Chocolate Zucchini Brownies
Posted Jun 15, 2021, Updated Oct 06, 2024
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These zucchini brownies are rich and fudgy with a crinkly top and loaded with shredded zucchini! They’re the best chocolate zucchini brownies ever and a perfect summer treat for chocolate lovers.
Brownies are my all-time favorite dessert, so naturally I had to create the best Zucchini Brownies as a delicious way to use up all the zucchini in our garden (also try this chocolate zucchini cake).
These zucchini brownies are rich and fudgy with a crinkly top and are loaded with shredded zucchini! They’re the best chocolate zucchini brownies ever and a perfect summer treat for chocolate lovers.
Chocolate Zucchini Brownies: Ingredients & Substitutions
These brownies are so good as-is, but as always we’ll discuss the ingredients and possible substitutions.
- Salted butter. Unsalted butter works well, you may need to adjust the amount of sea salt in the recipe! Coconut oil or ghee can also be used in this recipe, but butter is my favorite.
- Chopped chocolate. If you are looking to make the best zucchini brownies, then you need to choose a high-quality chocolate! The form of the chocolate doesn’t matter too much. Chips, chopped bars, discs, etc. all work equally well because it’s being melted. However the quality and cocoa content of your chocolate will affect the final outcome. I typically use Ghirardelli 60% dark chocolate chips.
- Granulated sugar. Any granulated sugar works well in this recipe. I use organic cane sugar.
- Vanilla extract. Make sure to use pure vanilla extract, and not imitation.
- Cocoa powder. regular unsweetened cocoa powder is the best choice for these chocolate zucchini brownies. You can use extra dark cocoa powder for an even more intense chocolate flavor.
- All-purpose flour. For a gluten-free version, substitute a 1:1 gluten-free all purpose flour blend.
- Fine Sea Salt. I recommend using pure fine sea salt in baking and cooking. If you use iodized table salt decrease the amount of salt by half.
- Eggs. I have not tried using egg substitutes. If you do and it works well for you please let me know in the comments below!
- Zucchini. There’s no substitute for the zucchini (obviously)! For the fudgiest brownies make sure to squeeze out some of the water in the shredded zucchini before putting it in the bater.
How to Make Zucchini Brownies
The process to make zucchini brownies is just as important to the final outcome as the ingredients. For that perfect shiny crinkly top with a fudgy center, it’s very important to follow the steps as they are listed in this recipe! So let’s break them down and get started (don’t forget to watch the video too)!
The first step in making this brownie recipe is to melt the butter and chocolate together. This can be done in one of two ways:
- In the microwave. warm butter & chocolate in the microwave for 60 seconds. Stir and warm in 30 second increments with stirring in between until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
- On the stovetop. Gently warm butter and chocolate on the stovetop over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth and shiny!
Set the melted butter/chocolate mixture aside to cool slightly while you mix up the rest of the batter.
Then combine the dry ingredients and set them aside to use later.
Beating the ingredients results in a shiny, crinkly top on these zucchini brownies. You can use a hand mixer or a standing mixer (my preference). Begin by beating the eggs alone for 60 seconds until they are pale yellow.
Next, add the sugar and beat for an additional 30-60 seconds, or until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is has thickened slightly.
Once the sugar is dissolved, add vanilla and the melted butter/chocolate mixture and beat on medium speed until the ingredients are combined and the batter is smooth.
Next, add the dry ingredients to the batter. If the flour or cocoa powder are clumpy, you may want to sift them before adding them to the wet ingredients. The batter at this point should be thick but not hard.
Use a spatula to fold in the chocolate chips and zucchini until they’re evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Remove water
I recommend squeezing the water out of the shredded zucchini before adding it to the batter. This prevents cakey brownies.
Bake
Spread the zucchini brownie batter evenly in a pan and bake. Be sure to test them at the beginning of the recommended baking time, you do not want over-baked brownies!
Cool & Serve
Let the zucchini brownies cool in the baking pan for at least 15 minutes before cutting. You can eat them warm (yum) or at room temperature. They will hold up better to cutting as they cool.
Frost (Optional)
You can also frost the zucchini brownies before cutting once they are completely cooled. Here are some of our favorite frosting recipes:
Zucchini Brownies FAQs
If you don’t eat all these zucchini brownies right away, you will need to store them. To keep brownies fresh, store them in an airtight container. They will last at room temperature for 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Yes! I recommend wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap or vacuum sealing them, then storing the wrapped brownies in an airtight container or plastic bag in the freezer.
Yes, in order to keep the texture fudgy and not cakey, I recommend squeezing the water out of the zucchini before using it to make these zucchini brownies.
This varies depending on just how gooey you want these fudgy brownies to be. For me, the perfect amount of gooeyness is achieved when the brownies are set on the top and around the edges, and they jiggle every-so-slightly when the pan is shaken.
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Fudgy Zucchini Brownies
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate (1 cup)
- ½ cup salted butter
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup zucchini shredded and water squeezed out
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, grease an 8×8” baking dish, set aside.
- Melt chocolate and butter together in a microwave safe bowl, or on the stovetop over low heat. Stir until smooth and glossy. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Mix flour, cocoa powder and sea salt together in a small bowl; set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat eggs for 1 minute or until pale and thick.
- Add sugar and beat for an additional 30-60 seconds, until sugar is dissolved.
- Add melted & cooled chocolate/butter mixture and vanilla and stir on low speed until batter is smooth.
- Add dry ingredients, mix on low speed until just incorporated and there are no lumps.
- Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into prepared pan; bake until the top is set and the brownies are only very slightly “jiggly”, 25-30 minutes.**
- Place brownie pan on a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Cut into squares and serve.
Video
Notes
- Salted butter. Unsalted butter, coconut oil and ghee all work well in this recipe.
- Chopped chocolate. The form of the chocolate doesn’t matter too much. Chips, chopped bars, discs, etc. all work equally well because it’s being melted.
- Granulated sugar. Any granulated sugar works well in this recipe. I use organic cane sugar.
- Vanilla extract. Make sure to use pure vanilla extract, and not imitation.
- Cocoa powder. You can use extra dark cocoa powder for an even more intense chocolate flavor.
- Zucchini. There’s no substitute for the zucchini (obviously)! For the fudgiest brownies make sure to squeeze out some of the water in the shredded zucchini before putting it in the bater.
- All-purpose flour. For a gluten-free version, substitute a 1:1 gluten-free all purpose flour blend.
- Fine Sea Salt. I recommend using pure fine sea salt in baking and cooking. If you use iodized table salt decrease the amount of salt by half.
- Eggs. I have not tried using egg substitutes. If you do and it works well for you please let me know in the comments below!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this for the family and they all really liked it. I used a bit more than a cup of zucchini. It tasted more like a chocolate zucchini bread rather than a brownie, but nevertheless, it was delicious and will definitely be made again 🙂
Hey Bella, did you make sure to squeeze out the water in the Zucchini? Using more zucchini and not squeezing it out would definitely alter the texture from fudgy to more bread or cake-like.