A few years ago, an old high school friend and I met up at his parents’ house one weekend when we were both in town visiting our families. We planned on heading to a baseball game, but since I arrived early, we spent some time catching up with his parents first.
As conversations seem to do around me, that one ended up on the subject of food… So his mom offered to show me her garden outside. I quickly jumped at the chance, and not just because I have a fairly brown thumb!
She led me around her various oversized pots, full of bright red tomatoes and deep purple eggplants and tall shoots of basil, among plenty of others. I marveled at the healthy harvest each herb and vegetable plant was producing, and I tried hard to soak up her knowledge!
Laughingly, she explained that she planted everything in pots because of their dog… Who would dig up the small seedlings to “plant” a garden of her own: bones, old slippers, and even half-eaten waffles!
With much of my Facebook feed taken up by pictures of people’s late summer harvests, I wondered if I could write that sweet lady to ask for help next year so I could plant my own garden… But in the meantime, I’ll just stop by the grocery store like usual when I want to bake goodies like this Healthy Chai Spice Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread!
This easy recipe is the perfect way to morph from warm summer days to chilly fall evenings… It has plenty of zucchini, one of my favorite summer veggies, but those cozy spices taste like the epitome of fall. And who can resist a generous sprinkling of chocolate chips throughout??
Certainly not me… I published a cookbook called “Healthier Chocolate Treats,” after all! ?
To make this healthy loaf, you’ll start by whisking homemade chai spice into regular ol’ whole wheat flour (or gluten-free, if you prefer!). You’ll need cinnamon (this is my current obsession… I can’t get enough of its irresistible and strong flavor!!), ginger, cardamom, and cloves.
I promise it’s worth purchasing each of those spices! They pair together so well to create this deep, full, cozy comfort food flavor that spreads all the way down into the tips of your toes. And you can also use them in these, these, this, this, and this!
With merely 1 tablespoon of butter or coconut oil, this zucchini bread gets the rest of its tender, cake-like texture from Greek yogurt. You know how much I ♡ it! Greek yogurt adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your baked goodies a protein boost, too! Then you’ll sweeten your loaf with pure maple syrup (like this). It isn’t just for pancakes!
Time for the mix-ins! Freshly grated zucchini and mini chocolate chips. Make sure you thoroughly pat the zucchini dry with paper towels to squeeze out the extra moisture. Otherwise, the zucchini would release that water while the loaf baked, which would cause your bread to completely collapse while cooling. Such a nifty trick, right? As for the chocolate chips… These are my current favorite. So rich and decadent!
How’s that for an easy breakfast treat? Or a cozy snack? Or a light dessert? Or all three?? ? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your zucchini bread and feature it in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Healthy Chai Spice Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread | Print |
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tbsp homemade chai spice (see Notes)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup
- 6 tbsp (90mL) nonfat milk
- 1 ½ cups (160g) grated zucchini, patted dry
- 3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x5” baking pan with foil, and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, chai spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the mashed Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in the maple syrup. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Fold in the zucchini and 2 ½ tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips on top. Bake at 350°F for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully lifting out the loaf by the foil and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the regular whole wheat flour.
For the homemade chai spice, use as follows: 1 ¾ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, and ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom. (For a stronger spice flavor, increase both the cloves and cardamom by ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon!)
Honey or agave may be substituted for the maple syrup.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
Measure the zucchini before patting it dry. You must pat it dry to remove the excess moisture because that excess moisture will cause the muffins to collapse while cooling. To pat the zucchini dry, lay a double-thick layer of paper towels onto a cutting board, and arrange the freshly shredded zucchini on top. Place another double-thick layer of paper towels on the zucchini, and gently press down until the top towel turns wet.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Zucchini Banana Bread
♡ Healthy Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Zucchini Bread Protein Muffins
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Zucchini Mini Muffins
HI Amy, can I use this recipe make muffins?
Definitely! You’ll get about 12 muffins from the batter. Bake them at 350°F, and start checking after about 18 minutes. Your muffins may take more time than that, but they’ll be done when the tops feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of them Jazzmin!
Hi, Amy do you know how many calories in this recipe? Thanks
The full nutrition info is already included directly underneath the recipe! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this zucchini bread Michelle!
Thanks Amy, love this receipe. I realised once I started making it that it is very similar to your carrot cake recipe which is an absolute winner in my house! I made this into mini muffins, perfect for work snacks.
I’m so glad you loved this too Michelle! That means a lot to me! 🙂 Mini muffins sound right up my alley — I need to try that sometime!
OH my gosh you were not kidding, these things are so yummy!! I have to be careful not to eat too much in one sitting.. Love your website, glad I found you!! I will be trying tons of your recipes, and sharing them with friends as well.
I’m so glad you loved this recipe Lynda! That means so much to me that you’re enjoying my recipes and plan on sharing them with your friends — what a huge compliment! Thank you so much!! 🙂
Hi, can I use coconut flour in the recipe?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Krishma! Unfortunately, coconut flour won’t work in this particular recipe. However, I do have a zucchini muffin recipe that uses coconut flour here, if you’re interested! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try making this zucchini bread or the muffins!