Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

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This easy zucchini bread turns a pile of fresh summer zucchini into a simple, moist quick bread that's sure to be a hit! Packed with semi-sweet chocolate chips, this loaf is perfect as a cozy snack or quick summer breakfast.

Slices of chocolate chip zucchini bread.

This lightly sweetened quick bread is the perfect way to use that abundant summer zucchini.

We wanted this bread to walk the line between sweet and savory without feeling too much like cake.

The result is a loaf that falls somewhere between our savory-leaning banana zucchini bread and a richer lemon zucchini bread: The bread itself isn't terribly sweet, so the chocolate chips do the heavy lifting that tips this bread towards "dessert" territory. You can definitely detect some zucchini flavor here, but it's not overwhelming!

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Ingredients
Instructions
Storage
Additions and Substitutions
FAQs
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments & Reviews

Ingredients

Find a full ingredients list with exact quantities in the recipe card below.

Shredded zucchini. Shred your squash with the large holes of a box grater, and don't squeeze out any of the water - it lends important moisture to this loaf! This recipe calls for 180 grams, which is about 1 medium-to-large sized zucchini.
If you can, let the egg and milk come to room temperature on the counter for 30 minutes before you start baking: They'll incorporate more smoothly into the batter, giving you a more even texture and a higher rise.
Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips are our go-to here; you can also use your favorite dark chocolate chips or a chopped baking bar (à la our chocolate chunk banana bread).

Use a kitchen scale

Measuring ingredients like flour by volume (with cups) is notoriously unreliable. Because each person fills a cup of flour a little bit differently, it's easy to accidentally use too much in a recipe and end up with dry, dense bread.

But when you use a kitchen scale to measure by weight (in grams), you get a perfect measurement every time. So if you have a kitchen scale, please use it! (No kitchen scale? Measure ingredients like flour with the scoop and level method for best results!)

Instructions

Mixing wet ingredients for zucchini bread.

Whisk wet ingredients together in a large bowl, then stir in the grated zucchini.

Adding chocolate chips to zucchini bread batter.

Fold in dry ingredients and mix until halfway combined, then add the semi-sweet chocolate chips and stir until no dry flour remains. You should be left with a relatively thick, airy batter.

Pro Tip: This batter can feel a bit dry at first, but will get easier to stir as the dry ingredients pull moisture from the zucchini. If the batter feels dry, just keep mixing: It will come together!

Baking zucchini bread in a metal bread pan.

Transfer batter to a prepared loaf pan (we recommend a 9x5" metal loaf pan lined with parchment paper). Spread it into a relatively even layer, then top with a handful of additional chocolate chips.

Bake until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Let your zucchini bread cool for a few minutes in the pan, then use the parchment paper to carefully lift the bread onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Let it cool for at least an hour before slicing.

Don't skip the wire cooling rack! If the bread cools completely in the pan, it can stick to the parchment paper and develop a chewy texture along the sides.

Zucchini chocolate chip loaf, sliced in half to show interior texture.

Storage

Store cooled, sliced zucchini bread in an airtight container on the counter. We recommend eating it within a day or two for the best texture!

This bread will also keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Additions and Substitutions

Add toasted walnuts in place of some or all of the chocolate chips.
You can use canola oil or vegetable oil in place of melted butter with a similar result.
Add a dash of ground cinnamon to the batter if you like!
Sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt across the top of the loaf just before baking.

FAQs

Can I freeze this zucchini bread?

This chocolate chip zucchini bread recipe freezes fairly well (although truth be told, we prefer it fresh out of the oven!) We recommend freezing individual slices of leftover bread in an airtight container, plastic wrap, or freezer bag and defrosting just a slice or two at a time, as needed. Sliced bread will keep in the freezer for 3-4 months before it starts to dry out.

Defrost for an hour or two on the counter when you're ready to serve. You can also microwave bread for a few seconds to warm it up and bring it back to life.

Can I turn this recipe into muffins?

Yes! You can bake this easy zucchini banana bread batter in a muffin pan. You will need to adjust the bake time: we recommend checking muffins for doneness starting around 20-25 minutes and adding time as needed (for more guidance on great muffins, check out our banana chocolate chip muffins or apple butter muffins!)

Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment and star rating below to let us know how it turned out!