Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This chocolate zucchini bread is deeply chocolatey, tender, and packed with dark chocolate chips, with grated zucchini keeping every slice incredibly moist. It is an easy, no-mixer bake that works for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Why You’ll Love It

• Deep chocolate flavor — cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips make every slice rich and chocolatey.
• Incredibly moist — finely grated zucchini keeps the loaf soft without making it taste vegetal.
• No mixer required — simple mixing and minimal fuss make this an easy baking project.
• Stays tender for days — unlike some quick breads, this one keeps its moisture well after cooling.
• Uses plenty of zucchini — a great way to use up extra zucchini without making another tray of roasted vegetables.

Ingredient Notes

Use a firm, fresh zucchini. Nothing squishy or overgrown with a tough, seedy middle if you can help it. The smaller holes on a box grater are what you want here, because finely grated zucchini disappears into the batter much better. And no, you do not need to drain it. I know that goes against every instinct some of us have after years of squeezing water out of vegetables, but that moisture is part of what makes the bread so good.

If your zucchini is exceptionally wet—like it has been sitting in the crisper drawer for too long and you are afraid to ask questions—you can give it the gentlest squeeze in a clean kitchen towel. Not a full wringing-out situation. Don’t get carried away.

For cocoa powder, I use plain unsweetened cocoa powder, whatever good regular brand is on sale. I’m not snobby about it. For the chocolate chips, dark chocolate gives the loaf a richer flavor, but semi-sweet will work if that is what you have. Milk chocolate works too, though it makes the whole thing sweeter.

Sour cream makes the crumb lovely and soft. Plain Greek yogurt can stand in for it if needed. I have done that when I was sure there was sour cream in the refrigerator—because there is always sour cream in the refrigerator, except when you need it.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups finely grated zucchini, using the small side of a box grater
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips, divided: 3/4 cup for the batter and 1/4 cup for the top
• 2 large eggs, preferably at room temperature, though I’ve forgotten and lived to tell it
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Heat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, then line it with parchment paper so you can lift the finished loaf out without performing a small baking tragedy later. Leave a little parchment hanging over the long sides if you can. Future you will appreciate it.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add 3/4 cup of the dark chocolate chips and toss them around in the dry ingredients until they are coated. This keeps them from all settling in one molten chocolate layer at the bottom. Not that a molten chocolate layer is a terrible thing, but it does make slicing a little wild.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. I usually use a whisk for this. You can use a hand mixer if that is sitting out already, but I would not dirty one just for this. I’m not lazy exactly—I just have seen the inside of a dishwasher enough times in my life.

Gradually add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring only until it comes together. This batter is thick, and you may briefly wonder if you forgot something. You didn’t. Probably. Just keep stirring gently until you no longer see dry streaks of flour.

Fold in the finely grated zucchini. Don’t beat it aggressively; this is where overmixing can make quick bread dense or cause it to puff up and then sink in the center. Multitasking is largely a scam, I have decided.

Scrape the batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth the top as best you can. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips over the surface. Some will stay nicely on top, some will wander down into the batter. Let them live their lives.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If you hit melted chocolate, try another spot before deciding it needs another twenty minutes. Overbaked chocolate bread is a sad, dry affair, and we are not doing that to ourselves.

Let the loaf cool completely in the pan before lifting it out and slicing. I know. This is annoying. It smells like a chocolate shop in there, and suddenly everyone in the house has wandered through the kitchen “just to see what you made.” But cooling it fully helps it set up, and your slices will be much neater.

Variations

You can stir in chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, Shredded coconut, or a little cinnamon if you like that warm, bakery-case sort of flavor. A teaspoon or so of espresso powder is also wonderful with the cocoa—it does not make the bread taste like coffee, exactly, just makes the chocolate seem more chocolatey. Which is a sentence I stand by.

Chopped pecans and semi-sweet chips are both good alternatives to the dark chocolate chips. The dark chips are still my preference, but I have learned not to make every hill my final resting place.

I tried adding dried cherries once, thinking it would be elegant and festive. It was not bad, but the cherries made the loaf taste oddly like something from a hotel breakfast buffet. You know the kind—nice enough, but somehow confusing. I would skip that experiment.

This recipe can also become muffins. Fill greased muffin cups about two-thirds full and bake them for about 20 to 25 minutes, checking with a toothpick. Muffins disappear even faster than the loaf, which may be a feature or a problem depending on whether you wanted one for yourself.

Storage & Reheating

Keep the cooled bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I usually put parchment or wax paper between slices if I have cut the whole loaf, mostly because the chocolate chips can get sticky and cling together.

You can refrigerate it too, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or tucked into a resealable bag. The fridge will keep it fresh a little longer, though cold chocolate bread is not my favorite. I like to warm a slice for about 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave—just enough to soften the chocolate chips again. Not until it is hot. We are warming bread, not making lava.

For freezing, wrap the completely cooled loaf in plastic wrap or foil, then put it in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Individual slices freeze beautifully too, and that is probably smarter. I say “probably” because when I freeze individual slices, I somehow find myself eating one in my slippers while looking for Chicken breasts. Life comes at you fast.

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or let a slice sit out on the counter for a bit.

Final Notes

There is something about baking with zucchini that makes late summer feel less frantic to me. Maybe because it gives all that garden abundance somewhere to go besides another casserole dish. Or maybe it is just the smell—cocoa and vanilla drifting through the house while the ceiling fan rattles overhead, everybody wandering in to ask how much longer.

Then somebody cuts a too-big slice, crumbs get everywhere, the dog appears from nowhere, and the whole civilized picture falls apart.

As it should.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This Chocolate Zucchini Bread is deeply chocolatey, tender, and packed with dark chocolate chips, with finely grated zucchini keeping every slice moist. It is an easy no-mixer loaf that works for breakfast, snacking, or dessert.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 10 servings

Calories 318 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 1/2 cups finely grated zucchini using the small side of a box grater; do not drain unless exceptionally wet
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips divided: 3/4 cup for the batter and 1/4 cup for the top
• 2 large eggs preferably at room temperature
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• Heat the oven to 350°F, grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, and line it with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang on the long sides if possible.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Add 3/4 cup of the dark chocolate chips to the dry ingredients and toss until coated so they do not all settle at the bottom of the loaf.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth.
• Gradually add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring gently only until the batter comes together and no dry streaks of flour remain.
• Fold in the finely grated zucchini gently, being careful not to overmix the thick batter.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips over the surface.
• Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, checking another spot if you hit melted chocolate.
• Let the loaf cool completely in the pan before lifting it out with the parchment and slicing.

Notes

Store the completely cooled bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, placing parchment or wax paper between slices if desired. For longer storage, wrap tightly and refrigerate, then warm slices for 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave. To freeze, wrap the cooled loaf or individual slices in plastic wrap or foil, place in a freezer-safe bag, and freeze for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator or let slices sit at room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 318kcal

Keyword chocolate quick bread, Chocolate Zucchini Bread, dark chocolate chips, moist zucchini bread, no mixer baking, Zucchini Bread

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