This Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Bread is the perfect way to sneak in vegetables without anyone noticing! Super soft, delicious, and moist!
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If you are looking for a way to sneak in some veggies into a recipe without anyone noticing, then this vegan chocolate zucchini bread is for you.
Often times, people make traditional vegan zucchini bread, you can still see the green pieces inside, which negates the point of trying to hide it for very picky eaters. You know those that at the sight of anything green, they don’t want it.
However, this chocolate vegan zucchini bread hides any green pieces and it’s chocolate which automatically make people want to try it.
This delicious and easy zucchini bread recipe is:
- dairy free
- egg free
- vegan
- can be Top 8 Allergen Free
- Made in just one bowl!
Why put zucchini in bread?
If you’ve never made zucchini bread before, you may be wondering who in their right mind would ever add zucchini, a vegetable, to a quick bread recipe that is supposed to be sweet. But just remember that it’s probably the same people that thought to add carrots to vegan carrot cake and that tastes amazing!
There’s actually a few reasons why one may add zucchini to their bread.
- Zucchini is mostly liquid so it adds a ton of moisture to your recipe with overpowering the bread like say the taste of bananas does to a vegan banana bread.
- You get to hid vegetables. Whether you have picky children or a picky significant other, sometimes you will do anything to get more vegetables in them. This dairy free zucchini bread helps aid in that!
- It gives you a way to use up extra zucchini from the garden. Zucchini is a vegetable that usually grows like crazy and people end up with way more the expected, so adding to bread helps use it up.
- People love believing they are eating something healthier. I wish I could tell you that this vegan chocolate zucchini bread is actually “healthy”, but it still has sugar in it, so it’s not as good as say, eating roasted zucchini on it’s own
Okay, so maybe one of the first three reasons are better than the last, but you know the last reason for making dairy free chocolate zucchini bread is true too!
VEGAN CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI BREAD INGREDIENTS:
Below are notes about the ingredients before we get into the full recipe located lower in this post on how to make this chocolate vegan zucchini braed.
- Zucchini – The start of the dish! It helps to get veggies in for picky eaters and also add moisture to the dish!
- Cocoa powder – How we are getting our chocolately flavor throughout the dish
- Vegetable Oil – You need a fat for any good baked recipe! Use another neutral oil or vegan butter if needed
- Applesauce – Our egg replacer for the recipe
- Flour – We are using all purpose flour for this recipe
- chocolate chips – We love adding Enjoy Life for this recipe
Frequently Asked Questions:
Wheat (flour) – We have found that King Arthur’s Measure for Measure flour works best when switching out a gluten flour. Please note they also have a gluten free all purpose flour that is not the same.
Also make sure to use a Top 9 Free chocolate chips (like Enjoy Life).
YES! Make recipe and let cool completely. Then store in a bread or cake stand for 3-5 days.
Yes! Let cool completely, then store in an air tight bag or container for up to 3 months.
What are other dairy free breakfast ideas that are great for on the go?
This vegan chocolate zucchini bread is great for on the go morning. Once you make it, you can grab a slice or two and head out the door. Here’s a few other vegan (dairy + egg free) breakfast ideas that are great on the go:
- Dairy Free Banana Bread
- Vegan Blueberry Muffins
- Vegan Banana Pancakes
- Vegan Sausage Biscuits and Gravy
- Super Soft Vegan Blueberry Muffins
- Glazed Vegan Donuts
- Vegan Chocolate Donuts
- Perfect Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Pin this Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Bread for later!
🥳 Get the Full Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups vegan sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup vegetable oil (other neutral oil or vegan butter can be subbed)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups flour (use GF if needed – see post for details)
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon espresso powder, optional
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 cups zucchini, grated (about 1 medium zucchini), do NOT drain excess liquid
- 1 ½ cup vegan chocolate chips, divided
Optional Add-ins
- ¾ cup walnuts, chopped (Optional)
- 1 ½ cups dried cranberries or raisins or chocolate chips, pick one
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Liberally spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray or grease with coconut oil.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, applesauce, oil, and vanilla.
- Add in the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder (if adding), salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir just until no dry ingredients remains.
- Add zucchini and 1 ¼ cup vegan chocolate chips. Fold in with a spatula. Do not overmix.
- If adding, walnuts, or any optional ingredients, add now. Fold to combine.
- Pour batter into greased loaf pan until ¾ of the way full. If there's too much batter do not overfill, make muffins with excess. Top with remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Then take out of the pan and transfer to cool completely.
- Slice in 16 equal sized pieces (or desired size)
- Store in an air tight container.
absolutely love this recipe! made it with walnuts and now my husband wants this instead of my banana bread I make. Of course he gets what he wants so more of this bread in our future.
HAHA, sorry (not sorry)! Glad it was enjoyed
I followed the recipe and it was quite dense. I didn’t overmix the batter. Taste-wise, this was great but i’m not sure why this was so dense. I feel like i’m eating a brownie.
This should definitely be light and fluffy. Any chance you over measured the flour?
This is a great recipe! I made it in the size pan called for in the recipe but next time may try a rectangular one used for brownies.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Now that is an awesome idea! I may have to steal. I may have to steal your genius ChrisKC. This is a really good bread for sure!!
I just made this and it is so good!
I used the dark cocoa powder and didn’t have the chocolate chips, also used coconut sugar.
Definitely going to be a go to recipe
Thank you!
Glad to hear that you’re enjoying it!