This chocolate chip zucchini bread is delightfully moist and flavorful thanks to freshly grated zucchini, brown sugar, and cinnamon! This easy recipe comes together fast with minimal tools and ingredients (no stand-mixer needed) and includes instructions for baking zucchini bread muffins, too.
When summer is at its peak and the garden is overflowing with ripe zucchini, you know it’s time to make homemade zucchini bread! This easy zucchini bread recipe is adapted from the recipe my family has been using for years, passed down on a handwritten recipe card. It's deliciously simple, with a subtly-sweet cinnamon flavor and a moist crumb.
This chocolate chip zucchini bread recipe could not be easier to make and takes less than 30 minutes. A mixing bowl, a whisk, and a wooden spoon are all you'll need to whip up a batch of this perfectly moist zucchini bread. Flavored with brown sugar and cinnamon, it makes a delicious breakfast treat or a snack. And while the chocolate chips are technically optional, but I'm obviously on team chocolate chip (yes, even for breakfast)!
Oh, and this recipe works great for muffins, too! Check out the recipe notes for instructions for baking zucchini bread muffins.
Why bake with zucchini?
Much like carrots in carrot cake and the bananas in banana bread, grated zucchini adds moisture and texture to breads, muffins, and cakes. Because of its mild flavor, it pairs well with other flavors and spices like chocolate and cinnamon (both of which are included in this recipe). It also adds a bit of nutrition, which isn't a bad thing because 1) this bread doesn't taste healthy and 2) it helps to balance all of the chocolate that I eat.
Do I peel zucchinis for zucchini bread?
You can if you wish, but there's no need to peel zucchini before grating it. I leave the skin on when grating zucchini for zucchini bread and zucchini bread muffins.
How to grate zucchini for zucchini bread
The easiest way to grate zucchini when baking zucchini bread is to use a box grater. You can also use a food processor, though this will release more of the zucchini's liquid, which will slightly impact how moist the bread is. The food processor can also be a pain to wash, so for this simple grating job I much prefer to use a box grater.
How to store homemade zucchini bread
Zucchini bread can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. It also freezes well stored in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Do not refrigerate zucchini bread, as this will cause the bread to dry out more quickly. All of these storage recommendations apply when making zucchini bread muffins as well.
Love this chocolate chip zucchini bread? Leave a review and be sure to check out these other sweet bread recipes!
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Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf (8.5 in. x 4.5 in.) (or 12 standard muffins, see recipe notes for instructions) 1x
Description
This chocolate chip zucchini bread is delightfully moist and flavorful thanks to freshly grated zucchini, brown sugar, and cinnamon! This easy recipe comes together fast with minimal tools and ingredients (no stand-mixer needed) and includes instructions for baking zucchini bread muffins, too.
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup grated zucchini (about half a medium-sized zucchini)
- ¾ cup chocolate chips, divided (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a standard loaf pan (8.5" x 4.5") with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat eggs with a whisk until yolks and whites are well blended and eggs are just lightly fluffy.
- Add both sugars to eggs and whisk to combine. Add oil and vanilla and whisk to combine.
- Add about a third of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir just until combined using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Add about a third of the grated zucchini to the mixture and stir to combine. Repeat two more times until all of the flour mixture and grated zucchini has been added and stirred into the batter just until combined. Do not over mix the batter.
- Add ½ cup chocolate chips (if using) to the batter and stir just until they're evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips over the batter.
- Bake the zucchini bread for 1 hour or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Let the loaf cool in the pan on a wire rack before removing it from the pan and letting it cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
Storage: Store zucchini bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Zucchini bread can also be frozen for up to 3 months; for best results, wrap the completely cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil and a plastic bag or other airtight container before freezing.
Zucchini Bread Muffins: To make zucchini bread muffins, prepare the batter as directed. Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners and divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin liners (about 3 T batter per muffin). Top the muffins with the reserved ¼ cup chocolate chips (if using) and bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes, until muffins are puffed and golden and a cake tester inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Let muffins cool in the pan on a wire rack before serving. Muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Category: Breakfast
Keywords: zucchini bread, chocolate chip, moist, easy
Tiffany
Fantastic! I doubled the recipe because two loaves are always better than one 🙂
Tiffany
★★★★★