This moist and decadent double chocolate zucchini bread tastes just like a slice of chocolate cake and nobody will know there are grated vegetables hidden inside! Easy to make, gluten-free, and generously studded with chocolate chips!
This gluten-free double chocolate zucchini bread is everything a chocoholic could dream of. Rich, decadent, moist, and completely mouth-wateringly scrumptious while also being gluten-free and refined sugar-free. Perfect for those mid-afternoon sugar cravings as it truly satisfies your sweet tooth without breaking the calorie bank as a fully-loaded chocolate cake would. Gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and all in all, pretty good for you! WIN!
Why add grated zucchini to a bread or loaf cake?
While zucchini bread, brownies, and zucchini cakes are certainly not that new anymore, I DO remember the first time I heard about zucchini desserts. And I do remember that I came pretty close to discarding them as “interesting but weird”. If you are having similar thoughts right now, please bear with me. Let the food-adventurer side of you win…you will be so glad you did!
So why add zucchini to this in the first place? Well, zucchini adds moisture to cakes and bakes like nobody’s business, waiting to release that moisture at just the right moment during baking.
You cannot taste the zucchini - promise!
The final baked chocolate zucchini bread will be just as rich and fudgy as it looks in the pics. And in case you were worrying over whether or not your vegetable-hating kids and hubby might turn up their noses! Just don't tell them - zucchini-packed baked goods taste nothing like zucchini so no one will ever know.
Lady zucchini is really playing the sneaky/hiding game here and it just makes this double chocolate zucchini bread almost brownie-like in texture. To take things to the next level, this sweet loaf cake is not only super dark and chocolatey thanks to cocoa powder, but also loaded with chocolate chips! Double the chocolate, double the fun.
Now, who’s gonna try this delicious double chocolate zucchini bread? I really cannot recommend it enough! Think of it as self-care in the form of warm slices of chocolatey goodness! I think we all deserve this.
How to make gluten-free Chocolate Zucchini Bread:
Prep: Preheat oven to 350F - 180C. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper (spraying a bit of oil helps the paper stick to the pan) and set aside. If using a non-stick pan, you can simply grease it.
Step 1&2: In a large bowl, add flour, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, coffee powder and chocolate chips. Mix well to combine.
Step 3 - In another large bowl, add eggs, applesauce, coconut oil and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.
Step 4 - Add shredded zucchini and mix using a wooden spoon or a spatula.
Step 5 & 6 - Gradually fold dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined, do not overmix. The batter will be thick, it's normal.
Step 7 - Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Shake the pan a bit to spread the batter evenly.
Step 8 - Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (a bit of melted chocolate is normal, but you shouldn't see any trace of batter).
Tips and Variations:
- This bread tastes even better the next day, after a night in the fridge.
- Add 1 cup chopped nuts and/or shredded coconut to add some crunch.
- HOW TO STORE: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- HOW TO FREEZE: This bread freezes well. Once completely cooled down, cut into slices and wrap individual slices in plastic wrap. Then, just thaw the slices in the fridge overnight as needed.
Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread (Gluten Free)
This moist and decadent double chocolate zucchini bread has all the flavor of a rich chocolate cake without a hint of zucchini taste! The best thing? It's gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free and therefore a pretty healthy dessert!
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour you can also use all purpose/plain wheat flour
- ½ cup coconut sugar you can also use brown sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips 200g - 7 oz
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp instant coffee powder you won't taste it, it just amplifies the chocolate taste
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup applesauce
- 2 tbsp refined coconut oil melted - you can also use melted butter
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups thinly shredded zucchini about 6.5 oz - 180 g once shredded
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350F - 180C. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper (spraying a bit of oil helps the paper stick to the pan) and set aside. If using a non-stick pan, you can simply grease it.
-
In a large bowl, add flour, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, coffee powder and chocolate chips. Mix well to combine.
-
In another large bowl, add eggs, applesauce, coconut oil and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine. Add shredded zucchini and mix using a wooden spoon or a spatula.
-
Gradually fold dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined, do not overmix. The batter will be thick, it's normal.
-
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Shake the pan a bit to spread the batter evenly.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (a bit of melted chocolate is normal, but you shouldn't see any trace of batter).
-
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes – ideally more. Remove the bread from the pan and slice it only when it's completely cool.
Recipe Notes
- This bread tastes even better the next day, after a night in the fridge.
- HOW TO STORE: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- HOW TO FREEZE: This bread freezes well. Once completely cooled down, cut into slices and wrap individual slices in plastic wrap. Then, just thaw the slices in the fridge overnight as needed.
Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction and SkinnyTaste
If you tried this double chocolate zucchini bread recipe don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!
More healthy gluten-free bakes on the blog:
- Paleo Lemon Blueberry Bread
- Almond Flour Lemon Blueberry Scones
- Paleo Almond Chocolate Chips Cookies
- Raspberry Tart with Cinnamon
- Almond Butter Blondies
UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published on July 23, 2015 and republished in August 2020 with a slightly updated recipe, new photos and more tips.
Hearty Thought Community
Wow this looks absolutely delicious...and moist 😀 Without doubt on my to do list!!!
marie
haha 😉 Thank you!
