This Healthy Zucchini Bread recipe features an unusual ingredient that makes it incredibly moist - quinoa! It's easy to make, is just barely sweetened and uses olive oil to pair with the flavour of dark chocolate for an incredible healthy chocolate zucchini bread.
Healthy chocolate zucchini bread with a twist!
My parent's neighbor went on a big trip earlier this summer and asked us to take care of her garden while they were away. As she left, she said, "Pick the zucchinis! Don't let them get too big!" Can I tell you guys a secret? I *like* letting the zucchinis get all freaky big.
I mean, don't get me wrong, picking a zucchini at a perfect medium size is the thing you want to if you want to make Baked Zucchini Fries or if you wanted to spiralize that bad boy and make a Warm Zucchini Noodle Salad. But those rogue zucchinis that become the size of small children before you notice them? Those are practically begging to be made into my favorite healthy chocolate zucchini bread.
You know what makes it healthy? First up, there's a ton of zucchini in there. But there's also a kind of unusual ingredient—we're going to stir a bunch of quinoa right into this healthy zucchini bread.
Quinoa? In chocolate zucchini bread?! Yup, we're going there. It adds moisture, protein, and a little je ne sais quoi to the recipe without making it taste weird and hippyish, if you know what I mean. And trust me, you'll never look back. This is a deep, dark, chocolate zucchini loaf with a little extra hippy love from quinoa and you're going to dig it.
Let's make chocolate zucchini bread together!
Friends, here's something important you should know about me: I'm an incredibly lazy baker. Don't get me wrong, I like to bake, and I respect the science of baking, but I don't like fussy and un-necessary extra steps. With that in mind, I've master-minded a one-bowl technique for making this healthy zucchini bread recipe. Let me show you.
Step 1: mix the wet + dry ingredients
In a large bowl mix the eggs, olive oil, vanilla extract, and brown sugar.
Place a mesh strainer over the bowl, and sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt directly over top of the wet ingredients.
I'm not really prone to sifting stuff most of the time (see: lazy baker) but when cocoa is in the mix I really must insist you do. That stuff is lump city.
Step 2: fold in the chunky stuff
Fold in the chunky stuff! We're talking zucchini, quinoa, and chocolate chunks.
But reserve some of the chocolate to sprinkle over the top of the loaf; it'll make you look fancy!
Step 3: bake your loaf
Line your loaf pan with parchment and spoon the batter in evenly. Add those reserved chocolate chunkies on top!
Bake your loaf! It'll take about an hour, so now is a good time to do the dishes, read a book, have a nap, or whatever you like.
I like the good old knife-inserted-in-the-middle-of-the-loaf technique to check for doneness. You may hit a chocolate chunk and get a smear of chocolate on your knife, and that's ok. What we're looking for is only a few crumbs of actual loaf clinging to the knife.
Enjoy your healthy zucchini loaf! I think it's great warm or at room temperature, and can never resist a slice when it's just out of the oven.
Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Bread with Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups grated zucchini
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup olive oil or other vegetable oil
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup cooked quinoa
- 1 cup all purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F / 180°C. Prepare a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine the eggs, brown sugar, olive oil, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.2 large eggs, ½ cup olive oil, ½ cup packed brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Place a sifter over the wet ingredients, and add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Sift over the wet ingredients, careful to eliminate any lumps from the cocoa powder.1 cup all purpose flour, ½ cup cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Stir to combine the wet and dry ingredients, careful to not over mix.
- Stir in grated zucchini, cooked quinoa, and ¾ cup of the chocolate chips, reserving some for topping.1 ½ cups grated zucchini, ½ cup cooked quinoa, 1 cup chocolate chips
- Distribute the batter into the prepared loaf tin, and scatter the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips on top.
- Bake for 50 - 60 min, rotating the pan half way though. A cake tester (toothpick, sharp knife) should come out mostly clean when the loaf is done, and the top should be firm.
- Remove the zucchini bread from the oven, and cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
- Leftover zucchini loaf can be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container for 3-5 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Nutrition values are an estimate only.
Nutrition
Denise says
Has anyone tried this with greek yogurt?
Sounds great, a def going to try recipe!
Nicole says
This is the best Chocolate Zucchini Loaf!!! A favourite for lunches and afternoon coffee time.
