Rich, moist, and deeply chocolatey, this Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread is made with natural cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate chips for an extra-decadent flavor. Freshly grated zucchini keeps the crumb soft and tender, and the batter comes together easily without an electric mixer.
How This Chocolate Zucchini Bread Was Developed
Double chocolate banana bread is one of my go-to quick bread recipes. It’s rich, moist, and delicious all year round! But right now, in the middle of summer, I have zucchini to bake with, so I set out to modify the recipe using fresh zucchini instead of bananas.
I realized quickly that I couldn’t just replace bananas with zucchini gram-for-gram because zucchini is much less sweet than bananas and would behave differently in the batter. So, I decided to increase the amount of sugar, add a bit of oil, and mix in both baking powder and baking soda so that the loaf would have the right amount of structure, sweetness, and moisture.
After some mostly delicious trial and error, I’m really thrilled with this final double chocolate zucchini bread recipe. It’s just as rich and chocolatey as the banana version, with plenty of semi-sweet chocolate chips mixed in. This zucchini bread tastes like chocolate, not vegetables, which is exactly what I wanted!
Ingredients that Matter
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Fresh Zucchini: Use a medium, unpeeled zucchini, as super large ones can be too watery. Grate the zucchini using the large holes of a box grater, and avoid squeezing out the moisture! For this recipe, the moisture of the zucchini is key to the moisture of the loaf. Other recipes, like my zucchini chocolate cake, work better when the moisture is removed. Measure the grated zucchini just after grating it, packing it into the measuring cup lightly. You can also go by weight; you’ll need 180 grams of grated zucchini for this loaf.
- Natural Cocoa Powder: Use unsweetened natural cocoa powder, which works with the recipe’s leavening and gives the loaf its intended flavor and texture. Dutch-process cocoa has not been tested in this recipe.
- Greek Yogurt: Plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt adds richness to the bread. Full-fat yogurt is ideal, but 2% also works. In a pinch, replace the yogurt in this recipe with the same amount of sour cream.
- Neutral Oil: Adding oil to quick bread recipes helps the bread stay fresh and moist longer. Avocado oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil are all good options.
- Semisweet Chocolate Chips: I stock up on these semisweet chocolate chips when they’re on sale. Most of the chips are stirred into the batter, but save a handful to add to the top of the loaf before baking.
Should You Squeeze the Zucchini?
The grated zucchini that you use for this recipe should be somewhat wet! We want the natural moisture of the zucchini in our batter, as without it, the bread would end up dry.
After grating, the zucchini should look moist and glossy. You don’t need to drain or squeeze out any liquid.
Grate and measure the zucchini just before adding it to the batter, since the shreds release more liquid as they sit.
Only if the zucchini is unusually wet (dripping or sitting in a puddle of liquid), blot it lightly once with a paper towel.
How to Make Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Scroll down to the recipe card for all of the exact details and photos of the process.
- Prepare your loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper. Leave the long sides of the parchment paper long so that you have “handles” ready to lift out the loaf once it’s baked and cooled.
- Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl, and the wet ingredients in another bowl. Then fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, just until you can’t see any more dry streaks.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and grated zucchini to finish up the batter. The batter should be thick, glossy, and scoopable. Transfer the zucchini bread batter to the prepared pan, and sprinkle extra chocolate chips over the top.
- Bake until the center of the loaf is set, and let it cool completely before slicing. Cutting it while it is still hot can compress the crumb and make the slices seem gummy or fragile.
Loaf Size and Baking Time
I prefer to bake this recipe in a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. With this pan size, your zucchini bread will take 50-60 minutes to bake.
If you use a slightly smaller pan, like an 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pan, the batter will be slightly deeper, and the bread will take an extra five minutes or so in the oven.
Storage and Freezing
You can freeze the whole loaf or individual slices for up to 3 months. Just be sure to wrap the bread well and thaw it at room temperature before enjoying.
For shorter storage, keep double chocolate zucchini bread covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for 5 days.
How to Tell When Chocolate Zucchini Bread is Done
It can be difficult to tell if chocolate baked goods are done because they are already brown. The only real visual doneness clue will be that the loaf will look set, not shiny, wet, or sunken.
You can also touch the loaf to see if it’s done baking. The top should lightly spring back when you press on it.
I think that the most reliable way to check for doneness is with a toothpick or a wooden skewer.
- Insert the toothpick into the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, the bread is ready!
- If your toothpick comes out wet, there are a few things that might be going on. You might have raw batter on your tester, or you might have just poked a melted chocolate chip!
- Melted chocolate will be dark, glossy, and streaky on the toothpick, while raw batter will be thinner and coat more of the tester.
- If you aren’t quite sure, try again with a clean toothpick in a different spot.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Equipment
- 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (45 g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (120 ml) neutral oil such as avocado or canola oil
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (175 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (80 g) plain Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (180 g) freshly shredded zucchini not squeezed
- 1 cup (170 g) semisweet chocolate chips divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, Greek yogurt, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold gently until just combined.
- Fold in the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips, reserving about 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips for the top.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the reserved chocolate chips.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a spot without a chocolate chip comes out with a few moist crumbs and no raw batter. For additional certainty, the center should register about 200-205°F.
- Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes:
- Do not peel or squeeze the zucchini. If it is visibly dripping wet, lightly blot it with a paper towel.
- Use a neutral-flavored oil such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil.
- Plain full-fat or 2% Greek yogurt will work. Sour cream can be substituted in the same amount.
- For the most accurate results, weigh the flour and cocoa powder. When using cups, spoon the flour into the cup and level it rather than scooping directly from the bag.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freeze the whole loaf or individual slices for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Leave a Review!