This paleo chocolate zucchini bread has the added nutrition of hemp hearts hiding within!! And because this bread is easily done all inside your blender or food processor….no one will ever know that zucchini and hemp are hiding in this tender, chocolaty bread!
Read: kids won’t know it’s good for them!!
A perfect healthy zucchini recipe that can also be made lower carb!
Born of a desire to use a decent amount of hemp hearts….I took to a favorite recipe from Flippin Delicious that I had already successfully modified for ease and personal preference. I just kept the modify theme going to create this utterly perfect, nutritious, and moist loaf.
Sometimes first tries work…and in this case, it was ‘hit it out of the park’ success!
I prepared the whole thing in my awesome food processor bowl (but have since migrated to my trusty and much beloved BlendTec) to make it quick and easy. No need to grate zucchini that way, and therefore no kids making complaints about green flecks in their food (I can’t be the only one, right)?!
And if you want a quicker cook time, just make these as muffins instead of a loaf! Certainly much easier to pack for lunches and an on the go nutrient-dense snack this way!
Either way, this nourishing paleo chocolate zucchini bread is sure to be a crowd pleaser! In my house, this recipe is regularly asked for….and regularly given!!!
Special ingredients for paleo chocolate zucchini bread:
- Hemp Hearts – These are a super nutritious little seed!! I like to get them in wherever I can. Great in baking, salads, and smoothies. Costco carries them, but I place my order via Subscribe an Save on Amazon.
- Almond Flour – A great flour to have on hand for Paleo and low carb baking.
- Cassava Flour – THE most versatile grain free, AIP friendly flour out there!! I use it all the time now, it’s a breeze to work with and has a a very neutral flavor like regular flour! Additionally, it is one the few grain free flours that can be used all it’s own too!
Like zucchini? Here are some more recipes you could try!
- Zucchini Bread – Gluten Free & Vegan
- Rice & Zucchini Casserole
- Zucchini Quinoa Casserole @ Wendy Pelosi
- Chocolate Zucchini Bread @ Thriving on Paleo
Here are some additional recipes using hemp hearts that you could try!!
- Low Carb Chewy Pizza Crust
- Pumpkin Spice Gluten Free Granola
- Raw Brazil Nut Lime Hemp Bars
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Oat Hemp Muffins
- Whole 30 Ranch Dressing
Paleo Chocolate Zucchini Bread w/ Hemp Recipe:
Make this today to have a nutrient dense food your kids will devour for after school snack! If you enjoy the recipe, please don’t forget to come back and comment and leave a rating!
Paleo Chocolate Hemp Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
Wet:
- 2
8"
zucchinis Cut into small chunks, diameter of apx a quarter (about 300g) - 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup palm sugar may also use your favorite low carb sweetener
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry:
- 3/4 cup almond flour apx 90g
- 1/2 cup hemp hearts or more almond flour
- 1/2 cup cassava flour apx 65g, tapioca flour will work too
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup coconut flour apx 30g
- 2 teaspoons baking powder grain free
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a loaf pan or 12 muffin pan plus 4 extra, I used parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a food processor or high powered blender, blend the wet ingredients: zucchini, oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
- Add in the dry ingredients: almond flour, hemp hearts, tapioca/cassava, cocoa powder and blend until smooth (I whirred until the hemp disappeared for my picky kids).
- Add in the baking powder, baking soda, , and salt and pulse to blend thoroughly. Here you want to take stock...the batter should be a typical muffin/quick-bread consistency. Add a bit more of any of the flours if you need to. (I let coconut flour rest for a couple of minutes to soak up all it wants to first)
- Fill up your prepared pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45-55 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. If you opted for the muffin route, 18-22 minutes, and yields about 16 muffins
Nutrition
I made these today and they came out really well! Everyone loved them!
Awesome Tri, really appreciate you coming back to let me know!
Yum! My kids couldn’t detect the hidden veg or “hippie flours” (as my husband calls them). I added chocolate chips. My only complaint is that it was a bit dry and grainy. I wonder if a banana or applesauce would give it a bit more moisture? Maybe more coconut oil? or egg? Also, I used hemp flour instead of hearts. Not sure what the difference is…
It should not be dry at all…they are quite moist. So either your coconut flour is more thirsty than the ones I have used, or they were baked a tad too long (oven temps do vary sometimes). You bought hemp flour? Or did you grind up your own hemp hearts? I have not worked with hemp flour…but would think it is just hemp hearts ground up?