Tracey says
Super easy to make, very moist and great chocolate taste. Would like to try with GF flour.
Great recipe Katie, thanks!
Valerie Cholette says
Loooooove this recipe. Made it countless times this summer while zucchini from the garden was, how can I put it, overflowing. 😉 We like it so much I froze a ton of grated zucchini in 3/4 cup puck to use conveniently over the cold season. I am happy to report that my first experiment with thawed zucc (kept the water and all) and frozen cooked quinoa worked just fine.
I also like the versatility of the recipe. I made it with oats instead of quinoa: yum. I made a version without chocolate by replacing coco powder with same amount of AP flour and replacing chocolate chips with golden raisins: yum. In a nutshell: yum!
Paula says
Love, love, love this chocolate zucchini quinoa loaf!!! It’s sooooo good! Even hubby, who turns his nose up (usually) at ‘healthy baking’ absolutely loved it - only thing is the quinoa was kind of crunchy on the outside of the cake/loaf - the inside was fine. I’m wondering if this is normal or if I perhaps need to cook the quinoa more? The quinoa seems fine to eat as is ... I use it and cook it a lot and have a great electric rice cooker which takes all the guess work away. Thanks.
Paula says
Oh and I used organic spelt flour and no other flour and it worked like a charm!
Katie Trant says
Hey Paula, my loaf doesn't normally get crispy quinoa on the outside, but it could be to do with the type of pan I'm using? It's so hard to know without actually being in the kitchen with you. I'd guess cooking the quinoa a bit more might be helpful, as would lining the pan with parchment. Hope that helps!
RacheL says
Phenomenal and super easy to make! I already made three. The quinoa is a delicious a slightly crunchy addition. Perfection. Thanks!
Ashley says
This is lovely, not too sweet. I substituted 90% of the vegetable oil for apple sauce, and used 1.5 tbs of avocado oil alongside. Super moist, super yummy, super super healthy!
Katie Trant says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this one!
Christelle Pottinger says
Ok, today I felt brave and I baked it. I got 3 pairs of raised eyebrows when I mentioned the ingredients. Then the comments followed:
- ‘What are the crunchy bits in it?’
- ‘I hope you won’t be making this instead of the chocolate fondant!!!!’
Verdict - I am allowed to make it again without the quinoa (the crunchy bits) and only if I still make the chocolate fondant too.
So, my thoughts and questions are:
- did I do something wrong with the quinoa so some became hard(er)?
- what could I replace the quinoa for in order to keep some nutrients in it? Oats?
- could I turn this into a ‘healthier(ish) after school snack (I know I am obsessed)? I could bake it in muffin cases for individual portions.
Despite all the criticism from the household members I thought it was super tasty (I put 70% cocoa bits in it) and deliciously moist. They won’t kill my curiosity to try new and original recipes! Yeahhh!
Katie Trant says
Hey Christelle! Your comment made me laugh so hard ????Regarding the quinoa, you did use cooked quinoa, not raw, correct? I've always found that other than a few crunchy bits around the edge, it pretty much disappears into the loaf. You can try overcooking it a bit next time to see if it helps, or, leave it out. You could replace the quinoa with oats, but since the quinoa is cooked you may want to add a bit of extra liquid to accommodate for the dryness of the oats. This could certainly be made with wholegrain flour, and yes, you can bake it in muffin cases, or just freeze individual slices.
Anna says
I just made this revisor a few days ago using gluten-free flour (Lailas blue mix) and it turned out really well - both husband- and toddler approved! However, the olive oil taste came through a bit strong (could be my particular brand of olive oil), so yesterday I added about 5-6 small, grated apples (ca 2-3 medium-sized apples) + ca 1/4 cup more cocoa to the mix. The result was slightly sweeter, with a ”rounder”, more chocolatey aftertaste, very sense and moist (like a brownie). Super excellent recipe, and much healthier than my earlier choco-zucchini cake favorite.
Katie Trant says
Thanks for the gluten-free update! And yes, I find that olive oil can taste much more or less olivey from brand to brand. I really enjoy the flavour of olive oil with chocolate, but it's not for everyone, so perhaps you'd enjoy this more with a more neutral flavoured oil or melted butter instead. Adding apples is a great idea as well. I also have a chocolate olive oil zucchini cupcake recipe in the archives which is much sweeter than this one, but again with the olive oil!
