Chocolate Zucchini Bread

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Chocolate Greek Yogurt Zucchini Bread made with healthier ingredients and lower sugar!

This rich Chocolate Zucchini Bread is moist, deeply chocolatey, and completely irresistible! This zucchini bread also uses better-for-you ingredients — less sugar than most zucchini bread, Greek yogurt, dark chocolate, coconut oil, blended-up oats, and of course, grated zucchini.

Try some other popular zucchini quick breads like this Lemon Zucchini Bread or Healthy Zucchini Bread.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread slices stacked on top each other

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

You are going to love how indulgent-tasting this chocolate zucchini bread is — especially when considering all the great nutrient-filled ingredients we’re loading into this bread. While there is still a good amount of sugar, it’s a fraction of what other recipes contain. We’re also using tons of other healthier ingredient swaps — dark cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips (healthy fats and antioxidants –yeah!), protein-packed Greek yogurt, oats in place of some of the flour, coconut oil, and — of course– let’s not forget we’re adding veggies to this bread in the form of zucchini!  

Check out the next section for some helpful ingredient notes and suggestions before heading to the grocery store! 🙂

Ingredient shot-- i the yogurt and cocoa powder used in this recipe

Chocolate Zucchini Bread Ingredient Notes

  • Hershey’s Special Dark® Cocoa Powder contributes the deep and intense chocolate flavor in this chocolate zucchini bread. I highly recommend using a Dutch-process cocoa powder as opposed to a plain (natural) cocoa powder. Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder is readily available at most grocery stores.
  • Honey Vanilla Greek Yogurt adds protein, moistness, and tons of flavor to this bread. Our favorite yogurt to use is Honey Vanilla Greek yogurt (made by Greek Gods®). I don’t recommend a low fat or non-Greek yogurt in this bread– it won’t turn out the same. While plain Greek yogurt works, the flavored yogurt adds so much additional flavor to this Chocolate Zucchini Bread without extra ingredients.
  • Chocolate chips. Any type of chocolate chip works — semi-sweet, milk, dark, or chopped up chocolate. We use dark chocolate to keep this bread on the nutritious side.
  • Coconut oil. Make sure to measure the oil when it’s melted (not in the hardened state). Allow ample time for the coconut oil and chocolate mixture to cool down so it’s not hot when added to the other wet ingredients. If it’s added in hot, it can cause the ingredients to seize up.
  • Zucchini. For this bread, we use zucchini that has been grated on the small side of the grater for fine zucchini shreds. No need to peel the zucchini first or squeeze out excess moisture — we rely on that added moisture in this bread. I don’t recommend grating zucchini on the large holes of a grater for this particular recipe.

Process shots-- images of the wet ingredients being mixed together Adding the melted chocolate to the mixture

What is oat flour?

Oat flour is basically just powdered (blended) oats. It adds a great texture, a unique flavor, and a nutritious aspect to Chocolate Zucchini Bread. No need to go buy oat flour; oats blend up in seconds.

How to make oat flour in 30 seconds or less: All you do is blend regular old-fashioned oats (or quick oats)in a blender until they resemble regular flour. I’ve used $20 blenders and my high-powered Blendtec® and both will do the trick just fine. 

QUICK TIP

Unfortunately, you can not use ALL oat flour in this bread. I have tried it and it was not successful. Also if you attempt to use a different flour in this recipe, please note that it may not yield the right texture. Oat flour absorbs much more liquid than regular flour.

Process shots-- mixing the eggs and vanilla into the batter

Baking Tips

  • Don’t overmix. If you mix the batter too much, you’ll end up with a dense loaf. Mix until ingredients are just combined and then pop it in the bread pan and bake! 
  • Generously grease the bread pan.  I like to grease the pan with nonstick spray and then lightly dust with flour. There are few things as frustrating as trying to invert a loaf and having it fall apart or stick to the bottom! Take your time to generously grease the pan or line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy bread removal.
  • Cool baked bread on a wire rack. Run a table knife along the edge of the pan and invert the loaf onto the wire rack. Chocolate Zucchini Bread needs to be elevated so air can circulate around all sides as it cools. Otherwise, moisture will condense on the bottom of the bread, making it damp and slightly sticky.
  • Use the right size pan. We use an 8.5 x 4.5-inch bread pan for this recipe; it doesn’t bake up the same in other-sized pans.

How To Know When Chocolate Zucchini Bread Is Done

It can be tricky to know when quick bread is fully baked. There are a lot of variables in baking zucchini bread such as altitude, humidity, actual oven temperature, bread pan used, etc. Here are a few cues to look for and tips to keep in mind:

  • Preventing underbaked zucchini bread: Make sure your oven is correctly calibrated; wait for the oven to fully preheat before adding the bread to the oven and position the loaf in the center of the oven.
  • Visual cues for doneness: Bread has pulled away slightly from the edges of the pan.
  • Physical cue for doneness: A toothpick (or fork) inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean or with a couple of moist (not wet) crumbs. 

Process shots-- adding the dry ingredients to the wet; mixing it all; adding the zucchini Process shots-- mixing the batter; in the pan, ready to bake

Storage

This bread stores 1-2 days at normal room temperature (wrapped tightly/stored in an airtight container). Warm refrigerated (unwrapped) slices in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. Add a slather of peanut butter for a fun flavor variation!
 
After 3-4 days, this bread is more prone to molding because of the ingredients used and the overall moistness of the bread.  Freeze any leftover slices for up to 3 months (individually wrapped and then in another zip-top bag). To thaw, set out wrapped slices at room temperature for about an hour.
 
