This easy chocolate zucchini bread is amazingly simple to make and uses several healthy substitutions. Plus it’s so incredibly delicious and a great way to satisfy your chocolate cravings and still live a clean eating lifestyle.
I forget how ridiculously easy this zucchini bread is to make.
Like SO easy.
Usually, when I think about making bread, I first think of the calories.
Then, I think about the mess it will make on the counter.
Then, I think about the kneading and the waiting to rise.
At that point, I move on to making something easier.
Like buying donuts. Lol – I kid.
BUT. Once I finally get it through my thick [read: lazy] skull, I remember how amazingly simple this healthy zucchini bread is to make. And, it’s not even messy, either. I mean – you just need one mixing bowl and a grater to prepare it.
Within about an hour, you have this GORGEOUS chocolate zucchini bread that is not only absolutely delicious but also healthy. Score!
Does life get better than this?
Nope. No, sir. Nuh uh.
To make this zucchini bread recipe healthier, other than the obvious zucchini addition, I significantly reduce the need for oil by using applesauce. The texture and flavor of the chocolate zucchini bread are hardly affected by this change and you remove all sorts of unnecessary fat. I also use coconut oil instead of your typical vegetable oil and butter. Oh, this chocolate zucchini bread is a lower sugar zucchini bread because I replace sugar with coconut sugar.
Told you life does not get better than this.
This zucchini bread with chocolate chips (yes, chocolate chips are involved! Can I get a hooray?) is so tasty and offers a great way to get your chocolate fix and not hate yourself for it.
Bonus – the kids love it, too. My kids even loved it once I told them it had zucchini in it!
HOW TO MAKE ZUCCHINI BREAD
You know I’m a fan of simple recipes with delicious results. And this easy chocolate zucchini bread is no exception. Trust me, it’s super easy to learn how to make zucchini bread.
Here are the steps for how to make zucchini bread:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a loaf pan with coconut oil.
- Mix the ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
- Transfer the mixture to the loaf pan.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes.
- Remove from the oven.
- Let the healthy chocolate zucchini bread cool for 10 minutes.
So easy and simple.
HOW TO SHRED ZUCCHINI FOR ZUCCHINI BREAD
How to grate zucchini for bread - this is a common question I get so here’s my answer: You basically have 2 options: You can shred zucchini for bread with (1) a food processor or (2) a kitchen grater.
How to shred zucchini for bread with a food processor:
- Wash zucchini
- Trim the ends of the zucchini
- Chop the zucchini into small squares
- Place the shredding disk on the food processor. You can use the regular blade if you don’t have a shredding blade
- Toss the zucchini in the food processor or insert the zucchini through the shredding attachment
- Pulse for approximately 30 seconds or until the zucchini shreds are small enough
How to grate zucchini for bread with a kitchen grater:
- Wash zucchini.
- Trim the ends of the zucchini.
- Grate the zucchini on the kitchen grater horizontally to get small zucchini shreds.
Personally, I just use my kitchen grater since it's easier and pretty quick, but the choice is yours.
SUBSTITUTE FOR OIL
What can I substitute for vegetable oil? This is another question I receive frequently so I bet you might be thinking the same thing!
For this healthy zucchini bread, I replace vegetable oil with much less coconut oil and unsweetened applesauce.
Coconut oil is generally better, nutritionally-speaking, than most other oils — especially butter — and it has a rich, sweet flavor that perfectly complements this yummy chocolate zucchini bread. Plus, it works great for greasing the pan and holds up well in the oven.
Applesauce is a great substitute for oil (and even eggs) in baked goods. It’s a great trick to make zucchini bread healthier, but it works for other baked goods such as muffins, cake, and brownies. Make sure your applesauce is unsweetened so you don't add any unnecessary sugars.
BAKING TIPS
To check if the chocolate zucchini bread is ready, insert a toothpick or knife in the center of the loaf.
- If the toothpick comes out clean, the zucchini bread is ready.
- If not, bake for a few more minutes, and then check again.
HOW TO STORE
If you don’t plan to eat this healthy chocolate zucchini bread immediately after you removed it from the oven, you can store it in 3 different ways.
You’ll need a lot of self-control to not eat it immediately though. You have been warned, ok? Ok. Now, if you insist, let me tell you how to store zucchini bread.
You can store the chocolate zucchini bread:
- At room temperature, wrapped in foil or plastic wrap for 1 or 2 days. The wrapping will prevent the zucchini bread from drying out.
- In the fridge. Freshly baked chocolate zucchini bread will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week. Wrap the bread in foil or place it in an airtight container to prevent it from drying out.
- In the freezer. Wrap the chocolate zucchini bread in foil or plastic wrap or place it in a Ziploc bag and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
3 MORE HEALTHY ZUCCHINI RECIPES
This healthy zucchini chocolate bread is a sweet and delicious way to enjoy zucchinis. But savory zucchini dishes are just as amazing. And I have 3 healthy zucchini recipes for you. I’m sure you’ll like these just as much as you like the zucchini bread.
TURKEY AND QUINOA STUFFED ZUCCHINI BOATS
These Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini Boats are healthy, super easy to make, and extra tasty.
The Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini Boats make a healthy weeknight dinner. Plus they reheat well so they are also the perfect make-ahead dinner during busy weeks. Get the recipe.
PARMESAN BAKED SQUASH AND ZUCCHINI SPEARS
If you’re looking for a simple and delicious snack option or a healthy dinner side, try these Parmesan Baked Squash And Zucchini Spears.
