Earlier this week, I wrote about my seasonal love affair with zucchini. When it’s at its peak, I add zucchini to all sorts of savory summer recipes – pasta, pizza, lasagna, and soup, to name a few – but I absolutely cannot let zucchini season pass by without using it in sweet recipes, too. This year, moist, fudgy chocolate zucchini bread has been my sweet zucchini recipe obsession.

This double chocolate zucchini bread recipe is based on the chocolate zucchini muffins from our first cookbook. While I love that recipe, I wanted to make a version that worked well as a loaf for slicing and enjoying with a morning latte or afternoon coffee. This super easy, delicious recipe came out better than I could have imagined – it has a perfect cakey crumb, delectable moist texture, and rich chocolate flavor. Like my traditional zucchini bread recipe, this one makes two loaves. We gobble them up pretty quickly at our house, but if you have extra, pop one loaf in the freezer for another day, or share it with a friend!

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe Ingredients

My chocolate zucchini bread is rich, moist, and perfectly spiced, but it’s secretly healthy, too! Here’s what I use to make this delightful summer treat:

• Flour – A mix of white and whole wheat flour gives it a perfect moist texture and a little whole grain power.
• Baking powder & baking soda – They make the bread nice & puffy.
• Cinnamon & nutmeg – They add a lovely spiced contrast to the chocolate.
• Sea salt – I add a dash to highlight the rich chocolate flavor.
• Maple syrup – I swap maple syrup for granulated or brown sugar, so this healthy chocolate zucchini bread is refined sugar-free!
• Eggs – They help the bread rise and add richness.
• Almond milk – I use it instead of dairy milk to make this chocolate zucchini bread wonderfully moist.
• Coconut oil – I use a scant ¼ cup of melted coconut oil to make the bread rich, but not too decadent.
• Vanilla – A healthy 2 teaspoons adds depth to the spiced chocolatey flavor.
• Zucchini – I grate mine on the largest holes of a box grater to get the best moist, zucchini-flecked texture!
• Chocolate chips – I don’t recommend skimping on these guys! They make the inside of the bread super fudgy and delicious, and I sprinkle some on top too.

Mix together the dry ingredients, whisk together the wet ingredients, and gently stir the dry mixture into the wet. Fold in the chocolate chips, pour the batter into two pans, and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe Tips

• Be careful not to overmix! As with all baking recipes that use wheat flour, overmixing the batter will make the bread dense. Stir until everything is just combined to get soft, moist & puffy loaves.
• Use two packed cups of zucchini.The zucchini is essential for adding moisture, so pack your cups full! Skimping on it will yield a dryer final loaf.
• Bake once, eat twice.This recipe makes two loaves. I like to enjoy one right away and slice and freeze the other for quick breakfasts or whenever I have a chocolate zucchini bread craving.
• Try changing it up! Swap half the chocolate chips for chopped walnuts or dried tart cherries. Or, if you have it on hand, use yellow squash in place of the zucchini. Let me know what variations you try!

If you love this chocolate zucchini bread…

Try my banana bread, pumpkin bread, or chocolate zucchini cake next!