Zucchini Chocolate Bread

So good, so moist, so tasty, so insanely delicious, no one’s ever going to believe that this Zucchini Chocolate Bread is made with nothing but wholesome ingredients and is actually good for them…

I was checking the status of my “food supply” the other morning and realized I had a real severe overage of overripe bananas and avocados on my hands, not to mention way too many zukes. In an effort not to let any of that go to waste, I had to think of a way to use them all up.

Of course, the first thing that came to mind was to make a Zucchini Banana Bread, but then that wouldn’t have taken care of the avocado situation. It wouldn’t have been fair to these guys to leave them behind… and there’s only so much guacamole one can eat by themselves, you know! So I thought hey, why not kick things up a notch and make a Zucchini Chocolate Bread instead? I’ll use the bananas to sweeten things up and the chocolate will take care of “hiding” the avocado’s weird, not always so appetizing greenish color…

Well let me tell you, that was like the best decision ever! This cake turned out to be even better than the Paleo Zucchini Chocolate Cake I’d made a few years back. And I remember that one being pretty amazing, too!

Despite it being made with nothing but wholesome ingredients, on top of being entirely free of refined sugar, this Zucchini Chocolate Bread tastes and feels SUPER indulgent. You will not believe how incredibly moist and rich and dense and chocolate-y it is. Unless you tell people, no one will EVER guess that it’s healthy, let alone that it contains zucchini AND avocado…

Of course, I guess the addition of chocolate chips really helps in creating the perfect illusion of sweet decadence, but so long as you use good quality, naturally sweetened dark chocolate chips, there’s no harm in that, is there?

Especially not when every other ingredient is so totally good for you… I’m telling you: prepare to be amazed!

Your first course of action should be to preheat your oven to 350°F and then grease and flour a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan and set aside.

Then, in a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas, date paste, mashed avocado, honey, eggs and vanilla extract.

Mix all that vigorously with a whisk until well combined.

And THIS is precisely what I meant by “not always so appetizing greenish color”… but fear not, that’s all about to change!

Fold in the grated zucchini with a rubber spatula and set aside.

Oh, and about that zucchini, I decided to make things easy for myself and not create the need to squeeze it dry; Aren’t you super happy with me right now? I know I am! Just grate those bad boys away and then measure, or better yet, weigh the required amount.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix well with a flat whisk until evenly combined, then add the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.

Stir delicately until the nuts and chocolate chips are well distributed and completely coated in flour; This simple precaution will help prevent them from sinking directly to the bottom of the batter as the bread bakes…

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, all in one go…

…and then stir gently until well combined; Be sure not to overmix!

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly with a rubber spatula.

Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 75 to 85 minutes, or until the top appears set and a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out almost clean.

Note that your pan will be rather full, but the batter is quite firm and should raise nicely in the oven to give your bread a beautiful rounded top without over-spilling. If you wanted to play it safe, though, you might want to place a baking sheet or piece of aluminum foil under the pan while baking, just in case.

Or, if you preferred smaller loaves, you could also divide the batter between two loaf pans and reduce the baking time slightly.

Once the cake is fully baked, let it cool in the pan for a few minutes and then push pieces of chocolate and walnuts into the top if desired.

This is not necessary at all, though; it’ll only make your Zucchini Chocolate Bread look prettier!

Now let the loaf cool completely in the pan before unmolding and slicing it, at least 2 to 3 hours.

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

Personally, I find that this bread is better enjoyed cold, straight out of the ice box; but then again… you know me!

Print Recipe Rate this Recipe

4.34 from 3 votes

Zucchini Chocolate Bread

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

So good, so moist, so tasty, so insanely delicious, no one's ever going to believe that this Zucchini Chocolate Bread is made with nothing but wholesome ingredients and is actually good for them... 

Servings: 12

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Wet Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups grated zucchini, (about 2 medium)
• 1 cup mashed avocado, (about 2 medium)
• 1 cup mashed banana , (about 2 large)
• 1/2 cup date paste
• 1/4 cup unpasteurized honey
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs

Dry Ingredients

• 2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1-1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt, I use Himalayan salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Add-Ins

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F; grease and flour a 9" x 5" loaf pan and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas, date paste, mashed avocado, honey, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix vigorously with a whisk until well combined. Fold in the grated zucchini with a rubber spatula and set aside.
• In a separate mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix well with a flat whisk until evenly combined. Add the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts and stir to coat. Add that to the wet ingredients and stir gently until well combined.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly with a rubber spatula.
• Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 75 to 85 minutes, or until the tops appear set and a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out almost clean.
• Let the loaf cool in the pan for a few minutes and then push pieces of chocolate and walnuts into the top if desired, then let the loaf cool completely in the pan before unmolding and slicing, at least 2 to 3 hours.
• Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

Nutrition

Calories: 325kcal, Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Sodium: 283mg, Potassium: 637mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 140IU, Vitamin C: 6.2mg, Calcium: 124mg, Iron: 2mg

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

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