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The Best One-Bowl Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread

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This one-bowl chocolate zucchini banana bread is incredibly moist, fudgy, and packed with chocolate flavor. It’s the perfect way to use up overripe bananas and zucchini, and it comes together with minimal cleanup.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ¾ cups (210g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (50g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 medium ripe bananas (about 1 ½ cups mashed)
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup (80ml) vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups shredded zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini), squeezed dry
  • 1 cup (175g) semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the two long sides. Lightly grease the exposed sides with cooking spray or butter.
  2. Wash your zucchini and trim off the ends. Shred it using the large holes of a box grater. Place the shreds in the center of a clean kitchen towel or several layers of paper towels. Gather the corners and twist firmly over the sink to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. You should end up with about 1 cup of squeezed zucchini. Set aside.
  3. In your large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until mostly smooth with a few small lumps remaining.
  4. To the mashed bananas, add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk everything together until smooth and well combined.
  5. Sift the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt directly into the bowl with the wet ingredients.
  6. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. A few streaks of flour are okay—overmixing will make the bread tough.
  7. Add the squeezed zucchini and chocolate chips to the batter. Fold gently until evenly distributed. The batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.
  8. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it evenly. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top if desired.
  9. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs (not wet batter). The top should be domed and spring back when lightly pressed. If the top is browning too quickly after 40 minutes, tent loosely with aluminum foil.
  10. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then use the parchment overhang to lift it out and transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing—about 1-2 hours.

Notes

Don’t skip squeezing the zucchini—this is crucial to avoid a soggy bread. Room temperature ingredients matter for proper emulsification. Measure flour correctly by spooning and leveling. Use the toothpick test correctly: a few moist crumbs should cling to it, not clean. Let the bread cool completely before slicing to avoid a gummy texture. This bread tastes even better the next day as flavors meld.

Nutrition

Keywords: chocolate zucchini bread, banana bread, one bowl, quick bread, easy recipe, moist chocolate bread, zucchini banana bread

Find it online: https://bakebeam.com/the-best-one-bowl-chocolate-zucchini-banana-bread/