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The BEST (healthy) Zucchini Chocolate Chunk Coconut Bread. One bowl, pantry staple ingredients, super quick to mix up, healthy…ish, the great use for all that summer zucchini, and SO DELICIOUS! Yes, that pretty much sums up this zucchini bread. It’s the perfect bread to bake up today, tomorrow, this weekend, WHENEVER. With just a couple of zucchini, some good honey, and your favorite chocolate bar, this is sure to become your favorite way to use up all your garden or farmers market zucchini. Good for breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or a late-night dessert.
I wasn’t sure I was going to bake anything with zucchini this summer. To be honest, it just sounded boring and kind of overdone. And let’s be real, why bake with zucchini when I could bake with peaches, you know?
But then, I made this bread and it changed my mind about baking with zucchini forever and ever. If you think baking with zucchini is weird, I get that. BUT, I’m here to tell you that baking with zucchini can actually be a really good thing. Read, VERY GOOD.
Here’s the story. I never had plans to bake anything with zucchini, but after asking you all on Instagram what you wanted to see in recipes this month, I got so many of you requesting a zucchini bread. So, after a little back and forth, and some recipe brainstorming, I decided I’d take the last two zucchini I had in the fridge (that were very much on their last leg) and give a new zucchini bread recipe a try. I’ve made banana zucchini bread, but never just zucchini bread. As in zucchini is really the main ingredient with nothing else to help it shine.
I was nervous, but I figured I really had nothing to lose…other than two zucchini past their prime.
I tried a few things, played around with some flavors, jotted a few things down in my notebook, and about half a day later I had this bread. My kitchen smelled…well it smelled incredible. Nothing like zucchini, but everything like sweet, buttery, cinnamon-infused, chocolate bread. Almost fall-like, but with a mix of summer in the air too. Twas the perfect thing to bake on a very rainy day.
And then? I cut into the warm bread, added whipped browned butter (the best), and I was SOLD. Nothing at that moment could be better. This bread. You guys – it’s GOOD!
Best part? It could not be easier to make.
You need ONE bowl, 10 (pantry staple) ingredients, 20 minutes of time to prep, and about an hour for baking.
First step, the zucchini. Here’s the thing, when baking with zucchini it’s really important to remove any of the excess moisture (so the water). You want to do this so your baked goods don’t end up super dense and watered down. Simply shred the zucchini, let it sit on paper towels for 10 minutes, then ring the zucchini out to squeeze out all the water. It’s really easy. The drier you can get the zucchini, the lighter your loaf is going to be.
Now that your zucchini is squeezed of excess water, the rest is so quick and easy.
In a bowl, mix up melted coconut oil, a couple eggs, honey – for some sweetness, and a splash of vanilla. Then stir in the zucchini. Now add in some whole wheat pastry flour, almond flour, baking soda, cinnamon, plus a touch of salt. Last up, add chocolate chunks.
Bake. Wait…this is the hardest part, so do something fun while you wait. Maybe your favorite TV show? Work through emails? Or if you’re like me, stand by the oven impatiently waiting for the timer to go off. Yes, I am that person.
Once the bread is out of the oven, you can let it cool or you can enjoy warm. You all know I’m all about a warm loaf of bread. So after letting this cool in the pan for 5 or so minutes, I turned it out onto a cutting board and made the first slice.
The bread comes out steaming and smells so good. It actually looks good too…I was nervous the zucchini would turn the bread a weird color.
And the taste? The warm and sweet hints of cinnamon, together with the puddles of chocolate are so delicious!
Oh, and the texture? Super soft and so incredibly moist.
Every last bite leaves you wanting another. You can make this bread even better with a smear of butter. Ok, and maybe a drizzle of honey too, but it’s truly delicious on its own as well.
My favorite part? This bread is really pretty healthy too. Well, healthy to my standards at least. Honey is the sweetener, coconut oil the fat, whole flour + almond flour make it whole grain, and yeah, it’s made with zucchini. So basically we can eat this for breakfast every day until we move on to pumpkin bread.
Sounds like a plan to me. Happiest Tuesday baking to you all!
Lastly, if you make this Zucchini Chocolate Chunk Coconut Bread bread be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch The How To Video:
Chocolate Chunk Coconut Zucchini Bread.
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 816 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini, grated (about 2 cups grated before squeezing out water)
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour (or additional whole wheat flour)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chunks
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5 inch bread pan.2. Lay a clean towel on the counter and spread the zucchini out in an even layer, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, cover with another towel, and let sit 10 minutes, then squeeze out any excess water. 3. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the coconut oil, honey, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Mix in the squeezed out zucchini. Add the flour, almond flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks. 4. Pour the batter into the prepared bread pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until center is just set. If the bread is browning before it's done cooking, cover with foil. Remove and let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting...or just eat it warm with a smear of butter...preferably with a drizzle of honey too. Enjoy!
Notes
To Make Gluten Free: Use an equal amount of your favorite gluten free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. I recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour.Â
Storing: this bread keeps well for 2-3 days at room temperature.Â
Freezing: cool the bread, wrap well with plastic wrap, then store in a freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw for a few hours on the counter.Â
Instead of the additional 1/2 cup of almond flour can we use all purpose?
