Decadent vegan chocolate zucchini bread that comes together in one bowl! This eggless quick bread is packed with zucchini for the perfect level of moistness.

Chocolate zucchini bread with lots of chocolate chips on top and a rich fluffy texture. Bread has two slices cut off.

Why you’ll love this recipe

TASTE/TEXTURE: Soft, rich chocolate flavor and decadent. The extra zucchini makes this bread more moist than actual chocolate cake! Don’t worry, you cannot taste the zucchini at all.

DIFFICULTY: Easy to make using just a few common ingredients, just like my chocolate beetroot cake.

Simple ingredients you’ll need

Flat-lay of ingredients for chocolate zucchini bread.

The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Shredded zucchini. You don’t need to blot or squeeze the excess moisture from the zucchini for this recipe! There’s a smaller amount of dairy-free milk in the recipe so you don’t end up with overly moist bread. I used a food processor to shred my zucchini but a box grater will also work.

Brown sugar for moisture and depth of flavor. Alternatively, you can use coconut sugar or granulated sugar.

Dairy-free yogurt (optional) binds the ingredients and helps replace some of the functions of eggs. Shredded zucchini makes the bread a little crumbly but the yogurt binds everything together. We don’t notice the crumbliness in chocolate zucchini muffins because they’re smaller and don’t need to be sliced! Alternatively, you can use unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana, a flax egg or just omit it.

Cocoa powder. For a deeper chocolate flavor, I used dutch-process cocoa powder. Natural cocoa powder will work but your zucchini bread will have a milder chocolate flavor.

Dairy-free milk. I used soy milk but any variety, such as almond milk or oat milk will work. Cocoa powder is a very dry ingredient, so we need a little extra milk so the bread is moist.

Close up of one slice of zucchini chocolate bread showing fudgy and soft texture.

How to make chocolate zucchini bread

One of the best things about this dessert is that it comes together in one large bowl!

First, mix all the wet ingredients including the sugar. Stir in the cocoa powder, then the rest of the dry ingredients and finally the chocolate chips. We’re mixing the cocoa powder before the flour to make sure it’s thoroughly combined. Since cocoa powder doesn’t have gluten, you don’t have to worry about overmixing it!

Here are some top tips for the best zucchini bread:

  • Use a kitchen scale and grams to measure your ingredients. It’s difficult to accurately measure zucchini and flour by their volume and too much of either will give the bread a dense texture.
  • Try to avoid overmixing the batter. If you’re using chocolate chips, mix the batter until just before it’s combined then fold in the chocolate chips.
Four image collage showing how to prepare the batter for the zucchini bread in one large bowl.

Tips for baking the zucchini bread

This bread is straightforward to bake!

However, I understand that all kitchens and ovens are different so here are some tips:

  • Make sure you’re using a big enough loaf pan. My loaf pan was 3-inches (7cm) tall and the zucchini bread quickly grew taller than that. If you have a shorter loaf pan, I recommend using larger loaf pan (for example, a 9-inch loaf pan) or bake the excess batter in a muffin tin.
  • If your oven has a strong top heating element, the top of your loaf may burn. Keep an eye on the loaf and, if needed, tent the loaf with aluminum foil during baking.
Two image collage of zucchini bread in loaf pan, before and after it has been baked.

Customizing this recipe

Can I make this zucchini bread as muffins? Or without the chocolate?

I recommend checking out my recipes for vegan chocolate zucchini muffins or regular zucchini muffins which are designed for muffin pans. They have a smaller ratio of sugar which allows muffins to grow tall domes rather than spread.

I also have a non-chocolate vegan zucchini bread recipe.

Can I add other ingredients to this chocolate zucchini bread?

Yes! Some possible add-ins include:
– white vegan chocolate chips
– chopped walnuts or pecans
– 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg for depth of flavor

Or, you may like my vegan chocolate banana bread!

Can I make this recipe gluten-free?

I haven’t tested it however, a combination of almond flour and gluten-free all-purpose flour has worked in my other similar recipes, such as my vegan apple bread. Alternatively, if you’ve successfully used a brand of 1:1 gluten-free flour for another similar vegan recipe, it should work for this.

Chocolate zucchini bread on chopping board with one slice of the bread sliced off so you can see the rich and fluffy texture of the bread.

More vegan zucchini or chocolate recipes

Zucchini bread on serving plate, with one slice cut off showing the golden and fluffy texture of the bread.

Vegan Zucchini Bread
Close up of vegan chocolate zucchini muffin with a tall bakery-style top studded with mini chocolate chips.

Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Vegan Zucchini Muffins

Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread

Follow Rainbow Nourishments on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Pinterest, and subscribe via email to receive all of our latest recipes!

Chocolate zucchini bread with lots of chocolate chips on top and a rich fluffy texture. Bread has two slices cut off.
4.89 from 17 reviews

Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Yield: 8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Author: Anthea
Decadent vegan chocolate zucchini bread that comes together in one bowl! This quick bread is decadent and packed with zucchini for the perfect level of moisture.
Print Leave a Review Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Wet ingredients

  • 2 cups (250g) coarsely shredded zucchini, (around 1 medium large zucchini)
  • 1 cup (190g) packed brown sugar, granulated sugar or coconut sugar
  • ½ cup (125g) dairy-free milk
  • ½ cup (125g) neutral flavored oil
  • ⅓ cup (75g) dairy-free yogurt, (optional, note 1 for alternatives)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Dry ingredients

Instructions 

Make the vegan chocolate zucchini bread:

  • Add the zucchini and all the wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk until combined and there are no strands of zucchini sticking together. Add the cocoa powder and mix until combined.
  • Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix until just before it's combined. Add the chocolate chips and fold through the batter until just combined.
  • Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Smooth the top of the batter with a spoon. If desired, sprinkle more chocolate chips on top.

Baking and storing the bread:

  • Bake the bread for 63 to 68 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean. This is a moist bread so a few crumbs on your toothpick are fine.
  • Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 20 minutes then place it on a wire rack.
  • Enjoy the bread warm or at room temperature.
  • Store any leftover bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or store individual slices in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Notes

  1. This recipe will still work without yogurt, but your bread will be more crumbly. Instead of yogurt, you can use the same amount of applesauce, mashed banana or two tablespoons of ground flax seeds mixed with six tablespoons of water.
  2. Dutch-process cocoa powder results in a richer chocolate flavor. Natural cocoa powder will work but the chocolate flavor will be milder.
  3. Measure your flour accurately: For the best results, use the spoon and level method where you fluff up the flour in the container, use a spoon to add flour to a measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. I don’t recommend using the measuring cup to scoop flour out of your container as too much flour will result in dry and dense bread. Alternatively, use the grams measurements.
    Other flours: If you’d like to use whole wheat flour or spelt flour, I suggest adding an extra dash of milk as those flours are more absorbent.
 
Did you Make this Recipe?Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @rainbownourishments on Instagram and hashtag #rainbownourishments!

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.