Brownies are one of my favorite chocolate desserts and these zucchini brownies are no exception. They’re easy to take on the go for picnics, cookouts, and parties, but they’re also a delicious evening dessert after dinner.
Gather This
Extra zucchini in your garden? Then you have the perfect excuse to make these zucchini brownies! A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Shredded zucchini– when shredding the zucchini, the finer you can get it, the better your brownies will turn out. Be sure not to squeeze out the excess moisture after shredding. We want as much moisture as we can get for a fudgy brownie texture.
- Canola or vegetable oil
- Sugar
- Brown sugar
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Egg
- All purpose flour
- Vanilla extract
- Baking powder
- Fine sea salt
- Semi sweet chocolate chips
Frosted Zucchini Brownies
Frosting is a very personal choice and since we aren’t going for healthy here, feel free to slather some on top! Another alternative is a dusting of powdered sugar. Here are a few frosting recipes to try:
Why it Works
These zucchini brownies are one of our favorites, and here are a few reasons why.
- Extra moisture for fudgy texture – Because shredded zucchini has lots of moisture, that moisture gets baked into our brownies giving them the perfect cakey texture.
- Sneak in veggies – Have picky eaters at home? They’ll never taste the zucchini in these brownies, and you can sneak a serving of veggies in.
- Bold chocolate flavor – What with the cocoa powder and chocolate chips, these brownies are full of bold chocolatey flavor.
5S Philosophy 👩🏻
- Salt – A dash of fine sea salt helps to bring out the chocolatey flavor of these brownies. Try topping with some flakey sea salt after baking for even more salty goodness and crunch.
- Seasonings – Instead of vanilla extract or in addition to, try using almond, coconut or even coffee extract.
- Sauces – If you like frosted brownies, try topping these ones with a batch of chocolate frosting. You can drizzle with chocolate ganache too.
- Swaps – Instead of chocolate chips, try swapping them for peanut butter chips or butterscotch chips.
- Senses – Crackly tops give way to a fudgy, ultra-moist center—thanks to whisper-soft zucchini. Deep cocoa aroma, pockets of melty chocolate, and a bittersweet chew finish with a hint of vanilla.
Fudgy Zucchini Brownie Recipe
Ultra-moist zucchini brownies baked in a 9×13 pan with optional chocolate frosting. No one will guess the veggie! Storage & freezing tips inside.
Servings:
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar , packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups zucchini , finely shredded (do not squeeze out moisture)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer, whisk together the 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 1 egg until combined.
- Sift or whisk together the 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt. Slowly add to wet mixture, then stir in 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 2 cups zucchini by hand.
- Spread evenly into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test. Remove and allow to cool fully before slicing.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Notes
Storage
Store brownies in the refrigerator in an airtight container or resealable bag for up to 1 week. You can also wrap them individually in aluminum foil.Can I freeze zucchini brownies?
Freeze brownies for up to 3 months. Store them in a single layer in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container or wrap them in plastic wrap.Nutrition
Calories: 206 kcal, Carbohydrates: 29 g, Protein: 3 g, Fat: 10 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 9 mg, Sodium: 67 mg, Potassium: 137 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 16 g, Vitamin A: 41 IU, Vitamin C: 2 mg, Calcium: 33 mg, Iron: 2 mg
Did you make this recipe?I’d love to see your recipes – snap a picture and mention @savoryexperiments or tag #savoryexperiments!
Other Delicious Brownie Recipes
Is there anything better than a pan of warm brownies straight from the oven? Here are some of our favorites.
I want to make these with almond flour and Monkfruit sugars. Will they still turn out moist or dry?
I honestly have no clue- we have not tested them using these ingredients.
I don’t know what I did but my dough, before adding the zucchini, was super hard and stiff. I added the zucchini and tried not over mix but it was difficult to incorporate it. And once the zucchini was added the batter was very wet. I should mention as well that the recipe shows baking powder but it didn’t say to add it to the dry ingredients, which I did, but I almost missed putting it in.
I baked it in the oven at 350 for about 45. As I said it was quite a wet batter so I needed extra cooking time. But in the end turned out well. Just wanted others to know in case they read the comments first like I always do in case there’s extra information from the experiences.
Hi Brenda, I’m really sorry to hear that. How long did you end up cooking it for? I’ll go back and double check the method and make it again to troubleshoot.
I didn’t tell the kiddos that there was zucchini in these brownies, and they never figured it out. That to me is a winning dessert!
The zucchini in these give them an amazing texture – so delish!
These are fantastic! So chewy and fudgy! Will definitely make them again. Thank you!
This is so healthy. Never imagined a Brownie with a Zucchini combination. A must try recipe. Thanks
We made these brownies over the summer with zucchini from the garden and they were AMAZING! You’d never know they had veggies!