Smells great! Tastes okay, not impressed. The cake crumbles apart before I could get it into my mouth. But I didn’t have almond flour so I used oat flour instead. Maybe that’s why? Will not be making this again.
Hi Jennifer! Almond flour and oat flour behave VERY differently, and oat absorbs far more liquid than almond…so I am sure that is why it crumbled.
I’m craving this! Any idea the carb count using a keto sweetener like lakanto gold?
Carbs drop to 15, sugar to 4
If you need it lower, sub out cassava flour with may 1/4 cup more almond and 3-4T coconut
This looks so good! Do you think it would work with an egg substitute?
Hi Kelly! A reader,Nikki, in a below comment says she’s uses 1/4 cup flax to replace eggs and loves it! I haven’t experimented with a egg free version yet myself…..
OK. Thanks for the kind reply!
There is something so tempting about a loaf of chocolate bread on the counter, already sliced!!! These photos! Just some butter, and I’m set to go!
Do you chop the zucchini in small pieces before blending?
Hi Hope! Just 2-4” chunks!
Making these today, one of my kid is loving these muffins.
Great blog additions: the print and and jump to recipe, and the nutrition facts too!
Mmmm this looks great! Love the addition of hemp! Great flavor and such a nutritional powerhouse!
I love chocolate zucchini bread. So moist and delicious !
Wow this bread looks amazing! Can’t wait to try!
YUM! This looks absolutely amazing. Pinning for later.
I’m always in need of something chocolate, and this bread is so decadent, it looks incredible!
Zucchini naything is the best. Pinned this and will be making soon!
I love how much plant protein is hiding out in here! Hemp seeds are such a nutritious and delicious food. I bet their pair beautifully with the grain-free flour blend in here. I am eager for summer and the return of SO much zucchini. This is going into rotation for sure, looks dreamy xx
I have some hemp hearts in the fridge that I’ve been trying to use up – definitely going to make this bread – looks delish!
Can’t say no to chocolate bread, especially with the zucchini snuck in there! Looks amazing.
LOVE ,LOVE, LOVE this bread. I make it all the time. I replace the eggs with 1/4 cup of flax to make it vegan friendly. I only add a splash of water if it needs it. So fudgy and rich! Yum yum yum. Now I want to go make it again! ??
OOO, egg free too??!! Awesome!! So glad you love it as much as my family does too Nikki!!
Just made this! So easy and delish! Noone could tell that there are 2 zucchinis are in the batter. I used erythritol, but I added a couple of dark chocolate chips to each muffins to make it more desirable for the kids. I’ll definitely make it more often, along with the sweet potatoe muffin.
Oh my goodness, my mouth waters every time I look at your yummy recipes on your blog!
Tessa, seriously, this made my mouth water! The slices look so moist. I haven’t baked in so long, and I got rid of all of my baking flours. But I think it’s time to order almond, cassava, and coconut! Thanks for the links and an amazing recipe!
Of course Heather, glad to ‘see’ you back in the mix!!
Tessa, this looks so moist and delicious! I’ll put it on my list for when I start getting zucchini in my CSA box.
Would you believe Linda, I had one rogue seedling come up from last year that I decided to keep…and since it was zucchini last year…I got another zucchini plant that is ALREADY producing!! Can’t wait!! Hope you get to try it soon!
looks delicious. What size loaf pan did you use?
I just added a link to the one I use patricia, but here it is: http://www.amazon.com/Good-Cook-Inch-Ceramic-Loaf/dp/B0026RHIA0?ie=UTF8&creativeASIN=B0026RHIA0&linkCode=w00&linkId=f907c96ab5a5a8d9849917f645f8ceaf&ref_=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til&tag=domesticaheal-20
Oh my, Tessa! This is a “must make” and I happen to have all the ingredients. 🙂 You know how I love using hemp hearts myself. Chocolate and hemp hearts are meant to go together and chocolate and zucchini as well, so all together, they must be delicious!
Shirley
I DO Shirley!! Hope you get to try it soon!