Do you ever wish you could just eat dessert for breakfast somedays? Good news, my friends: now you can!
This Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread is so rich, decadent, moist and delicious that it’s perfect for any time of the day. Plus, it has vegetables in it, so it’s super healthy for breakfast, right?
This Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread is super easy to make, requiring only 1 bowl and 10 ingredients for the bread itself. The delicious walnut topping is optional, but adds a really rich, buttery flavour to the loaf as the walnuts toast nicely during baking.
I still remember the first time I had zucchini bread: I was staying with my Aunt and Uncle for a few weeks during the summer when I was about 8 or so years old. I remember my Aunt baking something that smelled so utterly delicious and when I asked what it was, she responded “zucchini bread”. Being a child who was a somewhat picky eater, I immediately turned my nose up to the idea that there would be vegetables in my bread. I mean, what was the world coming to??
Then I remembered that my mom put carrots into muffins and cakes and I liked those, so the zucchini couldn’t be that different, right? Plus, the scent was out of this world so clearly, something that smelled so delicious had to taste delicious also. At least that’s what I told myself and I was not disappointed. I’m pretty sure I ate half that loaf of zucchini bread that day and had my Aunt promptly proceed to write out her recipe so that I could get my mom make this new deliciousness for me around the clock. I was a foodie from a young age, folks 😉
Ever since that first encounter with Zucchini Bread, I’ve been hooked.
So it was only natural that I try to come up with a zucchini bread recipe for the blog that was vegan and gluten-free. Plus, why not kick it up a level and make it chocolate, too? Great choice, I might add – you’re going to adore the deep, rich cocoa flavour of this Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread.
I used the Teff Date Bread as a base for this recipe, making multiple changes along the way to make this Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread. I knew from the Teff Date Bread that the Teff flour would be a great base for this recipe, lending lots of nutty, cocoa undertones to the flavour. In addition to the necessary grated zucchini, I also added some cacao nibs for an extra pop of flavour, as well as some chopped walnuts to the top of the bread to give it a buttery, nutty crunch.
All in all, the Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread turned out better than I expected, raising significantly during baking which was very exciting for me, given the gluten-free nature of this recipe. It’s also very light and airy, unlike many dense gluten-free breads out there.
Zucchini has a lot of wonderful health benefits, so you can feel even better about enjoying a slice of this delicious bread.
- Zucchini is one of the very low calorie vegetables, providing only 17 calories per 100 g. It contains no saturated fats or cholesterol. Its peel is a good source of dietary fiber that helps reduce constipation and offers some protection against colon cancers.
- Zucchinis, especially golden skin varieties, are rich in flavonoid poly-phenolic antioxidants such ascarotenes, lutein and zea-xanthin. These compounds help scavenge harmful oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) from the body that play a role in aging and various disease processes.
- Zucchinis hold relatively moderate amounts of folates; provides 24 µg or 6% of RDA per 100 g. Folates are important in cell division and DNA synthesis. When taken adequately during early pregnancy it can help prevent neural tube defects in the fetus.
- They are also a very good source of potassium, an important intra-cellular electrolyte. Potassium is a heart-friendly electrolyte and helps bring a reduction in blood pressure and heart rates by countering pressure-effects of sodium. (source)
See? All this goodness is just another reason to include more zucchini in your diet and this amazing Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread is the perfect way to increase your intake.
So try out this Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread for yourself. Don’t forget to leave a comment or rate the recipe below to let us know what you think. You can also snap some yummy pics of your own Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread and tag them #glutenfreeveganpantry when you post them to Instagram. I’d love to see how it turns out for you!
- 1½ cups Teff Flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1½ tsp xantham gum
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1½ cups grated zucchini
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp ground flax seeds + 6 Tbsp water)
- 1¼ cups coconut milk
- ¼ c cacao nibs
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350F
- In large bowl, mix together flour, xantham gum, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda.
- Add grated zucchini, maple syrup, flax eggs and coconut milk. Stir until just mixed. Do not over stir.
- Add in cacao nibs and stir to mix.
- In a parchment lined bread pan, carefully pour the batter, ensuring that it is evenly distributed amongst the pan.
- If adding walnuts, sprinkle over top of batter and gently press into the top of the batter so that they are about half way covered by the batter.
- Bake for 55 mins, or until a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out clean.
Savanna is the photographer, food stylist, head taste-tester and she-brains behind Gluten Free Vegan Pantry. 