 

Chocolate Zucchini Bread slices

Savory ways to use leftover zucchini

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Chocolate Zucchini Bread

4.88 from 8 votes
This rich Chocolate Zucchini Bread is moist, deeply chocolatey, and totally delicious! We make this bread in two bowls — no stand or hand mixer required. We use better-for-you ingredients — less sugar than most zucchini breads, Greek yogurt, dark chocolate, coconut oil, blended-up oats, and zucchini of course!
Print Recipe

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

4.88 from 8 votes
This rich Chocolate Zucchini Bread is moist, deeply chocolatey, and totally delicious! We make this bread in two bowls — no stand or hand mixer required. We use better-for-you ingredients — less sugar than most zucchini breads, Greek yogurt, dark chocolate, coconut oil, blended-up oats, and zucchini of course!
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack, Vegetarian
Cuisine American, Healthy, Vegetarian
Keyword Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Chelsea Lords
Calories 313kcal
Cost $6.50

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup honey vanilla Greek yogurt (we love Greek Gods)
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1/3 + 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips, divided
  • 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup oat flour (just blend regular oats in a blender -- Note 1)
  • 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder recommended: Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup white flour (or use white-whole wheat)
  • Heaping 3/4 cup lightly packed and finely grated zucchini
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

  • PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C). Lightly grease and flour an 8 1/2- by-4 1/2 inch pan or line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal. Grate zucchini on the small holes of a grater. Measure and set aside.
  • WET INGREDIENTS: In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt, honey, and brown sugar until smooth.
  • CHOCOLATE AND COCONUT OIL: In another small microwave-safe bowl place 1/3 cup (62g) chocolate chips. Melt the coconut oil and measure the oil after being melted. Pour the melted coconut oil over the chocolate chips and stir. Microwave in bursts of 15 seconds, stirring for 20 seconds in between each burst until chocolate is fully melted and smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature and then use a spatula to scrape every bit into the Greek yogurt mixture. Stir to combine. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and stir until smooth.
  • DRY INGREDIENTS: In a separate bowl, stir together the oat flour (Note 1), cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cornstarch. Add in the white or white-whole wheat flour. Add in the remaining 3/4 cup chocolate chips (118g). Stir the dry ingredients together.
  • COMBINE: Add the dry to the wet. Mix in the zucchini. Gently stir until just combined. Over-mixing will result in dense bread or a sunken center.
  • BAKE: Use a spatula to scrape every bit of the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top into an even layer. Top with a few more chocolate chips if desired. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick when inserted into the center comes out with dry or moist (not wet) crumbs. The bread should also be pulling slightly away from the sides. Be careful to not over-bake, it will yield a much drier, less-tasty zucchini bread.
  • ENJOY: Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a cooling rack to finish cooling. Allow to completely cool before cutting into the bread -- otherwise, it's pretty crumbly! Cut with a very sharp, serrated knife. Best enjoyed the same day -- see "Storage" notes below.
  • STORAGE: This bread stores 1-2 days at normal room temperature (wrapped tightly/stored in an airtight container). After 3-4 days, this bread is more prone to molding because of the ingredients used and the overall moistness of the bread. Warm refrigerated (unwrapped) slices in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. Freeze any leftover slices for up to 3 months (individually wrapped and then in another zip-top bag). To thaw, set out wrapped slices at room temperature for about an hour. Warm leftover slices in the microwave for 5-10 seconds before enjoying. Add a slather of peanut butter for a fun flavor variation!

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Oat flour: I use regular old-fashioned or quick oats and quickly pulse them in a blender or food processor until they resemble flour. Then, measure and add to the bowl (the measurement should be taken after the oats are blended, not before).

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 313kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 229mg | Potassium: 259mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 51IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 2mg

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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20 Comments

    1. Thank you so much Olivia! 🙂 Yes the grey back board is an Erickson concrete board! It’s a custom (in between dark and light concrete). 🙂

  1. 5 stars
    Sounds new.I used to prepare bread recipe during weekends,Sounds like this recipe is gonna be my surprise for my family.Thanks for sharing a great recipe.

  2. 4 stars
    Just tried this recipe. I was a bit confused because I couldn’t find a reference to the rest of the white/whole wheat flour or cocoa powder in the directions (not a baker!). So, I did add the flour but forgot the cocoa powder. I’m sure it will be tasty but I do need those extra steps in the recipe. I think more experienced bakers just know when to add. Or did I miss it completely? In the oven now & it looks great!

    1. I’m so sorry Leslie, I updated the recipe to hopefully make the steps more clear. I hope you loved the bread! 🙂

    1. I apologize for any confusion! I’ve updated the recipe to hopefully make more sense. You add in the flour 🙂

  3. 5 stars
    I have made this recipe three times now and we LOVE it. My picky five year old son devours it and it never lasts more than a few hours. Thank you!

    1. You are welcome! I’m so happy this is a hit! Thank you so much for the comment and review 🙂

    1. I’ve never tried this recipe in muffin tins and I’m not sure how it would work. If you do try it though, I’d avoid liners (just grease and flour the cavities!)

  4. Hi I plan to make this but I don’t see any nutritional facts where can I find those? And do you know what the exchanges are for this if using an exchange diet?

    1. I don’t have nutrition facts on all of my recipes (yet!) so I’d recommend using My Fitness Pal in the meantime 🙂

  5. 5 stars
    Just made this. Many ingredients and steps but well worth it! Used dark chocolate chips. Moist and chocolatey…delish!

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