Like my chocolate zucchini cake, this moist and fudge-like double chocolate zucchini bread raises a huge question: How on earth is there a vegetable in THIS?! Readers have loved this recipe for years, and it’s on my menu all summer long when zucchini is plentiful.
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more success tips. I also made a few small changes to the recipe to yield a more moist, flavorful loaf.
One reader, Kristin, commented: “I never review recipes, but had to write one for this one. This bread, cake, dessert—whatever you want to call it—is fabulous! Just the right amount of sweet, chocolate, and is perfectly moist. I have made it for different people (just in the last two weeks because I can’t stop thinking about it) and everyone has loved it. I made no substitutions to anything and it was perfect… ★★★★★”
I firmly believe that the biggest baking mistake one could ever make is… not doubling today’s recipe. After 1 slice, you’ll instantly realize you need far more than 1 loaf of this chocolate bliss. With its moist and rich fudge-like crumb, deep chocolate flavor, and melty chocolate chips inside, it’s almost impossible to believe there’s zucchini in the batter.
One reader, Deb, commented: “Wow! I made this today and it is sooo good! Even my guys (who don’t want anything to do with zucchini) LOVED it! No one can believe there is shredded zucchini in it. One mistake I made—I only made one. ★★★★★“
Here’s What You’ll Love About This Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Batter comes together quickly and easily
- Sneaks in veggies (which, along with the Greek yogurt, make it one of my healthier dessert recipe ideas)
- Freezes well—make several loaves when zucchini is plentiful, and freeze for future chocolate cravings
- Use this recipe for muffins or cupcakes, too
- Super moist and deeply chocolatey—just read the reviews!
Why Bake With Zucchini?
If you’re new to combining zucchini + chocolate, welcome to the not-so-secret club!
Zucchini is one of my favorite baking ingredients and I have a lot of published recipes using this summer vegetable. My recipes for zucchini bread and zucchini muffins are both incredibly popular with readers, and you’ll find a whopping 3 cups of the nutrition-boosting green shreds in my chocolate zucchini cake, but only if you are looking for it—no one will know if you don’t tell them!
It sounds odd to bake with a green vegetable, but here’s why you should:
- There are only so many zucchini side dishes to make (looking at you, zucchini casserole). Zucchini is abundant in the summer months, so sneaking it into baked goods is a great way to use up a bounty of squash.
- Zucchini adds flavorless moisture. We’re talking pure moisture with zero savory vegetable flavor. You’ve had carrot cake, right? Well, zucchini adds even more moisture and hides even better!
Once you’re convinced, try this zucchini cake with brown butter cream cheese frosting next. For even more inspiration, see all my favorite zucchini recipes—both sweet and savory! You absolutely don’t want to miss these savory zucchini biscuits.
Success Tip: Shredding Zucchini
Today’s zucchini bread comes together in just minutes with simple kitchen tools including a couple bowls, a whisk, and a 9×5-inch loaf pan or an 8×4-inch loaf pan like this one or this one. You also need a grater to shred the zucchini. If you’re looking for recommendations, I own and love this box grater because it’s easy to use, grates quickly, and has held up well with regular use. It’s what I use when making zucchini fritters, too.
Key Ingredients You Need & Why
- Zucchini: Zucchini can vary in size, but 1 medium zucchini is plenty for this recipe. You need 1 and 1/2 cups shredded, which is about 180g, depending on how tightly you pack it.
- Flour: Doesn’t seem like a lot of flour, and it’s not. Keep in mind there’s also cocoa powder which is another dry ingredient. Most of the volume is the zucchini!
- Cocoa Powder: Make sure to use unsweetened natural cocoa powder, not Dutch-process, in this recipe. Read about the difference between Dutch-process vs natural cocoa powder.
- Instant Coffee/Espresso Powder: A little espresso powder gives this double chocolate zucchini bread the richest-tasting chocolate flavor; the bread doesn’t taste like coffee, rather, the espresso powder deepens the flavor of the cocoa. It’s a trick I use in chocolate chess pie and chocolate cake, too. You can find it in the coffee aisle at the grocery store or online.
- Chocolate Chips: Chocolate chips provide some sweetness, while also creating melty pockets of chocolate throughout every slice.
