Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

This healthier Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread is lightened up, whole wheat and studded with chocolate chips for a delicious anytime snack!

 

Today I am happy to be sharing my favorite healthy chocolate chip zucchini bread.

I started making this years and years ago, back when I grew zucchini in my garden. 

It took me a couple of years to catch on to the fact that those suckers can disguise themselves extremely well.

I’d check my garden regularly and still somehow end up missing multiple zucchini under their big leaves and suddenly have a huge haul. Or a baseball bat sized zucchini.

Whoops.

But that just meant lots of extra zucchini on hand to enjoy and play with in the kitchen, especially for baking.

And this chocolate chip zucchini bread is one of my favorite ways to use up some extra zucchini! (Even if I just buy it at the store these days…)

We’ve got a delicious homemade bread that’s whole wheat, uses just a tiny bit of butter and has a big serving of vegetables. That’s totally my style.

It’s sweet, it’s moist, it’s all together delectable. And it’s loaded with goodness!

I eat this chocolate chip zucchini bread for snack and dessert and sometimes sneak a slice for breakfast.

I’m daring like that.

I do the same thing with my favorite healthy banana bread, chocolate chip muffins and banana oat cookies. All can be enjoyed any time of day in my opinion.

This healthy zucchini bread also makes a great snack or school lunch treat for the kiddos.

Plus, it freezes really well, so you can always double the recipe and store one loaf in the freezer.

It’ll make you oh so happy to pull this out in the middle of a busy week and have your family cheer and applaud!

OK, let’s get baking.

Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make chocolate chip zucchini bread. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Recipe Notes:

• Flour: You can use white whole wheat flour, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour or a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flours. Whatever you have!
• Zucchini: I measure the 1 ½ cups of grated zucchini before I squeeze out the extra liquid. I use one large or 1 ½ medium zucchinis for this recipe. After squeezing, the zucchini looks like a tight ball that’s about 1 cup.
• Grating: Also, be sure to use the small size of your grater so you don’t have big shreds of zucchini but tiny ones that’ll melt into the batter.
• Butter: The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of butter. It adds just a little bit of richness, but you can use canola oil in its place. Or you could substitute more applesauce if you want to leave it out.
• Pan: The recipe calls for a 9x5 bread pan. If all you have is an 8x4, you can use that, but the baking time will be slightly longer, so keep an eye on it.

Also, I should note that the batter seems rather thick. That’s totally fine. The bread does not come out dense or dry.

OK, let’s get to eating.

This zucchini bread is absolutely delicious all on its own. Doesn’t need a thing. It’s moist and chocolatey and so tasty.

However, you can absolutely add a little spread. Can’t hurt, right?

Topping Ideas:

• Butter
• Peanut butter
• Nutella

Butter is my go-to. Peanut butter is my daughter’s. Though probably Nutella would be her pick if I offered it.

Oh and real quick, for my vegan friends, here’s a few swaps.

How to make vegan zucchini bread:

- Use a flax egg instead of a regular egg.

- Swap canola oil for the butter.

- Choose vegan chocolate chips.

Easy, easy.

Want to make this bread into muffins? You can definitely do that.

How to make zucchini bread as muffins:

– Follow the zucchini bread recipe below to make the batter.

– Line a muffin tin with paper liners and spray those with cooking spray. (Yes, both! It helps the muffins stay together and not get stuck all over the liners.)

– Divide the batter evenly into the 12 muffin cups. They should be about ⅔ full.

– Bake at 325 for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

I like to share ALL the options. Cause really, you can’t have too many ways to enjoy this bread.

Also, muffins are nice and portable - and great for sending to school with the kiddos.

Last thing, let’s talk about storing the leftovers.

Leftover zucchini bread can be stored at room temperature for up to 5-6 days. I wrap mine in plastic wrap and leave it on the counter.

You can also freeze the extras. (Or, as mentioned, double the recipe and make a second loaf to freeze.)

Leftover zucchini bread can be frozen for up to 6 months.

Here’s how to prep it for the freezer:

Once cooled completely, wrap the bread in plastic wrap. Then wrap it in aluminum foil. You can label and date the foil (just use a permanent marker and write on it directly) so you know what it is.

Then place it in your freezer for another time. 

Ta-da! Delicious zucchini bread with chocolate chips is in your very near future. Or so I hope. 

Speaking of, I might just need to go make another loaf…

In the meantime, I wish you abundant zucchini, whether they are from your backyard garden, your local farmers market or just the grocery store. 

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

This post was originally published in June 2015. It has been updated with new photos and text. (Here are a couple of the earlier ones for fun. )