Make these amazing Vegan Zucchini Brownies that are gluten-free and just 7 ingredients! Oil-free, so rich, decadent and fudgy…nobody would ever know there is a hidden veggie!
VEGAN ZUCCHINI BROWNIES
Ever since I created these No-Bake “Nutella” Cream Pie Bars back in 2014, I have been itching to use zucchini again in a baked vegan chocolate dessert. Well, the other day when I saw one left sitting in my fridge, I suddenly had the urge to make some brownies. Now, some recipes take me multiple trials to get right but these I must have had the brownie gods on my side because the very first trial was a success!
You are probably wondering, another vegan brownie recipe?? I have quite a few on the blog already and every one has been super popular with you all. I see remakes each week, especially on the Double Chocolate Sunflower Brownies and the Fudgy Low-Fat Bean Brownies. As popular as those bean brownies have been, I actually love these zucchini ones more. And hey, one can never have too many brownie options, right?
These turned out rich, fudgy, super moist and the most important factor, incredibly chocolatey. I do not skimp on cocoa powder when I create a brownie recipe. I want to TASTE chocolate, not just sugar that has a brown color, but actually taste rich chocolate.
Now, depending on how moist you like your brownies, that can factor into your baking time. I baked mine at 25 minutes and they are fudgy/slightly gooey, but still a great brownie texture.
It’s important to use the right amount of zucchini, as that of course will affect the baking time too.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN ZUCCHINI BROWNIES
For these Vegan Zucchini Brownies, you just need 7 ingredients (+salt):
- zucchini
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- maple syrup or agave
- roasted almond butter
- vanilla extract
- oat flour or regular flour
- chocolate chips
I topped these with the So Delicious cocowhip and it was so delicious! hope you all really love these Vegan Zucchini Fudgy Brownies! Be sure to leave feedback below after you make them!
Vegan Zucchini Brownies (Only 7 Ingredients!)
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini, peeled and sliced, and THEN measured 150g
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (120g) pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup (128g) creamy roasted almond butter (runny, not stiff or thick)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (32g) superfine oat flour (see NOTES below for subs)
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (36g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not dutch)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 heaping tablespoons (95g) dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips + 3 tablespoons for top (135g total)
- I topped these with So Delicious Cocowhip
NOTE
- As always, I recommend highly to use a scale to prevent room for error. You don't need cups or to compare the weights to cups, just simply follow the weights listed, as this is exactly how the recipes are tested and made. Make sure to zero out before adding each ingredient.
- I use this scale.
NOTE
- If you want to make these with spelt flour, just sub the oat flour with the same amount. If you want to make these with regular all-purpose flour, while I have not tested it, I'm sure it would work fine. All-purpose flour will make them more dry and cook faster, so check them around 20 minutes and cook until the desired cooked center.
Instructions
- Spray a nonstick 9x5 loaf pan with nonstick spray well on the bottom and sides. These will stick bad if you don't spray the pan! Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.
- Peel and slice the zucchini. Use a scale so you get the correct amount of moisture for the brownies, as all zucchini sizes are so different.
- Add the zucchini and all of the remaining ingredients, except the chocolate chips, to a food processor. Process until smooth. Scrape the sides and process for another minute. It should be very smooth and runny. Taste and you will see the batter is not very sweet, since there is chocolate chips added, but if you want the base sweeter, add 1-2 tbsp of a DRY granulated sugar.
- Stir in the chocolate chips, but do not blend. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, making sure to really scrape out allll of that chocolatey goodness.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes until they have a dry/shiny look on top and have pulled away from the edges. The toothpick can have a tiny bit of sticky crumbs, but not super wet batter. I baked mine for 25 minutes and they were cooked the way I like, but still nice and fudgy. If you prefer a cake-ier brownie, cook a few minutes longer until the toothpick comes out CLEAN. Depending on whether you correctly measured your zucchini will affect the baking time, as less water from the zucchini means they will cook faster. Check the brownies at 22 minutes.
- Let them cool in the pan 45 minutes to an hour, no exception, or they will fall apart. These firm up a ton while they cool. Slice into desired size and carefully remove. Eat as is or with a delicious scoop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. I loved these with SoDelicious CocoWhip cream!
