Who wants to eat the most delicious, nutritious healthy brownies in all the land? YOU DO?
Oh good, I’m glad you’re here.
This recipe is from one of our annual zucchini weeks a few years back and is still one of my favorite desserts of all time. I just had to share it again to encourage you to bake these babies up.
So say WUD UP to my healthy zucchini brownies aka the BEST zucchini brownies out there. This recipe officially goes in my ‘best of’ series!
You know me, always trying to experiment with baked goods to make them both nourishing, wholesome and delicious enough for you to jump on a couch like good old crazy pants Tommy Cruise (please reference this link).
This recipe might just be one of my favorite zucchini recipes because they’re SIMPLY INCREDIBLE. Fudgy, paleo, gluten free, packed with chocolate, naturally sweetened, full of zucchini and guaranteed to get you hooked!
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What’s in these healthy zucchini brownies?
These zucchini brownies are packed with nourishing ingredients, plus they’re naturally sweetened and both dairy free and gluten free. There’s no butter in this recipe either; instead, these use nutrient-dense tahini, a tiny bit of coconut oil and zucchini to keep them fudgy. It sounds crazy, but somehow these beautiful fudgy paleo brownies taste INCREDIBLE! Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Zucchini: I mean it is zucchini season. So we’re putting the vegetable in our brownies. JUST DO IT.
- Tahini: you know, my obsession in life. If you aren’t into tahini yet, I’m here to convince you. I especially love it paired with chocolate since it happens to be just slightly bitter and earthly. It complements these brownies very well.
- Pure maple syrup: I adore pure maple syrup in baked goods because the flavor isn’t as noticeable as honey. It provides nourishing vitamins and it’s from the TREES. What more could you want in an all natural sweetener?!
- Coconut sugar: the caramel-like flavor that comes from coconut sugar helps to make the flavor of these brownies outstanding. Similar to maple syrup, it’s an all natural sweetener! And yes, this recipe requires that you use both.
- Coconut flour: you only need a little coconut flour (2 tablespoons) but it will go a long way to keep these brownies the perfect fudgy texture.
- Cacao powder: I’ve started to use cacao powder instead of cocoa powder in my recipes because it’s less processed but tastes exactly like cocoa powder. Each serving of cacao powder provides 25% of your daily magnesium, 10% iron and 18% fiber. This is the brand that I typically buy. If you don’t have cacao powder, use a good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Coconut oil: you’ll only need two tablespoons of coconut oil for the entire recipe!
- Chocolate chips: I love using chocolate chips in these brownies. If you want to keep these dairy free, be sure to use dairy free chocolate chips (such as the Enjoy Life brand).
Zucchini brownie substitutions
If you’re out of any of the ingredients in these zucchini brownies, here’s what we can recommend for substitutions:
- For the tahini: instead of tahini, feel free to use almond butter, sunflower seed butter or cashew butter. I would not recommend peanut butter because it throws off the flavor. Tahini is best though and I have only tested the recipe using tahini.
- For the coconut sugar: feel free to use brown sugar in place of the coconut sugar if you’d like. Learn how to make your own brown sugar here!
- For the coconut flour: if you don’t have coconut flour, you can try using oat flour (gluten free if desired). Feel free to make your own oat flour using this tutorial.
- For the coconut oil: feel free to sub melted vegan butter or regular butter.
Can I make them vegan?
Sure! I recommend using 1 flax egg in place of the regular egg. Learn how to make a flax egg here, and then be sure to use a vegan/dairy free chocolate as well.
How to make one bowl zucchini brownies
- Prep your pan. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Add your shredded, squeezed out zucchini shreds to a large mixing bowl and mix in the egg, tahini, maple syrup, coconut sugar and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the dry. Gently stir cocoa powder into the batter until well incorporated. Then add in coconut flour, baking soda and salt.
- Stir in the coconut oil. Add the melted and cooled coconut oil and stir until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips (and walnuts if you are using).
- Time to bake! Pour the batter into your pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs attached (it should not be completely wet, but a little gooeyness is just fine).
- Let the brownies cool. This will be tough, but it’s the best way to make sure the bars stay together perfectly before cutting since they will be moist.
- Make the chocolate drizzle. Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave at 30 second increments until it’s nice and smooth.
- Drizzle & enjoy. Drizzle the brownies with the chocolate, sprinkle with a little fancy sea salt and devour!
Tips for baking with zucchini
- Use the small side of your grater so that you get little shreds of zucchini. No one will be able to tell there’s a veggie in their brownies!
- Squeeze out your zucchini shreds as much as possible to get all of the excess liquid out.
- Measure the shreds before you squeeze the moisture out.
- Feel free to shred a bunch of zucchini and freeze it for later! Follow my tips and tricks here.
How to store zucchini brownies
- In the fridge: Store these healthy zucchini brownies covered or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. They’re delicious and fudgy straight from the fridge!
- In the freezer: yes, you can freeze these gluten free zucchini brownies! Place them in the freezer for up to 2 months in an airtight container. I’d recommend separating the bars with parchment or wax paper as well. When you’re ready to eat them, let the brownies thaw in the fridge and then bring them to room temp as described above.
