Zucchini Brownies
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Published Jul 22, 2022, Updated Jun 27, 2023
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Sneak veggies into your dessert with these healthy zucchini brownies that are made with almond and oat flour and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. They’re moist, fudgy, oil-free and gluten-free.
If you’re like me and always up to your ears in zucchini during the summer months, you need to make a batch of these brownies! Heck, even if you’re not swimming in zucchini, it’s worth picking one up at the store or farmers market to make them. They’re so good!
Zucchini is such a magical vegetable! It’s not only amazing in savory dishes, but it adds a wonderful texture and moistness to baked goods. Its mild flavor pairs beautifully with chocolate – making these brownies extra moist, boosted with nutrition and so delicious!
Why You’ll Love These Brownies
- Zucchini not only adds extra nutrition, but also extra moisture – no need for oil!
- They’re gluten-free, dairy-free and can easily be made vegan!
- No one will know that they’re made with good-for-you ingredients! They are still so rich and fudgy.
Ingredients Needed
- oat flour – use store-bought oat flour or you can make your own using my oat flour recipe.
- almond flour – I recommend Bob’s Red Mill super fine almond flour. It’s perfect for baked goods and what I use for all of my almond flour recipes.
- cocoa powder – can’t have brownies without cocoa powder for that chocolatey flavor! Make sure you’re using unsweetened cocoa powder. Cacao powder works as well. I really like Navitas organic cacao powder.
- sea salt – brings all the flavors together.
- baking soda – to help the brownies rise.
- eggs – helps bind the ingredients together and provide structure for the brownies.
- maple syrup – one of my favorite natural sweeteners. Just be sure to use pure maple syrup, not the artificial kind labeled “pancake syrup” that’s made from corn syrup.
- vanilla extract – a flavor enhancer.
- zucchini – the star of the show here. There’s no need to squeeze the grated zucchini… the liquid from the zucchini replaces the oil and helps to keep these brownies moist.
- chocolate chips – I recommend Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips which are allergen-friendly or Lily’s chocolate chips because they are lower in sugar and calories.
How to Make
Making these zucchini brownies is incredibly easy.
In a medium mixing bowl, start by combining oat flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, sea salt and baking soda. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Add zucchini shreds and stir to combine. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
Grease an 8×8 inch baking pan or line with parchment paper. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350ºF for 30-40 minutes. You’ll know the brownies are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the brownies cool completely before cutting and serving. Trust me… they taste better cool!
Substitutions & Notes
- Flour: I’ve only tested this recipe with a combo of oat and almond flour and don’t recommend subbing for any other flour.
- Eggs: I have tested these brownies with flax eggs and they turned out great, so if you need this recipe to be vegan simply swap the 2 eggs with 2 flax eggs.
- Maple syrup: I haven’t tried substituting the maple syrup for another sweetener like honey or agave, but I bet it would work. If you decide to experiment, let me know how they turn out.
- Chocolate chips: Instead of chocolate chips you could try a different mix-in like chopped pecans or walnuts.
How to Serve
I love eating these brownies plain, but if you want to get fancy here are some topping ideas:
- Nut butter – you can’t go wrong with a drizzle of nut butter to top! Almond butter would be my top choice, but I bet peanut butter, cashew butter or even tahini would all be delicious.
- Coconut whip – these brownies would be delicious with a dollop of coconut whip cream on top!
- Ice cream – brownies + ice cream = a match made in heaven. These brownies would be delicious warmed in the microwave and served with my banana ice cream, chocolate banana ice cream or avocado ice cream.
- Caramel sauce – I’m drooling just thinking about how delicious my date caramel sauce would be drizzled over one of these brownies.
- Yogurt – want to eat a brownie for breakfast? Crumble it on top of some Greek yogurt (or any yogurt of choice) with a sprinkle of granola (this hemp granola is delicious) and fresh berries. Like a breakfast brownie sundae… so yummy!
- Oats – another breakfast idea is to crumble a brownie on top of overnight oats like these zucchini bread overnight oats.
How to Store Leftovers
Store brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. For longer storage, I recommend freezing. Store in a freezer-safe, airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. I like to use my Stasher bags or these glass containers for easy storage.
More Brownie Recipes to Try
- Oat Flour Brownies
- Sweet Potato Brownies
- Black Bean Brownies
- Pecan Pie Brownies
- Protein Brownies
- 5-Ingredient No Bake Brownies
- Peanut Butter Hummus Brownies
- Pumpkin Brownies
- Chickpea Brownies
More Zucchini Recipes to Try
- Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal
- Healthy Zucchini Bread
- Healthy Zucchini Muffins
- Vegan Zucchini Bread
- Baked Zucchini Fries
- Zucchini Banana Bread
- Zucchini Bread Overnight Oats
- Zucchini Pizza Bites
Be sure to check out all of the zucchini recipes as well as the full collection of dessert recipes on EBF!
Zucchini Brownies
Ingredients
- ½ cup oat flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup loosely packed zucchini, finely grated
- ¾ cup chocolate chips, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8×8-inch baking pan or line with parchment.
- In a medium mixing bowl combine oat flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, sea salt and baking soda.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together eggs, maple syrup and vanilla extract. And zucchini to bowl and mix to combine.
- Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Transfer mixture to the prepared pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until brownies are set in the center and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let brownies cool completely (trust me, they test better cool, plus you won’t burn your mouth). Cut into squares and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Vegan: To make this recipe vegan swap the eggs with 2 flax eggs
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi! I want to try this recipe out but I’d like to add protein powder and use only almond flour. Do you have any suggestions for this?
Hi Diamond – I don’t recommend subbing or adding any different type of flour in this recipe. Protein powder cannot be subbed for a flour and if you were to add protein powder, you would have to adjust the liquid ingredients to get the right consistency. Unfortunately, I haven’t tested this recipe with protein powder so I cannot say for sure what the adjustments would need to be. I would recommend my Protein Brownies if you are looking for a high protein treat! Let me know if you give them a try!