Summer zucchini, meet: a fudgy, yet nourishing bread that will have you doing backflips with joy. If you love zucchini bread, banana bread, and chocolate (I mean, who doesn’t?), then this recipe is for you.
Not only is this healthy chocolate zucchini banana bread absolutely beautiful and somewhat reminiscent of chocolate cake, but it’s also naturally sweetened and easy to make dairy-free.
I’ve got easy tips for getting that perfect “marbled” look, too, so no need to be intimidated! Show off those baking skills and share with your loved ones this summer.
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Ingredients in this chocolate zucchini banana bread
This bread 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 bread is naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup and ripe banana.
- Egg: you’ll just need 1 egg in this recipe.
- Coconut oil: for an extra boost of moisture.
- Baking staples: don’t forget the baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract.
- 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 unsweetened almond milk.
- Chocolate chips: gotta have that melted chocolate in every bite! Use your fav chocolate chips (dairy-free if desired, like these)
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 I 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 two batters.
- Swirl the batters together with a knife just a few times – do not overmix! A slight swirl will create that beautiful marbled look once it’s all baked
Hint: check the photos and the 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 I suggest storing this bread on the counter or at room temperature. Make sure it’s nicely wrapped with foil. The bread will get sweeter as the days go on! If it’s humid in your house, store the bread wrapped well or in an airtight container 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 the full loaf is tightly wrapped in plastic and then foil, or the slices are in freezer-friendly bags. To reheat, simply place a slice in the microwave or set it out until completely thawed.
Tools you’ll need
Get all of my go-to kitchen tools here!
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! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Healthy Marbled Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (170 grams) whole wheat pastry flour (or white whole wheat flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium ripe bananas)
- ⅓ cup (104 grams) 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
- ⅓ cup (27 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ cup (45 grams) chocolate chips, plus 2 tablespoons
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Line an 8x4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients: 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.)
- Mix the batter: 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.
- Swirl and bake: 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
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on August 10th, 2019, and republished on July 12th, 2026 with metric measurements.
I made this exactly as written, and it looked beautiful pre-bake and tasted yummy (snuck a couple batter licks). Unfortunately the finished product had barely any rise. I even left it in an extra 5 minutes to see if it’d rise some more, and it only browned the crust crispier. I’m wondering about the leavenings – perhaps it needs baking powder in addition to baking soda?
So strange! I’ve never run into that issue – was your baking soda fresh? And did you weigh your ingredients?
Just made this and it is delicious. I only had whole wheat flour and wasn’t sure how it would turn out. It came out nice and moist. Great texture! Made sure not to over mix it. My three year old is on her second piece! Will definitely be making this again.
I’m glad it worked out well with the whole wheat flour! Such a great snack or treat 🙂
Satisfies that chocolate craving while nourishing your body is always a win! Love this recipe, I replaced the whole wheat flour with spelt and it turned out perfectly!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
is there anyway to make this without the cacao powder? I hate to be one of those people asking for substitutions, but I want to make it for my toddler and he’s not able to have chocolate yet.
Try this regular zucchini bread instead (and omit the chocolate chips!)
Could I use applesouce instead of the bananas?
I haven’t tested it so I’m not 100% sure how it will turn out. Let me know if you try it!
This zucchini bread was delicious! I followed the recipe just as it was and baked the bread for 50 minutes. I’ll definitely make it again! I found the parchment paper moved around a bit when I poured in the batter but that was the only tricky part for me.
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
Do you think I could sub 1:1 GF flour?
I’ve only tested the bread this way so I can’t be certain that it will come out the same – sorry!
The chocolate chips on top burned beyond recognition while the inside was still very raw. Adding those at the end might be helpful. The batter was not sweet at all, thus making the bread suited well for afternoon tea. I am not likely to make this recipe as it is again. Adjustments will have to be made.
Thanks for your feedback, Wendy. Sounds like your break might have been too high up in your oven. It also isn’t meant to be a super sweet bread so feel free to adjust it as necessary to meet your preference.
I made this according to directions and it was under baked- even with an extra 40+ minutes in the oven. I would recommend adding more flour if the mix looks even slightly loose (which mine did). It might also be a good recipe to make as cupcakes to ensure more even baking.
Great way to use ripe bananas. I used regular whole wheat flour and it turned out fine.
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!
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
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!
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!
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!
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! 🙂
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 🙂
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 🙂
This is top notch ~ felt like I was eating a chocolate cake. Extra chocolate chips of course ☺️☺️☺️
The best! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
This recipe absolutely delicious! I love that I sneek vegies in my sweet baked goods.
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 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 🙂
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!
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
Loved this recipe!
I’m so glad!
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 🙂
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.
Just made this…. YUM!!! 50 minutes was perfect.
Amazing! 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!
Perfect recipe to use up bananas and zucchini-
Technique described and followed ensured a beautiful bread.
Delicious
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
Yum!
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 🙂
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?!