Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Simpler than a gluten free zucchini chocolate cake, this wonderful gluten free chocolate zucchini bread is not your basic gluten free zucchini bread! Packed with chocolate chips, this loaf is a wonderful way to use up in-season zucchini - or make it all year round!

Shreds of fresh zucchini are swirled into a moist and dark olive oil-based loaf that's hard to resist. The recipe is gluten-free as written, and as a bonus, it's also dairy-free. Cut thick slices and share with a friend.

Try my gluten free banana & zucchini bread, gluten free zucchini muffins, and gluten free zucchini chocolate chip muffins if you love zucchini as much as I do!

Why I Love This Yummy Sweet Bread

The magic of this loaf cake is that you'd hardly know there is any zucchini in it -- not necessarily a good thing in my opinion, because I actually like zucchini. But for those who may not (ahem, my kids), it's a lovely way to get in some veggies whilst also enjoying loads of delicious chocolate. More reasons to love it include:

• Make it dessert - or breakfast. I do love a quick bread recipe, and this one straddles the line between dessert-y (serve with ice cream) or breakfast-y (serve with coffee). And it's also a great on-the-go snack.
• Lovely texture. The zucchini brings tenderness and moisture to the cake, which is especially appreciated in a gluten-free cake.
• Mega chocolatey. Not one but two kinds of chocolate are included here: Unsweetened cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate chips. Chocolate lovers, rejoice!

Ingredients Needed

Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!

• Eggs - Large or medium-sized eggs are best.
• Olive oil - I like extra-virgin olive oil, but any variety will work, or try avocado or canola oil.
• Sugars - A mix of brown (light or dark) sugar and granulated sugar.
• Salt - I always use fine sea salt in my recipes, and table salt is fine, too.
• Rising agents - A blend of baking powder and baking soda.
• Cocoa powder - Always use unsweetened cocoa powder! This keeps the bread from being too sweet.
• Gluten-free flour - I developed this recipe with my homemade gluten free flour blend, which works great. Feel free to substitute a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour blend of your choice.
• Zucchini - No need to peel the zucchini first, but give it a good scrub. See my note below on squeezing the zucchini.
• Chocolate chips - I like semisweet chocolate chips here so that the loaf isn't overly sweet, but for a richer flavor, try milk chocolate chips.

Tips & Recipe Notes

• Check the loaf as it bakes. Quick breads can be finicky, and sometimes, depending on your oven temperature, you may need to bake them a bit longer. This zucchini bread takes less than an hour to bake in my home oven, but you may find it needs more time in yours. Check the bread after 50 minutes, and continue checking every 5 minutes to ensure it doesn't overbake.
• Rest the batter.  As I always recommend with gluten free batters, let the batter rest in the pan for at least 20 minutes or while the oven preheats. This helps the gluten-free flour blend to hydrate, resulting in a better finished bake.
• Double the recipe. If you have a lot of zucchini, make double the batter. You can enjoy a freshly baked loaf now and freeze one for later, or share it with friends.
• Refined sugar-free. Use maple syrup or coconut sugar for the brown sugar and granulated sugar.
• Use a single gluten-free flour. Instead of a gluten-free flour blend, I'll often use oat flour, which works beautifully. If you can't eat oats, try brown rice flour.

Variations

• Nuts - I love pecans or chopped walnuts in this bread for some crunch.
• Spices - Add a little ground spice, like cinnamon or ginger, for warmth.
• Make muffins - Grease or line a muffin tin with liners and fill them with the batter. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.
• Do mini loaves - Divide the batter between two or three greased and parchment-lined mini loaf pans.

How to Store

• Counter - Wrap the bread in plastic or foil, or place it in a sealable bag, and keep it on the counter for up to 3 days.
• Fridge - Place the bread in an airtight container or wrap it in foil and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezer - Place the loaf in a freezer-safe sealable bag or wrap it in plastic and foil, and store it in the fridge for up to 3 months. Thaw the bread thoroughly in the fridge before serving.