Our fav brownie baking tools
Check out more of our go-to kitchen essentials here.
More zucchini recipes you’ll love
- Lemon Blueberry Zucchini Cake with Lemon Frosting
- Healthy Zucchini Bread
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake (healthy + gluten free)
- Healthy Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Fluffy Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread Pancakes
- Coconut Chocolate Zucchini Smoothie (with sneaky veggies)
Get all of our best zucchini recipes here!
I hope you love this delicious, healthy zucchini brownie recipe! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
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The Best Zucchini Brownies You'll Ever Eat
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini shredded and squeezed of excess moisture with a paper towel (1 cup shredded zucchini)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup tahini*
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup high quality cocoa powder (or cacao powder)
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons melted and cooled coconut oil
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips, dairy free if desired
- Optional: ½ cup chopped walnuts
- For the topping:
- 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, dairy free if desired
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
- Fancy sea salt, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- First, measure out 1 heaping cup of shredded zucchini, then place shredded zucchini in a paper towel or cheese cloth and squeeze out all of the moisture/water. This is very important!
- Next add in egg, tahini, maple syrup, coconut sugar and vanilla; stir until smooth. Gently stir in cocoa powder into the batter, mixing until well incorporated.
- Next add in coconut flour, baking soda, salt and finally the melted coconut oil. Stir until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips (and walnuts if you are using).
- Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out with just a few crumbs attached (it should not be completely wet, but a little gooeyness is just fine).
- Allow to cool completely. This will be tough, but it’s the best way to make sure the bars stay together perfectly since they will be moist.
- Once ready for the chocolate drizzle: Add 2 tablespoons chocolate chips and coconut oil to a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until chocolate is melted.
- Drizzle over zucchini brownies. Sprinkle with a little fancy sea salt (trust me, it’s good!). Cut into 16 squares.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
These are SO MOIST and fudgey! So I used cane sugar, all purpose flour and browned butter as substitutes. I had a few kids try them and they had no idea about the zucchini or tahini. I will definitely be making these again. I am wondering if I double the flour… if they would hold up better because they do stick to fingers and fall apart easily.
Love it!! You could try adding another 1/2 – 1 tablespoon of flour to see if that helps – coconut flour is much more absorbent than all-purpose flour, which is probably why they’re falling apart a bit more.
Hi
I tried it out and was good, but can I reduce the cocoa powder to make it less intense?
If I can, how much cocoa powder can I reduce?
Sure, you can reduce by a few tablespoons if you’d like!
Sooo, I forgot the melted coconut oil entirely, and they were still fudgy-yet-fluffy and delicious! Definitely has an earthy flavor from the zucchini, but the chocolate keeps it a decadent, sweet treat. I almost skipped the choco topping, but in the end felt it needed it to up the ‘dessert’ aspect. Next time I think I’ll swirl peanut butter on top of the batter or as another sauce on top. All in all, super yum! Will make again!
I’m glad they still worked out! Great idea to add PB on top, too 🙂
Winner! subbed almond butter and regular flour. excellent texture, moisture, taste! Will try again with tahini and gf flour
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
The brownies are so good! 🤤 The flavor got better each day they were in the fridge. I made them last week and plan to make them again tomorrow! I only had lemon tahini and was nervous it was going to mess up the flavor. It did not! If you often find yourself looking up healthy low cal chocolate desserts, just make this recipe!! Perfect chocolate fix.
YES next day brownies are even better! I’m glad the lemon tahini worked out well, too!
These look great, and I love zucchini in baking, only I don’t have any right now. But I do have a large cucumber. Do you think it would be too weird if I used cucumber instead of zucchini? My thought is that the flavor would be covered up by the other ingredients, just like zucchini flavor would be. What do you think? Thank you.
Unfortunately I think the cucumber will be too watery! I have a few more brownie recipes you could try (without zucchini) – you can find them on this page 🙂
Can you replace coconut flour for almond flour
That should be fine because it’s a small amount!
Wow, these are amazing!! They are so rich and fudgy I actually didn’t bother with the drizzle, a first for me! I did sub olive oil for the coconut oil as I was out, and I don’t think it made any difference as the end result was so incredible. The only thing I will do differently next time (and there will be MANY next times!!) is that I will squeeze out the zucchini liquid more aggressively…I did press out quite a bit, but the brownies were SO moist that it was really hard to cut them. I think removing more of the liquid will absolutely help with this. Thank you for such a delicious recipe!
So happy you loved them! And yes, make sure you get all of that liquid out!
Any suggestions for how to make these a bit less crumbly when done? I followed the recipe pretty closely. Thank you, they are delish!
Hmm you could try adding a little bit more coconut oil! Be sure not to overbake them, and cool completely before slicing 🙂
I had a question, I have made this many times and I enjoy it, now I want to make double, Would the baking time be the same?
I’d recommend using 2 pans or doing 2 batches, and then yes, the baking time will be the same!
