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.
One reader, Kristin, commented: “I never review recipes, but had to write one for this one. This bread, cake, dessert—whatever you want to call it—is 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 can’t stop thinking about it) and everyone has loved it. I made no substitutions to anything and it was perfect… ★★★★★”
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 don’t want anything to do with zucchini) LOVED it! No one can believe there is shredded zucchini in it. One mistake I made—I only made one. ★★★★★“
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 well—make several loaves when zucchini is plentiful, and freeze for future chocolate cravings
- Use this recipe for muffins or cupcakes, too
- Super moist and deeply chocolatey—just 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 it—no 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 recipes—both sweet and savory!
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. It’s 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.
- 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 I’ve 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.
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
- 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 flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (41g) unsweetened natural 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 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan or 8×4-inch loaf pan (for a taller loaf) with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- 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 45–55 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.
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 | Rubber Spatula | 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 425°F (218°C) 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 425°F (218°C). Then, keeping the muffins in the oven, lower the temperature to 350°F (177°C) and continue to bake for an additional 14–15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 10–12 muffins.
- Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) 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 19–20 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 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: I do not peel the zucchini before shredding, but you certainly can if you’d 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
I made this one today and it turned out really good. Great moist chocolate flavor without being overly sweet. Each of my kids approved as well. We are having so much fun trying your recipes to use up our zucchini’s from our garden.
This recipe made our “make again” list.
Thank you:)
Made some changes to get it to 1 weight watcher purple point – yummy. I used pumpkin in place of oil, 1 c ground-up old fashioned oats, 1/4 c maple syrup and 2 teaspoons coffee. Thanks for a tasty recipe to help use up that zucchini – next time I think I’ll increase that to 1 3/4 – 2 cups!
Hi Sally, made this recipe a few days ago and it’s amazing! Planning to make the cupcake version next.
My husband who is English often does not like American desserts because he finds them too sweet. I made this yesterday, and we both loved it. It is definitely not too sweet yet fully satisfies my American palate. And it’s so chocolaty! Can’t wait to try some more of your recipes.
Just made a double batch and this was the greatest chocolate bread I’ve ever had! So moist and has a fair amount of zucchini in it. Love it! Thank you 🙂
I waited til after my family had tried it before I told them about the zucchini. They loved it!
Can I sub coconut sugar for the granulated sugar in this recipe, and almond (or coconut?) flour for the all-purpose? Thanks!
You can try coconut sugar, but I do not recommend a gluten free flour. Here are all of my gluten free recipes if you are interested.
Super dark chocolatey and delicious! I didn’t have yogurt on hand so I used coconut cream and it turned out great. Really feels like a treat!
I am in aww these came out unbelievably delicious I will definitely be using this recipe again..
Hello,
I’m looking forward to making this for my family. I was wondering if I can substitute the white flour for almond flour instead? Thank you.
Hi Nour, I don’t recommend it. Almond flour can’t soak up all these wet ingredients, so they additional adjustments would need to be made. Let me know if you test anything! Here are all of my gluten free recipes if you are looking for GF alternatives.
It came out perfect and was absolutely delicious! You are right! If you are a chocolate lover, you will have a difficult time not eating the whole loaf:)
Delicious! I made a double batch and they turned out perfect. Definitely a keeper recipe.
Hi Sally! No sour cream or plain yogurt here, but I do have some milk. Could I make a buttermilk and sub out the yogurt with it? Or applesauce?
Hi Chrissy, I don’t recommend a liquid in place of the sour cream/yogurt. You can try applesauce instead.
Amazing recipe! Am wondering if there are any good substitutes for the sugar, such as maple syrup, agave, honey, etc.? Thanks!
Hi Sally,
These have been a BIG hit with my family. I made a double batch as I had some excess zuchinni, intending to freeze one for later. My husband and kids devoured both loaves in record time and begged for more, so I’ve got another one in the oven.
Thanks for including the metric weights as well – in Australia, our cup and spoon measurements are not 1:1 with US or UK…
Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Sally, I would like to make mini cupcakes but halve the recipe (going to try out a couple of receipts that have same cooking time in one tray. I was wondering about cacao powder since it’s a little different from dutch processed cocoa, may I use this in the recipe instead? What would be a cooking time and temp for these little guys?
