Satisfy your sweet tooth with these zucchini brownies! They’re incredibly fudgy, chocolatey, perfectly sweet, and entirely vegan. And you need only 10 minutes of active preparation time!
Why This Recipe Works
I promise you, this recipe will blow your taste buds away! Over the years, I’ve tried so many different vegan brownie recipes and these zucchini brownies are by far my favorite!
If you’re still a bit skeptical about using zucchini for baking, you just have to try this recipe! Don’t worry, you won’t taste the zucchini at all but they make the brownies incredibly fudgy and moist. Plus, they will create a unique texture that will enhance the richness of the chocolate, making each bite taste like heaven.
Zucchini have a very mild and neutral taste on their own, which makes them perfect for all kinds of baked goods (savory and sweet). Its high water ratio helps you to make the perfect ooey, gooey brownies.
And I can promise you nobody will guess you’ve used zucchini for this recipe! They’re even more fudgy on the next day and they keep up to 5 days in the fridge!
Plus, making this recipe is a real breeze. All you need is a grater or food processor for the zucchini, a large bowl, and a wooden spoon. The brownies need about 10 minutes of active preparation time and 25 minutes of baking time.
What I also love about this recipe is that you don’t need any fancy ingredients. You should be able to find all of the ingredients in any regular grocery store. Instead of eggs, I used unsweetened apple sauce and ground flaxseeds soaked in water. Both are a great and very cheap egg replacement.
And this recipe is so much healthier than traditional brownies without compromising on taste. Plus, the recipe is super versatile and you can easily customize it by adding your favorite toppings or mix-ins, such as walnuts or cashews, vegan chocolate chips, or a dusting of powdered sugar.
So, preheat your oven and grab your mixing bowls and give these zucchini brownies a try! Trust me, this recipe is a real game changer! It’s just perfect for any type of gatherings, parties, or simply as a delicious afternoon snack.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chocolate Chips – use dark chocolate chips. Most brands are vegan, but I always recommend checking the labels.
- Almond Milk – I used unsweetened almond milk, but any other plant-based milk such as soy or oat milk works as well. However, I don’t recommend rice milk for baking as it tends to be very thin.
- Maple Syrup
- Apple Sauce – use unsweetened apple sauce.
- Chocolate – dark chocolate. Most dark chocolates are vegan, but check the labels as some contain milk.
- Zucchini
- Flaxseeds – you need ground flaxseeds. Either grind whole flaxseeds in a high speed blender or food processor or buy ground flaxseeds at the store.
- Walnuts
- Cocoa – you need unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Brown Sugar – you could replace it with coconut sugar if you want.
- Coconut Oil
How To Make This Recipe
1. Step: Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Grate the zucchini. Either use a handheld grater or food processor to grate the zuchini. Give them a quick squeeze.
2. Step: Place all ingredients in a large bowl.
3./4. Step: Stir with a wooden spoon.
5. Step: Line a baking pan with parchment paper and pour the batter into the baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes.
6./7. Step: Roughly chop the dark chocolate and melt it either on the stovetop or in the microwave.
8. Step: Let the brownies cool down for a bit. Roughly chop the walnuts. Then add the melted dark chocolate on top and sprinkle with the chopped walnuts. Let the brownies cool down completely before cutting them into squares.
Tips & Tricks
- For a healthier version, you could replace the all-purpose flour with whole wheat or spelt flour.
- Don’t worry about wringing out the zucchini. Just give them a quick squeeze before you add them to the rest of the ingredients.
- You could also sprinkle the brownies with chopped cashews or peanuts for a change. If you want you could also add chopped walnuts to the batter.
- You can use a 8×8-inch brownie baking pan for thicker brownies or a rectangular baking pan (9 x 13 inches) for thinner ones.
Storing
Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, the brownies last up to 5 days. Stored at room temperature, they last only 2 days.
Freezing
The zucchini brownies freeze really well. Let them cool down completely before freezing them. You can freeze them for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature when you’re ready to eat them.
Gluten-Free Version
I haven’t tried making these brownies gluten-free yet, but I think it should work with a gluten-free flour blend. I’ve tried this with similar recipes and it always works out well.
Related Recipes
I Love To Hear From You!
I hope you like these zucchini brownies as much as we do around here.
If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to know what you think about it. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!
You like my recipes and want to see more? Then follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Sina
Zucchini Brownies
Equipment
- 1 grater or food processor
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 8×8-inch brownie baking pan or a rectangular baking pan (9 x 13 inches)
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
- 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds + 3 tablespoons of water)
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce
- 2 1/2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
- 1 zucchini (about 7 oz)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Make the flax egg: place the water and the ground flaxseeds in a small bowl and stir well. Let it sit until you make the cake batter. Grate the zucchini. Either use a handheld grater or food processor to grate the zuchini. Give them a quick squeeze.
- Place all ingredients in a large bowl.
- Stir with a wooden spoon.
- Line a 8×8-inch baking pan or a a rectangular baking pan (9 x 13 inches) with parchment paper and pour the batter into the baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Roughly chop the dark chocolate and melt it either on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Let the brownies cool down for a bit. Roughly chop the walnuts. Then add the melted dark chocolate on top and sprinkle with the chopped walnuts. Let the brownies cool down completely before cutting them into squares.
Notes
- For a healthier version, you could replace the all-purpose flour with whole wheat or spelt flour.
- Don’t worry about wringing out the zucchini. Just give them a quick squeeze before you add them to the rest of the ingredients.
- You could also sprinkle the brownies with chopped cashews or peanuts for a change. If you want you could also add chopped walnuts to the batter.
- You can use a 8×8-inch brownie baking pan for thicker brownies or a rectangular baking pan (9 x 13 inches) for thinner ones.
Leave a Reply