Hi Nora! I haven’t tried that personally but that should work well! xT
Is the nutritional information accurate? I calculated it myself and found it to be closer to 300 calories per slice for 8 slices per loaf.
Thank you!
Hi Savannah,
I always recommend that if the nutritional information is important to you, you use your own personal calculator. Ours is automatic and controlled by google. It’s not something we’d prefer to be using. We are required to. I’m sorry for the trouble, we do our best! Hope you enjoy the recipe! xT
Young lady, you’re a genius. Superb!
Aw thanks Monica! xT
One of my favorite recipes ever! So easy and fun to make (and then eat!).
The only obstacle I’ve encountered is that several times the bread browns before cooking completely on the inside. I cover it with foil as instructed, but I was wondering if there was a way to prevent the preemptive browning? Maybe covering it with foil from the beginning of the bake time?
I just worry that I will burn it by cooking it for longer to cook the inside properly!
Thank you for this recipe!!
Hey Maya,
Fantastic!! I love that this recipe turned out tasty for you, thanks so much for giving it a try! Sure, you could cover with foil earlier in the baking:) xx
Most of my go-to recipes are from HBH, but this is top 3 by far. It’s forgiving for those of us who prefer the freedom of cooking to the precision of baking, and NEVER EVER dry. I usually bake for 45 min (convection), and just did 4 mini-loaves for 20 min and they were *chefs kiss* per usual. See you soon for Thanksgiving menu planning!
Hey Kaitlin,
Happy Sunday! 🎃 So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it and sharing your feedback! xx
Hi Tieghan – I gave this a try and my bread came out a little dry. Any recommendations? I do live in Denver so wondering if altitude has something to do with it. Thanks!
Hi Katrin,
Thanks for making this recipe, sorry to hear about the bread! Was there anything you may have adjusted? What kind of pan did you bake it in? A need a little more info to help figure out what went wrong:) xTieghan
I decided to make this tonight, and wow I’m so glad I did! I really think the wheat and almond flours add so much good flavor and I’ll definitely be making this again! I used dark sea salt chocolate and substituted vegetable oil…turned out perfect! The only thing I would change, is adding more cinnamon! Thanks Tieghan!
Hi Katherine,
Happy Friday! I am so excited to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for trying it out! ?xx
I could taste the baking soda. Does it need to have 1 1/2 tsp. or would less be ok?
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for trying the recipe, sorry to hear about your baking soda. Yes, I would keep the measurement the same. Was yours expired by chance? xTieghan
I had zucchini from the garden ready to go and gave this a try….super impressed with how easy this was to make and how delicious this tasted. My parents and kids devoured it so will definitely be making on repeat.
Hey Melissa,
Amazing!! I am so excited to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have a great weekend☀ï¸
Can you suggest a substitute for the coconut oil? We have a medium chain fat restriction in our family’s diet and must avoid coconut oil. Vegetable, olive or sunflower oil are fine to use or butter. We can also substitute in a puree like applesauce or pumpkin. Which would you recommend and in what quantity?
Hey Suzan,
You can use an equal amount of melted butter or any other neutral oil of your choosing:) Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
I have made this so many times and it’s so good! People are so surprised when they learn it has zucchini!
I want to make several batches this weekend but don’t have enough loaf pans. Could this be cooked in a sheet pan?
Thank you for this recipe!
Hey Maya,
So glad to hear you have been enjoying the recipe!! So sorry, I have never tested this so I really don’t know if it would work well for you or not. Let me know if you give it a try! xx
Hi! What are your thoughts about making this into muffins for school lunches? Or is it better to make the loaf and send a slice?
Hey Amy,
Muffins would also work well here. I would start checking for doneness at 25 minutes. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
insanely good & i tried it plain w/o the chocolate chunks!! must be even better w/ the chocolate. i was pleasantly surprised to find out that this recipe still comes out perfect when veganized 🙂
Hey Kendra,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am delighted to hear that it was enjoyed! Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
Can you share your whipped brown butter recipe please?
Hey Jessica,
I just brown butter on the stove and then allow it to cool and whip slightly. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
This is NO FAIL. I mean this is amazing. I will add in a bit more almond flour (10-30g) and a bit more zucchini. I’ve made this so many times, at this point I can tell by eye how it should look batter wise.
This last time I made a cinnamon sugar mix (just cinnamon and sugar) and sprinkled on top for a crunch. I got this idea from another HBH recipe but I cannot remember this one.
I made these and the Lunchroom Peanut Butter Bars yesterday and even though this was the ‘healthy’ option, I preferred this. MAKE THIS NOW, make this over the almond butter recipe 🙂
Hey Katie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I appreciate your feedback, glad the recipe was enjoyed! xTieghan
I’m never able to watch your videos, is it possible that they are blocked for Mexico? ?
Hey Sandra,
So sorry to hear this, they shouldn’t be. Can you tell me what you are seeing when you try to play a video? xTieghan
Hi there, can I use slow juicer for extracts juice from grated zucchini.?
Hey Monika,
I’ve never tried this so I can’t say for sure, but let me know if you do! I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan