Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread is the best quick bread recipe that makes a moist loaf that is not overly sweet and loaded flavor from fresh zucchini, chocolate chips and optional nuts.
A fresh homemade zucchini bread is the perfect healthy grab ‘n go breakfast or snack that the kids just love! Banana bread and Sweet potato bread are two more must-try quick bread recipes that are so easy, it’s a shame not to make two at once! Eat one, freeze the other (or even individual slices) and have something already prepared when needed!
Table of contents
A Simple Zucchini and Chocolate Chip Quick Bread
Quick breads are one of the easiest ways to make a homemade loaf of bread without the need for yeast! This easy recipe yields delicious bread with just the right amount of sweet and savory which means it’s perfect for breakfast or brunch, snack, and even delicious treat! There’s nothing like the aroma of freshly made bread in your kitchen, except maybe knowing you made it yourself.
This zucchini bread is soft and moist and loaded with crunchy walnuts and sweet chocolate chips. Zucchini adds a delicate flavor and is not overpowering at all. It adds texture more than anything and the flecks of green are beautiful. What a great way to sneak in some veggies into your kids’ lunch box. With an easy recipe like this one, it’s completely possible to customize the ingredients!
Ingredients/shopping list
- All-purpose flour – The foundation of this bread is a light flour that is sturdy enough to hold up to the moisture of the zucchini and the add-ins. All-purpose flour does the job!
- Salt – A staple ingredient in many baking recipes both sweet and savory. Brings out the flavor of the other ingredients and enhances the overall taste.
- Cinnamon & nutmeg – Warming spices that pair well with chocolate chips, walnuts, and zucchini! It’s by no means a spiced bread, but the subtle addition of both is amazing.
- Baking soda & baking powder – Used as leavening agents which is super important since this is a no yeast bread!
- Eggs – Needed for binding.
- Brown sugar & granulated sugar – Two kinds of sugar are used in this recipe. Both sweeten the bread, but the brown sugar will also add color, more moisture, and a deeper flavor. They work well together.
- Zucchini – Two medium zucchini grated. No need to squeeze out any excess water, we welcome it in this quick bread.
- Canola oil – A liquid component that also adds moisture and fat to everything resulting in the texture we need.
- Vanilla extract – Elevates the flavors of the other ingredients bringing everything to life just a little bit extra!
- Chocolate chips – I use semi-sweet more often than not, but you use whatever kind you like.
- Walnuts – Chopped and ready to be added for a nutty, crunchy addition.
How to Make this Recipe
The best quick bread is one that is moist, loaded with flavor and easy to make with as little steps as possible. You’re going to love this one!
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F, grease a 9×5 loaf pan and grate the zucchini using a food processor or handheld box grater / cheese grater.
Step 2: In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients except the sugars. Grab a separate medium bowl and add the wet ingredients and both sugars to it.
Step 3: Then, half at a time, add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Stir gently in between each portion. Now, stir everything to combine.
Step 4: Fold in the grated zucchini and make sure everything is mixed in well. Follow this with your favorite chocolate chips and nuts (save a few for sprinkling on top!).
Step 5: Pour batter into prepared loaf pan, sprinkle extra nuts and chocolate chips and bake for an hour, checking on it at the 45 minutes mark.
Insert a toothpick or butter knife into the center of the loaf to see if it’s clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it and moving it to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Variations/ Substitutions
- Make it a healthy quick bread by substituting the canola oil for an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce, non-fat sour cream, or Greek yogurt. You could also choose to swap the oil for avocado oil instead.
- To avoid refined sugars and use maple syrup or honey rather than granulated and brown sugar.
- Substitute the walnuts for chopped pecans or leave out the nuts altogether if you’d like.
- Use semi-sweet chocolate chips or swap out for milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or white chocolate chips.
- Make it vegan by substituting the 2 eggs for ½ cup of unsweetened applesauce and keep the oil. Use vegan dark chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate chips as well.
- Swap out ½ cup of the flour with ½ cup of dutch cocoa powder make it a chocolate zucchini bread..
Tips
- To make this a gluten-free quick bread, substitute Bob’s Red Mill One-to-One flour for the all-purpose if desired.
- Swap out ½ the all purpose flour for whole wheat flour.
- Check the bread at 45 minutes. If you find it’s getting too dark too quickly, cover it with aluminum foil and continue baking until done.
- Use all brown sugar if desired.
- Stick a toothpick into the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, your bread is baked and ready to come out!
- Turn them into zucchini muffins. Raise the oven temperature to 375 ° F and cook for approx. 25 minutes. Check for doneness starting at 20 minutes. If the edges are brown and they spring back when pushing down in the center, they are done.
FAQ’s
Keep any leftover bread stored in an airtight container to lock in moisture. If you can help it, avoid slicing the part you want to store. It’s not the end of the world if you have sliced it, but if not, you’ll tack on a couple of extra days to its freshness.
Absolutely! Quick bread freezes well which is why I recommend baking more than one and freezing the extra loaf without slicing it. That way you maintain the moisture just that much more. Once completely cooled, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container or freezer-friendly bag. Keep frozen for up to 2 months.
Not at all! Zucchini skin is delicate, thin, and completely edible. In fact, some people eat it raw. It won’t affect the texture of the bread and it only adds to the nutrition, the color, and the flavor.
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Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups grated zucchini 2 medium
- ¾ cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F and grease a 9×5 loaf pan.
- Grate zucchini using a food processor with the grate attachment or a hand held grater.
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder and nutmeg and blend together well.
- In a separate bowl, add eggs, both sugars, oil, and vanilla and mix thoroughly to combine well.
- Gradually add half of the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir gently.
- Then add the other half of the wet ingredients and stir to combine.
- Add the grated zucchini and mix in well.
- Add the chocolate chips and nuts, saving a few for the top if preferred.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, add additional chocolate chips and nuts to the top if preferred.
- Bake for 45 minutes the check to be sure the bread isn’t getting too dark on top. If it is then cover with aluminum foil and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes for a total of 60 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes then remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Mom
Delicious. Shared with a friend.