This vegan chocolate zucchini bread is moist, fudgy, chocolatey, (basically all around perfect) and just happens to be made with no eggs or dairy! Grated zucchini snuck into a dense, chocolatey bread not only adds essential moisture and texture, but also counts as your vegetable serving for the day, right?! I think I speak for all bakers with insatiable sweet-tooths like me when I say that this is one of the best ways to eat vegetables. It's also a one-bowl wonder recipe, so it's just as easy as it is delicious. Made with just 10 ingredients, this bread bakes up with a brownie-like texture that would be a dream paired with vanilla ice cream!
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Ingredients
- Neutral Oil: You can use any neutral oil, like vegetable, canola, or even coconut oil. My favorite is light tasting extra virgin olive oil!
- Sugar: For the perfect balance of sweetness and moisture, this recipe requires both granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- All-Purpose Flour: Please weigh your flour with a scale! No one wants dry chocolate zucchini bread. Also, I have a good feeling this recipe would be amazing with the partial substitution of an alternative flour, like rye or buckwheat, for some extra depth of flavor.
- Cocoa Powder: Always always always use dutch process cocoa powder in baking recipes. It gives baked goods a richer, fudgier quality that is unmatched compared to plain old unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Leaveners: For maximize rise, you'll need both baking soda and baking powder.
- Zucchini: You'll need about 2 medium zucchinis, grated but not squeezed! The moisture from the zucchini is crucial achieving the right dry to wet ingredient balance.
- Chocolate: All the best bread/muffin/brownie recipes add chocolate both in the batter and on top - so that's exactly what I did. I used bittersweet chocolate wafers, but you can use any type of chocolate you'd like!
FAQ
Dutch process cocoa powder is THE best cocoa powder for baking. Because it's neutralized with an alkalizing agent, it has a smoother flavor and creates the most fudgy and chocolatey baked goods!
Similar to my double chocolate tahini muffins, this bread is baked at a very high temperature for the first few minutes to encourage it to rise very high. Then the temperature is turned down to 350 degrees F for the remaining bake time for it to bake all the way through without drying out. This method is used for a lot of muffin recipes to create a high domed top!
Store this bread in an air-tight container for up to three days or in the freezer for up to three months. Leftover baked goods can always be revived by warming them up in the microwave!
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A few extra baking tips
- Before adding the zucchini to the batter, it will be very dry and crumbly. This is normal! The zucchini will add the perfect amount of moisture so this bread will bake up moist and fudgy!
- Be sure to note that this bread should be baked at 400 degrees F for the first 10 minutes, then at 350 degrees F for the remaining time. No need to open the oven door, just lower the temperature!
- In simple recipes like this one, high-quality ingredients can make or break the recipe. For the best overall outcome, from texture to taste, use high-quality sugars, cocoa powder, and chocolate.
Happy baking! x
Print📖 Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: bread, chocolate
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This vegan chocolate zucchini bread is moist, fudgy, chocolatey, (basically all around perfect) and just happens to be made with no eggs or dairy! It's a one-bowl wonder recipe, so it's just as easy as it is delicious.
Ingredients
- 100g neutral oil
- 200g granulated sugar
- 100g brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 240g all-purpose flour
- 42g dutch process cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 300g grated zucchini (about 2 medium zucchinis)
- 115g bittersweet chocolate (roughly chopped) + more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugars, and vanilla until fully combined.
- Next, fold in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Batter will be very dry and crumbly.
- Lastly, fold in the grated zucchini and chopped chocolate until fully combined. Be sure to break up all clumps of dry ingredients and mix until the batter is evenly wet.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan, then top with more chopped chocolate.
- Bake the bread for 10 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
Notes
- Before adding the zucchini to the batter, it will be very dry and crumbly. This is normal! The zucchini will add the perfect amount of moisture so this bread will bake up moist and fudgy!
- Be sure to note that this bread should be baked at 400 degrees F for the first 10 minutes, then at 350 degrees F for the remaining time. No need to open the oven door, just lower the temperature!
- In simple recipes like this one, high-quality ingredients can make or break the recipe. For the best overall outcome, from texture to taste, use high-quality sugars, cocoa powder, and chocolate.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 449
- Sugar: 45.5 g
- Sodium: 311.4 mg
- Fat: 16.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 74.9 g
- Protein: 6.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: vegan chocolate zucchini bread
Dani says
This is amazing! So easy and delicious. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
★★★★★