Notes
Nutrition
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What would you think about substituting peanut butter for the almond butter? Would the taste be too overwhelming? Just trying to save myself a trip to the store because I have all the other ingredients.
I already replied to this but now don’t see the comment, so weird! Peanut butter would be fine, as long as you don’t mind a peanut taste, but it technically will work fine!
Can’t wait to make this! My son has various allergies but he will be able to have it. Does it freeze well? Always looking for some nice treats I can keep in the freezer for when classmates have birthday parties and I need to send something in for him.
Just made them and they are indeed delicious! The almond butter I used does have a bit of sugar added; if I want to use slightly less maple syrup than what you recommend, should I add more zucchini to make up for the missing liquid from using less syrup? Also – does it freeze well? Thanks for all your work on this blog. I’m just starting experimenting with oil free cooking and your recipes have been great!
Hi Iuliana! No, don’t add more zucchini. I would use a thick/creamy milk in place of the tablespoons of syrup you remove. That should work I think, but of course I have not tested that so I can’t vouch for the results, but think it should be fine. Just know that the batter is not very sweet on it’s own so I wouldn’t recommend removing too much maple syrup or they may be too bitter. I have never tried freezing these personally but there is a lot of moisture in them and am 99% sure they would freeze just fine! Thank you so much for your kind words!
Hi.
Can you recommend a scale, please??
Hi! This is the one I use and love!
http://amzn.to/2yHSG2L
I can totally see why these zucchini brownies are so popular, they look absolutely amazing and so gooey. 🙂 When I work with zucchini in baked goods, I notice that it makes a huge difference whether I add the zucchini grated to the batter or blend it really smooth. But both ways desserts often end up super moist and delicious, so yes I love to add zucchini to desserts as well. 🙂 Wonderful pictures and great video, Brandi!! 🙂
Thank you so much Ela! Yes, brownies you want to be nice and fudgy, cake, not so much, lol! I like to blend it up here so it gets totally and accurately incorporated and not flakes of zucchini. I find that so many people grate or shred theirs differently and end up with different results so I really prefer to blend it all up 🙂
Just made these for the first time (double batch – two pans) and they are so, so, SO good! Thanks!
Yay! Thank you Steve, so happy to hear they were a winner! Thank you for the awesome review!
Best brownies ever. Seriously
I’m so happy you loved them so much Andrea, thank you so much for taking the time to rate the recipe!
I made these today and they are delicious! I don’t think the nutritional information and calorie count are correct though. Cronometer comes out to 241 calories each!
Hi Cindy! So glad you loved them! Hmmm, 241 is too high. Are you sure you plugged it in by grams? And for 8 brownies? I just doubled checked it again..I always use CalorieCount.com for my recipes and it is 175 calories. I have a confusing amount listed on the chocolate chips since I had listed the batter amount and then the topping, but I just fixed it to make it more clear, so perhaps that was it.
Using caloriecount.com instead of cronometer, it comes out to 175 per serving IF you don’t add in the chocolate chips. If you add in 135 grams of chocolate chips (which by themselves is a total of 720 calories), these come out to 264 calories per serving.
zucchini = 3 calories per serving
maple syrup = 39 calories per serving
vanilla = 1 calorie per serving
oat flour = 16 calories per serving
almond butter = 105 calories per serving
cocoa powder = 11 calories per serving
chocolate chips = 90 calories per serving
All of this adds up to 264 calories per serving.
I’m so curious to see where your calculations differ. I really want to be wrong because I would love it if they were lower in calories as you are listing.
Thanks for your reply!
Hi Cindy, I’m not sure how you are punching it in, but the 175 calories most definitely includes the chocolate chips. I use this system all the time and include the chocolate chips. I have done it multiple times and I have even included the label above now right below the recipe. You can click on the “Verywell” link and see that the chocolate chips are included. If I remove the chocolate chips, it is then only 85 calories per brownie. Yes, you are correct that the chocolate chips are 720 total for the whole recipe, which is listed on the site, but when you divide the total nutrition by 8 for 8 brownies, that is exactly what it comes out to. 175 calories. I plug in everything by weight because that gives exact results since that is how I measure as well. Hope this helps!
