Hi, it’s Abra! Aka #abrassalad, or today, #abraschocolatezucchinibananabread.
That’s right, we’re bringing a lil’ something sweet into your life: healthy marbled chocolate ZUCCHINI (duh) banana bread. Basically, if you love zucchini bread, banana bread, and chocolate like I love Zac Efron, Twilight, and The Bachelor, then this recipe is for you.
Monique and I were reminiscing about these amazing marbled chocolate pumpkin muffins and knew we had to make something just as epic. Trust me when I say this bread is a game-changer. It’s perfectly sweet, moist (sorry) with hints of rich chocolate in every bite.
Don’t mind me just writing marbled chocolate bread poetry over here.
FREE Zucchini Recipe E-Book
Sign up below and get a FREE downloadable, printable e-book with my best zucchini recipes (sweet and savory!)
Ingredients in this chocolate zucchini banana bread
As someone who keeps their pantry full of “just the basics,” (okay and 10 types of nut butter) I’m especially excited about this bread because it uses simple ingredients that you probably already have and bake with. Especially if you’re a regular AK baker! Here are the basics you’ll need:
- Flour: we’re using whole wheat pastry flour (or white whole wheat flour) to keep the bread super fluffy.
- Produce: gotta have both zucchini and banana for the boost of fruits & veggies!
- Sweetener: this chocolate zucchini banana bread is naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup and banana.
- Egg: you’ll just need 1 egg in this recipe.
- Coconut oil: for an extra boost of moisture.
- Cocoa powder: for the rich chocolate layer. Feel free to use cacao powder, too!
- Milk: feel free to use any milk you’d like. We like to keep this zucchini banana bread dairy free by using a dash of almond milk.
- Chocolate chips: gotta have that melted chocolate in every bite! Use your fav chocolate chips (dairy free if desired, like these)
This chocolate zucchini banana bread is easily dairy free and a great way to sneak in extra veggies for kids. No one can tell there’s a full zucchini in there!
Can I use a different flour?
Unfortunately, no, I would not recommend substituting the flour in this chocolate zucchini banana bread as the ratios would be much different.
Make it vegan
I think this bread would work out well using a flax egg instead of a regular egg! Then be sure to use dairy free chocolate chips as well.
How to get that “marbled” look
The best part about this chocolate zucchini banana bread is the two incredible flavors swirled together. How gorgeous?! Creating marbled bread or muffins can seem intimidating but we have a couple of tips for “marbling” the bread to perfection:
- Once you’ve made your two different flavors of batter, spoon half of the regular batter into a prepared loaf pan, and then top it with half of the chocolate batter
- Repeat this with the remaining regular batter and chocolate batter
- Swirl the batters together with a knife just a few times – do not overmix! As a chronic over-mixer (I get excited) trust me when I say less is more when it comes to swirling. A slight swirl will create that beautiful marbled look once it’s all baked
- Hint: check the photos + full video below to see the marbling in action!
Don’t forget these tips when baking with zucchini
- Use the small side of your grater so that you get little shreds of zucchini. No one will be able to tell there’s a veggie in their brownies!
- Squeeze out your zucchini shreds as much as possible to get all of the excess liquid out.
- Measure the shreds before you squeeze the moisture out.
- Feel free to shred a bunch of zucchini and freeze it for later! Follow my tips and tricks here.
How to store chocolate zucchini banana bread
If it’s not too humid in your home, then we suggest storing this bread on the counter or at room temperature. Make sure it’s nicely wrapped with foil. The bread should get sweeter as the days go on! If it’s humid in your house, store the bread in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Freeze it for later
You can also freeze the whole loaf as is or you can slice it and freeze the individual slices! Just make sure that it’s tightly wrapped in plastic and then foil. To reheat, simply place a slice in the microwave or set it out until completely thawed.
More zucchini recipes you’ll love
- Healthy Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Summer Garden Crustless Zucchini Pie
- Peanut Butter Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal
- Zucchini Mac and Cheese
- The Best Zucchini Brownies You’ll Ever Eat
Get all of our delicious zucchini recipes here!
I hope you love this marbled chocolate zucchini banana bread as much as we did. It’s the perfect way to sneak in some extra veggies, and makes the best breakfast, brunch, snack, or healthy treat. See you back here tomorrow for the final recipe featuring zucchini! xo.
Healthy Marbled Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or white whole wheat flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium ripe bananas)
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup (or honey)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 heaping cup shredded zucchini that’s been squeezed of ALL excess moisture with a paper towel
- 2 tablespoons melted and cooled coconut oil
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ chocolate chips, plus 2 tablespoons
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Line an 8x4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
-
In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
-
In a large bowl, mix together the mashed banana, pure maple syrup, egg, vanilla extract, shredded zucchini. (We’ll be adding the coconut oil later.)
