Like my chocolate zucchini cake, this moist and fudge-like double chocolate zucchini bread raises a huge question: How on earth is there a vegetable in THIS?! Readers have loved this recipe for years, and it’s on my menu all summer long when zucchini is plentiful.
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more success tips. I also made a few small changes to the recipe to yield a more moist, flavorful loaf.
One reader, Kristin, commented: “I never review recipes, but had to write one for this one. This bread, cake, dessertโwhatever you want to call itโis fabulous! Just the right amount of sweet, chocolate, and is perfectly moist. I have made it for different people (just in the last two weeks because I canโt stop thinking about it) and everyone has loved it. I made no substitutions to anything and it was perfect… โ โ โ โ โ ”
I firmly believe that the biggest baking mistake one could ever make is… not doubling today’s recipe. After 1 slice, you’ll instantly realize you need far more than 1 loaf of this chocolate bliss. With its moist and rich fudge-like crumb, deep chocolate flavor, and melty chocolate chips inside, it’s almost impossible to believe there’s zucchini in the batter.
One reader, Deb, commented: “Wow! I made this today and it is sooo good! Even my guys (who donโt want anything to do with zucchini) LOVED it! No one can believe there is shredded zucchini in it. One mistake I madeโI only made one. โ โ โ โ โ “
Here’s What You’ll Love About This Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Batter comes together quickly and easily
- Sneaks in veggies (which, along with the Greek yogurt, make it one of my healthier dessert recipe ideas)
- Freezes wellโmake several loaves when zucchini is plentiful, and freeze for future chocolate cravings
- Use this recipe for muffins or cupcakes, too
- Super moist and deeply chocolateyโjust read the reviews!
Why Bake With Zucchini?
If you’re new to combining zucchini + chocolate, welcome to the not-so-secret club!
Zucchini is one of my favorite baking ingredients and I have a lot of published recipes using this summer vegetable. My recipes for zucchini bread and zucchini muffins are both incredibly popular with readers, and you’ll find a whopping 3 cups of the nutrition-boosting green shreds in my chocolate zucchini cake, but only if you are looking for itโno one will know if you don’t tell them!
It sounds odd to bake with a green vegetable, but here’s why you should:
- There are only so many zucchini side dishes to make (looking at you, zucchini casserole). Zucchini is abundant in the summer months, so sneaking it into baked goods is a great way to use up a bounty of squash.
- Zucchini adds flavorless moisture. We’re talking pure moisture with zero savory vegetable flavor. You’ve had carrot cake, right? Well, zucchini adds even more moisture and hides even better!
Once you’re convinced, try this zucchini cake with brown butter cream cheese frosting next. For even more inspiration, see all my favorite zucchini recipesโboth sweet and savory! You absolutely don’t want to miss these savory zucchini biscuits.
Success Tip: Shredding Zucchini
Today’s zucchini bread comes together in just minutes with simple kitchen tools including a couple bowls, a whisk, and a 9×5-inch loaf pan or an 8×4-inch loaf pan like this one or this one. You also need a grater to shred the zucchini. If you’re looking for recommendations, I own and love this box grater because it’s easy to use, grates quickly, and has held up well with regular use. Itโs what I use when making zucchini fritters, too.
Key Ingredients You Need & Why
- Zucchini: Zucchini can vary in size, but 1 medium zucchini is plenty for this recipe. You need 1 and 1/2 cups shredded, which is about 180g, depending on how tightly you pack it.
- Flour: Doesn’t seem like a lot of flour, and it’s not. Keep in mind there’s also cocoa powder which is another dry ingredient. Most of the volume is the zucchini!
- Cocoa Powder: Make sure to use unsweetened natural cocoa powder, not Dutch-process, in this recipe. Read about the difference between Dutch-process vs natural cocoa powder.
- Instant Coffee/Espresso Powder: A little espresso powder gives this double chocolate zucchini bread the richest-tasting chocolate flavor; the bread doesn’t taste like coffee, rather, the espresso powder deepens the flavor of the cocoa. It’s a trick I use in chocolate chess pie and chocolate cake, too. You can find it in the coffee aisle at the grocery store or online.
- Chocolate Chips: Chocolate chips provide some sweetness, while also creating melty pockets of chocolate throughout every slice.
- Oil: I prefer to use oil in my quick breads, like in strawberry bread and peach quick bread, because of the unparalleled moisture it provides. Lately Iโve been making this chocolate zucchini bread with melted coconut oil.
