Chocolate Zucchini Bread {Soft & Fudgy}

Published: Aug 7, 2023 by Allison · 11 Comments

This soft and moist chocolate zucchini bread is for chocolate lovers! A combination of cocoa powder and chocolate chips makes this flavorful and delicious quick-bread extra chocolaty.

Is this one of the most delicious ways to get in your vegetables? Yes, yes, absolutely YES. If you’re looking to use up a bounty of summer zucchini, and/or satisfy a chocolate craving, this bread is it!

Slices of chocolate zucchini bread on a wire rack.

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Key ingredients

Brown sugar: Using brown sugar instead of white sugar adds extra moisture and a slightly richer flavor.

Cocoa powder and chocolate chips: Two kinds of chocolate! Unsweetened cocoa powder gives this loaf its dark color and base flavor, and chocolate chips add little pockets of melty, fudgy goodness throughout.

Zucchini: Shredded zucchini adds moisture, texture, and a nutritional boost to the bread (don’t worry, the flavor does not come through).

Stack of four slices of chocolate zucchini bread with a jar of milk in the background.

Recipe overview

*Full recipe below in recipe card*

Combine dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt.
In a separate bowl whisk oil, eggs, vanilla, and brown sugar.
Stir shredded zucchini into wet ingredients.
Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
Transfer to a loaf pan and bake.

Collage of chocolate zucchini bread batter in a white bowl.

Recipe tips

Do not overmix. Overmixing can lead to bread that is tough, and it can also make your loaf sink in the middle. Mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet ingredients.
Use the medium holes on a box grater to shred the zucchini. Using the small/fine holes will break down the zucchini too much and you will end up with a watery mess. The medium holes on a box grater (or food processor) produce the perfect size shreds of zucchini, which almost disintegrate into the loaf while baking. If those seem too large for your liking, you can rough chop the shredded zucchini after grating (I don’t find this step necessary).
Don’t skip the chocolate chips! The little bits of melty chocolate are what make this loaf extra fudgy and rich. Use your favorite variety: milk, semisweet, or bittersweet. If you don’t have chocolate chips, you can used a chopped chocolate bar.
Make sure your brown sugar is fresh and soft. In addition to sweetening the loaf, this ingredient also adds moisture. Dry, hard, crumbly brown sugar will not mix in as well and give us the texture we’re looking for.

Two slices of chocolate zucchini bread on a white plate.

Draining zucchini

The first step of this recipe is to lay out the shredded zucchini on a kitchen towel or paper towels. This allows the excess moisture to be absorbed so that the bread is moist without being too wet.

I advise against squeezing the zucchini dry because leaving some of the liquid in the zucchini is what makes this loaf so tender and soft.

Recipe

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This soft and moist chocolate zucchini bread is for chocolate lovers! A combination of cocoa powder and chocolate chips makes this flavorful and delicious quick-bread extra chocolaty.

5 from 5 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings: 8 – 10

Calories: 327kcal

Author: Allison – Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10×5 loaf pan and set it aside.
On a clean kitchen towel or several paper towels, spread out the shredded zucchini in an even layer. Allow the towels to soak up any excess moisture while you continue with the rest of the recipe.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ⅔ cup chocolate chips. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla until well combined. Add the grated zucchini** and whisk until combined. Add the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stir the mixture until combined, being careful not to overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the pan. Sprinkle the additional 2 tablespoons chocolate chips on top of the batter. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (if there are melted chocolate chips on the toothpick, that's OK, just not raw batter). Place the loaf pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then remove the bread from the pan and place directly on the rack to cool completely.

Notes

*Use the medium holes on a box grater to shred the zucchini. This produces the perfect size shreds of zucchini, which almost disintegrate into the loaf while baking. If those seem too large for your liking, you can rough chop the shredded zucchini after grating (I don’t find this step necessary).**If the zucchini still has an excessive amount of moisture after you’ve dried it out on a towel, pat it dry with additional dry paper towels. Do not squeeze out all the liquid, you need some of it to keep the bread moist.