Does it work to make these into muffins instead? If so, bake at what temp and how long?
Hi Anita, You could definitely make these into muffins. I haven’t personally tried, but I imagine you can cook them at the same temperature, and cook for less time. I can’t give you an exact time frame as I haven’t tried to make muffins with this recipe, so maybe just keep an eye on them and once you can insert a toothpick into them and have it come out clean, they are done 🙂
I just found your blog, read through some recipes and totally fell in love! Will be fixing some recipes soon! I put your link for this awesome cake on my blog, hope that’s ok with you! Just want to spread the goodness!
Hi Savanna,
I made this cake today and it is delish!!! As I would have had to order xanthan gum I substituted it with the equal amount of flax flour to get a nice gel like sticky lump 😛
The teff flour has an unusual taste but after a few bites all we tasted was sticky chocolatey goodness 🙂
The cake turned out super fluffy, springy and moist – and the best – the zucchini is invisible! Good news for my non-veggie eating omnivore boyfriend 😛
Thank you from Germany!
Yay! I love being able to hide veggies in goodies 😉
I used unsweetened full fat coconut canned milk. My bread has no sugary taste. Any advice as to what exact brand and flavor of coconut milk, I feel that it needs more taste. My bread came out bitter. help! 🙁
Hi Brenda,
I personally use Silk unsweetened coconut milk. Everyone has different preferences when it comes to sweetness – if it wasn’t sweet enough for you with the maple syrup, maybe try agave nectar next time? It packs a bigger sweetness punch.
Did you kitchen test this recipe more than once? I followed your recipe to a tee and while it looked the same, unfortunately it doesn’t really taste good. It’s missing a certain je ne sais quoi.
Hi Tina,
I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy the finished product. I’ve had other readers have great success with this recipe, so maybe it’s just a personal preference thing?
Hi!
Your recipe looks just great, I can’t wait to try it.
I have a blog where I translate recipes from a foreign language into my mother tongue, french. I just translated this recipe, but I gave you credits. You can check by yourself here: http://internationalsmoothie.blogspot.fr/2015/07/pain-la-courgette-et-au-chocolat-noir.html
If there is any problem, I will remove/change the article, just let me know!
Your recipes look so tasty even if I’m not really eating vegan and gluten free 🙂
Bye!
Thank you so much, Celine. What a great idea to translate recipes – sounds like a lot of fun! I’m glad you loved the recipe and thank you for the link back to the original source 🙂
I don’t have cocoa nibs. What else be substituted for this? Thanks!
Hi Janelle, I would use vegan chocolate chips instead 🙂
Can I sub the teff flour with regular whole wheat flour or buckwheat flour? I’m vegan but not gf and have never used teff. Thanks!
Hi Brittnie,
The Teff flour really adds some spicy, cocoa undertones to the bread. I have not tried it with any other flour blends, but if you decide to try the recipe with regular whole wheat flour, remove the xantham gum. Let me know how it turns out with the flour substitution – I’d love to hear about the results!
Hi Savanna, can’t wait to try this delicious recipe thankyou! Do you have any substitutes you know of for xanthan gum? I’m gluten intolerant and a lot of XG is made using a gluten medium or often corn, soy or dairy (which I’m allergic to) and XG makes me extremely ill 🙁
Hi Laura,
I’m sorry to hear that XG makes you ill! That’s certainly not something I want to happen after you experience the yumminess of this bread! If you can ingest it, try a straight substitution of the xantham gum for psyllium husk. From what I’ve read, it should still give you the same results. Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Wonderful idea thankyou! I love psyllium and so does my gut. I’ll give it a go this weekend and let you know how it turns out 🙂
What can I use instead of teff flour?
Hi Maura,
I haven’t personally tried this recipe with anything other than Teff flour. It does add a nice spicy, cocoa flavour to the bread. If you would like to try a different flour, try subbing it out for a regular GF blend. Let me know how the substitution works out!
Hi Maura,
I haven’t personally made this recipe with anything other than Teff flour so I can share suggestions from personal experience. I would think that the recipe would still turn out well though if you were to use a regular Gluten Free blend. Let me know if you decide to give it a whirl – I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Oh my gosh you are my new best friend! I love chocolate zucchini bread. And for it to be vegan AND gluten-free… yep new bestie! How are you bestie? Haha, cannot wait to make this!
Hi new bestie! I’m so glad to meet you!!