These sound amazing! Been looking for a healthier dessert. This may sound sacrilegious but my husband likes a more cakey brownie. Might you have a tip for adapting to not so fudgey and still keeping deliciousness?
Hmm the gluten-free nature of these brownies also gives them a denser texture, but you could try adding a bit more coconut flour!
Can I use whole wheat pastry flour instead of the coconut flour? thanks for letting me know!
Whole wheat pastry flour isn’t as absorbent, so I think the texture will change!
These brownies were amazing! I usually leave out some of the sugar when I bake, but I made these exactly to the recipe and they were perfect!
These are the best brownies I’ve ever made!!!!! My new favorite recipe, I’ll make this forever and always!!!! Sitting here eating it now and absolutely obsessed! The perfect brownies.
I’m so glad!!
These are my favorite brownies that I only make from now on. I share this recipe all the time. The only substitution I’ve made is brown sugar for the coconut and I’ll bake it for 40-45 minutes. Magnificent! Every time!
Perfect! So glad you love them!
I made these brownie sand they are delicious!! I did not have tahini so I used almond butter. I did not add the topping but have had ice cream on top of them, which tastes great on these hot summer nights! Mine were a little soft so I may need to bake them just a little longer. I am wondering if the brownies can be frozen?
Love that! And yes, they’re freezer-friendly!
Thanks!
I have made this recipe so many times i can’t count, i make them for friends, family and neighbors, EVERYONE loves then and asks for the recipe.
Last weekend i went blueberry picking, and the next day i made these brownies and added a cup of blueberries 🤯
Game changer! They added an extra pop of juiciness and moisture. I didn’t know it could be possible to make them better, but the you are. I highly recommend it.
Amazing!! That sounds delicious 🙂
These are soooooo good and easy to make. I like that it has healthier ingredients than normal brownies. You would never say they have zucchini in them. #akrecipeofthemonth
So glad you loved them!!
#AKRecipeoftheMonth Zucchini Brownies
Great tasting Brownies. Fast and simple recipe
The perfect dessert!
These brownies are a chocolate lovers dream! Chocolate fudge is the best way to describe them. I did struggle to cut them as they would crumble but I put them in the refrigerator which helped keep them together. Very tasty! #AKReceipeOfTheMonth
So glad you loved them! Try running your knife under hot water, wiping it dry, then slicing them – that should also help 🙂
Good and moist, rich but I didn’t care for the tamari flavor, felt overpowering. And they fell apart easily. They were ok but I would probably try almond butter instead.
Sorry you didn’t love these! Let me know if you give them a try with almond butter 🙂
What a great use for all the zucchini in my garden! These are delicious and fudgy and one would never know they are healthy, too! Great recipe!
#AKRecipeoftheMonth
Absolutely! So glad you loved them 🙂
Delicious, I was skeptical of a gf brownie–and with zucchini as well? Not too sweet, slightly bitter (I used dark chocolate chips), and the salt on the top is chef’s kiss! I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to cool the brownies completely in the pan, I popped mine out after 10 minutes. It’s a winner!
The best combo! Glad you enjoyed!
These brownies were AMAZING!! So fudgy and delicious. I made with my farm fresh zucchini for
#AKRecipeoftheMonth and they were gone before the day’s end. The zucchini was not detectable at all and the taste was fantastic. Loved the hint of tahini and flaky salt. Chefs kiss!!
Love that!! Perfect summer treat 🙂
THESE ARE AMAZING. best brownies I’ve ever made!! Super easy too! #akrecipeofthemonth
So yummy! I went heavy on the zucchini and cut back on the sugar with great results. I made two pans, one in an 8×8 and a 9×9. Both turned out good but I should have pulled the 9×9 out sooner, it didn’t need the full time as it wasn’t as thick. The 8×8, the recommended size, was thick, fudgy and loved by all. Just sharing incase anyone only has a 9×9.
#AKRecipeoftheMonth
So glad you loved these! And yes, even the extra 1″ in the pan will make them thin enough to reduce the baking time. I’m glad the 8×8 inch pan turned out delicious!
These are really good! I ended up using a thicker tahini which created a more cakey texture. Still really good though! #AKRecipeoftheMonth
Perfect! Glad you loved them!
Love your recipes.
The cookbook will be incredible
Can hardly wait 😊
Thank you so much!!
These are very good for being made with such healthy ingredients! I’ll admit I don’t love the tahini – it makes them a little too bitter for my taste. But I took them to my office and they were a hit with my gluten free colleagues. #AKRecipeoftheMonth
I’m glad they were a hit at the office! Feel free to use almond butter or cashew butter next time 🙂
Perfect Sunday treat! My 5 year old asked to help make these but when he saw the zucchini he said he wouldn’t eat them. Then he tasted the batter and said “maybe I will have one”. Subbed almond butter for tahini. They turned out great.
#AKRecipeoftheMonth
Amazing! I’m glad he gave them a shot 😉
This #AKRecipeOfTheMonth looked so enticing I had to make it. I’m so glad I did. These brownies are delicious. They’re the perfect amount of chocolate indulgence without being too rich.
So glad you loved them!