Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Oatmeal

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This zucchini oatmeal tastes just like chocolate zucchini bread batter! This hearty breakfast is chocolatey, rich, luscious, and totally healthy! The grated zucchini is barely noticeable in this oatmeal, making it the perfect way to add volume to your breakfast without additional calories.

I am a firm believer that “diets” don’t work. Eating less calories will make you lose weight, but what happens when the diet is over? Many people revert back to eating as they did before and gain a lot of the weight back. I’ve been on that diet train many times in the past, but no longer.

Last year I moved from Spain back to the US. Over the next several months, I was out of my typical routine, I wasn’t exercising, and I was eating poorly. Plus I was stressed like crazy!!! Long story short, I gained almost 20 lbs during that time lol.

Once I started working out and eating normally, I naturally lost 5 lbs. Then I slowly lost another 10 lbs by running and loosely tracking my calories. I’ve been able to maintain that weight loss over the past several months, and now I want to lose those last 5 lbs I had gained. But I am in no rush – I know that slow and steady weight loss coupled with lifestyle changes is the only way to see permanent results.

The lifestyle change I’m working on is filling up on lower calorie foods. I used to eat a more whole foods plant based diet when I first went vegan, and it was a lot easier to keep lean back then so I’m making some changes 👏

And that means adding more vegetables into recipes that typically don’t have a lot of vegetables! Like oatmeal! ZUCCHINI OATMEAL, guys! Remember the whole point of this blog post?

NOW BACK TO THE RECIPE 👉

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Oatmeal

I call this recipe Chocolate Zucchini Bread Oatmeal because it literally tastes like sweet, chocolatey zucchini bread batter! But it’s oatmeal. It is so luscious and chocolatey that I can hardly believe it’s healthy.

Can you put zucchini in oatmeal?

You sure can! If you peel and grate the zucchini, it blends in with the texture of the oatmeal almost perfectly. Zucchini doesn’t have an incredibly strong flavor, so it tastes great with it’s bland friend oatmeal. The zucchini adds bulk to the oats without adding additional calories.

How many calories are in zucchini oatmeal?

One bowl of this chocolate zucchini bread oatmeal has about 280 calories. If we used just rolled oats in this recipe, each bowl of oatmeal would have 420 calories! Instead of 4 cups of oats, this recipe uses 2 cups of grated zucchini and 2 cups of oats. This recipe is lower in calories because 2 cups of grated zucchini has only 51 calories, while 2 cups of uncooked rolled oats has just over 600 calories.

Is zucchini oatmeal healthy?

Yes it is! And regular oatmeal is also healthy, too! Adding grated zucchini to your morning bowl of oatmeal will bulk up the portion size without adding calories, making it a great addition to your diet if you are a volume eater.

Ingredients for Chocolate Zucchini Oatmeal

• Zucchini: (obviously)
• Oats: I use old-fashioned rolled oats in this recipe, but you could also use quick oats. The texture will be slightly different, but it’ll still be yummy.
• Non-dairy milk or water: I like using unsweetened almond milk for super creamy oatmeal, but water works too. If you use sweetened milk, use less maple syrup so you don’t make the oats too sweet.
• Cacao powder: for that chocolatey goodness.
• Maple syrup: some sweetness to balance out the bitterness of the cacao powder. Feel free to use monk fruit sweetener or a stevia-based sugar substitute if you want a lower calorie sweetener.
• Vanilla extract: for flavor
• Cinnamon: optional, to taste
• Salt: just a bit

For serving (optional)

Add whatever toppings you like, but I think these go great with the chocolate zucchini bread flavor:

• Chocolate chips
• Banana
• Vegan yogurt 
• Chopped dates 

How to make Chocolate Zucchini Oatmeal

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium pot and bring to a boil. 
2. Lower to medium heat and simmer until the oatmeal is thick and reaches your desired consistency.
3. Remove from heat and enjoy right away!

How long does Zucchini Oatmeal keep?

This oatmeal will keep in the fridge about 4-5 days, making it the perfect breakfast meal prep for the work week. Zucchini oatmeal will get thicker and dry out a bit as it sits in the fridge, so I like to add a splash of almond milk to before serving. These oats are delicious served hot or cold.

More breakfast recipes using oats

• Everyday Vegan Pancakes
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Oat Cookies
• Vegan Banana Bread Muffins
• Carrot Cake Granola

If you make this recipe, leave it a rating and a comment! You can also tag me @Daughter_of_Seitan on Instagram so I can see your lovely food creations. XOXO

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