Here is the link again to the nutrition label:
https://www.verywell.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4129594
I think I see where the error is now. Caloriecount.com recipe analyzer is listing 128g of almond butter as having 125 calories. That’s obviously incorrect. Check to see what it’s listing for almond butter when you are inputting the ingredients. 128g of almond butter actually has about 785 calories. I think if you put in the correct amount of calories for the almond butter, you’ll get a more accurate calorie count for the brownies.
It’s been fixed. I entered it by almonds instead of almond butter. Since I go by weight instead of cups/tablespoons (for accuracy), 128 grams of almonds gives an accurate amount since the almond butter I use is only almonds and no added oils anyways. So many different brands of almond butter will have varying amounts of oil added so it will just be easier to do it by the weight of almonds. I emailed them about the error on how their system is not calculating the full amount of almond butter.
Hello 😊. I did your recipe and it’s the most, delicious, fudgy brownie in the world. I baked it for 23 minutes and it was perfect…
My question is…. If I want to double the recipe, the baking time will be the same???
Thank you
Hello 😊. I did your recipe and it’s the most, delicious, fudgy brownie in the world. I baked it for 23 minutes and it was perfect…
My question is…. If I want to double the recipe, the baking time will be the same???
Thank you
HI Fiona! Yes, the baking time should be very similar as long as the height of the brownie is the same. Just look for the clean toothpick like you did in the first batch! Thank you so much for the amazing review!
Hi Brandi, these brownies look amazing…I will be making them soon. Could you let me know what kind of chocolate chips you used? If their regular choco. chips, have you tried “carob” chips? Thanks for all your efforts, great resource!
Hi Daniel, I’m SO sorry I missed this comment before, please forgive me! I use regular dairy-free chocolate chips. There are many dairy-free brands out there, Enjoy Life, Trader Joes and Sprouts both carry dairy-free brands as well as Sunspire. Just double check the ingredient list. I have not tried carob, no, it doesn’t taste like chocolate, but rather a sweet caramel-like flavor and they don’t melt the same as chocolate chips, so not sure how they would fare in these!
These are heavenly!! Significantly more fudgy and decadent after sitting in the fridge overnight. Will definitely be making these again.
Yay! So glad you loved them Rachel, thank you so much for the feedback!
Yay! So glad you loved them Rachel, thank you for the amazing review!
This recipe is amazing! Thank you! But there is only two of us in my household…how do I store them for a few days?
Awesome Amanda! So happy to hear that! You can store them in the fridge for around a week and they should still be good! Thank you so much for making them. Would you mind giving it a star rating as well, they are so helpful, thank you!
The brownies were so decadent and rich. Who would have though using zucchini would create such amazing results!
My mom has recently joined me in eating WFPB low SOS. It was her birthday today so I made 2 different brownie recipes of yours so I could compare them. I also made your low fat brownies. Both were different and both were excellent! I liked the recipe with the zucchini the best, but will probably make the low fat recipe more since I’m still keeping the fat content in my diet low. I’ll reserve the zucchini version for special occasions!i used a fresh zucchini from my garden. Ive found it helpful That you list the weight of each ingredient.
Thank you so much for all your creative hard work creating and sharing these recipes! I’ve learned so much from you and have been able to change up other recipes to create new versions because of all I’ve learned. You have reawakened my interest in cooking. Your recipes have also helped me finally be able to stick to a WFPB lifestyle. I can’t wait for my cookbook to come. Thank you.
Aww thank you Jeanette for making both! And such a kind comment. I’m so glad you loved both brownie recipes!!
Delicious! This recipe is a total keeper. My husband didn’t notice a difference.
I’m so happy to hear these went over so well, thank you so much Maritza!
These brownies are outstanding ! So fudgy and delusions. My omni husband and step daughter were raving about them!
These brownies are outstanding ! So fudgy and delicious . My omni husband and step daughter were raving about them!
Yay! Thank you so much Kyla for the wonderful review!
Hi!
I want to make these for Christmas. Can you please explain how you slice zucchini?? Can you give a link to the video of these brownies? Thank you:)
Do you think almond flour will work in place of the oat flour?
No. Almond flour adds a ton of moisture. They would be too wet and gooey.
oh my god! so delicious! 😍
Yay, glad you enjoyed them Fafa!
