Love healthy zucchini recipes? Try my zucchini cookies, healthy zucchini bread, and healthy zucchini muffins. One of the best sneaky dessert pairings with zucchini is chocolate. Add some shredded zucchini to any chocolate-based dessert, and no one will know (hello, zucchini brownies and zucchini chocolate cake). My healthy chocolate zucchini bread recipe is a weekly staple for my family, and one that you can feel good about enjoying all the time!
Why I love this recipe
Clean ingredients. No flour, no butter, and no oil are needed, but you’d never tell. Perfect texture and flavor. The bread is super moist and fluffy, with a gorgeous tender crumb. It’s pleasantly sweet with a lovely chocolate flavor, you won’t even tell there is any zucchini in it. One bowl. Or blender. This makes cleanup a breeze.
Ingredients needed
Oats. Quick cooking oats that will be broken down to a powder-like consistency. You can use rolled oats, but you will need to blend them very well to ensure none of them remain whole. Cocoa powder. Unsweetened cocoa powder. Use dark cocoa powder if you’d like a richer chocolate flavor. Baking soda. Gives the bread some rise and fluffiness. Bananas. Mashed and overripe bananas. The riper the bananas, the sweeter the bread will be. Maple syrup. Gives sweetness to the bread. You can also use honey or agave nectar. Eggs. Room temperature eggs. Vanilla extract. Gives a subtle vanilla flavor. Zucchini. Finely shredded zucchini with the moisture squeezed out. I like to use a box grater or a cheese grater. If your zucchini are super watery, squeeze out the excess moisture. Milk. I used unsweetened almond milk, but any milk of choice can be used. Chocolate chips. Optional, but gives delicious pools of chocolate throughout.
How to make healthy chocolate zucchini bread
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post. “Absolutely fantastic, best ever! Applesauce works well instead of bananas, and rolled oats are fine, giving it a nice texture. Agave works well, also.” – Linda Step 1- Blend. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor and blend until very smooth. Fold through the chocolate chips. Step 2- Pour the batter into a greased and lined loaf pan. Step 3—Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out mostly clean. Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool completely before removing it from the pan and slicing it.
Arman’s recipe tips
Do not overbake the bread as it continues to cook as it is cooling down. Once a toothpick comes out mostly clean (a few crumbs are fine), the bread is ready. Not a fan of banana? Swap it out for equal parts unsweetened applesauce or pumpkin puree. Make chocolate zucchini muffins by baking them in a muffin tin If you’d like this bread to be gluten-free, use certified gluten-free quick-cooking oats. Add mix-ins like fresh or frozen berries, chopped nuts (walnuts are great!), or milk/white chocolate.
Storage instructions
To store: If you intend to enjoy the zucchini bread within 3 days, it can be stored at room temperature, covered. To keep it longer, store it in the refrigerator, covered. It will keep well for at least 1 week. To freeze: Place slices of the zucchini bread in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
More healthy chocolate recipes to try
Healthy cupcakes Healthy chocolate muffins Healthy chocolate chip cookies Healthy brownies Healthy chocolate cake
