This chocolate chip zucchini bread strikes a good balance between healthy and indulgent. Have zucchini you don’t know what to do with? Make this bread!
Zucchini contains tons of beneficial micronutrients, has a mild, versatile flavor, and can be used in several ways, including baked goods like this chocolate chip zucchini bread. It adds texture to batters and doughs, volume, and moisture without overwhelming whatever flavor profile you’re going for. But let’s not forget the other star of this show—chocolate chips! Their rich cocoa flavor perfectly complements the zucchini’s earthy notes, creating a chocolate lover’s dream in the form of a sweet treat that rides the line between breakfast and dessert.
Why You’ll Love Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
Healthy additions – Besides zucchini, bananas and oats go into the batter. Bananas are an excellent source of sweetness and help the bread stay moist, while oats add bulk and a toothsome texture.
Double the chocolate – Chocolate chips aside, the batter is chocolate-flavored; however, it isn’t overdone, so the chocolate batter combined with the chocolate chips delivers the perfect amount of chocolatey goodness in every bite.
Not too sweet – This recipe doesn’t overdo it with sugar. The zucchini, bitterness of the chocolate, and spices also work together to ensure that the bread never comes across as overly sweet.
No mixer required – A whisk and/or spoon are all you need for this bread. No vigorous mixing is necessary. I advise against using an electric mixer since you don’t want to overmix.
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread Ingredients Notes
- Chocolate chips: Bittersweet works best. You get that balance because sugar doesn’t outshine chocolate’s natural complexity. Instead, you experience the bitterness, tannins, nuttiness, earthiness, and floral notes of chocolate in each bite. That’s what makes it so delicious.
- Zucchini: Select one with smooth, bright green, taut skin with the stem end attached. There shouldn’t be any soft spots, areas of mold, or slimy feel to the flesh. There is no need to remove the seeds or peel them before shredding.
- Flour: All-purpose flour works better than bread flour or whole wheat for this recipe. The protein content keeps the bread tender and prevents it from drying out. All-purpose is a combination of hard and soft flour, which makes it a moderate protein flour.
- Cocoa powder: Use natural, unsweetened cocoa powder or Dutch-processed. The difference is that natural cocoa powder is acidic while Dutch-processed is not since it undergoes an alkali treatment. In other recipes, this could have an impact, but this recipe also contains brown sugar, which is acidic, so that acid will react with the baking soda in the batter.
- Banana: Instead of replacing fat or sugar, banana is added for flavor and moisture. It also adds fiber and an array of nutrients. For the best result, make sure the fruit is ripe.
Find the complete ingredients list with amounts in the recipe card below.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
- Grate the zucchini: Carefully grate it, then wrap it in a towel and squeeze out as much water as possible. This is a very important step, as too much moisture will negatively impact the batter.
- Whisk the dry: Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and other dry ingredients until well combined. Alternatively, you can sift the dry ingredients together.
- Mix the wet: The wet ingredients include mashed banana, oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk them until smooth.
- Add the dry to the wet: Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients as you mix until the batter is smooth and well combined, but be careful not to overmix.
- Fold in the good stuff: Start with the zucchini and oats, then incorporate the chocolate chips. The oats will thicken the batter, which will help prevent the chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom.
- Bake: Pour the batter into a prepared pan. Take a moment to smooth out the top, ensure the batter is evenly distributed, and bake.
- Patience is key: Okay, I know waiting is a challenge. The scents that fill the kitchen as the bread bakes will make you want to slice it sooner rather than later, but the bread needs an hour to cool. The payoff will be worth it—cooling firms up the structure for cleaner slices.
- Slice and serve: A serrated knife is great for this.
Variations, Substitutions, and Cooking Tips
Skip the cocoa powder – If you don’t want chocolate batter, replace the cocoa powder with all-purpose flour. Super simple.
Try chopped chocolate instead – This will make the bread gooey and chocolaty. So decadent!
Replace the banana with applesauce – Ensure that the applesauce is unsweetened.
Swap zucchini for yellow squash – Prepare it as you would zucchini.
Experiment with spices – Add cardamom, nutmeg, or ginger to change the flavor.
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
This chocolate chip zucchini bread strikes a good balance between healthy and indulgent. Have zucchini you don’t know what to do with? Make this bread!
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana, about 2 medium bananas
- ⅔ cup melted coconut oil
- ½ cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips, bittersweet
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with baking spray or lightly coat it with coconut oil, then dust the pan with flour.
- Grate the zucchini, wrap the grated zucchini in cheesecloth, a kitchen towel, or a paper towel, and squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Set it aside.
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Add the mashed bananas, oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract to a separate mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture until combined. Do not overmix.
- Use a spoon or rubber spatula to fold in the zucchini and oats. Follow by folding in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Spread in an even layer.
- Bake the chocolate chip zucchini bread on the center rack for 40-50 minutes or until brown and a tester comes out clean when inserted in the center.
- Let the chocolate chip zucchini bread cool for 50 minutes to an hour. Remove the loaf from the pan and transfer it to a cooling rack after about 15 minutes.
- Slice with a serrated knife and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 342Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 134mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 3gSugar: 28gProtein: 4g
This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.
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