-
Slowly stir in the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until smooth, then stir in the melted and cooled coconut oil.
-
Divide batter in half; adding half of the batter to a seperate medium bowl. Stir in the cocoa powder, almond milk and ¼ cup chocolate chips into one of the batters, mixing until just combined.
-
Spoon half of the regular batter into prepared loaf pan, then top with half of the chocolate batter. Repeat with remaining regular batter and chocolate batter. Swirl the batters together with a knife just a few times (do not overdo this or the batters will start to come together and look crazy). Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a tester comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
-
Cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and place on the wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
To make vegan: I think this bread would work out well using a flax egg instead of a regular egg! Then be sure to use dairy free chocolate chips as well.
To store: If it’s not too humid in your home, then we suggest storing this bread on the counter at room temperature nicely wrapped with foil. If it’s humid, store the bread in the fridge for up to 1 week.
To freeze: you can choose to freeze the loaf as is or you can slice it and freeze the individual slices. Just make sure that it’s tightly wrapped in plastic and then foil. To reheat, simply place a slice in the microwave or set it out until completely thawed.
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
56 comments
Tried it and it tastes good, but kind of mushy/undone at the bottom despite being fine everywhere else. wonder if adding some baking powder would’ve done the trick/if anyone else had that issue
Hi,
This sounds like a great recipe. I want to try it today but don’t seem to have enough zucchini. Do I need to make any changes to the recipe if I am using half the quantity of zucchini? Thanks
Hi! Personally I think the recipe would be fine with half of the zucchini!
I’ve made this before and I loved it! I don’t have zucchini right now and I really want to make it anyway! Any substitutes you recommend?
No, sorry, I really can only recommend making the bread as is! Otherwise maybe carrots?!
Just made this and the whole family loves it! Hopefully it’s not all gone by tonight. 😉
Amazing! Sounds like you’ll have to make a second loaf next time 🙂
Yum!
Hello, I am from Brazil and would like to know how can I replace the maple syrup? I don’t find it easily, can I substitute for honey?
Thanks
Andrea
Hi Andrea! Yes, honey is a great option to try!
This bread is delicious! Not a zucchini bread, not a banana bread, but more a chocolate lovers dream! So moist and chocolaty tasting. I loved. thanks Monique. Another winner!
Absolutely! So happy you loved this – one of my favs from zucchini season.
Hi, could I use oat flour instead of regular flour – for gluten free?
Thanks!
I haven’t tried it so I’m not certain. If you want to make this gluten free, I actually might recommend chickpea flour.
Hello, I am from Peru and made this recipe twice. The flavour and moisture of this bread is absolutely outstanding, The only problem I have is that the 2 times I made it, the cooking time was much more than 50 minutes, it was at least 1.5 hours and even after this time I’m not sure the cake was completely cooked but I took it out of the oven because the crust was already too dark (just about to burn). I also noticed how during cooling the volume decreased a lot, so in the end I had a very flat bread and a bit burnt on the outsides.
I used the only type of whole wheat flour we have in Peru and followed the procedure carefully. The only change I made was to switch the maple syrup to sugar free syrup Because my dad has diabetes, Could this change explain why I have the cooking issue? or what could I do to fix this please?
thanks a lot!!
Hi! Are you using whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour? Are you measuring out the ingredients as written? The cooking issue could either be that you are not squeezing enough moisture out of the zucchini or that sugar free syrup is not working well for baking. I’m also not sure what type of whole wheat flour Peru has but it may be different than traditional whole wheat flours. I would suggest adding 1/4 cup more flour the next time you bake it and making sure your baking soda is fresh.
Made this tonight! My toddler had managed to pull some bananas off the counter and get them very bruised, so I used the yellow squash I had, vegetable oil because I hate the taste of coconut oil, and mini chocolate chips. Had to have a slice fresh out of the overnight because it smelled so good. Very tasty.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
THIS WAS THE BOMB, SO GOOD! I’ve made a lot of your muffins and loaves and this is definitely one of my favourites. So moist and chocolatey but with healthier alternatives and ingredients, the perfect comfort snack. Will be making again soon.
Amazing! So happy you tried this one!
Perfect recipe to use up bananas and zucchini-
Technique described and followed ensured a beautiful bread.
Delicious
Glad you enjoyed!
Made this for my mother & myself, and my mom literally couldn’t get over how chocolatey it was and that it had no butter, refined sugar, etc.! I used regular flour, as I didn’t have the whole wheat pastry flour the recipe called for. I also only used half the honey and just 1T of veg oil instead of coconut oil. The loaf puffed up beautifully, but then unfortunately collapsed as it cooled. 🙁 Like other reviewers, I had an issue with the loaf not seeming to bake all the way through…very moist crumbs kept coming up every time I tested it. But ultimately, it was still delicious and I would of course recommend!
