This Chocolate Olive Oil Zucchini Bread is a healthier take on a chocolate loaf without sacrificing flavor or richness. Olive oil and Greek yogurt help keep this sweet loaf moist and decadent, while the chocolate chips add an ooey-gooey consistency. I guarantee you won’t even taste the grated zucchini in this recipe!
This chocolate olive oil zucchini bread recipe is a personal favorite to make when I’m craving a healthier dessert/snack. Made with ingredients like fiber-rich zucchini and olive oil with healthy fats, you can feel good about enjoying a slice or two of this zucchini bread. This yummy, sweet bread is moist inside and has crisp, non-soggy sides, making it the best chocolate olive oil zucchini bread.
Here are a few other sweet breads to try during the week: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread, or Blackberry Lemon Bread.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Healthy - The extra fiber in zucchini, antioxidant-rich cocoa powder, and omega-3-packed olive oil make this a healthier alternative to other sweet loaves.
- Chocolatey – This chocolate olive oil zucchini bread with cocoa powder gets a boost of chocolate flavor from chocolate chips.
- Moist – Adding yogurt and olive oil ensures every slice of this sweet loaf is moist and delicious.
- Sweet – Even though this bread is healthier, it has a delightful sweetness from brown sugar, white sugar, and chocolate chips.
- Flavorful – Espresso powder, cocoa, chocolate chips, and olive oil help create a tasty loaf of chocolate olive oil zucchini bread.
- Great for picky kids – You can easily sneak veggies into any kid’s diet with this yummy chocolate chip zucchini bread, especially since you can’t taste the zucchini!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Granulated Sugar: I prefer a bit sweeter chocolate olive oil zucchini bread, so I use ⅔ cup of sugar in my recipe. Reduce the granulated sugar to ⅓ or ½ cup to create a lower-sugar loaf.
- Olive Oil: If you don't have olive oil on hand, you can use coconut oil as a substitute in a 1:1 ratio.
- Baking Soda: Baking powder is another leavening agent you can use in a pinch if baking soda is unavailable. Using this swap, you will need three times the amount of baking powder (in this case, 3 teaspoons). Baking powder has salt, so using ¼ teaspoon of salt instead of ½ teaspoon with this substitution is necessary.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
How to Make Chocolate Olive Oil Zucchini Bread
Quick Overview
- Preheat oven.
- Combine ingredients.
- Bake.
Step by Step Instructions
Use a whisk for the wet ingredients to help remove clumps from the batter.
Allow the bread to cool fully before slicing for cleaner loaf cuts.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, olive oil, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla until well combined.
Step 2: In this order, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt. Using a fork gently combine the dry ingredients (on top of the wet) before mixing them into the wet.
Step 3: Fold in the zucchini until combined.
Step 4: Fold in the chocolate chips.
Step 5: Grease and line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan. Top with additional chocolate chips if desired.
Step 6: Bake for 65-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean (there will be a few crumbs and melted chocolate on the toothpick). Allow the loaf to cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and cool completely on the wire rack before slicing.
Recipe Serving Suggestions
Garnish the chocolate olive oil zucchini bread with a drizzle of caramel syrup, a swipe of butter, or a scoop of frozen yogurt/vanilla ice cream.
I love serving this zucchini bread with an array of breakfast foods. Here are a few ideas:
Expert Tips
- Weigh the ingredients. As with any baked good, it’s necessary to weigh the ingredients for the most accurate measurements. Baked goods can be finicky, so having accurate ingredient amounts is necessary. Use a food scale to help weigh the ingredients for this easy chocolate olive oil zucchini bread.
- Use a box grater to finely shred the zucchini. The quickest way to grate zucchini is with a box grater. Skip peeling the zucchini, as the skin is edible and thin.
- Do not blot the zucchini. The moisture in the zucchini is part of why this chocolate olive oil zucchini bread comes out moist every time. So, you can add the grated zucchini directly into the batter and skip blotting or squeezing the excess liquid out.