- Plain Greek Yogurt: Greek yogurt adds protein, while also adding tenderness. I always use nonfat here, but you can use low-fat or full-fat Greek yogurt, or regular yogurt, if you prefer.
You also need 2 eggs, baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla, and sugar.
If you love this recipe, you’ll also love my double chocolate banana bread which uses many of the same ingredients. And if you like some peanut butter with your chocolate, my peanut butter chocolate chip zucchini bread is right up your alley!
If you don’t have or don’t want to use coconut oil, a neutral oil such as vegetable oil works instead. Expect a very, very thick batter:
The bread takes about 50 minutes to bake. Begin checking at 45 minutes, though, just in case your oven works extra hard!
While it’s incredibly tempting to slice right into this double chocolate zucchini bread while it’s warm, try to resist. I’ve found that with most baked goods starring zucchini, the flavor is noticeably better once it’s completely cooled. This goes for zucchini oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, too.
You can peel the zucchini if you’d like, but I never do. There’s no taste or texture difference. If you’re worried that picky eaters will be suspicious, peeling the zucchini will prevent any trace of green specks sharp eyes might detect.
Slice the bottom end off of the zucchini, hold onto the stem end, and scrape the squash against the shredder side of a box grater like this one until you get to the stem you’re holding. The shredder side is the one with the largest holes.
When I first published this recipe in 2015, I included a step for blotting some moisture out of the zucchini. I don’t find this necessary anymore. In fact, you WANT that extra moisture in every single slice. Just shred the zucchini and add right to the batter.
Fan-Favorite Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf; 10 slices
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This double chocolate zucchini bread is moist and fudge-like, and comes together quickly with a couple bowls and a whisk. Readers have loved this recipe for years, and it’s on my menu all summer long when zucchini is plentiful. See recipe Notes for freezing and doubling instructions.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flourย (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (41g) unsweetened naturalย cocoa powder (not Dutch process)*
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder*
- 3/4 cup (135g) semi-sweet chocolate chips*
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
- 1/3 cup (80g) plain Greek yogurt or sour cream*
- 2/3 cup (135g) granulated sugar*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) shredded zucchini (no need to blot)*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan or 8×4-inch loaf pan (for a taller loaf) with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- ย In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder together until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, yogurt, granulated sugar, and vanilla together until combined. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently whisk to combine. Fold in the zucchini. The batter is very thick.
- Bake for 45โ55 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent the top from over-cooking. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs. The 9×5-inch pan takes closer to 45 minutes, and the 8×4-inch pan takes closer to 55 minutes. All ovens vary, so begin checking around the 45-minute mark.
- Remove bread from the oven and allow the bread to cool in the pan set on a wire rack for 1 hour. While it’s still warm, I gently press a few more chocolate chips into the top; this is optional and only for looks.
- Remove bread from the pan and place the loaf directly on the wire rack to cool completely.
- Cover and store bread at room temperature for 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.ย
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze baked & cooled loaf, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. If desired, bring to room temperature before serving. To learn more details about how to freeze quick breads, see my post called Make-Ahead Baking.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×5-inch Loaf Pan or 8×4-inch Loaf Pan | Box Grater | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatulaย | Cooling Rack
- Double the Recipe: You can double the recipe by doubling all of the ingredients and dividing the batter between 2 loaf pans. If the batter seems much too thick, you can add a splash of milk.
- Chocolate Zucchini Muffins: Preheat oven to 425ยฐF (218ยฐC) and spray a 12-count pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. Prepare batter as directed above, fill each liner to the top with batter and bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425ยฐF (218ยฐC). Then, keeping the muffins in the oven, lower the temperature to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC) and continue to bake for an additional 14โ15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 10โ12 muffins.
- Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC) and line a 12-count pan with cupcake liners. Prepare batter as directed above, fill each liner 2/3 full with batter and bake for 19โ20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely, then frost with chocolate buttercream. Makes 12 cupcakes.
- Cocoa Powder: Use natural cocoa powder, not Dutch-process. See Dutch-process vs natural cocoa powder for more information.
- Espresso Powder: Espresso powder deepens the chocolate flavor. You can find espresso powder in the coffee aisle at the grocery store or online. You can skip it or use 1 teaspoon of instant coffee powder instead.
- Chocolate Chips: Don’t leave these out! They sweeten the bread and give the bread more chocolate flavor. The bread is a little bland without them.