Hmmm I’m not sure what could have happened, my only guess would be that the zucchini or bananas were too moist, or that your baking soda was not fresh enough! I’ll put this on my list to re-test asap!
Just made this…. YUM!!! 50 minutes was perfect.
Amazing! Glad you enjoyed!
I love the flavor of this zucchini banana bread, and it’s a huge hit in my house! The only issue I had with my loaf, was it didn’t rise very much. I used a new container of baking soda and the exact amount, but it didn’t rise in the oven. I didn’t open the oven to check it while it was baking, so that wasn’t the issue. Not sure if you could offer me any advice on this. It doesn’t bother me that it didn’t rise though, and I will be making this again for sure!
I’m glad it was a hit! Hmm so strange! Usually that happens when there is too much moisture. Make sure to use bananas that have not been previously frozen, and make sure to measure out the shredded zucchini BEFORE you squeeze it of all excess moisture.
I made this tonight at it is everything! I love love love it. Thanks for always having amazing recipes available for me to try. Note, I didn’t have any whole wheat flour, so I substituted Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free baking flour and it worked great.
I’m so glad that worked out well! The perfect treat or snack 🙂
Loved this recipe!
I’m so glad!
I really want to make this and was hoping to use up some of my frozen bananas. I read the comment that said that that could cause excess moisture. Any suggestions on how to combat this and can I use all purpose flour? Thanks
Step 6, the = then
Spoon half of the regular batter into prepared loaf pan, the top with half of the chocolate batter. Repeat with remaining regular batter and chocolate batter.
Thank you!
This is genuinely the best healthy chocolate bread recipe I have ever had! All the ingredients are combined in perfect harmony with just the right amount of sweetness. I love it!! Thanks so much for the great recipe. <3
So happy to hear that! Glad you love it 🙂
I subbed out the maple syrup for coconut sugar (used a total of 1/4 cup). I also added another egg just because I find it helps when baking healthy treats. Truly one of THE BEST zucchini breads I have ever eaten. I can’t believe I get to eat it for breakfast! Lucky me! Thanks so much for such an awesome recipe!
Perfect! One of my favorites, too. Glad you loved it!
This recipe absolutely delicious! I love that I sneek vegies in my sweet baked goods.
This is top notch ~ felt like I was eating a chocolate cake. Extra chocolate chips of course ☺️☺️☺️
The best! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
This turned out good- but it was a little “too healthy” tasting for me. If it were just a slight bit sweeter I’d give this all the stars, but with the wheat flour and maple syrup it’s not quite healthy enough to be “healthy” in my book and yet not quite tasty enough for me to eat this rather than like…a Reese’s. Will have to try something else, I suppose!
Sorry to hear that you didn’t love them! If you’re looking to use alternative flours feel free to try my gluten free baked goods 🙂
How much sodium in each s÷rvkng?
You’re welcome to use an online nutrition calculator to find out! And feel free to reduce the amount of salt if you want/need to 🙂
I omitted most maple syrup and substituted a bit of oat flour for the whole wheat flour. I also left out chocolate chips and made mini muffins instead of the loafs for my toddler. It turned out great!
So glad that all worked out and that you loved it, Denise! 🙂
I made this today and it turned out delicious! I had leftover bananas and zucchini so this was a perfect mix. I baked it for 50 minutes and made it as directed, and my load came out perfectly done (not soggy or uncooked at all). Would definitely make again!
Awesome, so happy to hear it came out perfectly!
Tasted great! I didnt do the ‘marbleing’ correctly lol but will be perfecting that on the next brunch!
That’s alright, all that matters is that it tasted amazing, right?! Happy you loved it!
So perfect and delicious. My toddler always picks out chocolate to eat and discards everything else. The marbling ensured she ate her entire slice including the zucchini. Love this recipe!
Hahaha BRILLIANT! Happy you loved this one, Aileen!
Great recipe. I was a little short on banana and used 1/4 cup applesauce to make up the difference. I made muffins so didn’t marble . just mixed everything together. Got 16 muffins and baked about 18 minutes. Great texture. Very good chocolate flavor
I did this recipe using exactly what it called for and (whole wheat flower) and it was sooo good. Love the wholesome ingredients, the bit of maple syrup, unsweetened cocoa powder and choc chips provided the perfect sweetness without being overly sweet. Made it for my coworkers and a few friends and everyone loved it. Perfectly moist. Can’t wait to make it again!