This easy chocolate zucchini bread is so moist and flavorful you’ll need to keep reminding yourself there are vegetables in it. We use 1 1/2 cups of grated zucchini; you would never know!
This chocolate zucchini bread tastes like a delicious slice of chocolate cake, not a quick bread packed with vegetables. It’s incredibly moist and fudgy, with the most deliciously rich, irresistible chocolate flavor.
Even though we add a bunch of zucchini to the batter, you really don’t taste it. Instead, the zucchini helps to keep the bread super moist and tender. For more zucchini bread recipes, see my classic zucchini bread.
Key Ingredients
Zucchini: One medium zucchini does the trick for this recipe. It adds moisture to the chocolate zucchini bread, similar to how carrots keep our carrot cake moist. But unlike carrots, zucchini melts into the batter, almost disappearing.
Flour: I use all-purpose flour for this recipe, but you can swap some or all for whole wheat flour.
Cocoa Powder: I use unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch process). It reacts with the baking soda in the batter to create a tender, moist bread.
Baking Soda and Baking Powder: The main leavener for this recipe is baking soda, which reacts with the cocoa powder. I also add a little bit of baking powder for extra lift.
Oil: I love using oil in this quick bread recipe because it keeps the middle moist and tender, just like my blueberry muffins and apple bread.
Sugar: I use a combination of granulated and brown sugar. The brown sugar adds a bit more moisture.
Eggs: These add structure and flavor to the bread. If you don’t eat eggs, use two flax eggs.
Vanilla and Salt: These make the bread even more delicious!
Espresso Powder: Totally optional, but coffee does an amazing job of bringing out the richness of chocolate. You won’t taste coffee in the bread, it simply makes the bread taste more like chocolate. I also use it in my easy chocolate chip cookies.
Chocolate Chips: I often stir a handful of chocolate chips into the batter, but you can leave them out if you prefer.
How to Make Moist Chocolate Zucchini Bread
I love making quick breads — they’re simple to make and quick to prep. This chocolate zucchini bread is no different. You should be able to get the loaf in the oven in about 15 minutes. After that, you can sit back and relax while it bakes.
We use 1 1/2 cups of grated fresh zucchini for this recipe. A hand grater works nicely, or use food processor with the grater attachment. Either way, grating the zucchini is a quick job. Even though there’s a bunch of zucchini added to the batter, you really don’t taste it. Instead, the zucchini helps to keep the bread moist and tender. It’s reminiscent of chocolate cake!
The ingredients for this chocolate zucchini bread are simple, and I bet you have almost everything on hand. For the dry ingredients, we will need all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. For the cocoa powder, you can use whatever you have on hand, but I especially enjoy Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa for this recipe. I also use this cocoa powder when making our chocolate muffins.
For the wet ingredients, we will need oil (any neutral oil works), eggs, and vanilla extract. As bonus ingredients, we add a dash of instant espresso powder (or instant coffee) to help bring out the chocolate flavor and some chocolate chips.
Easy Chocolate Zucchini Bread
PREP
15mins
COOK
55mins
TOTAL
1hr 10mins
You’d never guess there’s 1 ½ cup cups of raw zucchini in this easy chocolate zucchini bread, but there is! It’s moist and fudgy in the middle and so rich and chocolatey! You do not need special equipment for this recipe, just a whisk and a couple of bowls.
Makes 1 loaf or 10 slices
You Will Need 1 ½ cup (180g) shredded raw zucchini
1 cup (130g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup (118ml) vegetable oil
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
3/4 cup (135g) chocolate chips, optional
Directions
1Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with oil or nonstick spray. (For a taller loaf, use an 8×4-inch loaf pan.)
2Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
3In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, espresso powder, and vanilla until blended.
4Toss the shredded zucchini with the dry ingredients.
5Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients in two batches, stirring between each addition. Stir in chocolate chips.
6Spoon the batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top.
7Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out with only a few small, moist crumbs, 45 to 65 minutes. Ovens vary, so check the bread at 45 minutes and go from there.
8Cool the loaf in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Then, remove the bread from the pan and place it on the wire rack to cool completely.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
Storing: Place into an airtight container and store at room temperature for 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Espresso powder: While optional, the espresso powder brings out the chocolate flavor of the cocoa powder. You can substitute with 1 teaspoon of instant coffee granules.
Baking tip: Place your loaf pan onto an insulated baking sheet or on top of two regular baking sheets stacked one on top of the other. This helps even baking and makes getting the loaf pan into and out of the oven easy.
The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We did include chocolate chips in the calculations.
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1 slice
/
Calories
276
/
Protein
4 g
/
Carbohydrate
35 g
/
Dietary Fiber
2 g
/
Total Sugars
22 g
/
Total Fat
15 g
/
Saturated Fat
4 g
/
Cholesterol
37 mg
AUTHOR:
Adam and Joanne Gallagher
