Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Bread with simple wholesome ingredients in one bowl. Easy, moist and double chocolate quick bread with sneaky veggies.
It is basically the perfect combination of my healthy zucchini bread and healthy chocolate bread. Now you will know what to do with zucchini. Have fun!
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
This healthy chocolate zucchini bread is for anyone like me who ends up with a fridge full of zucchini end of summer.
I seem to receive squash as a gift. Must be the food blogger profession. I don’t mind because I always can quickly chop a lot of zucchini and make sauteed zucchini, a zucchini tomato bake, or zucchini casserole.
But then it comes time for dessert and there’s still no holding up on the zucchini; healthy lemon zucchini bread, healthy zucchini brownies, and healthy zucchini muffins are just a small collection of the zcchini recipes I’ve shared!
But only after I whip up a few batches of this wonderful chocolate zucchini bread! OMG, it is so moist, fluffy, perfectly sweet and chocolate-y. Double chocolate.
So easy too! One bowl and 10 minutes prep. I doubled the recipe.
Ingredients You Will Need
- Zucchini: Grate it, no need to peel or squeeze.
- Flour: This chocolate zucchini bread has been tested with whole wheat flour and spelt flour. Basically, a flour with gluten. I have not tried bread with white flour.
- Sweetener: You have to use a liquid sweetener like maple syrup, honey, agave, brown rice syrup etc. Not dry sweetener like sugar.
- Cocoa or cacao powder: Difference between cacao and cocoa powder is only in nutrition values. Cacao powder is raw and not heated like cocoa powder. Cacao retains its antioxidants and nutrients.
- Egg and applesauce: Applesauce is used instead of oil to make bread moist. I have not tested with flax or chia egg, but you can try.
How to Make Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Grate zucchini – I like to grate zucchini on fine/medium side of the grater. This way it “disappears”.
- Pack it – As you fill up the cup with handfuls gently press on zucchini before adding more. Don’t go crazy but just pat it inside.
- Mix in one bowl – Whisk the egg, then all liquids and add in dry ingredients. Then zucchini and chocolate chips last.
- Bake – Bake at 350 degrees F for 50-60 mins or until toothpick inserted is clean. Let cool off to warm before slicing.
Tips for Best Zucchini Bread
- Frozen zucchini – I have heard from a few readers they freeze grated zucchini and then use in baking. I have not tried. But if you are wondering, I would thaw frozen grated zucchini for a bit so it’s not one blob and try. Please let me know if you do.:)
- Squash – Squash and zucchini are the same thing. You can use yellow or pale green squash. Or even round patty pan squash.
- Follow the recipe – Baking is a science.
- Gluten free flour – Almond flour, coconut flour or any gluten free flour will not work. If you want a gluten free zucchini bread, try my healthy lemon zucchini bread. So good! My favorite recipe I ever created!
How to Store and Freeze Bread
Store: If the weather is hot, keep bread in a container loosely covered with linen towel for 1-2 days on a counter. You don’t want to seal it tightly so moisture accumulates and bacteria breeds on hot days.
After 2 days I would transfer leftovers in a container with a lid to the fridge.
Freeze: Any zucchini bread freezes beautifully. Place it in a resealable bag, let out air, seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on a counter in 4 hours or in the fridge overnight. It will taste like fresh.
More Healthy Zucchini and Chocolate Recipes
- Almond flour zucchini bread
- Healthy zucchini bread
- Zucchini banana bread
- Healthy chocolate cake
- Almond flour chocolate cake
- Healthy chocolate muffins,
You can always check out my full collection of healthy quick bread and muffin recipes too!
Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups finely grated zucchini packed and not squeezed
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 3/4 cup maple syrup honey or agave
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder aluminum free
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup cacao powder
- 2 cups whole wheat or spelt flour
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips divided
- Cooking spray I use Misto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, line 9 x 5 loaf pan with unbleached parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add egg, applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla extract, baking soda, baking powder and salt; whisk well until combined.
- Add cacao powder and whisk until well combined.
- Add grated zucchini and stir.
- Add flour and mix gently with a spatula just enough to combine. Add 1/4 cup chocolate chips and gently give just a few stirs.
- Pour batter into previously prepared loaf pan and sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips on top. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool off for 10 minutes. Holding onto the flaps of parchment paper remove healthy zucchini bread from a loaf pan and let it cool off more before slicing with sharp serrated knife.
