Rich, moist, and ultra fudgy, this homemade chocolate zucchini bread recipe is perfect for a healthy breakfast or delicious dessert!
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Healthy chocolate zucchini loaf
This super easy chocolate zucchini bread packs in over a full cup of zucchini.
Sneaking the nutrition powerhouse zucchini into the recipe adds an incredible amount of softness and moisture, without all the extra fat and calories.
The chocolate loaf cake can be whole grain, vegan, gluten free, low fat, and egg free, with an out-of-this-world bold chocolate flavor!
Readers also love this Healthy Banana Bread
Above: Watch the video how to make chocolate zucchini bread
Add ins and topping ideas
Try stirring in a handful of crushed walnuts or almonds, toasted hazelnuts, roasted pecans, or shredded coconut with the dry ingredients.
Or add half a cup of finely chopped dates, pumpkin seeds, or chocolate chips.
After baking, spread slices with Homemade Nutella or almond butter, coconut butter, apple or pumpkin butter, cream cheese, or a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
The skinny chocolate zucchini bread is rich and sweet enough that you can easily serve it unfrosted if you prefer.
Death by chocolate zucchini cake
This is a really great way to use up extra zucchini.
The chocolate zucchini quick bread makes an amazing healthy dessert, perhaps with a side of Keto Ice Cream, or Coconut Ice Cream, or even Banana Ice Cream.
It’s also healthy enough for a filling breakfast packed with wholesome nutrition.
The absolute best part about this easy zucchini recipe is that it honestly tastes like actual chocolate cake!
The recipe was adapted from these Zucchini Brownies
How to make zucchini bread
Wash the zucchini, and cut off the edges. I find it easiest to grate zucchini by pulsing it in the food processor. You can shred it by hand with a box grater if you prefer.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan, then set it aside.
Stir all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl until evenly mixed. Add the wet ingredients, including the shredded zucchini, and stir to form a batter.
Smooth the chocolate batter into the prepared loaf pan, using a spoon or spatula. Press some extra chocolate chips into the top if you wish.
Bake the bread on the oven’s center rack for 55 minutes, then insert a toothpick into the center of the chocolate zucchini cake. If the toothpick comes out mostly clean, remove the baking pan from the oven.
Let cool completely. Then very loosely cover, allowing an opening for excess moisture to escape. If you can wait, I highly recommend letting the recipe sit a day before slicing, because the texture is better and the taste is so much richer!
After a day, store leftovers in the refrigerator for freshness. You can also slice and freeze leftover zucchini bread to have on hand for a quick breakfast in the future.
Chocolate zucchini bread ingredients
The recipe calls for flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, yogurt, eggs or flax eggs, oil, pure vanilla extract, and finely grated zucchini.
Use spelt, oat, or all purpose white flour for best results. I have not tried whole wheat flour here so cannot recommend it. Report back if you do experiment.
If you are looking for a paleo, grain free, flourless, or low carb bread recipe, you may like this Almond Flour Banana Bread or my Keto Pumpkin Bread.
For gluten free chocolate zucchini bread, use oat flour or certified gluten free oat flour. There’s also an oil free option for those who prefer a version without oil.
To achieve the richest flavor, I recommend a combination of regular unsweetened and Dutch cocoa powders. Dutch cocoa gives baked goods a deep brownie-like taste.
The sweetener can be regular white sugar, unrefined coconut sugar or date sugar, evaporated cane juice, or xylitol or granulated erythritol for a sugar free zucchini bread.
Leftover zucchini? Use it up in this Tofu Scramble
Substitutions for the yogurt or oil
No yogurt on hand? It works to substitute an equal amount of sour cream or coconut cream. If using coconut cream, feel free to replace the oil in the recipe with milk of choice or additional coconut cream.
Mashed banana is also a great substitute for the yogurt and turns the dessert into a wonderful chocolate banana zucchini bread.
For oil free chocolate zucchini bread, replace the oil with an equal amount of additional yogurt. I also once used softened almond butter instead of oil and loved the results.
Vegan chocolate zucchini bread
For a plant based version, I often use coconutmilk yogurt. Other nondairy yogurts, such as almond or soy yogurt, work as well.
The recipe already does not call for any butter. If adding chocolate chips, look for dairy free brands, which should be readily available at most grocery stores.
