Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Name: Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 3 eggs; 2 cups sugar; 1 cup applesauce; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 8 oz cream cheese (softened); 2 cups flour; 1 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg; 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips; 2 cups shredded zucchini

1 hour 5 minutes

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By: Britni Vigil

8/25/2020Updated: 8/25/2020

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This chocolate chip zucchini bread is the perfect way to use all that zucchini from the garden or grocery store! It’s moist, healthier than regular zucchini bread, and delicious!

Sliced loaf of chocolate chip zucchini bread with mini loaves and zucchini in the background

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Moist Zucchini Bread

One of the things I regret the most this summer is not starting a garden. Luckily I did join a co-op where I pick up fresh fruits and veggies each week.

The past month or so has been filled with fresh zucchini. We’ve been making a lot of these teriyaki chicken bowls with it, but I decided it was time for something a bit sweeter.

I’m excited to share this super moist chocolate chip zucchini bread that has become my new favorite! Okay maybe not favorite but a close second to this cranberry orange bread.

Unlike many zucchini bread recipes, you’ll love this recipe because:

It uses applesauce instead of oil to make it a bit healthier.
Cream cheese in the batter keeps it super moist!
It’s super easy and pretty much fool-proof.
The recipe makes a large loaf + a couple of small loaves, which are perfect for sharing with friends.
It freezes really well.

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

Cream cheese – take the cream cheese out at least an hour before you make the bread so that it can soften. If it doesn’t soften, it’ll still work but you’ll end up with small chunks of cream cheese in your batter.
Walnuts – walnuts aren’t listed in the image above because they’re optional and I didn’t include them in the main recipe. If you like nuts, walnuts are great in this recipe.
Flour – you’ll need the flour listed in the recipe plus a bit to toss your chocolate chips so they don’t sink to the bottom of the bread.
Zucchini – you want to shred it as thinly as possible so that you get the zucchini flavor without having huge chunks of zucchini

Instructions

This zucchini bread is super easy!

Start by greasing or flouring the bread pans you’re planning to use. I like to use a paper towel with a bit of oil on it and just wipe it all around the pan, focusing on the bottom.

Once the pans are greased, it’s time to make your batter.

Combine all of your wet ingredients, other than the cream cheese, and beat for about 3 minutes.

Metal beater mixing wet ingredients for zucchini bread

Now you’re going to add in the cream cheese. Make sure it’s soft so it mixes into the batter nicely.

Cream cheese about to be beat into zucchini bread batter

Next it’s time for those dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed.

Once the dry ingredients are added, it’s time to fold in the chocolate chips, shredded zucchini, and walnuts if you’re using them.

Tip!

Before adding in the chocolate chips, toss them in a bit of flour. This will help keep them from sinking to the bottom of the bread.

And if you’re like David and Moira and don’t know what fold means – in this case it just means adding the ingredients and stirring them in gently with a spatula or spoon until they’re well combined.

Folding them in keeps the chocolate chips, zucchini, and walnuts intact compared to if you beat them in with a mixer.

Bowl with shredded zucchini, chocolate chips, and zucchini bread batter

Pour the combined batter into the prepared baking dishes then bake according to the times listed in the recipe below. Bake until you can put a knife or toothpick in the center of the bread without any batter coming back out when you pull it out.

If there’s batter, bake for another 3-5 minutes then check again. If it’s more like bread crumbs, baked bread that comes back up – you’re good!

Let the bread cool in the pan completely before removing and slicing.

Top down view of sliced chocolate chip zucchini bread on a cutting board

Expert Tips

Add walnuts for a little extra crunch if you like nuts! They combine really nicely with the chocolate chips, kind of like in these banana chocolate chip muffins.

Double the recipe and make enough bread to freeze some for later or share with friends. It’s super easy to double compared to some recipes.

Slice the bread before freezing so you can thaw one piece at a time. We typically just put a slice in our Cosori toaster oven for a few minutes and it thaws and warms up great. You could do the same in a regular oven.

Test the bread for doneness by putting a knife or toothpick in the center of the bread. This is typically the part that takes the longest to cook.

Tap the bread pan on the counter before putting them into oven to help with even cooking.

Recipe FAQs

Can zucchini bread be frozen?

Yes! Wrap it in tight plastic wrap or put in an airtight plastic bag and freeze. I recommend slicing the bread before freezing so you can thaw however much you want to eat at a time but the loaves freeze really well unsliced as well.

Can I make mini zucchini bread loaves?

Make mini zucchini bread loaves by prepping small bread loaf pans and cooking in the small loaf pans for about 40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

Can I make zucchini bread muffins?

Make this into zucchini bread muffins by filling muffin tins 3/4 full with the batter and baking for 18-20 minutes instead.

How long does zucchini bread last?

This zucchini bread should last for up to a week when stored in an airtight bag or container. If you’re not going to use it in a week, freeze it.

What if I don’t have applesauce?

We use applesauce in this zucchini bread recipe because it’s a bit healthier than oil. If you don’t have applesauce on hand, you can use oil – I recommend avocado oil or coconut oil – instead.

What goes well with zucchini bread?

Zucchini bread is delicious by itself, with butter, or a honey butter. It’s also great served alongside these breakfast muffins, this sausage breakfast casserole, or some other breakfast recipes that aren’t so sweet.