Store: Store covered in a cool dry place for up to 5 days. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Recipes and images are a copyright of ifoodreal.com. It is against the law to republish recipes anywhere including social media, print and all world wide web. Nutritional info is provided for informational purposes only and to the best knowledge.
This recipe, like all your others I’ve tried to date, is amazing!!! My husband has been asking me to make zucchini bread and as he loves chocolate, I thought we’d try it. It is so delicious, I’m glad I doubled the recipe so I can freeze one to enjoy another time. Truly so good I can’t believe it’s healthy.
So glad you and your husband are enjoying it Angela!
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe Olena. I made this chocolate zucchini bread and loved it! I only have about 1/4 of maple syrup so I topped up another 1/4 cup of honey. So basically that makes 1/2 cup of liquid sweetener altogether. Then, I used 1/2 cup of Varlhona cocoa powder. For baking soda, I only used 1/2 teaspoon because I don’t like the taste of it. Baked in 9×9 inch square pan. Turned out absolutely marvellous! This is my first time baking zucchini cake/ bread and surprised that I can’t taste any zucchini at all. Thank you so much for the recipe <3
Than you for this recipe, I made it with organic maple syrup, I like it but it is a bit dense, I wonder if I did something wrong because the other comments said it was not dense?
I am going to try it with honey next time
Remember to stir gently, over stirring is often the cause of bread being dense. Let us know how it turns out next time!
Super easy to make, healthy and delicious!
This tasted like one of those chocolate Otis Spunkmeyer muffins, but way healthier and cleaner! I’m sharing this recipe with everyone! Thanks, Olena!
You’re welcome Jo!
Hi Olena! I’m grandma for four grand kids and also from Ukraine. I usually use your healthy recopies for baking veggies’ sweet breads. They are greatly appreciated!
Thank you so much for sharing that Lilly!
Kid approved!
Love it!
This recipe was a huge hit with my family!
Woohoo! Thanks for sharing Amber!
Once again, a recipe that on spec made me worry…”no oil?”… “Maybe I should add another egg?”…But I stuck to the recipe in spite of my worries because after trying a few of your other recipes, I know you deliver! lol. Of course the loaf is lovely. It’s moist, not dense, not overly sweet, and tasty.
Thanks again for another great recipe!!
So happy you liked this recipe Margaret-Anne!
Hello Olena, wondering if this recipe can be made with quoina flour?
Hi Marilyn! This chocolate zucchini bread has been tested with whole wheat flour and spelt flour. Basically, a flour with gluten. I have not tried bread with quinoa flour.
Absolutely loved this recipe, so moist and chocolatey without refined sugar!
I will definitely make this!
I am also looking for a ‘healthier’ version of Medovik (one that doesn’t use a ton of sugar but rather honey as a main sweetner 🙂 would you help with that?
Hi Elena. To be honest we eat main meals mostly healthy and just regular desserts when we have one, we are not much sweets people. So, I just Google Medovik. Sorry I couldn’t be of help. 🙁
Excellent recipe! Do you rate it as healthy because it has no oils or sugars?
Yes, no oil or processed sugars. Sweetened with maple syrup or honey. Plus, it has zucchini!
Absolutely delicious. Made it on the smoker and topping every slice with so much butter. Excellent recipe.
Hi Ange! Thanks for sharing. I have never tried baking this on the smoker!
Love this recipe! Zucchinis are abundant in my garden, made it 3 times already!
Added raw, organic walnuts on top!
And I used a smashed bar of organic chocolate; makes yummy chocolatey bites!
Check it out
https://photos.app.goo.gl/qWrxBPZLsrNuoL1R9
Thanks for sharing Vanessa!
Yummy! So moist and dense. I liked it just as much as a “non healthy” recipe I used last week, and this one uses real ingredients!!
I’m so happy to read this! Thanks for your positive feedback, Angela!
HI, was wondering if I could use Greek Yogurt in place of the applesauce? I have it on hand and would rather not make a shopping trip for apples, but would like to get this in the oven for company!!
Sure.
Love this loaf! Can I make muffins from this recipe, if so how many and what would be the cook time/temp?
Sure. Try for 22 mins at 375 and do a clean toothpick test.
I’m thinking of trying muffins tomorrow. How did they turn out?
