This moist gluten free chocolate zucchini bread is a real treat! This super easy recipe is also paleo and vegan.
Even though I discovered sweet zucchini breads only a few months ago, they are now becoming one of my favorite desserts. And this double chocolate zucchini bread is at the top of my list!
Like I've said before, sweet zucchini breads are absolutely not common here in France. In our culture, zucchini breads are savory. Because sweet zucchini breads are pretty new here, it has now become a conversation topic in my family. My parents are now telling the whole village about those sweet zucchini breads that I am baking for them when I am around and people are very intrigued.
That's why I love to prank people with this double chocolate zucchini bread. A few months ago, I was invited over for dinner at some friends' and I knew that one of my friend doesn't like zucchini (don't worry I checked before that it was just a dislike not an allergy) so I was very happy to make him eat zucchini without him knowing it.
And he loved it, he had a second serve before knowing there was zucchini in it. Then we had a great laugh together. 😂 I also like to do this prank on kids who say they don't like vegetables.
But don't get me wrong, even though zucchini is one of the ingredients, this gluten free chocolate zucchini bread is still a treat. So don't eat tons of it.
Ingredient notes
- zucchini. You can either grate the zucchini or blend it with the other liquid ingredients. Whatever you choose, do not peel the zucchini before grating or blending (leave the skin on). And do not drain out, or squeeze out any of the liquid from the zucchini as you will need all the moisture from the zucchini to make the batter.
- almond flour : if you are intolerant to almonds, you can use tigernut flour instead. If you don't know what tigernut flour is and want to learn more about it you can read the complete guide to tigernut flour.
- dark chocolate chips : make sure to use compliant chocolate chips
- cacao powder : make sure to use unsweetened cacao powder
- arrowroot: it is a starch. You can replace it with tapioca flour/starch, both are paleo compliant. And if you are not on a paleo diet, you can either use corn starch or potato starch.
- extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil as you prefer.
How to make this zucchini bread (2 ways)
- In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (almond flour, arrowroot, baking soda and cacao powder).
- Rince zucchini under cold water and cut off the ends. Measure the amount needed and either grate it or blend it as instructed.
- If you choose to grate the zucchini: in a separate bowl, combine all the wet ingredients (maple syrup, oil, apple cider vinegar and grated zucchini). Stir.
- If you choose to blend the zucchini: cut the zucchini in pieces. Transfer zucchini pieces to a small blender along with the maple syrup, oil and apple cider vinegar.
- Blend until smooth.
- Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon until well combined.
- Add the chocolate chips, putting aside about a tablespoon to sprinkle on top of the batter once in the tin.
- Line or lightly oil a rectangular 4 x 8 inches (10 x 20 cm) baking tin and transfer the batter into the tin. Sprinkle the rest of chocolate chips.
- Bake for about 30 minutes. And voilà!
Can I make muffins instead of a loaf?
Yes you can make chocolate zucchini muffins instead of a loaf. In this case, cook them for about 20 minutes (or 25 minutes if your muffins are large).
Can I freeze this?
Yes you can freeze this chocolate zucchini bread. Wait for it to cool down completely before putting it in the freezer.
Other zucchini recipes
If you're facing an abundance of zucchini you can try my other zucchini recipes:
- you can this other sweet zucchini bread : Carob zucchini bread (Gluten free, AIP, paleo)
- my savoury zucchini bread: Zucchini and tuna bread (Coconut free, AIP, paleo)
- this other savoury zucchini baking recipe : Zucchini and pesto muffins (AIP, paleo, vegan)
- Cold vegan zucchini soup (AIP, paleo, whole30)
- Zucchini bake (AIP, paleo, whole30, vegan)
- Zucchini noodles with pesto (gluten free, paleo)
- Juicing with zucchini : zucchini and apple juice
Gluten free chocolate zucchini bread (Paleo, vegan)
Ingredients
- 200 g zucchini (grated or blended)
- 150 g almond flour (if you are intolerant to almonds, you can use tigernut flour instead)
- 150 g dark chocolate chips
- 60 g arrowroot (see notes for substitutions)
- 3 tablespoon cacao powder
- 4 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 360° F (180° C)
- In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (almond flour, arrow root, baking soda and cacao powder).
- Rince zucchini under cold water and cut off the ends. Measure the amount needed. Then you can either grate it or blend it.
- If you choose to grate the zucchini: in a separate bowl, combine all the wet ingredients (maple syrup, oil, apple cider vinegar and grated zucchini). Stir.
- If you choose to blend the zucchini: cut the zucchini in pieces. Transfer zucchini pieces to a small blender along with the maple syrup, oil and apple cider vinegar. Blend until smooth.
- Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon until well combined.
- Add the chocolate chips, putting aside about a tablespoon to sprinkle on top of the batter once in the tin.
- Line or lightly oil a rectangular 4 x 8 inches (10 x 20 cm) baking tin and transfer the batter into the tin. Sprinkle the rest of chocolate chips.
- Bake for about 30 minutes. And voilà! Wait for it to cool down before removing from the tin. Serve at room temperature.Bon appétit !
Notes
- If you are not cassava intolerant, you can use tapioca flour instead of arrowroot. Both are paleo compliant. If you are not on the paleo diet you can use potato or corn starch instead of arrowroot.
- Although I spend quite a lot of time converting all my recipes to cups (yes, manually, in my kitchen!) I highly recommend using a scale and measuring for weight rather than using cups. The reason for this is, apart from the whole debate on accuracy, the density of certain gluten free flours and starches differ a lot from one brand to another. Also keep in mind that all cups are not the same size all around the world which makes another good reason to use a scale so you won’t get this issue.
- Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is calculated using a nutrition facts calculator. It is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Lily Aaron
Hi I am allergic to nuts thus unable to use almond flour.However its hard to get tigernut flour at the area where I live, so is there any other flour I could substitute with?
gohealthywithbea
Bonjour Lily. If you are not grain free (on paleo or AIP diet), I guess you could use whole rice flour alone or with a little bit of buckwheat flour to add flavor. Although I haven't tried this particular recipe with those flours, that's what I use in my Vegan gluten free banana bread (AIP, paleo). If you are grain free on top of being nut free, I'm sorry I don't have other substitution suggestions as all other flours would demand a lot of other recipe adjustments. You can also order tigernut flour online.