Chocolate Chip Zucchini Pecan Bread.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Pecan Bread — a no-fuss, whole-grain loaf that’s soft, fluffy, and perfectly sweet. What makes it extra special? Clusters of cinnamon pecans baked right on top. It’s an easy one-bowl recipe, and the perfect treat to enjoy any time of day.

I’m so excited to finally share this bread with you all! I’ve been testing the recipe on and off for the past couple of weeks, and I finally got it just right—just in time for zucchini season too!

I know it’s still early, but as we start to feel that shift toward summer, I’ve been so inspired by warm-weather ingredients. Lately, I’ve been using lots of fresh greens, tomatoes, and sweet berries. These light spring days have me dreaming of all the summer produce to come!

This muffin-style bread actually came from a suggestion by my cousin Maggie. She mentioned a pecan muffin with zucchini mixed in, and I loved the idea. I’d never thought to add nuts to my zucchini bread before, but pecans just made sense—and they really take this loaf to the next level.

The base is inspired by my blueberry muffin bread (which we all love!). We’re swapping the blueberries for shredded zucchini, chopped pecans, and of course, some melty chocolate chips.

It’s a simple combination, but it works so well. The loaf bakes up perfectly soft and moist throughout, with just the right amount of sweetness. I cut back on the sugar slightly, but feel free to add more if you like your quick breads a little sweeter.

These are the details

Ingredients

• Zucchini
• salted butter
• brown sugar
• plain Greek yogurt
• eggs
• vanilla extract
• whole wheat or all-purpose flour – I like to use whole wheat pastry flour
• baking powder
• salt
• chocolate chips

Ingredients for the pecan CRUNCH

• pecans
• brown sugar
• whole wheat or all-purpose flour
• cinnamon
• salted butter

Steps

Step 1: grate the zucchini

The key to baking with zucchini is to squeeze out the extra moisture. Please do not skip this step!

Lay the shredded zucchini on a kitchen towel. Ring it out as best you can to squeeze the water out of the zucchini.

Step 2: make the batter

Start with melted butter. I don’t have a microwave, so I melt the butter on the stove to get it to a lightly browned stage.

Then add the butter to a bowl and whisk in the yogurt, eggs, and vanilla extract.

Now mix in the shredded zucchini.

Next, add the dry ingredients. I love to use whole wheat pastry flour, but all-purpose flour works great too. Or use a gluten-free blend if needed.

Step 3: the chocolate chips

At first, I was using chocolate chunks, which is totally fine! But after a few trials, I found that chocolate chips worked into the batter much nicer.

I use semi-sweet chocolate chips. Nothing fancy!

Step 4: the pecan crunch on top

The pecan crunch topping consists of chopped pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and butter mixed together until clumps form.

Arrange the clumps over the top of the batter.

At this point, it’s time to bake. This will take about an hour in the oven, which I know is a while. But I promise, the wait will be worth it!

Step 5: serve

You can enjoy this bread warm or cool, though it’s hard to resist slicing into it while it’s still warm—I usually do! I love adding a pat of European-style organic butter and a sprinkle of sea salt flakes.

It’s my current favorite snack to enjoy! You can take the leftover slices of bread and lightly toast them, then add butter and salt. Just scrumptious!

It’s a wonderful treat!

Looking for other baking recipes? Here are my favorites:

Chocolate Chip Espresso Yogurt Cake

5 Minute Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread Mug Cake

Maple Banana Bread with Cinnamon Spice Butter

Vanilla Chai Hot Chocolate

Lemon Chai Cake

Earl Grey Blueberry Lemon Cake

Lemon Key Lime Pie Bars

Lemon Strawberry Dutch Baby with Ricotta Cream

Tahini Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Lastly, if you make this Chocolate Chip Zucchini Pecan Bread, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Pecan Bread

4.37 from 11 votes

1 loaf (about 8 servings)

by Tieghan Gerard

calories 449kcal

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Prep20 minutes mins

Cook1 hour hr

Total1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

A soft, moist bread made with melty chocolate and clusters of cinnamon pecans. Perfect for summer baking!

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 medium zucchini, grated , (about 1 cup grated)
• ▢ 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, melted
• ▢ 1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1/4 cup maple syrup
• ▢ 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• ▢ 3 eggs
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups whole wheat or all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1-2 cups chocolate chips

Pecan Crunch

• ▢ 1 cup raw pecans, chopped
• ▢ 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted

Instructions 

• 1. Lay a clean towel on the counter. Spread the shredded zucchini out onto the center of the towel, then squeeze out any excess water. 

  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×5 inch bread pan with parchment paper.

  3. In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, maple, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the shredded zucchini. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until fully combined. Add the chocolate chips.

  4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

  5. To make the crunch. Mix the pecans, butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Arrange the clumps over the batter. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until the center is just set.

  6. Remove, slice, and enjoy with butter and flaked sea salt.

Nutrition

Calories: 449kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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