Additions & Variations
- Other baking chips: Mix it up by using white chocolate, butterscotch, or other baking chips in this yummy chocolate olive oil zucchini bread. Don’t be afraid to experiment with the flavors.
- Add nuts: For an extra-crispy exterior, add chopped nuts to the top of the loaf before baking. Chopped walnuts or pecans are great options for this delicious chocolate zucchini bread.
- Try dried fruit: Add dried fruit to the mixture if you want more texture in your zucchini bread. Use ½ - 1 cup of dried fruit for this recipe. Avoid adding too much dried fruit, as it can make the loaf feel dense.
Recipe FAQs
You do not need to squeeze or blot the shredded zucchini when making this chocolate olive oil zucchini bread. The moisture in zucchini helps keep the bread moist as it bakes in the oven. The only exception to this is if the zucchini has excessive liquid. Then, you can squeeze or blot it after grating.
If you grabbed larger zucchini at the grocery store for zucchini bread, you may notice a "weird" taste in your loaf. Larger zucchini tend to be more bitter and have more moisture, so they can cause zucchini bread to be bitter-tasting and soggy. Ensure you select smaller zucchini at the store for this recipe.
Since zucchini has a thin skin, you can leave it on while making zucchini bread. Part of what makes this chocolate olive oil zucchini bread healthy is the antioxidants in the zucchini, most of which are in the skin. Leave the skin on when creating double chocolate zucchini bread for more nutrients and a shorter prep time.
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Easy Chocolate Olive Oil Zucchini Bread
Equipment:
Ingredients:
- ⅔ cup (133 g) brown sugar
- ⅔ cup (133 g) granulated sugar*
- ½ cup (120 ml) olive oil*
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (80 g) plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 ⅓ cups (173 g) all purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (67 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda*
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups (275 g) finely grated zucchini
- 1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for topping
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, olive oil, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla until well combined.⅔ cup (133 g) brown sugar, ⅔ cup (133 g) granulated sugar*, ½ cup (120 ml) olive oil*, 3 large eggs, ⅓ cup (80 g) plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla
- In this order, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt. Using a fork gently combine the dry ingredients (on top of the wet) before mixing them into the wet.1 ⅓ cups (173 g) all purpose flour, ⅔ cup (67 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda*, 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Fold in the zucchini until combined.1 ½ cups (275 g) finely grated zucchini
- Fold in the chocolate chips.1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for topping
- Grease and line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan. Top with additional chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake for 65-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean (there will be a few crumbs and melted chocolate on the toothpick). Allow the loaf to cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and cool completely on the wire rack before slicing.
Notes:
- Granulated Sugar: I prefer a bit sweeter chocolate olive oil zucchini bread, so I use ⅔ cup of sugar in my recipe. Reduce the granulated sugar to ⅓ or ½ cup to create a lower-sugar loaf.
- Olive Oil: If you don't have olive oil on hand, you can use coconut oil as a substitute in a 1:1 ratio.
- Baking Soda: Baking powder is another leavening agent you can use in a pinch if baking soda is unavailable. Using this swap, you will need three times the amount of baking powder (in this case, 3 teaspoons). Baking powder has salt, so using ¼ teaspoon of salt instead of ½ teaspoon with this substitution is necessary.
- Weigh the ingredients. As with any baked good, it’s necessary to weigh the ingredients for the most accurate measurements. Baked goods can be finicky, so having accurate ingredient amounts is necessary. Use a food scale to help weigh the ingredients for this easy chocolate olive oil zucchini bread.
- Use a box grater to finely shred the zucchini. The quickest way to grate zucchini is with a box grater. Skip peeling the zucchini, as the skin is edible and thin.
- Do not blot the zucchini. The moisture in the zucchini is part of why this chocolate olive oil zucchini bread comes out moist every time. So, you can add the grated zucchini directly into the batter and skip blotting or squeezing the excess liquid out.
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