Sweet, chocolatey, and delicious with less than half the carbs a traditional zucchini bread contains. Upgrade your chocolate zucchini bread to this healthy low-carb version.

I love summer and everything that comes with it, especially all the fresh zucchini coming out of the garden.

With health challenges I’ve dealt with in the past, I decided to try a few low-carb recipes to see if it would lessen some of the symptoms I was experiencing.

The problem with this…

I’m a carb lover!

Breads and sweets are my favorite. No surprise for anyone who has taken a look around Kitchen Cents (the majority of my recipes I have shared are sweets or carb-heavy).

For any carb-lover, lowering your carb intake or going no carb is so hard! I hear ya!!!

Thankfully I love trying new things (that still taste great). This bread is one of them. Less carbs but all the yummy flavor still baked right in. Can I get a woot, WOOT!

With all the summer zucchini available this healthier zucchini bread is a must try before the summer is over. For us, it’s a family favorite and tradition when the zucchini comes on.

HOW TO MAKE LOW-CARB ZUCCHINI BREAD:

Substitution was key in developing this recipe!

This healthier chocolate zucchini bread was the result of my efforts with substituting through trial and error. It’s filled with fresh zucchini, chocolate cocoa powder for a rich chocolate flavor, and far fewer carbs than the traditional zucchini bread.

Like most quick breads (no yeast), you need dry ingredients, leavening agent, moisture and fat. All of these things have the traditional versions (i.e. flour, eggs, milk, butter). When you need to lessen the carbs, sugar, fat etc. there’s almost always a substitute that you can use to achieve it.

Here are a few things I switched to help this recipe stay delicious while lowering the carb count.

• Flour –> almond flour and cocoa powder. Did you know?… Cocoa powder will act like flour in recipes like this. You can substitute a small amount of cocoa powder in place of flour.
• Sugar –> zero-calorie sweetener
• Oil/fat –> applesauce (this also adds natural sweetness).

I replaced about half of the flour with almond meal and sweetened the bread with a zero-calorie (no carb) sweetener and homemade applesauce (unsweetened).

I also used cocoa powder to add the chocolatey twist. If you are a chocolate lover, feel free to add a cup of sugar-free chocolate chips to this bread. It adds a richness that’s divine!

DO YOU HAVE LEFTOVER FRESH ZUCCHINI?

Don’t let your leftover or abundance of fresh zucchini go to waste.

Did you know you can freeze zucchini and use it later in the year when zucchini is harder to come by? Seriously, you can!

To freeze zucchini, shred it with a box grater. I have a box grater I like to use like this one (you can purchase your own on Amazon here).

I pad it with paper towels to remove some of the extra moisture that may have come out then place 1-3 cups of shredded zucchini in plastic freezer bags. Date the bags with today’s date then pop them in the freezer. Your frozen shredded zucchini will stay good for 3-6 months.

When you’re ready to use it, thaw and drain then add to your recipe.

IF YOU LIKE THIS LOW-CARB RECIPE YOU MAY ALSO LIKE THESE:

• Keto-Friendly Parmesan Zucchini and Brussels Sprouts – perfect for summer zucchini
• Healthy Banana Nut Bread – dairy-free, no sugar added, fewer carbs than traditional banana bread
• Easy Salmon Appetizer – low-carb, delicious as a snack or light lunch
• 5-Minute Healthy Dill Dip – easy to make and great with fish or veggies
• Easy Sugar-Free Lemonade – 3 ingredients and keto-friendly

DO YOU GROW YOUR OWN ZUCCHINI? HOW DO YOU LIKE TO USE IT?

Here’s the full printable recipe for this low-carb chocolate zucchini bread. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.