Sandra Lea says
Made this yesterday and it is so good and very dangerous because I'm trying to convince myself that it is healthy so I'm definitely eating more than I should.
Katie Trant says
It's healthy-ish, Sandra! But don't let that stop you from enjoying it to the max 🙂
Anne titcomb says
Hi Katie: Wyatt and Sarah are up for the weekend - the chocolate quinoa loaf was all thumbs up!!! As I got the zucchini from my garden I am going to make a few loaves and put them in the freezer - of course I need to ask your mum if I can borrow her loaf pan again - ha ha! I will need to buy one because of this recipe!!!
Katie Trant says
Glad to hear it, Anne! It's such a great use of garden zucchini, and the loaf freezes really well. Definitely go out and get yourself another loaf pan!
Abi fox says
Can this recipe be used with brown rice flour or other gluten free alternative?
I've recently discovered your website and there's so many amazing recipes, thank you!!
Katie Trant says
I've never tried it with a gluten-free flour so can't say with any confidence how it would work out. If you were to try it out I'd recommend a gluten-free blend intended to replace all purpose flour. Let us know how it turns out!
Kit M. says
Mmmmm! Thanks! I love to find quinoa recipes that use the whole quinoa instead of flour. The flour is pricey and more processed.
I cooked the quinoa with 2x water as you suggested, and it still has some crunchy bits on the sides. I don't know if it will last to soften overnight! The batter was amazing tasting, too. The quantity of batter was impressive and I had to move to a bigger bowl than usual, but the loaves turned out medium sized.
I didn't have chocolate chips, and they would have been good.
I have loads of zucchini, and used 4 cups instead of 3, and that worked fine.
I also doubled the salt, and like it. I wonder how Sucanat or another natural sweetener would work.
My food process grated the zucchini into 2 inch long strands, but it still came out fine.
What a wonderful, versatile recipe!
themuffinmyth says
I think some crunchy quinoa on the sides is unavoidable due to the heat of baking. I'm not sure about natural sweeteners because I haven't tried any with this recipe, but if you try it out please let us know how it goes!
Sarah says
I cooked the quinoa in the machine, and then grated the zucchini in it, then mixed the mixture together in it! It's fab!
Sarah says
FYI to get 3 cups of grated zucchini you need ~ 3 average sized zucchinis or ~630g. I'm adapting this recipe for a thermomix, I'll let you know how it turns out!
Sarah says
Beautiful! Have been looking for a way to get healthy grains and greens into my 3 yr old and I've found it! I've already eaten 3 and they've only been out of the oven 10 minutes! Thanks!
themuffinmyth says
I just had to google thermomix - that machine looks crazy! Do you cook the loaf in it, or is it just for prep? Glad you like it, it's one of my favourite recipes!
loaf tester says
We followed the the recipe but it was so dry. It totally didn't turn out. Wonder what we did wrong.
themuffinmyth says
Bummer! It's always turned out really well for me. There's no way of knowing what went wrong without me being in the kitchen with you. I hope you'll try it again!
Jessica Langelaan says
Trying this one for the first time, fingers crossed that it turns out!
themuffinmyth says
And did it?
Jessica Langelaan says
Yup...although I left out the quinoa. Trying tonight with the quinoa.
themuffinmyth says
The quinoa is half the point! Let me know how they turn out with the quinoa included.
Allison says
Just made this one for the 2nd time. YUM! Can't wait till it comes out of the oven!
themuffinmyth says
Yay! It's a good one, esp with all the big zucchini that still seem to be around at this time of year.
Cammy says
Just bought 3 big fat zucchinnis for one dollar! Now for the chocolate...
Tara says
Me too! I LOVE this blog Katie...so glad you posted it on FB. I have really missed your recipes...
Tara (strawberrygirl)
Allison says
i can't wait to make this.
Maude says
Is it 1 1/2 cups of grated zucchini or 1/2 cup?
And 1 or 2 large eggs????
Ingrédients and Instructions units for the zucchini and eggs are not the same.. thank you!!
Katie Trant says
Whoops, sorry! The ingredients list is correct. I edited the instructions today to include quantities because I think that helps people who are looking at recipes on their phones, but I must have done it in too much of a hurry. Thanks for the keen eye!