Did you know that I actually win all my friends over with food? It’s my secret weapon…so don’t tell anyone!
This zucchini bread is the best – you’re going to adore it, new bestie! Let me know what you think!! 🙂
is that CANNED of CARTON coconut milk?
if canned – is it just the thick part or is it the water + cream mixed together?
if carton – could it be replaced by almond milk?
thanks!
Hi Sophie,
It’s the carton coconut milk (I used Silk). You could definitely substitute almond milk in this recipe, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Would love to know if Bobs red mill gluten free flour works for this?? Tried a banana bread last week and it wasn’t really good.
Thanks! This looks yummy
Hi Steph,
I’ve only tried it with the Teff flour so I cant say with certainty how it will turn out with another flour blend. Bob’s red mill does make a Teff Flour though so you could probably just pick some up at your grocers. I think the teff flour adds a lot of depth to the flavour of this loaf so it wouldn’t be quite the same if you substituted. Let me know if you go ahead with the group blend though – I’d love to hear how it turns out!
This looks so amazing! I totally want to try it for dessert, with a giant scoop of coconut sorbet. Love your blog!
Thanks, Lucy! Your idea sounds just lovely 🙂 Love the name of your blog!
One more question.. Is the coconut milk the full fat version in a can or the refrigerated carton version? Very anxious to make this, just want to get it right 🙂
I used the refrigerated carton version for this recipe 🙂
Did you wring out the grated zucchini? Looks good Thanks
Hi Maria,
You don’t have to do anything special to the zucchini. I actually just grated mine right into the bowl on top of the dry ingredients. Hope this helps!
This is the best looking recipe I have seen all week Savanna! I can’t believe it uses all teff! I’ve yet to bake with teff, but you’ve inspired me.
Thanks, Alisa, you comment means so much! This is my second loaf with Teff flour and before these two recipes, I really had no idea what to do with it. So far, I’m loving it in sweet breads 🙂
Dark chocolate and zucchini?? Simply a perfect combo! zucchini bread is one of my favorites, and I’m eager to give this one a go when my plants begin to overflow!
That’s my plan too! Can’t wait until we can start harvesting our fresh veggies!
This looks SO rich! I love zucchini bread, so I have no problem with some green in my baking, but I would never be able to guess there was zucchini in there from looking!
The zucchini is like a ninja in this recipe – hidden in plain sight but visible by none 😉
Did you say dessert for breakfast? Yes please! This looks wonderful!
Thanks, Kelly! xoxo
Holy YUM!!!! This bread looks so delicious…we love pretty much anything with zucchini in it, and you really can’t get better than something gluten-free and dark chocolate. So excited to try this!
Thanks, girls! It came out much better than I was anticipating – don’t you just love when that happens? 🙂
I can’t get teff flour can I use a basic gf plain flour or a self raising flour? The recipe looks delicious, I really want to try it.
I’ve only tried it with the Teff flour so far, but I think it would work just fine with a basic gf blend. If you’re going to use a self-rising flour, definitely remove the xantham gum and you may wish to reduce the baking powder and baking soda amounts. Let me know how it turns out for you! 🙂
Savanna,
This bread looks positively decadent!
Iced peaches are my flavor memory from staying with my aunt as a kid–she’d put up peaches in sugar in the freezer when their tree was laden, and use them around the calendar, mostly thawed, on cereal or ice cream or wherever.
I remember visiting one summer and having a bowl of Cheerios or something topped with the best-tasting peaches I’d ever had. Thanks for reminding me of that flavor memory–I guess I was a foodie at a young age too.
Thanks, Kirsten.
I also adore the sweet memory that you shared from your own childhood – sugar peaches sound purely divine!!
Your dark chocolate zucchini bread looks like a brownie! I would love to serve this up for breakfast, but since I don’t make in the a.m. without massive amounts of caffeine, I don’t think it would make it until the morning if I made it the prior night. My family is always picking at “desserts” before I am even done with them. I could probably even fool my zucchini-detesting spouse with this gem. Thanks for sharing. Cheers!
Hi Holly,
Thanks for your sweet comment! It certainly does look like a giant brownie!! I hear you about the baking in the morning bit – I can’t even get out of bed before 10am most days, let alone fathom baking anything in time for breakfast. I love your idea of baking this the night before – it’s a great way to have breakfast ready the night before 🙂
I’m on board for chocolate for breakfast!
Atta girl! 🙂