Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread Recipe (2024)

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by Haley//September 6, 2015 (updated April 16, 2021)

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Chocolate zucchini banana bread is dense and moist. Filled with chocolate chips, it’s the perfect bread to eat any time of day!

Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread Recipe (1)

Could’ve had a V8! Not so fast, try this chocolate zucchini banana bread instead. Yep, that’s right. This bread delivers a serving of fruit and vegetables, not to mention a way to satisfy your sweet tooth.

My sister shared this recipe with me and I am glad she did. This bread is so good. It’s basically like having dessert for breakfast. Between the banana flavor and the chocolate chips, your sweet tooth will be satisfied.

Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread Recipe (2)

Why this recipe works: The zucchini’s high water content combined with the softness of the banana makes incredibly moist and dense texture. Even with those ingredients, there is still a tender crumb with each slice. Each bite has a morsel of melted chocolate. I chose to sprinkle the top of the load with extra chocolate chips to add a pretty finish.

Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread Recipe (3)
Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread Recipe (4)

Table of Contents

How to make chocolate zucchini banana bread

The recipe is a quick bread recipe, which means is quick and easy to make! Use two bowls when making this chocolate zucchini banana bread. One bowl is for the dry ingredients and the other bowl is for the wet ingredients.

I prefer using a hand mixer or stand mixer to combine the wet and dry ingredients, but they can also be stirred together by hand. The latter method just requires a little more elbow grease! Transfer the batter to a prepared 9×5 loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with little to no crumbs.

Helpful tips

Whenever baking with ripe bananas be sure they have a brown banana peel. The bananas are riper, softer and sweeter at this stage. This provides natural sugars to the chocolate banana zucchini bread. To make sure the bread is soft, pat the zucchini dry. If there is too much moisture in the bread then it will turn out mushy and dense.

As far as the chocolate goes, use whatever chocolate chips you have on hand (I prefer Ghirardelli) and the cocoa powder must be unsweetened. When stirring the dry and wet ingredients together, avoid over mixing as that will result in a dense loaf too.

Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread Recipe (5)

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make chocolate zucchini banana bread into muffins?

Yes. Fill each muffin cup about three-quarters full. Bake at 400 F 18 to 20 minutes.

Can i freeze chocolate zucchini banana bread?

Yes. Let the loaf cool completely, then wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before bringing to room temperature.

Why is my bread dense and gummy?

There was probably too much banana added or the zucchini wasn’t patted dry. When in doubt, weigh your ingredients for accurate measuring.

Do you peel zucchini before shredding?

No. Just rinse and dry the zucchini and shred it. Discard the ends.

In my opinion, the best way to get my serving of fruits and vegetables is masked in chocolate. If you agree, then try my chocolate zucchini cake with chocolate buttercream frosting or double chocolate zucchini muffins.

If you want to try zucchini recipes without chocolate, try my zucchini banana bread or zucchini bread muffins! They’re also the perfect recipes for extra zucchini you may have in the kitchen this summer!

Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread Recipe (6)

This bread is good for dessert, mid-afternoon snack or even breakfast. If you’re on the go in the morning, grab a slice. Need a chocolate fix before bed? Cut yourself a piece and serve it with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Who said your fruits and veggies couldn’t be served with a healthy dose of chocolate?

Did you love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below and if you REALLY loved it, consider leaving a comment further down the page.

Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread Recipe (7)

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread

Yield: 10 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

Total Time: 55 minutes mins

Chocolate zucchini banana bread is dense and moist. Filled with chocolate chips, it’s the perfect bread to eat any time of day!

4.98 (46 ratings)

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Ingredients

  • ½ cup (40 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 ½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
  • ½ cup (100 g) granulated white sugar
  • ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups shredded zucchini, (approximately 300 g or two medium zucchinis, patted dry)
  • ¾ cup mashed ripe bananas, (approximately 175 g or two medium bananas)
  • 1 cup (175 g) chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 5×9 loaf pan with non-stick spray, set aside.

  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together cocoa, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

  • In a large mixing bowl, mix together oil, vanilla and both sugars. Stir in eggs, bananas and shredded zucchini. Stir until well combined.

  • Fold in dry ingredients just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake in preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean with a few moist crumbs sticking to the toothpick.

  • Remove from oven and let cool completely. Slice and serve.

Notes

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 250kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 191mg, Potassium: 259mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 30g, Vitamin A: 108IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 37mg, Iron: 2mg

Author: Haley D Williams

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Recipe adapted from Fork vs. Spoon

This recipe also works in mini loaf tins! Split the batter between two small loaf pans and cut the baking time down to 40 to 50 minutes.

Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread Recipe (8)

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Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do you squeeze out the liquid from zucchini for bread? ›

But unless your zucchini is excessively juicy, squeezing the squash could be removing some of the moisture you really do want in the bread. It's up to you, though. Squeeze for lighter, drier bread. Leave it as is for denser, moister bread.

Why did my banana bread come out rubbery? ›

You Over-Mix the Batter

For soft and tender banana bread, gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry — don't overmix! The more you stir, the more gluten will develop. The result will be a tough, rubbery banana bread. Simply stir until moist, and then do no more.

What if I forgot the baking soda in my zucchini bread recipe? ›

If you don't have baking soda, you can use baking powder, at three times what the recipe calls for. So if a recipe calls for one teaspoon of baking soda, you can use three teaspoons of baking powder.

Why did my zucchini bread not rise in the middle? ›

The most common reason for zucchini breadand other quick breads (and cakes) to collapse as they cool is the ingredients are too vigorously or quickly mixed, which incorporates lots of less stable air bubbles into the batter.

Do you peel zucchini before grating it for zucchini bread? ›

Do you peel a zucchini before grating? Zucchini skin is thin and edible, so there's no need to peel it before grating. That said, the peels will retain their green color, even after they're cooked.

Why does my zucchini bread always sink in the middle? ›

Check your leavening agent

What is this? Expired leaveners: Always check the freshness of your leaveners. Expired or ineffective baking powder and baking soda will not leaven your quick bread. Adding too much or insufficient leavening agents: Adding too much leaveners will cause your quick bread to sink in the middle.

Can you put too much banana in banana bread? ›

What to do if you've used too many bananas. If you must add an extra banana into your batter, there are ways to prevent the bread from turning mushy. Using a lot of bananas adds excess moisture, and there are two ways to get rid of it. You could either add more flour or increase the baking time.

What happens if you add too much flour to banana bread? ›

Using too much flour makes for an extra crumbly bread.

If you're tapping your measuring cup to level out flour as you measure, or you're pushing down the piled-up powder, you'll end up using too much of it. I packed my flour for this loaf, and what I got was a crumbly cake with a dry crust all around.

What happens if you put too much baking soda in banana bread? ›

Using too much baking soda or baking powder can really mess up a recipe, causing it to rise uncontrollably and taste terrible.

Can you put undercooked zucchini bread back in the oven? ›

Fixing Undercooked Bread

It is pretty simple to salvage an undercooked bread and create a decent loaf. Heat the oven to 350 F, return the bread to the oven, and bake for another 10 to 20 minutes. This will work even if the loaf has cooled, which is similar to par-baking bread.

Should zucchini bread be cool before removing from pan? ›

Don't leave the loaf in the pan too long – Once you remove the bread from the oven, let it sit for 10 to15 minutes. But after that, it should be turned out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling. Otherwise, the edges can get a little too done in the still-hot pan.

What happens if I use baking powder instead of baking soda in banana bread? ›

As a general rule, you can use either baking soda OR baking powder in banana bread – both ingredients will make your banana bread rise. While baking soda will react with acidic ingredients in the batter to raise your bread, baking powder can leaven banana bread without the addition of acidic ingredients.

Why does my zucchini bread stick to the bottom of the pan? ›

It is important to thoroughly coat the sides and bottoms of the pan with solid shortening or non-stick cooking spray, particularly in the corners. A missed spot will result in sticking. Use a nonstick baking pan.

Why does my Amish Friendship bread sink in the middle? ›

Keep the oven door closed while your Amish Friendship Bread is baking. You may be tempted to peek, but sudden temperature drops can result in the bread collapsing in the middle.

What if zucchini bread batter is too thick? ›

If it is too thick, add another egg. Add nuts, if desired. Lightly grease and flour your bread pans, or spray them with nonstick cooking spray. Carefully spoon the mixture into bread pans, stopping when the mixture is about 3/4 of the way to the top.

Do you have to squeeze water out of zucchini? ›

When cooking with grated zucchini, it's important to squeeze out the moisture to stop your dish from going soggy.

Do you squeeze the water out of shredded zucchini before freezing it? ›

Squeeze excess moisture out of the shredded zucchini using a cheesecloth. Store the shredded zucchini in an airtight container. We suggest a freezer bag, which can be placed flat in the freezer and labeled with the date of freezing.

What is the liquid coming out of my zucchini? ›

"Have you ever cut the end of a zucchini and noticed beads of clear liquid building up on the cut end?" the blogger asks. "That's the sap trying to dry out and protect the cut end. It has the same drying and sealing effect on your skin."

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