Made this recipe as stated except for unbleached flour instead of whole wheat and used maple syrup. This bread was FANTASTIC! Love the fact that 2 cups of zucchini in every loaf! Definitely a keeper recipe!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Diane!
Very happy to have found your blogs and can’t wait to make this recipe!
Thank you!!
Made this today and my 4 year old loved it. He won’t eat most veggies but this was great. I used a little less maple syrup than called for in the recipe and some buckwheat flour instead of all AP flour. Turned out great. I like the light texture using applesauce in place of oil. Спасибо!!
Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed by your 4 year old!
Can I use Almond Flour? ?
Unfortunately not.
Can I use whole wheat pastry flour instead of whole wheat flour?
Yes, sure.
Hi! I look forward to making this recipe. Everything looks quite clean and a much healthier dessert than many out there!
Quick question – can I use cocoa powder instead of cacoa? If so, would there be a difference in taste or calories/ how healthy it should be? Hope to hear from you soon!
Yes, you can. Difference between cacao and cocoa powder is only in nutrition values. Cacao powder is raw and not heated like cocoa powder. Cacao retains its antioxidants and nutrients.
Where are the chi chips in recipe
My goodness – forgot. Fixed that and thanks for the catch. Enjoy!
Delicious! Kid approved ?
Very easy to do.
And it taste Awesome to eat healthy!!
Yes it does! Thanks for sharing Patricia!
hello .. I want to ask about the zucchini is it have a clear taste? because I want to make this recipe but I don’t like zucchini .
This bread is pretty chocolate-y. I can’t taste zucchini but I also do not not like it. I think you should be fine. Hope this helps.
This is my first time baking with zucchini and I am pleasantly surprised that it was really delicious. Thank you for this great recipe. Your recipes are simple, healthy and delicious.
I am so happy that you enjoyed baking with zucchini!
I made this bread with all purpose flour because I couldn’t find whole wheat flour anywhere near me and I was dying to make the recipe. It turned out amazingly. I am a very picky eater so for me to like this bread, it’s really saying something. I have made a few of your recipes now and I love them all. Thank you for helping me on my weight loss journey!
You are very welcome Nicole. I am thrilled that you are enjoying my recipes.
My favourite
Yum
This is absolutely AMAZING! It tastes like a decadent rich chocolaty cake from a fancy cafe. I will make this over and over again.
YAY! Thank you for the positive feedback!
Hi… can I replace wheat flour with almond flour and apple sauce with avocado oil?
Unfortunately not. Please check out my almond flour banana bread and lemon zucchini bread recipes.
Great recipe! So delicious! This is go to recipe for a healthy chocolately treat 🙂
Happy to hear this Cassandra. Healthy can be a treat!
Made it this morning, took just 20 mins to put the ingredients together! Baked for 45 mins. I can’t believe how yummy and moist this bread is. Thanks for sorting out my breakfast for the next 3 days 😀 (and yes you’re right, gotta love those ‘sneaky’ veggies!)
Yay! Thanks for the great comment Aditi!
I love your page I tried to do the Almond butter brownies but I forgot to put the d
Sugar and they were a little sour … but I’ll be trying more recipes
Super yummy!
Thank you, Stephanie.
I make it today and I really like it.
Not believing that it is soft without oil or butter. Thank you Olena for sharing healthy recipes.
That is so amazing to hear! Glad you enjoyed my recipe, Hanadi.
How many calories?
In the recipe.
5 stars for allowing us to jump to the recipe. Thanks!
This is the BEST recipe! Thank you!
Fantastic! Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Therese!
Amazing! I wanted an alternative to Sam”s club muffins. I think they are 900 calories for a Sam’s muffin. I fed them to my teenage boys without telling them what was in it (because they would never try it if they knew). They said they were way moister than the muffins. I did end up telling my one son, he could not believe it and wanted to see the recipe. Really happy with this, it will be a staple recipe in my binder!
Shh, don’t tell them lol. That is so amazing to hear! Glad you enjoyed my recipe!
Yes yes yes. I have made it twice. Forst one was a fail second time success with long baking time and squeezing zucchini . So good for the kids and even me!
Amazeballs.:) Thanks for taking time from your busy schedule to let me know you enjoyed my recipe.
I’m sure it will be delicious! I will make it as I’ve made several recipes from your site hay I love!
Awe, you are so welcome! So happy to hear you are enjoying my recipes! Please don’t be shy to leave me a comment with a star review once you make any recipe. Have a great weekend!