This is the best chocolate chip zucchini bread! My recipe makes two ultra-moist loaves loaded with fresh zucchini and melty chocolate, glazed with tangy cream cheese icing. It’s a favorite in my family, and I know yours will love it, too!
I’ve been making my classic zucchini bread for ages and stuffing it full of chocolate chips, so I’m finally giving this chocolate chip zucchini bread its own recipe! Try my zucchini chocolate chip cookies next.
I’m all about cramming my favorite baked goods full of chocolate chips. From muffins to scones and chocolate chip banana bread, no recipe is off limits. I always found myself tossing a handful of chocolate chips into my favorite zucchini bread. But I knew I could make a version that played even more into those gooey chocolate flavors, so here it is. This chocolate chip zucchini bread is irresistibly moist, tender, jam-packed with fresh zucchini and melty chocolate, and just as easy to make. It’s the best!
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
- One bowl. There’s no need to dirty a second bowl by mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately for this recipe. The batter comes together in a single bowl almost faster than you can say “zucchini”.
- Super soft and moist. All that freshly grated zucchini packs this quick bread full of moisture, while cozy cinnamon and melty chocolate fill every bite with just the right amount of sweetness and spice.
- Cream cheese icing. Because the only thing better than a soft, super-moist loaf of zucchini bread with chocolate chips is one glazed with sweet, tangy, creamy cream cheese icing!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s a look at the ingredients you’ll need to make this chocolate chip zucchini bread with notes. Scroll down to the recipe card below the post for the printable recipe with the full details and amounts.
- Zucchini – Freshly grated. If you’re lucky enough to grow zucchini in your garden, this quick bread recipe is a great way to use up a bumper crop! Otherwise, look for vibrant green zucchini with firm skin and no blemishes from the farmer’s market or grocery store.
- Eggs – Lightly beaten before you start.
- Oil – I recommend a neutral-flavored vegetable oil, like canola or similar.
- Dry Ingredients – You’ll need granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, baking soda AND baking powder, and salt. Check the best-before dates on your baking soda and powder to make sure they’re fresh.
- Vanilla and Cinnamon – For a subtle flavor. I recommend real vanilla extract or an equal amount of vanilla paste. Instead of cinnamon, you could also use another warm spice, like nutmeg, or a blend like pumpkin pie spice.
- Chocolate Chips – I use semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can fill your zucchini bread with milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or any kind you prefer. Another option is to replace the chocolate chips with chopped pecans or walnuts.
- Cream Cheese – You’ll combine cream cheese with milk and powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar) for the icing. Soften the cream cheese to room temperature so it’s easy to mix.
Should I Drain Zucchini Before Baking?
Not necessarily. You’ll see a lot of zucchini bread recipes that call for draining or squeezing the excess moisture out of the grated zucchini before mixing it into the batter. The beauty of this chocolate chip zucchini bread is that squeezing the zucchini isn’t needed.
In fact, this zucchini chocolate chip bread comes out super moist and tender because of the added moisture from the zucchini! So, unless you find that the squash you’ve grated is excessively watery, I don’t recommend draining it.
How to Make Zucchini Bread with Chocolate Chips
Like other quick bread recipes, this one-bowl chocolate chip zucchini bread recipe doesn’t require any rising time. It comes together in a few easy steps. Follow along below, and scroll to the recipe card for the printable instructions.
- Prep. While the oven preheats to 350ºF, grease two 8×4” loaf pans.
- Make the batter. Meanwhile, mix the zucchini with eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in the flour and dry ingredients, and fold in the chocolate chips.
- Bake. Divide the batter evenly between your prepared loaf pans. Bake the zucchini bread at 350ºF for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick stuck in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Watch out for those chocolate chips! Afterward, cool the chocolate chip zucchini bread in the pans before removing them.
- Add the glaze. Once the loaves have cooled completely, whisk the cream cheese glaze ingredients in a bowl. Lastly, drizzle the glaze over the top of the bread. Slice and serve!
Recipe Tips
- Use a box grater. It makes shredding the zucchini quick and easy. I recommend using the larger holes so that the zucchini doesn’t turn to mush.
- Don’t overmix. As with banana bread and most baked goods, overmixing the batter here can lead to a dense, tough zucchini bread loaf. Too much mixing overdevelops the gluten and deflates the air pockets in the batter, preventing the bread from rising properly.
- Adapt the glaze. Thicken a glaze that’s too thin by adding more powdered sugar, and thin it out by adding more milk. The consistency should be pourable but thick enough that it coats the back of a spoon.
- Make muffins instead. You can easily adapt this chocolate chip zucchini bread recipe to make approximately 24 standard zucchini muffins instead. Bake the batter in two greased 12-well muffin pans and reduce the baking time to closer to 20 minutes.
How to Store
- At room temperature. Store this chocolate chip zucchini bread wrapped or covered airtight on the counter. If you don’t plan on eating it within 3 days, I recommend freezing it as a longer-term option. See the next point.
- Freeze. This recipe makes two loaves, so I’ll often freeze one for later! It’s as easy as wrapping the bread tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap or foil and freezing it for 1-2 months. Thaw the zucchini bread at room temperature before serving.
More Quick Bread Recipes
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Quick Bread
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is the best chocolate chip zucchini bread that’s moist, tender, and loaded with melty chocolate chips! This easy recipe makes two irresistible loaves glazed with sweet and tangy cream cheese icing.
Ingredients
- 2 cups grated zucchini (approx 1 large zucchini or 2 small)
- 3 eggs (lightly whisked)
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
For the Glaze:
- 3 ounces softened cream cheese
- 1/4 cup (plus more if needed) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 8×4 loaf pans with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix zucchini, eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla until combined.
- Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix (about 50 strokes) until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter equally between the two pans and bake 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the bread cool and then remove it from the pans.
Add the Glaze:
- Combine the glaze ingredients. Using a handheld mixer, beat together until smooth, adding more milk or powdered sugar until the desired consistency is achieved.
- When the loaves have cooled, drizzle the glaze on top.
I just received 2 zucchinis larger than my arms and need several recipes to use them up! I will be making chocolate chip zucchini bread and also your cream cheese version. Thanks for the ideas and love your site!
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This looks fantastic! I absolutely love chocolate and zucchini bread. Add some cream cheese and I'm sure it's a knockout. I'm bookmarking this recipe for sure.