This Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread is naturally gluten-free, really easy to make, and extremely delicious!
This recipe was a bit of a dream come true. You see, I’ve always liked the idea of zucchini bread. I’ve always liked the green-flecked “healthier” (?) bread option. I like that it helps me use up the Summer’s bounty of the green squash relative with something OTHER than my go-to zucchini recipes (a zucchini-filled frittata or a bacon-wrapped stuffed zucchini option). I loved the idea, but I didn’t always love actual zucchini bread. When the time came to enjoy a slice, I’d find myself opting for something else. In my opinion, zucchini bread needed something…it needed CHOCOLATE CHIPS!
This gluten-free Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread will make real-deal zucchini bread fans, my friends! It’s the best zucchini bread I’ve ever tried – the loaf itself is beautifully dense (like a pound cake) and the zucchini is really mild. With chocolate chips mixed in evenly, this bread toes the line between “reasonable treat” and “indulgent treat” masterfully.
Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread Ingredients
All of the usual baking suspects make an appearance here, plus a few surprise ingredients, but everything on this list is incredibly accessible – you may even have a few of these ingredients hanging out in your pantry! Here’s what you’ll need to make this gluten-free zucchini bread recipe.
- Gluten-Free Flour – you’ll start with 1 1/2 cups of gluten-free flour. Not all gluten-free flour blends are created equal, so keep that in mind as you peruse the options at your local store. For a safe, fail-proof GF flour, grab this one on Amazon – it’s our favorite! We’ve also had good luck with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free flour. Whichever blend you choose, make sure it contains xanthan gum! If you’re not gluten-free, you can also use all-purpose flour here.
- Baking Powder – 2 teaspoons of baking powder will do the trick here, as will…
- Baking Soda – 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, and…
- Sea Salt – …a ½ teaspoon of sea salt!
- Spices – 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg add just the right amount of warm spice to this bread.
- Butter or Coconut Oil – you’ll need 1/2 cup of melted butter or coconut oil for a dairy-free.
- White Sugar and Brown Sugar – 1/2 cup each of white and brown sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness, but for a refined sugar-free option, feel free to swap in 1 cup of coconut sugar instead!
- Vanilla Extract – 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract adds the perfect hint of vanilla and makes this bread so dreamy!
- Eggs – 2 large eggs will do here!
- Milk – 1/2 cup of milk brings the batter together, for dairy-free, simply use almond or coconut milk here.
- Zucchini – ah, the star of today’s show! 1 1/2 cups of shredded zucchini is the perfect amount. You can shred your zucchini with a box grater or with the shredder attachment of your food processor for an even quicker method. Be sure to squeeze any excess water (using a clean dish towel or paper towel) out of your zucchini before adding it to the mix to prevent super soggy bread (moist zucchini bread is delicious, soggy zucchini bread is not!).
- Chocolate Chips – last but certainly not least, you’ll need 1 cup chocolate chips! For dairy-free chocolate chips, we love these, for sugar-free chocolate chips, these are our favorites, and for good ole classic chocolate chips, these are our top pick!
How to Make Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
One of the best things about this recipe is that it can all be made in one bowl – you don’t even have to pull out your mixer! Here’s how you’ll get this one from oven to plate (or straight to mouth!) in no time:
- Prep – preheat the oven to 350°F and either grease a loaf pan or line it with parchment paper.
- Whisk Together the Dry Ingredients – in a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, sugar, and sea salt.
- Mix in the Wet Ingredients – add the butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat the mixture with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes until fully combined and fluffy.
- Stir in the Zucchini + Chocolate Chips – stir in the grated zucchini and one cup chocolate chips until fully combined.
- Pour the Batter + Bake – fill the parchment paper-lined loaf pan with the batter, and bake for 50-55 minutes, until the top is browned and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
- Cool, Slice, and Serve – let the bread cool for at least one hour, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
Zucchini Bread Additions
This recipe is divine as written, but we encourage you to make it your own! In fact, if you come up with a really yummy combo, please let us know in the comments below! Here are a few ingredient additions that sound really delicious to us:
- Nuts and Seeds – you could up the ante by adding a few nuts or seeds – walnuts would be a great addition, as would sunflower seeds, or even chopped pecans!
