This extra-moist Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread is packed with shredded veggies, melty chocolate chips and plenty of cinnamon (the star ingredient that makes this whole loaf sing!). Plus, this recipe yields two delicious loaves, perfect for sharing or freezing for later.
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I am a big supporter of the culinary craze that is zucchini noodles. But there are times when summer’s most abundant bounty calls for something far more carbolicious. And cue the Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread!
Step away from the spiralizer while you imagine this: Freshly grated zucchini folded into a flavor-packed quickbread batter studded with chocolate chips.
The result is extra-moist zucchini bread perfect for slicing and serving for breakfast, dessert or any meal in between.
Best of all, this quick and easy recipe makes not one, but two super-moist loves of zucchini bread. So that means there’s one for you and one to give to the kind soul who baked them. What’s that? That person is also you? Oh. How convenient.
Before we dive into making this moist, flavor-packed zucchini bread studded with chocolate chips, let’s take a quick look at the ingredients you’ll need and why they matter. And don’t miss my note about the sugar!
- All-purpose flour: You’ll need 3 cups of flour to make two delicious loaves.
- Salt: Just a pinch brings out the sweetness and balances all the flavors.
- Baking powder & baking soda: You’ll need both leavening agents to make your loaf light and airy. Baking powder helps it rise, while baking soda ensures it doesn’t become dense.
- Cinnamon & ground nutmeg: While cinnamon is a staple in most zucchini bread recipes, I love adding ground nutmeg for its subtle, nutty spice.
- Eggs: They’re the binding agents that hold everything together, add richness and help the bread rise, giving it a tender crumb.
- Vegetable oil: Keeps the zucchini bread moist and soft without overpowering the flavor. You can also use a neutral-flavored olive oil or melted coconut oil.
- Sugar: When I first shared this recipe in 2015, it quickly became a favorite. Over the years, many folks have told me they’ve cut the sugar in half and still enjoyed delicious, sweet loaves. If you’re looking to cut back on sugar, you can definitely reduce it by up to half without sacrificing taste or texture.
- Vanilla extract: For flavor.
- Zucchini: You’ll need 2 cups of grated zucchini for this recipe, or about 2 medium-sized zucchini. No need to peel them—just give them a good wash and shred them with the skin on.
- Chocolate chips: Any kind of chocolate chips work, from semisweet to espresso!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
This quickbread recipe is especially popular at my house when I’m trying to pack as many veggies as possible into my four little ones’ diets. The zucchini goes totally undetected when served up in bread form.
- Grate the zucchini on the small hole of a box grater. Measure out two cups then squeeze out as much moisture as possible from the zucchini, either using your hands or by placing it in a tea towel and wringing out the liquid. Set aside.
- Sift together the dry ingredients. I like to do this in a large bowl so I have plenty of room. Set aside.
- Combine wet ingredients. In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. The batter will be very thick. Fold in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips.
🥜 Love nuts? Swap half the amount of semisweet chocolate chips for chopped pecans or walnuts!
- Divide the batter evenly between two 9×5-inch loaf pans lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated 350ºF oven for 45 to 50 minutes. Use the trusty ol’ toothpick test to ensure your quickbread is perfectly baked.
- Cool. Let the loaves cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Slice and enjoy!
I love to enjoy this chocolate chip zucchini bread warm with a thick slathering of peanut butter. Trust me, it’s so dang good!
- Don’t bother peeling the zucchini before shredding! The skin adds extra nutrients and blends seamlessly into the batter.
- You can use either the small or large holes on your box grater to shred the zucchini. If you’re aiming to sneak those veggies in without a trace, go for the small holes for finer, less noticeable shreds.
- When measuring grated zucchini, pack it lightly into the measuring cup and then squeeze out the moisture.
- To avoid a soggy loaf, squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the shredded zucchini before adding it to the batter.
How to Store & Freeze Zucchini Bread
Once cooled, wrap each loaf tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, transfer the wrapped bread to the refrigerator, where it can last up to a week.
This zucchini bread freezes beautifully! Wrap the cooled bread tightly in plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil (this helps prevent freezer burn). Freeze it for up to 3 months. Pro tip: Freeze individual slices! When you’re ready to enjoy a slice, simply thaw it at room temperature or warm it up in the oven. This way, you’ll have delicious, moist zucchini bread ready whenever the craving strikes!
Can I Make Muffins?
Absolutely! You can turn this recipe into mini zucchini muffins (my kids’ favorite treat to find in their lunch boxes!) or use two regular-sized 12-cup muffin tins for regular-sized muffins. Bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
This will yield about 18 to 24 muffins, depending on the size of your muffin tin.
Zucchini surplus? Look no further than these additional recipes starring summer’s standout veggie.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups grated zucchini (See Kelly's Note)
- 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two 9×5-inch loaf pans with parchment paper then grease the parchment paper with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined. (The batter will be very thick.) Fold in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the loaves from the oven and allow them to cool for 20 minutes in the pans then transfer them a cooling rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.
Kelly’s Notes
- Grate the zucchini on the small hole of a box grater. Measure out two cups then squeeze out as much moisture as possible from the zucchini, either using your hands or by placing it in a tea towel and wringing out the liquid.
- Don’t bother peeling the zucchini before shredding! The skin adds extra nutrients and blends seamlessly into the batter.
- Sugar: When I first shared this recipe in 2015, it quickly became a favorite. Over the years, many folks have told me they’ve cut the sugar in half and still enjoyed delicious, sweet loaves. If you’re looking to cut back on sugar, you can definitely reduce it by up to half without sacrificing taste or texture.
- Store: Once cooled, wrap each loaf tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, transfer the wrapped bread to the refrigerator, where it can last up to a week.
- Freeze: This zucchini bread freezes beautifully! Wrap the cooled bread tightly in plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil (this helps prevent freezer burn). Freeze it for up to 3 months. Pro tip: Freeze individual slices! When you’re ready to enjoy a slice, simply thaw it at room temperature or warm it up in the oven.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com.
Very moist and tasty bread. Made with the full 2 cups of sugar and didn’t think it was too much but may make again with one cup as suggested.
Thrilled you enjoyed it!
OMG…..I had lost the recipe I had for Chocolate Chip Zucchini bread that I’ve used in the past and I’m glad I did! This is by far way better!! I made this last night and it was so tasty and moist. I read the reviews about cutting back on the sugar but I usually will make a recipe as stated before I alter anything, turns out I only had 1 3/4ths cup of sugar so that’s what I used and it was fine, everything else was just as written . I’ve already put this into my “favorite recipes” book so I won’t lose this one! Thank you so much for sharing this. I did “drain” my zucchini by shredding (I wasn’t paying attention and ended up with 3 cups, but once I drained it and it was compacted it measured a bit over 2 , I used it all.) I then placed it in a mess strainer and pushing down on it to express the water, worked great. Definitely a keeper recipe. In fact, I’m going to make two more loaves to bring to a gathering I’m going to tomorrow.
So glad you enjoyed it!
My 2nd season making this bread! It’s easy to make and taste delicious! I have used green zucchini, but my husband prefers yellow zucchini.
So glad you are enjoying it, Missy!
Turns out perfect everytime!!
Love reading that, Carol!