- Oil: I prefer to use oil in my quick breads, like in strawberry bread and peach quick bread, because of the unparalleled moisture it provides. Lately I’ve been making this chocolate zucchini bread with melted coconut oil.
- Plain Greek Yogurt: Greek yogurt adds protein, while also adding tenderness. I always use nonfat here, but you can use low-fat or full-fat Greek yogurt, or regular yogurt, if you prefer.
You also need 2 eggs, baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla, and sugar.
If you love this recipe, you’ll also love my double chocolate banana bread which uses many of the same ingredients. And if you like some peanut butter with your chocolate, my peanut butter chocolate chip zucchini bread is right up your alley!
If you don’t have or don’t want to use coconut oil, a neutral oil such as vegetable oil works instead. Expect a very, very thick batter:
The bread takes about 50 minutes to bake. Begin checking at 45 minutes, though, just in case your oven works extra hard!
While it’s incredibly tempting to slice right into this double chocolate zucchini bread while it’s warm, try to resist. I’ve found that with most baked goods starring zucchini, the flavor is noticeably better once it’s completely cooled. This goes for zucchini oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, too.
You can peel the zucchini if you’d like, but I never do. There’s no taste or texture difference. If you’re worried that picky eaters will be suspicious, peeling the zucchini will prevent any trace of green specks sharp eyes might detect.
Slice the bottom end off of the zucchini, hold onto the stem end, and scrape the squash against the shredder side of a box grater like this one until you get to the stem you’re holding. The shredder side is the one with the largest holes.
When I first published this recipe in 2015, I included a step for blotting some moisture out of the zucchini. I don’t find this necessary anymore. In fact, you WANT that extra moisture in every single slice. Just shred the zucchini and add right to the batter.
Fan-Favorite Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf; 10 slices
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This double chocolate zucchini bread is moist and fudge-like, and comes together quickly with a couple bowls and a whisk. Readers have loved this recipe for years, and it’s on my menu all summer long when zucchini is plentiful. See recipe Notes for freezing and doubling instructions.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (41g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch process)*
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder*
- 3/4 cup (135g) semi-sweet chocolate chips*
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
- 1/3 cup (80g) plain Greek yogurt or sour cream*
- 2/3 cup (135g) granulated sugar*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) shredded zucchini (no need to blot)*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan or 8×4-inch loaf pan (for a taller loaf) with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder together until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, yogurt, granulated sugar, and vanilla together until combined. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently whisk to combine. Fold in the zucchini. The batter is very thick.
- Bake for 45–55 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent the top from over-cooking. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs. The 9×5-inch pan takes closer to 45 minutes, and the 8×4-inch pan takes closer to 55 minutes. All ovens vary, so begin checking around the 45-minute mark.
- Remove bread from the oven and allow the bread to cool in the pan set on a wire rack for 1 hour. While it’s still warm, I gently press a few more chocolate chips into the top; this is optional and only for looks.
- Remove bread from the pan and place the loaf directly on the wire rack to cool completely.
- Cover and store bread at room temperature for 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze baked & cooled loaf, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. If desired, bring to room temperature before serving. To learn more details about how to freeze quick breads, see my post called Make-Ahead Baking.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×5-inch Loaf Pan or 8×4-inch Loaf Pan | Box Grater | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Double the Recipe: You can double the recipe by doubling all of the ingredients and dividing the batter between 2 loaf pans. If the batter seems much too thick, you can add a splash of milk.
- Chocolate Zucchini Muffins: Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C) and spray a 12-count pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. Prepare batter as directed above, fill each liner to the top with batter and bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C). Then, keeping the muffins in the oven, lower the temperature to 350°F (177°C) and continue to bake for an additional 14–15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 10–12 muffins.
- Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a 12-count pan with cupcake liners. Prepare batter as directed above, fill each liner 2/3 full with batter and bake for 19–20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely, then frost with chocolate buttercream. Makes 12 cupcakes.
- Cocoa Powder: Use natural cocoa powder, not Dutch-process. See Dutch-process vs natural cocoa powder for more information.
