Name: Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 1/3 cup olive oil; 1/3 cup honey; 2 eggs; 1/2 cup almond milk; 1 1/3 cups grated zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini); 1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2/3 cups chocolate chips + more for top of the bread

Confession: I’ve only had zucchini bread a handful of time. No clue why! I love the idea of it and the taste of it. I mean, a sweet bread that also has some veggies packed in? Count me in.

This Zucchini Bread is interesting. On the one hand, it’s super sweet and almost similar to banana bread (functionality wise).

On the other hand though, it’s also really wholesome and packed with nutrient dense foods, like whole wheat flour, olive oil and, of course, zucchini.

And you know what? That’s all totally okay. Food doesn’t need to fit perfectly into boxes. I kinda love that zucchini bread works as a sweet snack, a wholesome dessert, or anything and everything in between.

So, is eating something with zucchini in it for dessert “diet culture?” It depends.

If you’re choosing to eat this for dessert because it feels safe or because it’s made with things like whole wheat flour and zucchini, then yes, that would be diet culture.

Similarly, if you’re nervous to eat other dessert that contain regular flour, sugar and butter, then that may fall under diet culture too.

If either of those apply, I’d encourage you to skip this recipe. Try something else, like this Banana Bread, that has real white sugar and flour and doesn’t necessarily feel as safe.

But, on the other hand, if you love the taste of this zucchini bread and also just appreciate the added nutrients it provides, then go for it! As long as you’re not eating it instead of other desserts, diet culture doesn’t own baked goods with veggies in them.

Personally, I love adding zucchini to this because of the delicious moisture it adds, as well as the nutrient boost! Zucchini is in season in the spring and I’ll just be honest with you: it’s not my favorite veggie.

But, adding zucchini to this loaf is a fun way to add some zucchini – and things like vitamin C to my diet – in a super delicious way.

And trust me, this is really, really delicious.

The first time I made this I used milk chocolate chips. After that, I’ve used semisweet. Don’t be fooled by its ingredient list – this recipe is sweet even without the chocolate chips! Either one will work.

Mix wet & dry ingredients

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan. In a large bowl, add the olive oil, honey, eggs and almond milk. Whisk well to combine. See below for 1:1 swaps!

Using a paper towel or a kitchen towel, squeeze excess water out of grated zucchini and add it to the bowl. In a separate bowl, add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix well.

Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix to combine, avoiding over mixing. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour into loaf pan

Pour the batter into a loaf pan.

Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top and place into your preheated oven and bake for about 45-55 minutes.

Bake

Use a knife and insert it into the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean, it’s ready!

Slice & Serve

Let it cool and cut into 8-10 slices.

Notes

Olive oil: I used regular olive oil here. Extra virgin will also work. You can also use coconut oil – it may change the flavor slightly and add a bit of coconut flavor (not a bad thing!). If using coconut oil, make sure the oil is melted and liquid consistency.
Honey: Swap maple syrup 1:1 for honey. Maple syrup will yield a slightly sweeter bread.
Eggs: To make this recipe vegan, swap eggs for flax eggs.
Almond milk: I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk. You can use plain almond milk, any other dairy-free milk alternative or cow’s milk, too.
Zucchini: Grate your zucchini using a box grater or a food processor. I prefer a food processor because it’s faster! Just make sure to grind the zucchini really well so it’s close to a shredded consistency. Remove any larger pieces. Once the zucchini is finely grated, make sure to squeeze as much water out as you can – this will help with the texture and help the bread to stay together.
Whole wheat flour: If you have it, you can also use white whole wheat flour. If using white flour, you may need to add more flour, as whole wheat flour is denser and requires less flour.

Course: Dessert, Snack