This chocolate zucchini bread is cakey, soft, and delicious. And while it tastes sweet and decadent, there are two whole cups of shredded zucchini in this loaf! And the addition of both cocoa powder and chocolate chips make this sweet bread over-the-top indulgent.
If you've never tried zucchini bread, you're missing out! I know that putting zucchini in bread sounds weird. But shredded zucchini adds moisture, making your bread sooo soft and moist.
Chocolate zucchini bread is my favorite because tastes as if zucchini bread and chocolate cake had a baby. It's moist, decadent, a little crumbly, and so delicious.
And trust me, with cocoa powder and chocolate chips, you'll never even taste (or see) the shredded zucchini. Don't believe me?? Well, I shared this double chocolate zucchini bread with my family, and they couldn't believe it when I revealed each slice was loaded with veggies.
This recipe was inspired by my other quick sweet bread recipes on my site. For more, I highly recommend my banana chocolate chip zucchini bread, decadent chocolate zucchini muffins, crunchy streusel topped banana bread, cinnamon apple streusel bread, and vegan miso banana bread.
Tips for Baking with Shredded Zucchini
Should I peel the zucchini?
There's no need to peel zucchini when adding it into zucchini bread since zucchini has thin, soft skin.
Do I need to squeeze the water out of zucchini?
Yes, I highly recommend squeezing as much water as possible out of your shredded zucchini before folding it into the bread mixture.
To drain the shredded zucchini, take a large handful and squeeze it in the palms of your hands over a sink. This ensures your zucchini bread doesn't turn out mushy.
Should I remove the seeds from zucchini?
Zucchini under 12 inches long generally aren't big enough to get seeds so large that they need to be removed.
However, if you're using zucchini that's grown over a foot in length, try to pick out any seeds while shredding your zucchini. The larger a zucchini grows, the larger the seeds will grow along with it
Hungry for more delicious zucchini recipes? Try my stuffed zucchini boats, green avocado smoothie bowl with frozen zucchini, zucchini fritter tacos, or weeknight chickpea soup,
Ingredients
- Flour - I recommend using all purpose flour. I also tested this recipe with Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour to make this recipe gluten free, and it turned out great.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder - Adds a rich, chocolatey flavor. You can also use Dutch processed cocoa powder in this recipe.
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter - Allow your butter to soften to room temperature before beating it with the sugars.
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Shredded zucchini - Squeeze as much water out of your shredded zucchini as possible to avoid mushy bread.
- Semi sweet chocolate chips - You can substitute dark chocolate chips or even white chocolate chips, depending on your preference.
Let's Bake Chocolate Zucchini Bread Together!
Below is the process to make this recipe. For the full step-by-step directions and ingredient quantities, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Storing
I doubt your gluten free zucchini bread will last beyond the first day, since it's insanely delicious. I'm just warning you now, it's really hard to stop eating after just one slice! 🙂
Fridge: Since this bread contains shredded zucchini, it's best to store it in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer: You can freeze the entire loaf or individual slices wrapped in plastic wrap, then wrapped in aluminum foil for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
More Sweet Bread Recipes
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- ¾ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.Grease a loaf tin with butter or cooking spray.
- Use a food processor or cheese grater to grate your zucchini. Squeeze as much water out of the grated zucchini as possible to avoid a mushy loaf.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, cream the softened stick of butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Use a hand mixer or a wooden spoon with a lot of elbow grease until it is soft and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until the it is creamy.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two or three additions, mixing slowly after each addition until there is no dry flour visible.
- Fold in the shredded and drained zucchini and the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the greased loaf tin.Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then slice and enjoy!
Notes
- There's no need to peel zucchini before you shred it when adding it into zucchini bread.
- To drain the shredded zucchini, take a large handful and squeeze it in the palms of your hands over a sink.
- Zucchini under 12 inches long generally isn't big enough to get seeds so large that they need to be removed. However, if you're using zucchini that's grown over a foot in length, try to pick out any large seeds while shredding your zucchini.
NABELSI Claire
Delicious ...
Yum-number1
This is going to be my daily intake of vegetables
Humbly Homemade
Hahaha! You might need several slices... ðŸ˜