Hi Lotus, I haven’t tested this recipe using cacao powder. Same oven temperature for mini cupcakes. Mini cupcakes usually take about 11-13 minutes, but you can use a toothpick to test for doneness.
I made this tonight and it is DELICIOUS! Question though, any chance I could substitute unsweetened applesauce for oil in this recipe? I’d like to try to bring down the fat content. Thanks!
Hi Sally, I made chocolate zucchini muffins using your recipe and followed your directions. I must say it was very hard to mix the wet and dry ingredients together. I had to add more yoghurt but the muffins turned up not 100% cooked. They were not ready after 20 min so I kept them additional 15 min. Despite this they are still not cooked inside and too hard on the top.
I don’t know what went wrong?
Hi Mimi, I have a few tips for you. First make sure you are measuring your dry ingredients correctly (spoon and level, don’t scoop) so you don’t end up with too much of each. Second, make sure all of your ingredients (eggs and yogurt) are at room temperature (here’s why). Adding extra yogurt could be why they didn’t bake correctly.
Thank you for an awesome recipe, this was delicious! I’m trying to cut back on sugar and include more healthy foods in my diet, but need to satisfy my sweet tooth sometimes. I substituted most of the sugar for coconut sugar and used spelt flour, which worked well. It was really chocolatey and wasn’t too sweet, which worked well for me as I’m getting used to eating less sugar.
Hi Sally, instead of shredding the zucchini, could I just purée it in my and drain some of the liquid out? I am going to make and freeze a bunch of these for the holidays and if that would work it would be great! Thanks, I make a lot of your recipes with gluten free flour and they turn out wonderfully.
Hi Karen, I have never tried to use pureed zucchini here. I’m afraid if you are using your vitamix it would turn out more of a very thin liquid than a thicker puree but let me know if you try it!
I made this recipe tonight and it is absolutely delicious! Perfection! I topped it with a fantastic, rich chocolate glaze for a special occasion. Thank you!
I love this bread! I make it regularly when I’m craving something not to sweet but still a little treat. It’s perfect for that. It’s moist thanks to the zucchini which you can’t really taste and so rich.
Doubled recipe and divided between (3) 8X4 pans. Loaves were a good size I thought. Followed recipe exactly and utilized a food scale for quantities. One of the best tea breads I ever had. Very moist and just sweet enough. Will absolutely make again. Thank you!,
This makes the most delicious, moist, chocolately treat ever! My co-worker, who hates anything healthy, asked me to make this for his birthday cake! Wonderful recipe.
Hi Sally! Just made this bread and while my older daughter loved it even with the zucchini, my younger one who loves chocolate couldn’t get past having the zucchini lol. So just wondering, is there a way to keep the flavor of the bread but substitute the zucchini with a non veggie alternative? Thanks in advance!
Hi Leilani! That’s too funny! I haven’t tried any other ingredient, but shredded apple would work or you can even try mashed banana.
I made this into muffins and omg are these delicious! My sons couldn’t tell there was any zucchini in here and went back for seconds! Super simple to make, moist, rich and so chocolate-y! I’ll definitely make these again!
Love this recipe! Have made a few times. This morning I was going to make 6 muffins since it is just the two of us but then I thought I would use my donut pan instead. I copied down the recipe in half , used mini chips and baked for 20 min at 325 realized I forgot sugar and to spray my nonstick pan. I also ran out of canola oil so used my smooth olive oil and crossed my fingers! I had to pry them out carefully after they cooled. Then I glazed the bottom and dipped them in unsweetened coconut! Yum!
I’ve found the recipe I’ve been looking for! I’ve tried several double chocolate muffin recipes but the flavor always seemed flat to me. I made this Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread recipe into both regular and mini muffins and the flavor is so chocolaty and the muffins are very moist! I did use white wheat flour instead of AP flour and greek non-fat yogurt, as I’m trying to keep it somewhat healthy. With the white wheat flour, I found that I needed more moisture so I doubled the amount of yogurt–perfection!
Just following up to my earlier post – I forgot to add the 5-star rating!
Jojo
Hi Sally, Thank you so much for your Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread recipe. I made it this past weekend and my husband and I loved it. I followed your recipe exactly and it came out just perfect. I really like that it has only 1/2 cup of sugar.
Jojo