- Espresso Powder: Espresso powder deepens the chocolate flavor. You can find espresso powder in the coffee aisle at the grocery store or online. You can skip it or use 1 teaspoon of instant coffee powder instead.
- Chocolate Chips: Don’t leave these out! They sweeten the bread and give the bread more chocolate flavor. The bread is a little bland without them.
- Yogurt: I usually use nonfat plain Greek yogurt. You can use full-fat, low-fat, or even vanilla Greek yogurt instead. Or use regular plain yogurt, or sour cream. Prior to 2023, this recipe called for 1/4 cup (60g) yogurt, but I now use 1/3 cup (80g) as listed above. Extra moisture!
- Sugar: For a sweeter bread, use 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar.
- Zucchini: I do not peel the zucchini before shredding, but you certainly can if you’d like. I like to use a box grater for shredding zucchini. Zucchini can vary in size, but 1 medium zucchini is plenty for this recipe. If using frozen zucchini, thaw first and lightly blot before using.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 246
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 76.4 mg
- Fat: 11.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.2 g
- Protein: 5.4 g
- Cholesterol: 37.6 mg
Reader Comments and Reviews
recipe turned out fabulous. I made loaves, used sour cream and followed the recipe to a tee.
Not sure what I did wrong but mine was definitely bland, and hardly any chocolate flavor. I thought I followed the recipe exactly so I’m unsure
Hi Taylor, I wonder if the loaf just wasn’t sweet enough? Did you skip the chocolate chips?
I just made this today and it was super easy to put together. I doubled the recipe and made 5 mini loaves for friends and co-workers. I just tried a piece and it is absolutely delicious. Not too sweet. The dark choc chips make a HUGE impact on the choc flavor. As I was making this I thought I bet you could use carrots, too. Great recipe to add to my collection. Thank you for your great baking! ☮️
LOVED this recipe! Very moist and chocolatey. A++
This recipe makes for some delicious muffins! In my house muffins tend to last longer than loaves. Very tasty! Our zucchini plant this year is turning out a huge harvest and this recipe is a wonderful way to make use of them. Easy to follow.
This is very good. Thank you!
Doubled this recipe, and after reading comments, used 1 3/4 cups of sugar, added 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Was top shelf stuff! Also used sour cream instead of Greek yogurt. Was great!
My husband and kids didn’t even know it had zucchini inside! It’s the most moist and chocolatey loaf cake I’ve ever tried. This is one of our household staples.
⭐️ !
Tastes like a delicious chocolate cupcake but, with veggies!
Hi! I have a couple of questions about this recipe. I used melted coconut oil as suggested but when I mixed all the wet ingredients together, it had reverted to a solid state. Is this normal? If not, how do I prevent this?
Also, is there a trick to removing bread from loaf pans? I don’t make a lot of bread so just curious.
Thank you! My bread is cooling now and I am looking forward to trying it!
Hi Taryn, we’re happy to help! Make sure your melted coconut oil is not piping hot, and that your refrigerator ingredients are room temperature. It’s likely that the temperature difference between the two cause the melted coconut oil to solidify again. Make sure your pan is well-greased, then you can simply flip the pan over and the loaf should slide out nicely. Hope you love the bread!
I made these as muffins. I prefer a sweeter muffin, and I felt the only hint of sweetness I got was from the chocolate chips. My husband liked them enough and they were enjoyably edible but not necessarily show stopping or the yummiest zucchini recipe I’ve tried from Sally. I preferred the simple zucchini muffins recipe to these.
I’ve made this recipe four times this summer already, and I’ll probably make a few loaves to freeze for the winter. Every loaf I’ve made has been delicious. Due to scheduling, I made a loaf four days in advance of a party, and kept it in the fridge. Even after four days, it received rave reviews. Some people kept referring to it as “the brownie” until I told them what was in it. It is comfortably in my top 10 favorite recipes found on the internet, and that’s saying a lot as I do a lot of cooking and baking!
This was bland and bitter to me. I would not make it again, unfortunately. Thank you anyways for the recipe.
I just made this for my family, and my kids loved it! They won’t touch “green things” but they were wolfing this down. It was moist, chocolate and delicious. I didn’t have a loaf pan, so I put this in a 9×9 pan instead. It baked for about 25, and was perfect.
