Summer calls for all of the best zucchini recipes! Celebrate the abundance of summer harvest with this perfectly moist Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread.
This recipe uses loads of seasonal zucchini and the perfect blend of flavors to create a rich, moist, spiced loaf you’ll want to make again and again.
What is Zucchini?
This green summer squash is the same size and diameter as yellow squash but is usually straight. Zucchini may also be called courgette, baby marrow, or green squash. It is harvested before the seeds are ripe and while the flesh around the seeds is still soft and edible. When choosing a zucchini, look for one that is still firm on the outside, doesn't have mushy or slimy sections, and is free of major blemishes. If you are choosing squash from your garden produce, blemishes can be cut off with no ill effect, but a blemish (cut, scrape, etc) on grocery store produce that sits for days can invite spoilage.
Why You'll Love Our Easy Zucchini Bread Recipe
- This is a perfect recipe to use the abundance of zucchini during the summer. If you’re lucky enough to have a vegetable garden with squash, your kitchen is likely overflowing!
- This also means that zucchini is extra affordable in the grocery store and at farmer’s markets. Take advantage and make a loaf (or two or three! They freeze really well!) of our Zucchini Bread.
- The best part? This recipe is really, really easy to make. No mixer is required; just two bowls and a fork or whisk for mixing.
- Easy to make, easy to clean up, and before you know it you’re buttering a slice of delicious zucchini bread.
- So comforting!
Ingredients
Many zucchini bread recipes include nutmeg. We skipped the nutmeg since it isn’t our favorite, and used cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom, instead! You know how much we love a good spice blend. We couldn’t resist! Here’s what else you’ll need for this recipe…
- Neutral-tasting Oil. We like safflower, sunflower oil, or avocado oil. Vegetable oil will also work. If you prefer to use Olive oil for your baked goods, it will give this recipe a beautiful olive cake vibe.
- Eggs. If you are vegan, replace them with flax eggs.
- Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar. Not too much, this is not an overly sweet recipe
- Vanilla Extract
- Shredded Zucchini (four whole cups!) - we recommend shredding the zucchini instead of grating it, so it's drier, and there's no need to squeeze the excess water out. You do not need to peel the zucchini before shredding it.
- Whole Wheat Pastry Flour. Or use white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour - they all work in this recipe. Make your recipe gluten-free by using one of the new one-for-one GF flours.
- Spices: Ground cinnamon, Ginger, Cardamom - we used ginger and cardamom instead of the traditional nutmeg because we enjoy ginger and cardamom a lot more and it worked great in this zucchini bread recipe. If you enjoy nutmeg, add ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg into the mix.
- Baking soda and Baking Powder.
- Chopped Walnuts - these are optional but they add the best crunch!
- Chocolate Chips - we like 70% cocoa for a wonderful, rich flavor. But feel free to use your favorite chocolate chips.
- Sparkling Sugar. Or coarse sugar. This is optional, but highly recommended for a nice crunchy sugary top.
How to Make Zucchini Bread
Preheat your oven and prepare your pan first so that everything is ready to go as soon as you finish mixing. The joy of quick bread recipes is this - it's going to come together fast! Mix the wet ingredients first (oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla) in a large mixing bowl. Remove excess moisture from the zucchini and incorporate it as well.
- Step 1: Preheat your oven and prepare your pan first so that everything is ready to go as soon as you finish mixing. The joy of quick bread recipes is this - it's going to come together fast! Mix the wet ingredients first (oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla) in a large mixing bowl. Remove excess moisture from the zucchini and incorporate it as well.
- Step 3: Add chocolate chips and walnuts
- Step 5: Next, mix the dry ingredients in a separate medium mixing bowl. Pour the zucchini mixture over the flour mixture and stir to incorporate but do not over-mix. Fill your loaf pan with this gorgeous batter. Sprinkle with sparkling sugar and start baking!
- Step 1: It's gonna take about an hour, but the resulting bread with golden brown, caramelized on the outside and a gorgeous crumb on the inside will be everyone's favorite.
A Few Tips for the BEST Zucchini Bread Recipe
- Skip the grater! If you have a food processor with a shredding attachment, that’s the way to go. The zucchini will be drier this way, so you don’t have to squeeze as much moisture out. Give your food processor a quick rinse and you’re done shredding!
- If you must shred or grate the zucchini by hand make sure you squeeze excess water
- Use a lot of zucchini (4 cups) for a super moist bread
- If you like a crunchy topping, try sprinkling some coarse sparkling sugar or turbinado sugar on top of your loaf! This idea came from Smitten Kitchen.
- Wait until the zucchini bread is completely cool before slicing it. Be patient! It will be worth it!
- We highly recommend that you line your loaf pan with parchment paper. This way you can easily lift the zucchini bread out of the pan for easy slicing.
- Bake until it's done! depending on the amount of moisture in the zucchini, it may take longer to bake. Bake until a knife or toothpick comes out clean of batter, you will see melted chocolate chips, but that's OK.
- Remove the bread from the pan after a few minutes and cool it on a wire rack so that the bottom doesn't get soggy in the loaf pan.
- This recipe makes a large loaf, if you want to reduce the cooking time divide the batter into two smaller loaf pans.
