This peanut butter chocolate chip zucchini bread is packed with the flavors of peanut butter and melty chocolate chips, and no one will guess there’s a green vegetable hiding in there! It’s simple to make, extra moist, and a tasty way to use up summer’s abundance of zucchini. Like banana bread, the flavors really stand out on day 2. (Should any slices survive that long!!)
As a baker, I’ve built up a lot of self control around desserts and baked goods. I’m around it all the time! But there are a few exceptions that really test my limits, including salted caramel apple pie, carrot cake, and today’s peanut butter chocolate chip zucchini bread.
YOU CANNOT STOP EATING THIS.
If you enjoy regular zucchini bread, and also love peanut butter, you will flip over this peanut butter zucchini bread.
You’ll Love This Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread:
- Batter comes together quickly—no mixer needed
- Super moist with loads of flavor
- Sneaks in a vegetable
- Freezes beautifully
- You can also make as muffins
- A delicious snack or dessert you can enjoy any time of day
- A wonderful way to use up a peak-summer bounty of zucchini!
Like double chocolate zucchini bread or a chocolate chip loaf cake, this peanut buttery, chocolate chip-studded quick bread tastes like a treat… most lucky taste testers won’t be able to guess there’s a garden vegetable hiding in every bite!
Why Bake With Zucchini?
Zucchini is abundant in the summer months, and while I enjoy cooking it and making savory side dishes such as this easy zucchini casserole, I especially love to incorporate this vegetable in my baking, and have published a lot of zucchini recipes on my website.
Why? Zucchini adds flavorless moisture. We’re talking pure moisture with zero savory vegetable flavor. It’s truly a magical ingredient in your baked goods, because you can’t taste it—even in the richest desserts like chocolate zucchini cake or this zucchini cake.
Grab These Ingredients:
In addition to the zucchini, the remaining ingredients are all standard baking staples you likely already have in your kitchen. Let me point out 3 imperatives, though:
- Creamy Peanut Butter: You can use natural (with the oil stirred in) or processed peanut butter in this recipe, but stick to the smooth, creamy kind. Crunchy peanut butter makes for crumbly baked goods.
- Vegetable Oil: While the zucchini provides lots of moisture, peanut butter can act as a drying ingredient in baked goods, so the bread needs *some* oil to balance it.
- Honey: I wanted a little extra moisture in the loaf, so I reduced the brown sugar and added some honey. You’ll love the flavor combo of honey + peanut butter.
Success Tip: Shred the Zucchini with a Box Grater & Don’t Blot It
Today’s peanut butter chocolate chip zucchini bread comes together in just a few minutes with simple kitchen tools including a couple bowls, a whisk, and a grater to shred the zucchini. If you’re looking for recommendations, I own and love this box grater because it’s easy to use, grates quickly, and has held up well with regular use. (See many of my recommended baking tools here.) The grater is what I use when making zucchini fritters, too.
Important: You do not need to blot the zucchini before using in the batter; you want all of that moisture in your loaf.
Zucchini can vary in size, but 1–2 medium zucchini are plenty for this recipe. You need 1 and 1/2 cups shredded, which weighs about 180g.
You don’t have to peel the zucchini before you shred it, but if you have any sharp-eyed vegetable critics in the house, you can peel the green skin off so it’s completely invisible in the bread. There’s no taste or texture variance either way.
Just wait until you smell this peanut butter chocolate chip zucchini bread baking! I love it when it’s still slightly warm from the oven, but enjoy it even better on day 2 after the flavors have settled. Excited for you to try it!
Can I Make Muffins?
Yes! You can use this batter to make peanut butter chocolate chip zucchini muffins. Detailed instructions are in the Notes below. This makes enough batter to yield 15 muffins.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes (includes slight cooling)
Yield: 1 loaf
Category: Bread
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American
Description
Packed with the flavors of peanut butter and melty chocolate chips, no one will guess there’s a green vegetable hiding in this simple quick bread. Like banana bread, the flavors really stand out on day 2. (Should any slices survive that long!!) See recipe Note about turning the batter into muffins.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, peanut butter, brown sugar, honey, eggs, milk, and vanilla together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently stir or whisk until *just* combined; do not overmix. With a silicone spatula, fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Batter is slightly thick.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55–70 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent the top from over-browning. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs.
- Remove the bread from the oven and set on a wire rack. Cool in the pan for 1 hour before removing from the pan. You can slice the bread at this point, but it will still be warm in the center and may not slice neatly. For neat slices, cool the bread completely on a wire rack before slicing.
- Cover and store bread at room temperature for 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Bread tastes best on day 2 after the flavors have settled together.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze baked & cooled loaf, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. If desired, bring to room temperature before serving. To learn more details about how to freeze quick breads, see my post called Make-Ahead Baking.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×5-inch Loaf Pan or this 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Box Grater | Cooling Rack
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins: Grease a 12-count muffin pan or line with liners. Grease or line 3 cups in a second muffin pan; this recipe yields 15 muffins. Prepare batter as directed in steps 2 and 3. Spoon the batter evenly into each liner, filling each all the way to the top. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C); then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 16–18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 21–23 minutes, give or take. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Yields 15 muffins.
- Can I Use Whole Wheat Flour? Yes, you can replace the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour with no other changes needed. The loaf will taste denser.
- Honey: I don’t recommend using all honey in this recipe; use the combination of honey and brown sugar as listed in the recipe. If you don’t want to use honey, replace it with pure maple syrup or white granulated sugar. No other changes needed to the recipe.
