These Fudgy Zucchini Brownies are deliciously moist with a rich chocolate taste loaded with shredded zucchini and made healthier with zero butter or refined sugar! One of our family’s favorite summer desserts!
Baking with zucchini might be one of my favorite things ever. Not only does it make baked goods SO moist, but zucchini also adds a nice boost of nutrition! We have so much excess zucchini this time of year so I’ve been on a baking kick making these chocolate chip zucchini muffins and zucchini bread, but these brownies might be my new favorite. I honestly tested this recipe over 6 times before nailing the perfect fudgy zucchini brownie recipe and trust me when I say they are absolutely DELICIOUS. These fudgy brownies are made healthier with whole wheat flour, hidden veggies and naturally sweetened with honey. Literally tastes like chocolate cake!
Why You’ll Love This
- Rich, moist and so delicious!
- Great way to sneak veggies into your favorite dessert.
- Made healthier with simple ingredients like whole wheat flour, grated zucchini and zero butter or refined sugar.
- Easily customizable with fun mix-ins like chocolate chips, chopped nuts, shredded coconut or swirl in some creamy peanut butter!
- These zucchini brownies are freezer-friendly too.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- zucchini – it’s zucchini season so you know this is the star of this dessert! You’ll need one medium zucchini (about 1 1/2 cups) and this not only adds nutritional benefits, but it also makes these healthy brownies nice and moist, no need to squeeze the water out.
- whole wheat pastry flour – I love baking with whole wheat pastry flour as it has all the nutritional benefits of whole grain flour while giving these brownies light and fluffy texture. I highly recommend using this, but if you don’t have any on hand you could use white whole wheat flour, regular all-purpose flour or even gluten-free baking flour.
- cocoa powder – gives these brownies their chocolatey flavor! Just make sure to use unsweetened natural cocoa powder or cacao powder. A little bit of espresso powder would be a huge hit too!
- baking powder – acts as a leavening agent to help these brownies rise, you can also use baking soda.
- eggs – adds protein and gives these brownies their structure and height.
- coconut oil – for additional moisture and richness, just make sure to measure it solid before melting. Feel free to sub with vegetable oil, canola oil or even butter, if you prefer.
- honey – naturally sweetens these brownies without using any refined sugar. You could also use pure maple syrup or agave. I don’t recommend using granulated sugar in this recipe as it could make the brownies too dry.
- vanilla extract + salt – boosts of flavor!
- chocolate chips – I used Lily’s semi-sweet chocolate chips to make these brownies even fudgier! They are gluten-free, vegan and sweetened with stevia making the sugar content really low while still having that delicious chocolate flavor.
How to Make Fudgy Zucchini Brownies
- Prep the zucchini. Using a box grater, shred one medium zucchini (you’ll need about 1 1/2 cups zucchini shreds). Don’t squeeze out the water with a paper towel as we want all that moisture for our brownies!
- Mix ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, then set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and honey really good for about a minute (this helps us not have flat brownies) then mix in the coconut oil and vanilla extract.
- Make the batter. Pour the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until just combined, being careful not to over-mix the batter, and then mix in the shredded zucchini. This brownie batter will seem thick at first, but will become the perfect consistency after adding the zucchini! Fold in the chocolate chips and pour mixture into a 9×9 baking pan lined with parchment paper or sprayed generously with nonstick spray.
- BAKE! Bake the brownies in the oven at 350 degrees F for 30 to 32 mins, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the brownies cool completely on a wire rack then cut them into squares and enjoy!
Tips, Tricks and Substitutions
- Don’t squeeze water out of zucchini! We need the the water from the zucchini for all that great moisture.
- Batter will be thick at first. That’s okay though! Adding the shredded zucchini gives these brownies the moisture they need and you’ll find once adding it in the batter comes together nicely.
- Mix the eggs and honey together really well. This is something I tested and it worked really well! Whisking the eggs and honey together before adding in the rest of the ingredients really helps give these brownies a softer texture and some height. This isn’t necessary, just really worth the extra step.
- Don’t use granulated sugars. I used honey in these brownies as a natural sweetener (or you could use maple syrup), but using granulated sugars could make the brownies too dry. I have not tested this yet, but I would not recommend.
- Let the brownies cool completely. I know it’s so hard to wait, but these brownies need time to set after you take them out of the oven. If you cut right into these brownies while they’re hot they will probably fall apart. We want that moisture to set up making them ooey, gooey and so delicious!
- Additional mix-ins. Feel free to add in some chopped nuts, coconut flakes or even swirl in some peanut butter, pumpkin puree or cream cheese!
- Optional toppings. I like to sprinkle flaky sea salt on top, but you could also drizzle on some creamy peanut butter, melted chocolate or spread some chocolate frosting on top or even cream cheese.
Prepping and Storage
To Store: You can keep these brownies stored in a sealed, airtight container or wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap at room temp on the counter for up to 3 days, but make sure to refrigerate after that to keep them longer. These brownies will last up to a week in the fridge in a sealed container.
To Freeze: These zucchini brownies freeze really well too! Make sure to let the them cool completely then store the cooled brownies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, simply thaw out at room temperature and enjoy.
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More Zucchini Recipes You’ll Love
- Healthy Zucchini Bread
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Banana Zucchini Muffins
- Healthy Pumpkin Zucchini Bread
- Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes
- Lemon Poppyseed Zucchini Bread
Hope you all enjoy these Fudgy Zucchini Brownies! If you love this as much as we do, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your delicious recreations!
Fudgy Zucchini Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini, don’t squeeze the water out
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips, I used Lily’s chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Using a box grater, shred one medium zucchini (you'll need 1 1/2 cups). Don't squeeze out the water as we want all that moisture for our brownies! Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, then set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and honey really good for about a minute (this helps us not have flat brownies) then mix in the coconut oil and vanilla extract.
- Pour the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients and mix with a spatula until just combined. Batter will seem thick, but that’s okay because the zucchini will add the needed moisture. Mix in the shredded zucchini and fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour brownie batter into a 9×9 baking dish lined with parchment paper or sprayed generously with nonstick spray.
- Bake the brownies in the oven for 30 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the brownies cool completely before cutting. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The brownie is more cake like but tastes so so good. For the flour i used half whole wheat and half almond. Everyone at home loved it
Thank you so much for the amazing recipe 😘
Yay so glad you enjoyed this! 🙂
If whole wheat pastry flour isn’t available, which alternative flour would preserve the fudgy texture best? Retro Bowl College
YUMMMMMM!!! These are much healthier and super good! How do they not have thousands of five star reviews?! If you are trying to eat healthy, or not, run to your kitchen and whip these up! Chocolatey & satisfying! I used a really fine grater and cannot taste or identify zucchini in the final, cooked brownie so no need to divulge. LOL! I did not have pastry flour so I just used white whole wheat flour. I also used cacao powder in place of cocoa powder. Will definitely be making these again & again! Would also make a delicious frosted cake. Thank you for sharing your passion for creating healthy recipes!
These are good, nice texture. Mine were more cake like than brownie, but I didn’t mind at all as I love cake! A great way to use up excess zucchini which is where we are currently at – late summer Tasmania. Thank you, I’m making these for a second time today 🙂