- This is a loaf of very moist zucchini bread, store it in the fridge after 24 hours to prevent spoilage. Just warm it up in a toaster oven or a microwave.
- It freezes well, just make sure it is completely cool before freezing. Wrap in aluminum foil and place in a freezer bag.
How to Make Zucchini Muffins with This Recipe
- You could also use this recipe to make zucchini muffins! These are great for freezing since you can thaw one or two at a time. Use the same recipe, just divide the batter into muffin tins and bake until they’re golden brown on the top. Kids love muffins, too!
- This recipe makes 24 zucchini muffins. You can make only half the recipe and you will get 12 muffins. Reduce baking time to 25 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can homemade zucchini bread sit out?
The bread can sit out for a couple of days, depending on how hot your kitchen gets. It will eventually spoil if you don't refrigerate it or freeze it.
How do you store freshly baked zucchini bread?
Once the bread is completely cool, it can sit out on the counter for several hours. To prevent the loaf from drying out, wrap it loosely in plastic wrap. A container will cause the bread to become sticky.
Do you take out the seeds of the zucchini when making bread?
No. Unless you have a very large zucchini with well-developed seeds, there is no need. Even in that case, you can simply shred the seeds with the rest and it will work. This is the best use of an overgrown squash.
Why is my zucchini bread sticky?
This happens because the bread is very moist and as moisture moves from inside the bread to the outside of the bread and condenses it changes the crust of the bread. For best results, do not cover or wrap the bread before it is completely cool. Once is cool wrap the bread loosely in plastic wrap or parchment paper and do not store it in an airtight container.
More Zucchini Recipes
- Baked Feta & Cheddar Zucchini Frittata
- Turmeric Zucchini Cauliflower Soup
- Cheesy Pesto Zoodles (Zucchini Pasta)
- Green and Yellow Zucchini Noodles with basil and pine nuts
- Vegan Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Mushroom, Zucchini & Quinoa Breakfast Muffins
- Zucchini Boats
- Mediterranean Zucchini Fries
If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help us tremendously if you left us a star rating in the comments below or on the recipe card. Do you have any questions about the recipe? Do you need a swap for any of the ingredients? We are here to help, just leave us a question in the comments below.
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
- Total Time: 5 minute
- Yield: 1 large loaf - 12 slices 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The end of summer calls for all of the best zucchini recipes! One of the most classic things you can make is this Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread. This recipe uses loads of seasonal zucchini and the perfect blend of flavors to create a rich, moist, and spiced loaf that you’ll want to make again and again.
Ingredients
- ½ cup of neutral-tasting oil (such as avocado or sunflower)
- 2 large eggs ( try using flax eggs, if vegan)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar ( you can use ¼ less if you want it less sweet)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups of shredded zucchini ( See Note 2)
- 2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour, white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ginger
- ½ tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup chocolate chips we use 70% cocoa
- 3 tbsp sparkling sugar or coarse sugar (optional, but highly recommended, use regular sugar if sparkling sugar is not available)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 10 x 4 loaf pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper (See Notes 1 & 3 for other baking pan options)
- Squeeze the water out of the zucchini if it has any.
- Whisk the oil, egg, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the shredded zucchini
- In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, baking soda, baking powder, walnut and chocolate chips
- Pour the zucchini mixture over the flour mixture and stir until combined
- Bake for 60-70 minutes OR until a toothpick or sharp knife comes out clean from any batter (melted chocolate chips are OK). Make sure the zucchini bread is completely cool before you slice it (you may even want to wait until the next day)
Notes
- This recipe makes a large loaf. If you want to reduce the cooking time, divide the batter into two smaller loaf pans and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the loaf comes out clean of batter. You can also make zucchini muffins. The full recipe makes 24 muffins, you can cut the recipe in half for 12 muffins. Bake muffins for 25 minutes.
- Skip the box grater! If you have a food processor with a shredding attachment, that’s the way to go. The zucchini comes out a little drier this way, so you don’t have to squeeze as much of the moisture out. Give your food processor a quick rinse and you’re done shredding! If you must shred the zucchini by hand make sure you squeeze the excess water
- We highly recommend that you line your loaf pan with parchment paper. This way you can easily lift the zucchini bread out of the pan for easy slicing.
- Bake it until it's done! Depending on the amount of moisture in the zucchini, this zucchini bread may take longer to bake. Bake until a knife or toothpick comes out clean of batter, you will see melted chocolate chips, but that's OK.
This recipe was originally published on September 21, 2020
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 60-70
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 361 - 1 muffin 170 cal
- Sugar: 25.4
- Sodium: 25
- Fat: 19.3
- Saturated Fat: 4.9
- Unsaturated Fat: 13.2
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 43.3
- Fiber: 4.7
- Protein: 6.6
- Cholesterol: 0
Lee Cohen
Moist, moist, most absolutely yummy
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you!
Raquel
Best zucchini bread ever! Super moist, the perfect amount of sweetness and highly recommend sprinkling the coarse sugar on top (it adds the perfect crunch!)
Vicky & Ruth
We also love the crunchy sugar topping, we are so happy you enjoyed our zucchini bread recipe.
Saubia
can I use zucchini noodles for the zucchini bit?
Vicky and Ruth
You should be able to use zucchini noodles, they are thicker than shredded zucchini, but they should work.