- Dried Fruit – add dried cranberries or cherries for a tart, fruity twist! The sweet chocolate + tart dried fruit would be an excellent combo.
- Icing – For a more decadent zucchini bread, top with this simple glaze or even a cream cheese icing!
Can this be made as muffins?
Yes! This zucchini bread will make 12 muffins. Just bake them for 25-30 minutes at 350 F.
Can this be made egg-free?
It can! In fact, we tested a TON of different egg substitutes in several different baked goods, took all kinds of notes, and then laid it all out for you in this super helpful guide to egg-free baking. For breads and muffins, we recommend subbing in plain Greek yogurt (¼ cup of yogurt per egg) – Greek yogurt made for fluffy and slightly crisp on the outside breads that had a really delicious flavor and held together really well.
Ways to Enjoy Zucchini Bread
Of course, you can totally eat this GF zucchini bread by the slice, but you can also include it into your snacks and meals (especially breakfast!) and make it a little bit more filling and satiating by pairing it with some healthy fats and/or protein!
- Add a dollop of nut butter to a warmed slice of zucchini bread for a really satisfying snack.
- Crumble a slice of zucchini bread into a yogurt bowl (this yogurt is hands-down the creamiest, tastiest we’ve ever tried) and top it all with fresh berries, a drizzle of your favorite nut butter, and a tiny bit of maple syrup for a filling, protein-packed breakfast. If you’re dairy-free, look for a non-dairy yogurt option – there are some really great ones out there! This is one of my very favorite ways to enjoy this yummy loaf!
- Enjoy a slice of zucchini bread next to a piece of meal-prepped breakfast casserole for a no-fuss, done-for-you breakfast!
How to Store and Freeze Zucchini Bread
Zucchini bread will stay fresh for up to 5 days if stored in airtight containers (these are our favorites!) in the refrigerator. If you’re looking for a longer storage solution (or just making several batches of zucchini bread to use up all that you gathered from a plentiful zucchini season), zucchini bread also freezes really well. Simply wrap individual pieces in parchment paper and store them in freezer bags until you’re ready to enjoy. To reheat, just pop a slice in the microwave for 30-60 seconds!
We hope you love this bread as much as we do – it really is such a versatile, great recipe that the whole family is sure to love!
More Delicious Baked Goods
- Chocolate Chip Banana Oat Muffins
- Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Flourless Dark Chocolate Brownies
- Chocolate Chai Swirl Coffee Cake
- Gluten-Free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup brown sugar*
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup melted butter or coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk use almond or coconut milk for dairy-free
- 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini squeezed of excess water
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a loaf pan with butter or line it with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown and white sugar.
- Add the butter, vanilla, and eggs and beat by hand or with an electric mixer for about one minute, until fully combined, then mix in the milk.
- Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips until fully combined.
- Fill the loaf pan with the batter and bake for 50-55 minutes, until the top is browned and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
- Let the bread cool for at least one hour, then slice and serve!
Recipe Notes
- For refined-sugar free: use coconut sugar in place of the white and brown sugar
- To make this bread into muffins, simply bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 F.
Nutrition
Made these for the first time a few weeks ago and everyone LOVED them!! Can’t wait to make more today!
Yay! So glad, Lexi!!
Made these as muffins, turned out great!
Yay! That’s great. Thanks for sharing this with us, Christie!
Thank you for this recipe! Did this recipe replace another chocolate chip zucchini bread that used to be on the website? Just last week I was searching on here for a zucchini bread recipe and I came across a very similar recipe, except that other recipe had cream cheese in it. I didn’t have cream cheese on hand, so I was saving the recipe to make this week after I went grocery shopping, but now I cannot find that recipe that same exact recipe anymore. I noticed in the text area above the recipe on this post it does mention a surprise ingredient (cream cheese), but then there isn’t cream cheese in the ingredient list.
Thanks again for this recipe! If the other recipe with the cream cheese isn’t available anymore, then I will look forward to giving this one a try instead!
We actually replaced the cream cheese recipe with this one, Rachael! Thank you for mentioning the cream cheese reference in the text – I’ll go fix that now!
Thank you for this post. I’ve always believed that chicken had to be cooked to 180 using an instant read thermometer to be safe. Always dry. I do more grilling outdoors, but I’ll definitely have to look for one of those pans. Should be good for any type of meat.
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