Zucchini bread gets better than chocolate vegan zucchini bread! Easy to make, no need to grate the zukes! Vegan, nut-free, and oil-free.
FAQ: “Dreena, do you have a vegan zucchini bread recipe?“
I was asked this question for years – and for years meant to get cracking on a recipe!
In Eat, Drink & Be Vegan, I did have a healthy muffin recipe with grated zucchini. Still, it didn’t feel like it contained enough zucchini for me to categorize it as zucchini bread.
So, it was time.
The zucchini bread is here.
And even better…
It’s a chocolate vegan zucchini bread! Hey-O!
Even better than that?
You don’t have to grate the zucchini!
Hoo-ahh, I love a kitchen shortcut!
Actually, I think the reason it took me so long to get to this recipe was that step: the grating.
Seems ridiculous. I mean, zucchini grates very easily. Much easier than, say grating carrot.
But something about grating is a nuisance. It’s grating. Har.
Am I alone here? I don’t think so.
And, don’t worry, there aren’t any chunks of zucchini in this bread. 😷
OH no. The zucchini virtually “disappears” in this delicious bread.
You pop the zukes with all the wet ingredients into a and presto!
The chocolate disguises the zucchini in this recipe!
You know, for people that may look at it and say “what are those green flecks”?
You have them in your life. We all do! Maybe it’s you. 😉
That’s the tale of my chocolate vegan zucchini bread. And I hope you love the recipe, guys. Do let me know.
x Dreena
Chocolate Vegan Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour less 3-4 tbsp (see note)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 cups thickly sliced zucchini
- 1 cup sliced ripe/overripe bananas
- 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup hemp seeds
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup non-dairy chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a loaf pan by spraying/wiping with a touch of oil, and lining with a strip of parchment paper (for easy removal after cooling).
- In a large bowl, add dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir through until well combined.
- Add zucchini, bananas, maple syrup and hemp seeds (if using) to a blender. Puree until smooth (this takes just a minute in a high speed blender, a regular blender will take longer). Once well pureed, add water and vanilla and blend again.
- Add wet mixture to dry and stir through until just well combined, and add chocolate chips if using. Transfer mixture to loaf pan.
- Bake for 50 minutes, or until set in the center (test with a toothpick if unsure). Remove and let cool in the pan on a cooling rack. Once cool, remove loaf and cut into slices.
Notes
This post was originally published August 2018 and has been updated with a recipe modification for 2020.
Kay says
Hi Dreena, Can I turn this recipe into pancakes or fritters, cupcakes or in mini bundt pans? If so, how long do I bake in the bundt pans and cupcakes?
Patricia Jenkins says
Made these today – delicious and so easy!
1) I didn’t have hemp seeds so I used raw cashews.
2) Also, since I only had non-alkalized cocoa, I took out the 2 teaspoons of baking powder and added 1/2 that amount of baking soda (for a total of one & 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda).
3) I also added 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.
I loved the use of a blender instead of having to grate! Do you think that would work with other recipes? Thx!
Melanie Drescher says
We love this recipe made as breakfast muffins. I’ve made this recipe for 3+years, it was one of the first recipes I found for muffins once we changed to WFPBNO way of eating. I love not having to grate zucchini, your recipe is so easy to make and the chocolate flavor is decadent! Thank you for this wonderful recipe, I make often as muffins.
Dreena says
Thank you again, Melanie. I’m so happy you found my site. Thank you for sharing your happy recipe reports!
Stacey says
Hi Dreena,
This recipe looks so good. I’d like to add chopped walnuts to have that nutty texture that I love in quick breads. I sees that hemp seeds are blended into the wet batter. At first I was thinking g that I’d leave out the hemp seeds because I’d be adding chopped walnuts by hand mixing into the batter at the end. This would be to have not too much fat in the recipe. But then I thought maybe the blended hemp seeds in the wet batter is necessary for the batter to have that fat blended in?
Can you advise on what I should do if I want to add chopped walnuts in regard to subbing them for the hemp seeds?
Brenda says
I really enjoyed this recipe. It is very moist and yummy. The last time I made it I added orange zest from 1 orange and really liked the subtle orange flavor with the chocolate. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Dreena says
Thank you Brenda, so happy you enjoyed it. I imagine that orange essence was beautiful!