is finished when a toothpick (or wooden skewer) inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, or with only a few moist crumbs and no raw batter.

Cool completely before slicing. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

While it’s tempting to cut the zucchini bread while it’s still warm, this allows the steam to escape, which can leave the inside of your loaf with a gummy and dense texture.

Cool the bread on its side while warm. After removing the bread from the pan, place the loaf on its side on a wire rack to prevent the bottom from getting soggy.

It also improves air circulation around all sides and prevents the loaf from getting a dense or gummy crust.

Make Ahead and Storage Suggestions

Leftover chocolate zucchini bread will last 1 to 2 days at room temperature. Because this is a moist quick bread, it tastes best within the first 48 hours.

Room temperature: Let cool completely. Wrap leftover zucchini bread in plastic wrap, aluminum foil, or covered in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for 1 to 2 days.

Freezer: Let cool completely. Wrap the entire loaf or individual slices in plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Place the entire loaf or individual slices in a freezer-safe container or bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Please let me know how you like this chocolate zucchini bread recipe in the comments below! Your feedback and review encourages me to keep creating new and yummy recipes. I hope you love this zucchini bread as much as I do.

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