I made these last night and they came out dense, almost solid. My husband actually dropped a 2″ square on his plate after taking a bite and commented on the sound it made on the plate, and how heavy and dense it was. As I was putting the recipe together, I was concerned when 36g of cocoa measured at almost 3/4 cup instead of 1/4, (which yields 20g) but continued on making the whole recipe with weight measurements as per your suggestion. The oat flour was quite a bit off as well, but not as drastic as the cocoa. I’m going to make this again, using cup and tsp/tbl measures instead of weight, to see what the difference will be. Hopefully, the next batch will come out more as your photo shows and other commenters experienced.
Hi Denise, hope I can help you here as to what went wrong! I always tell readers not to compare weights to their cup measurements because my recipes are created strictly using the weights, NOT the cups. So using cup measurements instead of the exact weights I have listed will change the results. In fact, you don’t even need to get out the cups. The weights aren’t off because that is how I make the recipes. I don’t even use cups anymore. Everybody will measure differently with cups, this is why it is not reliable. You just set the bowl on the scale, hit zero and add each ingredient, hitting zero in between each addition. SO much faster and more reliable. 1 tbsp of cocoa powder if 6g and 1 tbsp of oat flour is 8g, this is what I always use for all of my recipes. If you are spooning your dry ingredients lightly into a cup, that is why yours will be different, because 36g for 3/4 cup of cocoa is definitely not right, that would make it only 3g per tablespoon, which is way less even than the package states. If your brownies turned out really dense, it sounds to me like they were not finished cooking to get more fluffy/cooked through or was your almond butter really thick/stiff? Also, did you measure the zucchini the 150 g AFTER peeled and sliced? Lastly, did you use storebought or homemade oat flour? These are all things that could really affect how your brownies turned out.
Hi Brandi. Thanks for the brainstorming. I actually remeasured everything this morning and put it into the cups to see what the difference was, to compare it to the cup ratio you have on your recipe, because it looked like so much more. When I made the recipe I used all weight measurements because you emphasize it in all your recipes.
The oat flour, I did make myself in my Vitamix. The zucchini was peeled and sliced before measuring. The almond butter is a little bit thicker than what your video shows of yours, it did not come from a jar but a grinder. The batter was fluid, but not watery. The cook time, I actually extended in increments maybe up to about 18 minutes because the brownies were not pulling away from the sides. I finally stuck a cake tester into it and it came out clean, then I was concerned that I was over baking them. Also, I did not put chips in the batter, only on top. Next time, I will try them again with a smoother/thinner almond butter to see if there’s a difference for me.
Ahh, ok, I think that is likely the issue then…the almond butter! The kind that comes from a grinder tends to be raw almonds and unfortunately, is never near as smooth as the jar kind. It is much thicker and will make these more dense, whereas a good quality roasted almond butter in a jar is very smooth and drippy, more similar to oil, which will help the texture better. I mean, these are supposed to be fudgy, not cakey, but shouldn’t be almost like fudge, which yours sounded like they became. When I bake these, I can easily bake them into a more cakey version if baking just a tad longer. I use either the brand Simple Truth from Kroger or the Trader Joes brand. Just a note, the jarred kind tend to separate the oil from the nut butter portion, so to make sure it’s smooth, creamy, I empty it all into a separate container or food processor and whisk or blend until it is all smooth and cohesive before using in recipes. Oh and one other thing, I’ve noticed homemade oat flour is never quite as fine as store-bought, so the weight will vary when measuring. Try to get it as fine as possible. Hope that helps!
Where do you get oil free dairy free chocolate chips?
All chocolate chips contain natural cocoa butter, it is what makes it actual chocolate and setup.
These are so damn good. Thank you so much. I had to use Almond Flour & all organic peanut butter. These are Delicious!
Super easy. Just put all of my ingredients into my ninja blender. I doubled my recipe so ended up baking them for 40 mins. These are SUPER rich. You only need one and your sweet tooth craving is set!! I used natural creamy peanut butter rather than almond butter and used a pure maple syrup that had Madagascar vanilla in it. So I didn’t put in any extra vanilla extract. They are sooo good. Wish I had coconut whipped cream to go with them.
So happy to hear you loved these Adriana!