- Yogurt: I usually use nonfat plain Greek yogurt. You can use full-fat, low-fat, or even vanilla Greek yogurt instead. Or use regular plain yogurt, or sour cream. Prior to 2023, this recipe called for 1/4 cup (60g) yogurt, but I now use 1/3 cup (80g) as listed above. Extra moisture!
- Sugar: For a sweeter bread, use 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar.
- Zucchini:ย I do not peel the zucchini before shredding, but you certainly can if youโd like. I like to use a box grater for shredding zucchini. Zucchini can vary in size, but 1 medium zucchini is plenty for this recipe. If using frozen zucchini, thaw first and lightly blot before using.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 246
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 76.4 mg
- Fat: 11.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.2 g
- Protein: 5.4 g
- Cholesterol: 37.6 mg
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally thank you for a stellar recipe! I used this blueprint and made it a little bit more macro friendly.
For those interested, I substituted the eggs for egg whites, half of the flour for chocolate protein powder (casein) half of the sugar for sweetener (allulose) and used a smaller amount of 70% chopped dark choc instead of choc chips. It turned out great! Moist, fluffy yet fudgy, tender and very rich chocolate taste. I will add just a little more sweetener next time but I served it with light whipped cream and everyone LOVED IT. it was so good!!
Hi! Excited to try this. I suppose you wouldnโt have a sense on how to adjust the timing for a convection / toaster oven?
Hi Katie, We always recommend conventional settings for baking (not convection/fan). The flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly and it also pulls moisture out of the oven. If you do use convection/fan settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake.
If I wanted to add in around a cup of protein powder, do you think I could just add milk until it wasn’t too thick or would it just throw off the entire recipe? Thank you!
Hi Maggie, it would take some recipe testing to properly incorporate that much protein powder without compromising the batter. You’ll likely need to remove some of the other ingredients, as adding more protein powder + milk will make too much batter and cause the bread to overflow. Let us know if you do any experimenting.
Enjoying your outstanding recipe
Thank you luv happy life
Could I bake this in a square pan, so it’s more like a brownie?
Hi Sarah, You can bake this in a 9-inch square pan. We are unsure of the exact time though. Same oven temperature.
I made this with 1/2 cup maple syrup and no granulated sugar and it came out great! Not very sweet, but still very satisfying. Iโve made this recipe a few times now, and it always comes out well even if my measurements or ingredients are modified a bit.
The best zucchini loaf I have ever tasted!
Moist and delicious! Sally, you never disappoint! Great recipe and you would never know it had zucchini in it. Thank you.
Has anyone used frozen zucchini? Does it work the same?
Hi Rhonda, if using frozen zucchini, thaw first and lightly blot before using.
Well, I didnโt read in depth about cocoa powderโs until I had the muffins in the ovenโฆ.i had Hersheys Extra Special, and thought it was just richer, so I used it. Still didnโt dawn on me why you would say, โdonโt use!โ So I googled what it wasโฆhalf ditched, and half natural!! The muffins came out good, anyway! So good! That I will be making them again, but, with the correct cocoa powder!! I used full fat Greek yogurt, and, avocado oil, fine. Thank you for a great recipe, and the information that I will read completely before baking!!
So I ran out of espresso powder and eggs mid way through (apparently my kids bake more than I thought lol), so I used instant coffee and flax eggs and well it works wonders! The kids loved it so much and they couldnโt even tell there was zucchini in it! They loved this recipe and I will make it again!
First time baking but NOT the last! So chocolatey, moist and another great way to use up summer zucchini harvest! Thank you again Sally!!
Oh my goodness, where have you been all my life!!! Iโve made it weekly for the past month as my husband and 5yr old twins adore it as much as I do. I used zucchini for the first one but have used my oversupply of yellow squash or the rest. I just scrape out seeds first and use the same. Iโve used sour cream instead of the yogurt. If you havenโt tried it, you must!!!
Hi Sally,
I love zucchini and chocolate itโs a perfect match. This bread sounds amazing I canโt wait to try it.
Delicious! I was skeptical about not blotting or wringing out the zucchiniโฆbut it was perfect.
My family has requested I add some chopped walnuts next time.
Hi. Im thinking of making this. However, wanted to know if i freeze it before baking would that be ok or should I bake and freeze?
Hi Gada, our recommendation is to freeze the baked & cooled loaf. Enjoy!