Fudgy, moist, and delicious, this Chocolate Zucchini Bread is one of the best ways to use up all that summer zucchini! It’s easy to make and comes together in a snap!
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The first time I tasted this chocolate zucchini bread I couldn’t believe how rich and delicious it was.
It’s similar in taste to a brownie but since it’s loaded with zucchini, I feel slightly less guilty about polishing off half a loaf.
It’s sweet enough for dessert much like my pound cake, it’s also great with a cup of morning coffee!
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Zucchini. Large zucchini are great for zucchini bread because they’re easier to shred. Save your small to medium zucchini for dishes like spaghetti alla Nerano and sausage stuffed zucchini boats. The zucchini does not need to be drained or blotted dry. You can also keep the skin on which makes it even easier!
- Chocolate. I’m using a combination of unsweetened cocoa powder (non-Dutch processed) and chocolate chips to achieve a deep chocolate flavor, plus espresso powder which really enhances the flavor.
- Oil. Use a neutral oil, such as vegetable or avocado oil. The oil plus the zucchini provide great moisture to this double chocolate zucchini bread.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Preheat your oven to 350f and set the rack to the middle level. Prepare a 9×5 inch loaf pan by using spray, grease, or lining with parchment paper and set aside. Using a box shredder, grate 1 1/3 cups (170g) of zucchini. In a large bowl combine 1 cup (125g) of all purpose flour, 1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon (5g) of espresso powder, 1 teaspoon (5g) of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon (2g) of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon (3g) of fine sea salt, 1 teaspoon (3g) of cinnamon, 3/4 cup (150g) of granulated sugar, and 1 cup (170g) of chocolate chips.
- In a separate large bowl whisk together 2 large room-temperature eggs, 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons (100g) of vegetable oil, 1/4 cup (56g) Greek yogurt, and 2 teaspoons (9g) of vanilla extract. Add the zucchini and whisk again to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined taking care to not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle with extra chocolate chips, if desired.
- Bake in the oven for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the chocolate zucchini bread to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool for another hour, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
Top tips
- Use grams. As with most baking recipes, I recommend using grams for the most accurate measurements. I highly recommend buying a high quality kitchen scale to ensure accurate measurements.
- Chocolate chips. When I made this recipe I only had one type of chocolate chip on hand, but you can use a variety of different chips, such as chunks, or mini chips to add texture and dimension to the top of the bread before baking, similar to how we did it for our chocolate chip banana bread.
- Baking. Every oven is different, and for this reason I recommend beginning to check for doneness at the 45 minute mark. The bread will be done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean – a few moist crumbs is ok.
- Serving. While this chocolate chip zucchini bread is excellent as is, you can certainly add a frosting. See our recipe for zucchini bread with cream cheese frosting or our chocolate Guinness cake with Baileys buttercream frosting for ideas! Adding frosting makes it more dessert-like, while keeping it plain makes it perfect for breakfast and brunch!
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Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
For the bread
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder non-Dutch process
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 large eggs beaten, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups shredded zucchini
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350f and set the rack to the middle level. Spray, grease, or line with parchment paper a 9×5 inch loaf pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, sugar, and chocolate chips.
- In a separate large bowl whisk together the eggs, Greek yogurt, vanilla, oil, then add the zucchini and whisk to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until combined taking care to not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan. For a better look, sprinkle some extra chocolate chips or chunks on top of the loaf before baking.
- Place in the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the zucchini bread to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before removing. Once removed let the bread continue to cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before eating.
Notes
- Zucchini. The shredded zucchini does not need to be drained, blotted dry, or peeled prior to using.
- Appearance. For better looks, sprinkle some extra chocolate chips or chunks on top of the loaf before baking.
- Oven temp. This recipe was written for a conventional oven. For convection ovens, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and begin checking for doneness at the 75% mark.
- Leftovers. Chocolate zucchini bread can be stored in the refrigerator for up 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This came out great!
My 8 yr old granddaughter helped me make this today, I measured the ingredients, she put them in the bowls, whisked the batter and scraped the batter into the pan! It’s the first time she’s ever baked anything. I think she’s hooked! It was delicious! BTW, she loves your videos, especially when James rates the dishes.
So happy to hear that, Janet!
Wow. So AMAZING!! Easy recipe, quick to prepare, chocolate-y goodness, AND using zucchini that is producing daily in my garden. Thank you for showing us one delicious way to put it to use, Jim!
So happy to hear that!
FABULOUS! THIS IS SO MOIST, IT SHOULD BE TREATED LIKE CAKE. Thanks for sharing James.
So glad you enjoyed!
I made this last night after watching your video and it was delicious! Moist, fudgy and full of chocolate chips ( I added the whole bag of milk chocolate chips, because, why not? ) However, it made a ton of batter so I made a large loaf and a small loaf for my neighbor. This is an exellent recipe! Can’t wait for more zucchini from my garden!
So glad you enjoyed!