Ingrid
These look delish. Do you think it would be possible to use more egg and zucchini in place of the apple sauce? I don't have any of that on hand, and I'm loaded with squash right now.
marie
I'm not sure Ingrid. I think the result would be quite different but it could work. Let me know if you give it a try, I'd love to know if it turns out.
Ingrid
I ended up going to the store, so used some applesauce. I mucked around with your recipe a bit, though, I'm afraid. I substituted butter for half the applesauce, and made muffins instead of bread (baked for 26 minutes). The crumb is a little dense (probably because of my changes), but I like them enough to try again another time. Thanks!
marie
That's great, thanks for sharing Ingrid! It's good to know that they also work in muffin size 🙂
Erin @ Texanerin Baking
I don't understand the issue with moist, either! I say it all the time in my recipes. I want everything I make to moist unless it's a cracker or something. 😉
This bread looks fantastic! I love chocolate zucchini goodies.
And on a random note - are there some social media follow icons somewhere that I'm not finding? I went to your about page and found links there but only Twitter works! Luckily I found links on your mobile page. 🙂
marie
Thank you Erin! I'm glad I'm not the only one using "moist" all the time haha.
I didn't know the links in my about page were broken, thanks so much for the heads up! I did have icons in my sidebar before but removed them a little while ago to make a test (in favor of Pinterest), and I'm planning on adding them back soon. Sorry for the trouble! I'm happy you finally found them 🙂
Rachelle
Making this now and the batter seems so thick. I had to add 1/2 c more of applesauce and it's still pretty thick. Also too much batter for one standard sized load pan, so I poured it into two loaf pans. I made sure to follow the recipe exactly. Hmm..I wonder what I am doing wrong?
marie
Hi Rachelle! The batter is supposed to be thick, don't worry about that 🙂 I'm surprised about the size of the pan. Maybe we have different standard size in the US and in Australia? I hope you enjoyed the bread anyway!
Nadine
Not sure how you said the recipe can be vegan if there are eggs.
marie
Yes, you're right, so sorry about that! Thanks for pointing it out, I'll update the recipe now 🙂
Elizabeth
Have you been able to find chocolate chips that are refined sugar free?
marie
You can find them online (Amazon has some) and in some health food stores. The other option is to buy sugar free chocolate bars and chop them. Hope this helps!
Kristin
Can I use ground coffee instead of instant?
marie
I'd recommend brewing the coffee first, making a sort of very strong espresso, and adding 1 tablespoon to the batter.
Mary
Made this twice - second time with "flax eggs" and it was a hit. I used Trader Joes gluten free flour, added 1 teaspoon cinnamon, was a little short on zucchini and made up the difference with a bit more applesauce. Used organic canola oil instead of coconut oil. 1/2 cup chips was enough. Organic brown sugar. Took a little longer to bake as it's very moist. Baked for about 65 - 70 minutes in a loaf pan.
marie
It's good to know it still turned out with all the substitutions you made. Thanks for sharing Mary!
carrie claunch
This recipe is perfection! My family loves it. I add 1/4 cup of maple syrup because I like it a little sweeter but I wouldn't change anything else. Hard to mess with perfection.
marie
Aww thanks so much Carrie! Super happy to hear your family loves it 🙂
Liz Brown
I doubled this recipe to make four mini loaves and one regular sized loaf. I used butter rather than the coconut oil, and added a tablespoon of canola oil to boot. Mini loaves rose nicely, and were moist and chocolately. Full loaf did not rise as high, but was still tastey despite not being quite so attractive.
Marie
So glad to hear it was a success Liz! 🙂
Jane Stevenson
It's in the oven now. I followed the recipe exactly. While the amount of sugar didn't seem enough for all the cocoa, I'm trusting everyone who've posted. Fingers crossed!!
Marie
I hope you enjoyed this recipe Jane! This bread isn't very sweet so hopefully it was to your taste 🙂
Buffi
Making these for the second time now. I froze them and didn't want to wait for them to defrost last time. Fyi--- super amazing late night snack if you microwave it for a minute or two. Like a warm chocolatey cake. Delicious!
Marie
ooh yum, sounds delicious!
40A.
I cannot get over how moist (no problem with that word here either) this loaf looks! The list of ingredients looks great and the process is so straightforward that I see myself making this quite a lot!
MaryRose
What can I use instead of apple sauce. I have some stewed plums - would that work ??
Marie
It could but I've never tested it with something other than apple sauce so I can't be sure
Carol
This was simply wonderful, however, the center was not fully baked and was creamy. (I'll eat around the center pieces.) Did anyone else have this problem? I am so glad I didn't make this for company as I would have been quite embarrassed. I followed the recipe carefully with no substitutions and didn't put the loaf in the oven until way past the "ding" that it was up to temperature. Next time, and there will be a next time, I'll divide the batter into 2 mini loaves. That should work!
Marie
I'm sorry to hear you had some issues with the baking. Next time, make sure to test the bread with a toothpick or knife in the center of the cake (if you didn't already). It should come out clean (or almost). Different ovens cook differently unfortunately so you may need to bake it for a little longer. But otherwise, two mini loaves is a great option too!