I don’t have Greek yogurt on hand. What can I use? Will maybe 1/4 c milk work or some type of fruit purée? Thanks
Hi Lisa, sour cream is the best substitute for the yogurt here.
Hi sally, recipe turned about to bitter. Seems to much cacao what could have went wrong. I used hershey’s natural cacao
Hi Karan, did you by chance use the “special dark” variety? If you try the recipe again, you can add more sugar to help sweeten the loaf.
I’m wondering if I overpacked the cups of zucchini-I doubled the recipe. It’s still in the overn, but the zucchini shreds are much more visible in mine than they are in the pics shown here. I’ll reserve judgment though until I taste.
How many slices do you get from a loaf to result in the nutrition information listed on the recipe?
I added chocolate protein powder, used cottage cheese in lieu of Greek yogurt, and used stevia instead of sugar and this came out great! Just trying to more accurately calculate macros.
Hi Bri Marie, 10 slices.
Just made this & it is delicious. I used sour cream instead of the Greek yogurt & used mini -chocolate chips.
Only thing wrong is that I didn’t double the recipe !!
Y’all really need to bake this !!
Hi! I’m planning on making this recipe tonight for gifts. I bought these cardboard loaf pans and wondering if I need to adjust cooking time? Any suggestions are welcome! Thank you
Hi Sima, we haven’t tested this recipe in any cardboard pans, so definitely keep an eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Hope they’re a hit!
I would like to double and bake in a bundt pan. Any hints?
Hi C, the best option would be to use our chocolate zucchini cake batter for a Bundt cake. We’re unsure of the best bake time.
What an incredibly moist and rich zucchini loaf. I didn’t have espresso powder so I used a short espresso and drained the zucchini from their liquid to balance. It gets even better on the second day!
I’ve made these as muffins four times, and they’ve always come out perfectly moist and chocolatey! My family and coworkers love them and it’s a great way to use zucchini from the garden.
Help! Mine came out half the height and very dry. I followed the directions and can’t figure out what I did wrong. Any thoughts?
Hi CJ, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. How did you measure your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure the flour isn’t over measured. That can significantly dry out the bread, as can over baking. Be sure that your baking soda and baking powder are also fresh (we find it best to use within 3 months of opening) to guarantee optimal rise. With the zucchini, oil, and sour cream/yogurt, this loaf should come out quite moist!
If I use frozen shredded zucchini for this recipe does it need to be “blotted “ or devoid of water?
Hi Julie, if using frozen zucchini, thaw first and lightly blot before using.
Love this recipe and have made it many times. I’d strongly recommend the use of parchment paper in the pan, to assure a beautiful loaf removal. Happy Baking!
Winner, winner! I had a pile of zucchini to deal with yesterday and I made this, among other recipes. (your zucchini fritters, too). This is going into regular rotation, when I am doing bake sale fundraising for cat rescues, etc. Thank you for sharing it! I put a pile of shredded zucchini into the freezer too, for further loaves.
Easy to follow and quick to put together. Just read the recipe over so yiu know how many mixing bowla you need
idoubled the recipe and got 23 delicious muffins. If you like nuts in your muffins I’m sure they would fit nicely in this recipe. I’m picky on texture so I grated the zucchini on the finest side, and the bits are almost not noticeable in the end result. If you want to be sure though, cutting it up and using a blender or mixer would turn it in to much (think smaches banana).
Highly recommend!
Perfect dupe for the Olympic chocolate muffins that everyone is talking about! I will be making this again and again!
Can I use Stevia and my mix is liquidy I need help this is the second time
Hi Rylee, We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. How are you measuring your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure the flour isn’t under measured. If the batter is too liquidy, there may not be enough flour. If your zucchini seems overly wet, you can very gently blot it, but not too much because you don’t want to rid of all the moisture.
Can I substitute Brown Sugar for regular sugar??
Absolutely. Same amount.
This recipie is amazing. Turns out perfect everytime. I always quadruple the recipie. I also make small loaves. Usually 10. It does not taste like zucchini bread but a decadent rich brownie. You will have your freinds and family asking for more. I wish there was a way to upload photos to show how nice these loaves turn out.