To make egg free zucchini bread, either use two flax eggs or replace the eggs with half a cup of additional nondairy yogurt. If using all yogurt instead of flax eggs, the loaf will not rise as much, but it’s still just as delicious!
Converting the recipe to gram measurements
If you prefer to use grams instead of cups, here are the measurements to use:
280 grams shredded zucchini, 30 grams cocoa powder, 10 grams Dutch process cocoa, 180g flour, 120 grams yogurt, 140 grams sugar, 50 grams oil, and 15 grams pure vanilla extract. Also remember to add in the other ingredients not measured in cups.
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup spelt, white, or oat flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp Dutch or additional regular cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt, just over level
- 2/3 cup sugar, unrefined or xylitol if desired
- 1 1/4 cup finely grated zucchini (gram measurements listed above)
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt, dairy free if desired
- 1/4 cup oil, or additional yogurt for oil free
- 2 eggs or flax eggs (substitutions are listed above)
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup mini or regular chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan. Stir together all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients, and stir to form a batter. Smooth into the loaf pan. Press some extra chocolate chips into the top if desired. Bake on the center rack 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Once cooled, I highly recommend loosely covering with a cloth and letting sit overnight, either on the counter or in the fridge, because the flavor and texture are even better the next day!View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
More Easy Chocolate Desserts
Delicious recipe! I substituted sour cream for the yogurt. Very good moist chocolate consistency. I’ve made it twice with good results both times.
My new favorite dessert go to recipe! This bread is better than any brownie or cake!! I used the coconut yogurt suggestion and it came out fantastic! I used a hand grater for the zucchini, and it was perfect. Super easy and delicious!! You have to try this recipe!
Thank you so much for making it!
This is amazing!
I did not stick to the recipe 100%, so don’t know if it would have turned out even better if I did, but here are the changes I made, and it turned out delicious and tasting just like chocolate cake.
1/3 cup sugar instead of 2/3 cup
1/6 cup of chocolate chips instead of 1/3 cup
Used Greek yogurt instead of regular
Added 1/6 cup chia seeds
Added 1 mashed banana
Added 1/2 cup chopped raw pecans
Added about 1/4 cup of regular milk at the end, because batter was too dry
Forgot to add, like other comments, 35 minutes in the oven was not to close to sufficient, it took about 55 minutes for me.
Yum! I’m a super fan of things that taste great but aren’t jam packed with sugar. My kids loved it too! It was my first time baking with zucchini and it worked out wonderfully; I blended it. I used half whole wheat flour and half white flour; wasn’t sure if all whole wheat would be too dry. This wasn’t dry at all; so moist! Will be using this recipe again for sure.
Totally yummy! I used sour cream instead of yogurt — moist & great chocolate flavor — what a marvelous way to get your veggies — lol–
I love all your recipes and this zucchini bread is amazing! However, I recently started counting macros and I’m finding when I put in your recipes to my app that your nutrition facts a very different from mine… usually way underestimating calories. Why would that be? For example, my fitness pal has a ninth of this bread at 253 calories a serving… not 169 like you say. I don’t get it.
Hi Claire! I think it’s probably just a question of specific ingredient differences (for example, if your app uses skim milk – with 80 calories/cup – as opposed to cashewmilk – with only 25) and making sure to not include optional ingredients 🙂
This is a REALLY good recipe. I’ve already made it twice. The next time I’m gonna use some peanut butter chips instead of chocolate just to switch it up.
I just made this with gluten free flour and it has fallen in the middle (after I took it out of the oven). It tastes great, but I wondered….Any tips to keep it from falling?
The first time I discovered this recipe, I made it 4 times in one week to tweak it to perfection.
I make this EVERY single time I get zucchini now. It’s my absolute favorite recipe of all time and the few swaps that I do make it 100% vegan for everyone in my life to enjoy! It’s bookmarked in my laptop now because I refer to it so often.
I use 1/2 cup of sugar to reduce the sweetness and replace the oil and yogurt with 2 mashed bananas. It takes my oven about 45 minutes to cook the loaves completely but it’s totally worth it for a chocolate banana zucchini bread that is to die for! My picky parents and vegan brother both agree it’s their favorite breakfast/dessert loaf of all time now.
Your version sounds fantastic!
Thanks three years later! I am going to try this using your modifications!
I noticed there is no egg in this recipe. Does it still bake up fine without an egg?
No egg needed 🙂