Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Transform your zucchini into rich and fudgy chocolate zucchini bread! This recipe uses 2 full cups of zucchini, so it's perfect for using up an abundant crop from your garden.

Recipe includes a how-to video!

Course Bread, Dessert, quick bread

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 25

Total Time 1 45

Servings slices

Calories 357kcal

Author Sam Merritt

Equipment

Ingredients

1 ½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
⅔ cup (133 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons table salt
½ cup (50 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant coffee optional
½ cup (118 ml) very hot/steaming water
½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter melted
2 large eggs lightly beaten (room temperature preferred)
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (305 g) grated zucchini blotted after measuring/weighing (see note)
1 ½ cups (255 g) semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and lightly grease and flour a 9x5" bread pan (or make a parchment paper sling). Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, baking soda, and salt.
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, ¾ teaspoons table salt
In a large measuring cup or medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, instant coffee (if using) and very hot water until smooth and well-combined.
½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon instant coffee, ½ cup very hot/steaming water
Whisk melted butter into the cocoa mixture, then add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well-combined.
½ cup unsalted butter, 2 large eggs, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and gently fold together until about 50% combined.
Add zucchini and chocolate chips and continue to gently fold together until mixture is uniformly combined. Don’t over-mix or bread could be dense/rubbery.
2 cups grated zucchini, 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
Spread batter evenly into prepared bread pan.
Transfer to center rack of 350F (175C) oven and bake for 85-90 minutes (see note) and until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs (make sure you’re not skewering a melted chocolate chip and re-try if you do!).
Allow bread to cool completely (or at least mostly) in pan before removing, slicing and serving. I love chocolate zucchini bread while it’s still warm but the slices are more prone to falling apart when cut warm.

Video

Notes

Blotting zucchini

To blot the zucchini, spread it evenly over several sheets of paper towels then take several more folded paper towels and press firmly until most of the excess water has been absorbed and the shredded zucchini begins to stick to the towels.

Bread pan

My bread pan (linked above in the equipment section) is slightly smaller than a classic 9x5 and is light in color. For a darker 9x5 pan start checking the bread at 80 minutes. Note that a glass pan will take longer (sometimes significantly longer) to bake.

Storing

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You may also freeze for several months, I like to wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and then place in a ziploc bag and freeze.

Nutrition