This rich Chocolate Zucchini Bread is moist, chocolatey, and made with better-for-you ingredients like less sugar, yogurt, chocolate, coconut oil, oats, and zucchini.
author’s note
Chocolate Lover’s Zucchini Bread!
Almost every sunday, my daughter and I bake muffins or cookies together. It’s our thing. She’s my little chocolate lover, always asking for double chocolate chip muffins (with extra chips, of course).
So when I mentioned making my favorite zucchini bread, she paused and said, “Can we make it double chocolate instead?” How could I say no?
We grabbed the cocoa, poured in a few handfuls of chocolate chips, and ended up with this rich, fudgy loaf that she now calls “Zucchini Muffin Bread.” We’ve made it three times since. Safe to say it’s a new favorite.
Chocolate Zucchini Bread Ingredients
| Ingredient | Why It Works | Swaps or Tips |
|---|---|---|
| Finely grated zucchini (no peeling) | Adds moisture with zero veggie flavor | Yellow squash in a pinch |
| Dutch‑process cocoa powder | Gives a darker, smoother chocolate flavor | Natural cocoa for a lighter color |
| Dark chocolate chips | Extra bursts of chocolate | Milk or semi‑sweet chips |
| Full‑fat Greek yogurt | Protein and tenderness | Sour cream |
| Coconut oil, melted & cooled | Keeps the crumb soft and dairy‑free | Melted butter or avocado oil |
| Oat flour (blended oats) | Adds fiber and a light nutty flavor | Just throw oats in the blender and blend to a flour consistency |
How To Make Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Prep Grease or line an 8.5 × 4.5‑inch loaf pan and heat oven to 350 °F.
- Mix Wet Whisk yogurt, honey, brown sugar, eggs, melted coconut oil, and vanilla.
- Melt Chocolate Warm chips, then stir into wet mix.
- Mix Dry Whisk oat flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine Gently fold dry mix into wet mix, then add zucchini and extra chips.
- Bake Pour batter into pan and bake 45 to 55 minutes until a toothpick shows moist crumbs.
- Cool Rest loaf 10 minutes, transfer to a rack, cool fully, then slice.
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.
Baking Tips
- Grease plus a light flour dust or line it with parchment paper to keep the loaf from sticking.
- Leave the zucchini wet; its juice keeps the crumb tender.
- Flour‑dust chocolate chips so they stay suspended in the loaf.
- If the top browns too fast, tent with foil for the last 10 minutes.
- Use the right size pan. I 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 Chocolate Zucchini Bread Is Done
- The loaf pulls away from the sides of the pan.
- A toothpick in the center shows only a few sticky crumbs.
- The top springs back when lightly pressed.
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.
Storage
Leftovers?
- Room Temp: Wrap chocolate zucchini bread tight and keep up to 2 days.
- Fridge: Good for 5 days; warm slices 10 seconds in the microwave.
- Freeze: Slice, wrap each piece, place in a zip bag, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter or zap briefly in the microwave.
More Ways To Use Leftover Zucchini:
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
With nutritious ingredients and simple preparation, this rich Chocolate Zucchini Bread is unbeatable!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup honey vanilla Greek yogurt
- 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
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup oat flour just blend regular oats in a blender—see 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 salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour or use white-whole wheat
- 3/4 heaping cup lightly packed grated zucchini
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°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.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt, honey, and brown sugar until smooth.
- 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 between each burst until chocolate is fully melted and smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature, then use a spatula to scrape every bit into the Greek yogurt mixture. Stir to combine. Add the egg and vanilla extract and stir until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the oat flour (see note 1), cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cornstarch. Add in the flour and the remaining 3/4 cup chocolate chips (118g). Stir the dry ingredients together.
- Add the dry to the wet. Mix in the zucchini. Gently stir until just combined. Overmixing will result in dense bread or a sunken center.
- 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 overbake; it will yield a much drier, less-tasty zucchini bread.
- 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 sharp, serrated knife. Best enjoyed the same day—see “Storage” notes below.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: 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).
Storage: Store bread airtight for 1–2 days at room temp; after 3–4 days, it may mold due to moisture. Freeze leftovers up to 3 months, wrapped individually. Thaw at room temp for an hour and reheat briefly. Try it with peanut butter for a tasty twist!
Nutrition
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just made this. Many ingredients and steps but well worth it! Used dark chocolate chips. Moist and chocolatey…delish!
So happy to hear that! 🙂 Thanks JL!
Hi,
can i use canola oil instead of coconut oil.
will taste differ?
Regards
I would recommend sticking to the coconut oil for this recipe!
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?
I don’t have nutrition facts on all of my recipes (yet!) so I’d recommend using My Fitness Pal in the meantime 🙂
can you put this recipe in muffin tins? should I use liners?
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!)
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!
You are welcome! I’m so happy this is a hit! Thank you so much for the comment and review 🙂
So you’re only adding in a tablespoon of the regular flour? The instructions are confusing.
I apologize for any confusion! I’ve updated the recipe to hopefully make more sense. You add in the flour 🙂
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!
I’m so sorry Leslie, I updated the recipe to hopefully make the steps more clear. I hope you loved the bread! 🙂
Tried this today and it was DELICIOUS! <3
So, so happy to hear you enjoyed this! Thanks for the comment!
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.
You are welcome! I hope you enjoy!
Wow what a flavourful bread recipe! I can’t wait to try making it. And your pictures are gorgeous!!! Can I ask where you bought this grey back board of your last picture? it is so beautiful!
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). 🙂