Just made these and they smell and look amazing! Doing my best to let them cool for 45 minutes (whimper). I love how quick and natural this recipe is too! I ran out of cashew and almond butters so used peanut butter this time. I made sure to measure with my scale and cooked a double batch for about 38-39 minutes. Thank you for such a great recipe!
No one even knew that they were made from zucchini! I don’t think I’ll ever go back to “regular” box brownies. These are amazing, as usual!
Hi, I only have a non digital scale. Do you think I could I use that kind with your recipes?
I’ve never tried one, but if it gives grams, I suppose it would work!
I finally got around to trying these, and I’m sorry I waited so long! This is the first time I’ve made a healthy brownie that I’m really happy with — and I’ve tried a LOT of brownie recipes! For anyone who might be wondering, I used my Vitamix instead of my food processor (easier to clean… pure laziness!), and that worked fine. And I replaced half the maple syrup with date paste and omitted the chocolate chips. The texture is perfect, and I love the dark chocolate flavor. For anyone wanting to avoid the oil spray, these slipped right out of my silicone loaf pan, so that’s an option. Also, THANK YOU for using weights in your recipes — so much faster, easier, and more accurate than cups!
SO very happy to hear you loved these and they were such a hit!! Thanks for the lovely feedback!
Every time I make a new The Vegan 8 dessert recipe it becomes my new favorite 😁. These are no exception! If you love fudge brownies these are winners! We devoured these quickly. Yum!
That is amazing to hear, thank you so much Lisa!
Hi can I use cacao powder instead of cocoa?
sorry just seeing this, yes, that should work!
I don’t have a scale. Can you translate the grams to cups? I’ll shred the zucchini.
I really do not know what the cup size would be since I just used a medium zucchini and weighed it. So I would just suggest using a medium zucchini. This is why I weigh since there can be such variances and it will yield accurate results. But your baking time may be less or more depending on the size of your zucchini.
Just made these yesterday and today, it’s gone 🙂
Fudgy and dense! I left out the choc chips and added an organic hazelnut cacao swirl instead. I wonder how the recipe would turn out using dates instead of almond butter + maple syrup?
Thanks for the recipe! Tagged you on my IG post.
Just tried these and they’re delicious! My mixer broke in the process but even with the shredded courgette they still taste amazing! Also used plain flour and they’re great 🙂 thank you for the recipe!
So happy they turned out great!
Amazing! I’ve tried all Brandi’s brownies and these are just as amazing as the rest! My mom said “if you told me they were made with zucchini id tell you youre lying!” My boyfriend said “theyre the perfect texture between homemade brownies and the classic cosmic brownie we all loved as a kid- but healther in a good way ;)” so so good i cannot reccomed these and all other brownie recipes!
These brownies are so delicious. One of the best ways I use up all my summer zucchini. I did not peel the zucchini because I wanted more nutritional power and could not tell at all. Next time, I will also add walnuts. Yum!
Woohoo, love hearing that Kelly!
Since there wasn’t a rating scale when I first made these in 2017 I thought I’d write another review, considering how often I make them. These brownies are PERFECTION! No one ever guesses there’s zucchini in them. In fact, no one ever guesses they are gluten-free and vegan! They just beg me for the recipe and are SHOCKED when they see the simple wholesome ingredients! They are super moist, fudgy, decadently chocolatey and depending on how long you bake them, you have gooeylicious brownies or a bit more cakey. Either way they’re HEAVEN! 😇 Love, love, love these brownies!!!
Hi!
Do you think cashew butter would work as well as almond?
Thank you!
Yes I think it would be yummy! Cashew butter is a bit drier, less oily and runny than almond butter, so it may change the texture a bit.
These look healthy and delicious! Would they work without the chocolate chips to keep the calories down? Or could I use raisins or something instead? Can’t wait to try them..
I can’t wait to try these!! Quick question – I see that they firm up after cooling, and someone else said they were even better overnight in the fridge – but can they be warmed up and keep their texture? I’m thinking warm brownie and coconut ice cream for our Friday treat!
I was wondering when you put on the top chocolate chips. Before the oven or after? I couldn’t find it in the recipe.
Before
Delicious! Super moist and yummy! I’ll definitely make them again!