Zucchini snacks are kinda my thing. I love them because they are easy to make and they are healthy. But, if you don’t want to stuff your face with them, you can always pair them with a simple meat and serve them for dinner. Get the recipe.
HOW TO MAKE ZUCCHINI NOODLES
Learning How to Make Zucchini Noodles will allow you to enjoy all your favorite pasta dishes guilt-free.
Zucchini noodles or zoodles replace traditional pasta pretty well, they are easy to make, and ready in less than 10 minutes. Get the recipe.
Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Equipment
- mixing bowl
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoon melted and cooled coconut oil, plus more for greasing loaf pan
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ½ cups shredded zucchini (about 2 medium zucchinis)
- ½ cup dark chocolate morsels
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a 9x5 loaf pan with coconut oil and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the coconut sugar, 2 tbsp. coconut oil, eggs, applesauce and vanilla extract. Whisk together until well-blended.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and stir to combine, taking care not to over-stir.
- Add the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips and fold into the mixture until well-blended.
- Pour the mixture into the greased loaf pan and spread evenly.
- Place in the oven and bake for 50-65 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick comes out clean from the center of the loaf.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let rest in for 10 minutes. If desired, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Nutrition
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links for the kitchen item(s) I use 🙂
Wendy Jo McCroskey
OOPS - I also varied each batch by using deifferent flavored extracts: coconut and orange.
Lacey Baier
Oh, very cool! Which was your favorite?
Wendy Jo McCroskey
This is the best and healthiest zucchini bread recipe I've found. I doubled this with no problems and then went on to make 3 more double batches. I used small loaf pans and large muffins and these freeze wonderfully. Thanks for creating a delicious treat, snack and breakfast?
Lacey Baier
AWESOME! That's great to know about doubling the recipe, Wendy - thank you! And freezing. And muffins 🙂
Sarah
Good recipe, although next time I will not add cinnamon. It overpowered chocolate. So many muffin recipes call for cinnamon that they all taste the same after a while. Want to see what this tastes like without it.
Lacey Baier
haha - I'm kind of a cinnamon freak so I always add it. I'd love to know what you think without it if/when you try it 🙂
BMAC
I tried this recipe and think it is actually enough for two loaf pans. I ended up with one gigantic loaf. Next time, I would divide it and bake for a shorter time. I made it with fresh apples that I had just pureed with a vitamix, so it was a little undersweet (cooked applesauce is much sweeter) but still fantastic. It is incredibly moist and delicious. It would be easy to make this vegan by blending flaxseed and water to replace the eggs.
Lacey Baier
Thanks for the feedback - I'm surprised it made so much for you, though. Thanks for sharing how to make it vegan, too!
Karin B
My granny has an awesome zucchini bread recipe but not once have I ever considered making it chocolate. Genius! Love the addition of the coconut oil too. Did you melt it or use it as is?
Lacey Baier
I melted it to make it mix a little easier 🙂 Always gotta have chocolate 😉
Valeria
What could be used instead of sugar? Thats the only thing that struck as particularly UN-healthy.
Could coconut sugar be user instead?
Lacey Baier
Yes, you can sub coconut sugar, though I have not tried it with this bread. Here is a page with a lot of useful help on how to sub coconut sugar for white sugar http://burntapple.com/2013/02/26/how-to-bake-with-coconut-sugar/ 🙂
Sarah
Made this recipe today and it was de-licious!! My kids were huddling around the table like volchures; they couldn't get enough! I did make a mistake and used only 1 tbsp of coconut oil but it still came out amazing. Thanks for the great recipe :).
Lacey Baier
Yay! So glad you all enjoyed it 🙂 It's a big kid fave in our house, too 🙂
Carol Heard
I'm diabetic are theses recipes low in carbs?
Lacey Baier
Hi Carol, well it;s still bread which has carbs, but I substitute a lot of the flour with zucchini.
Susan
This is amazing! Any idea of the nutritional information breakdown?
Lacey Baier
Thanks, Susan. Sorry, I haven't yet calculated that.
lisa
I would like to make this but need the nutritional ( caloric) information
Please publish
Thank you
Peta
This looks great! Do you think this freezes well? Would be great to have this on hand for the next days lunch/snack!
Lacey Baier
That's a great question. Unfortunately, I've never tried freezing it. But, most quick breads (like this one) do freeze well. Please let us know if you try!
Nikki @ The Road to Less Cake
This looks divine. Anything that has chocolate and healthy in the same sentence is a winner for me!
Lacey Baier
lol, I totally agree, Nikki! Thanks for the comment 🙂
diane
Thanks for the great recipe!
Lacey Baier
You're very welcome, Diane! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Pam
Another fab recipe Lacey! I love your blog so much and your writing style. I visit all the time..you're my comfort blog!!! Thanks for all the great tips and video's.
Nothing better than having my tea , listening to my jazz and reading all your posts.
Thanks!
Pam 🙂
Lacey Baier
This comment makes me so very, very happy, Pam 🙂 I appreciate your feedback and love that this is your comfort blog. <3
Joy
This looks like a good use for the rest of the zucchini from my son's garden. Always looking for ways to incorporate coconut oil in our diet!
Lacey Baier
Awesome -- this is the PERFECT use for those zucchinis 🙂
Katherine
can't wait to try this... love that you use coconut oil. thanks for the recipe!
Lacey Baier
Yay for coconut oil! ;). I hope you enjoy the bread!