Sourdough Chocolate Zucchini Bread
This sourdough chocolate zucchini bread is rich, chocolatey, and wonderfully moist, making it a delicious way to use up fresh zucchini from the garden. Made with simple ingredients and sourdough discard, this easy quick bread is perfect for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or a sweet homemade dessert. If you love baking with fresh zucchini, be sure to try my sourdough discard zucchini bread or sourdough lemon poppyseed zucchini bread for two more delicious variations. And if you can't get enough chocolate, my double chocolate sourdough bread is another recipe worth adding to your baking list!
Quick Look: Sourdough Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: 1 hour
- 🕒 Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 10
- 📊 Calories: ~516 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cook Method: Oven-baked in loaf pan
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: Sweet and slightly tangy with rich chocolate flavor, moist zucchini, and a tender, soft crumb.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy – beginner-friendly, simple mixing and baking.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- A delicious way to use garden zucchini. When the garden is overflowing with zucchini, this chocolate zucchini bread is a delicious way to turn your harvest into a homemade treat.
- Rich chocolate flavor. Cocoa and chocolate make this a delicious twist on traditional zucchini bread.
- A great way to use sourdough discard. Put leftover sourdough starter to good use in this rich, chocolatey quick bread. If you're new to sourdough baking, learn how to make your own with my easy sourdough starter recipe.
- Moist and tender. Freshly grated zucchini adds moisture to the loaf, creating a soft texture that pairs perfectly with chocolate.
- Easy to make ahead. Bake a loaf to enjoy throughout the week or freeze extra slices for a quick breakfast, snack, or dessert.
- Delicious served with homemade butter. Enjoy a warm slice fresh from the oven with a spread of butter. If you've never made your own, learn how to make butter from raw milk for an extra-special homemade treat.
Ingredients
For a full list of ingredients needed to make this recipe, see the recipe card below.
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How to Make This Sourdough Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe
Tips For Making Sourdough Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Use a healthy sourdough starter. Active starter or sourdough discard works well in this recipe.
- Don't overmix the batter. Mix just until the ingredients are combined to keep the bread tender.
- Check for doneness. Every oven is different, and this bread may take longer than an hour to bake. Insert a knife into the center to check.
- Make muffins instead. Bake the batter in a lined muffin tin at 350°F for about 25 minutes.
- Add chocolate chips. Stir in chocolate chips for extra chocolate flavor.
- Plan ahead for fermentation. If you want to ferment the batter overnight, use a method appropriate for the ingredients and fermentation time rather than assuming an extended room-temperature rest is suitable for every batter.
- Freeze extras. Store cooled bread in the freezer for an easy breakfast, snack, or dessert later.
Sourdough Chocolate Zucchini Bread FAQs
Yes! Sourdough discard works great in this chocolate zucchini bread recipe. There is no need to feed your starter first.
No, there is no need to peel the zucchini. Simply wash it, shred it, and add it to the batter.
If your zucchini is especially watery, gently squeeze out some excess moisture. This helps prevent the bread from becoming too wet or taking longer to bake.
Yes! Divide the batter between lined muffin cups and bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
You can prepare sourdough baked goods ahead of time, but because this batter contains eggs and chemical leaveners, an overnight room-temperature ferment is not recommended. For a longer fermentation, use a tested method that accounts for food safety and leavening.
Zucchini moisture, loaf pan size, and oven temperature can all affect baking time. Continue baking until the center is fully set, checking periodically. If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover it with foil.
Allow the bread to cool completely, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–5 days.
Yes! Let the loaf cool completely, wrap it tightly, and freeze it whole or in individual slices. Thaw at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
Yes! Applesauce can replace the oil in this recipe. It may change the texture slightly, but it is a convenient alternative if you prefer not to use oil.
Insert a toothpick or thin knife into the center. It should come out without wet batter. Melted chocolate chips may leave some chocolate on the tester, so check a spot away from a chocolate chip if needed.
Other Delicious Recipes Like This
If you try this recipe and love it, please come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @wagonwheelhomestead21. I can’t wait to see what all you make!
Sourdough Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer or a large mixing bowl My absolute favorite stand mixer is a bosch mixer. Get an extra $20 off when ordering from nutrimill.com/wagonwheel.
- 1 Cookie Paddles I recommend using the Bosch mixer with the cookie paddles and metal top for this quick bread. The cake paddles are also worth having since I use both regularly. If you don't have a stand mixer, a hand mixer or large wooden spoon works just as well.
- 1 Loaf Pan I love my enamel cast iron bread pan from Nutrimill, but if I make more than one loaf, than I often use my regular bread pans as well.
- 1 Muffin tin, optional I love using a 24-cup muffin tin to bake lots of muffins at once. If you don't have one, place paper liners inside narrow-mouth canning rings on a parchment-lined baking sheet to keep them upright while baking.
- 1 Muffin liners this saves on dishes and you won’t have to grease your muffin tin
- 1 measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup oil
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- 1 cup sourdough discard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 3 cups flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, mix together all the wet ingredients. Eggs, oil or applesauce, sugar, vanilla extract, sourdough starter, cinnamon, shredded zucchini and salt.
- Then add all the dry ingredients. Flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix just until combined.
- Add in the optional chocolate chips if desired.
- *If you want this recipe to have long fermented digestive and health benefits, you can leave it out on the counter for up to twelve hours or overnight.
To make sourdough zucchini bread:
- Grease and flour the pan by spreading some butter or some kind of fat in the pan. Add a little bit of flour and shake it around until the inside of the pan is completely coated. You could also line the pan with parchment paper.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees in a preheated oven for 1 hour or until knife inserted in the center of your bread comes out clean. I often end up baking this bread for closer to 1 hour and 25 minutes. Every oven will vary slightly.
To make sourdough zucchini muffins:
- Line each muffin cup with a paper liner. Use an ice cream scoop to spoon the batter into each muffin cup.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- For best results, allow to cool completely on a wire rack before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Serve with fresh butter or cream cheese.
- Best if eaten within 3-5 days, or store in the freezer for an easy breakfast or dessert later on. To thaw, allow to sit out for a few hours at room temperature.
- If you try this recipe and love it, please come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @wagonwheelhomestead21. I can’t wait to see what all you make!
Notes
- Mix the batter the night before for a longer fermentation, if using a tested method that allows safe storage.
- Use sourdough discard or active sourdough starter.
- Try organic cane sugar as an alternative sweetener.
- Use oil, melted butter, beef tallow, or coconut oil. Substitute applesauce for an oil-free option.
- Add extra chocolate chips for an even richer, gooier bread.
This recipe looks delicious, can't wait to try it!