Rich and moist Gluten-Free Chocolate Peppermint Bread is a must-have holiday treat! This sweet chocolaty loaf is vegan, allergy-free, and perfect for gifting! Made with cocoa powder and chocolate chips, peppermint extract, and a simple peppermint icing with crushed candy cane pieces! This easy quick bread recipe is better than the Trader Joe's baking mix!

Basically, peppermint bark bread! Yes, chocolate, peppermint, and holiday cheer baked into a delicious quick bread loaf! I 100% took inspiration from the Trader Joe's Chocolate Peppermint Loaf & Baking Mix with this recipe. We needed a gluten-free and vegan version asap! This bread is rich, moist, double chocolate, and perfectly paired with a minty refreshing flavor! Peppermint extract is baked into the loaf, as well as, used in the simple icing. Don't forget the crushed candy canes to sprinkle on top and a little Christmas crunch!

Why You'll Love This Gluten-Free Trader Joe's Copycat Recipe

I was just as surprised as you to find out that they didn't have a gluten-free version of the chocolate peppermint baking mix! But don't worry, I've fixed that! This bread is just as easy to make, even without a boxed mix, and it's vegan! Simple, delicious, a Christmas delicacy that would be a fantastic dessert, snack, or edible gift to give your friends and loved ones! As Trader Joe famously said, it "bakes up rich, moist, and deeply chocolatey, with just the right amount of mint flavor to make your taste buds tingle", and that is what this copycat loaf does! This from-scratch recipe is:

Gluten-Free
Vegan & Vegetarian
Allergy-free (Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Peanut-Free, Wheat-Free, Sesame-Free, Corn-Free, Coconut-Free)
Kid-Friendly
Quick & Easy
Make-Ahead, Freezer-Friendly, & Giftable
Simple and Unique Dessert For Christmas and Winter Holidays

Ingredients For Gluten-Free Chocolate Peppermint Loaf

Gluten-Free Flour: Your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour will give your chocolaty bread loaf a soft but sturdy base.
Cocoa Powder: Chocolate bread requires cocoa powder, of course! You can use a natural unsweetened cocoa powder or a rich cacao powder if you want a more intense "dark chocolate" flavor.
Baking Powder + Salt: For a nice fluffy cake-like loaf, extra baking powder is essential to add to your gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Granulated Sugar: You can use sugar-free granulated sweetener (like Swerve) or normal granulated sugar to sweeten this chocolate bread.
Light Brown Sugar: Again, you can use sugar-free brown sugar-style sweetener or normal light brown sugar which helps to sweeten and intensify the chocolate flavor while also adding moisture to this gluten-free loaf.
Chocolate Chips: I was going to make this optional, but I really enjoyed this bread with some vegan dark chocolate chips dispersed throughout! Little melty pockets of chocolate were a delightful surprise.
Peppermint Extract: Pure peppermint extract is very important here! Don't use "mint extract" which is just a mixture of spearmint and peppermint. You want pure peppermint, just like in all those peppermint bark recipes.
Vegan Yogurt: To keep this chocolate quick bread super moist and eggless, we're breaking out the vegan yogurt! Unsweetened plain vegan yogurt not only ensures moisture is locked in, but it also is a great egg substitute for gluten-free vegan baking.
Neutral Oil: A neutral-flavored oil like canola, safflower, or extra light olive oil is the other must-have for a moist and sturdy gluten-free loaf.
Non-Dairy Milk: Not pictured, but I added a few tablespoons of plain unsweetened non-dairy milk to the batter to help loosen things up a bit more.

How To Make Chocolate Peppermint Bread

Add all your dry ingredients, excluding the chocolate chips, to a large mixing bowl.
Whisk the mixture together until it's completely smooth and there are no clumps.

Now add the yogurt, oil, peppermint extract, and chocolate chips to the bowl of dry ingredients.
Mix well to combine. The batter will be very thick so slowly add, one tablespoon at a time, the non-dairy milk to the batter until it can easily be poured into a baking pan.

Add the chocolate peppermint batter to an 8x4 loaf pan lined with parchment paper or greased very well with oil. Smooth out the top.
Bake the loaf in the oven at 350°F for about 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out mostly clean when inserted into the middle of the loaf.

Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before using the parchment paper to help lift it out of the pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the bread loaf has cooled, add the peppermint icing and crushed candy cane pieces (see below for icing instructions).

How To Make Peppermint Icing

Gather powdered sugar (or sugar-free powdered sugar, like Swerve), more peppermint extract, a few teaspoons of water, and crushed candy canes. Crush the candy canes or peppermint candies in a plastic bag wrapped in a towel. Smash them with a hammer (or go the lazy route with pre-crushed).
In a small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and peppermint extract with 1 teaspoon of water at a time, until you get a drippy but thick icing that you can drizzle over the chocolate loaf with a spoon.

Use a spoon to make zig-zag drips of the peppermint icing over the cooled loaf of bread. While the icing is still wet, sprinkle on the crushed candy cane pieces. Allow the icing to set and harden before slicing and serving!

Recipe Tips & Tricks

If you want to use a 9x5-inch loaf pan, decrease the baking time by about 5-10 minutes. Note that the loaf will be slightly wider and flatter in appearance.
Use parchment paper. This ensures your bread will not stick to the pan and makes it so easy to lift out and onto a wire rack (with easy cleanup too!). If you don't have parchment paper, make sure you liberally grease all sides and corners of the baking pan before adding the batter.
Don't overbake the loaf! As the bread cools in the pan for a few minutes after you take it out of the oven and transfer it to a wire rack, it continues to cook inside.
Make sure the chocolate peppermint loaf is cooled to room temperature before you add the icing and crushed peppermint pieces. Allow the icing to set as well before slicing into the loaf. I like to chill my bread in the fridge before attempting to slice it for the cleanest cuts.

Storage and Freezing Instructions

You can store leftover chocolate peppermint quick bread at room temperature in a closed container for 4-5 days. Store it longer in the fridge for about 7-10 days in a closed container. I like to place a paper towel underneath and loosely on top of the loaf to prevent excess moisture buildup. When kept at room temperature the peppermint candy coloring may bleed into the white icing and overall the candy pieces may get slightly soft.
You can freeze the loaf by slicing the entire loaf, wrapping, and freezing each slice individually or together tightly with foil, and then placed in a plastic freezer bag. If you make it ahead of time and want to freeze the entire loaf, leave it un-iced, wrap it in foil and plastic, then place it in a freezer-safe storage bag. Defrost in the fridge overnight before adding the icing and peppermint pieces; individual slices can defrost quickly at room temperature. Frozen quick bread will be best if used within 4-5 months.

More Chocolate Peppermint Recipes:

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