These Fudgy Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies are so rich, delicious, and full of chocolate goodness. You will never know there is a green veggie hiding inside this homemade brownie recipe.
I really do love all things zucchini. We eat it all the time in different dinners. Everyone in our family loved these Bacon Cheeseburger Stuffed Zucchini, even our youngest who is quite picky.
Although, I think he mostly ate the filling...so, we might need to make more until I can convince him that he really does love zucchini.
Even though, we use zucchini 90% of the time in healthy dinner recipe, my absolute favorite way to enjoy zucchini is covered in chocolate.
Last week I shared these Frosted Zucchini Brownies with you and told you I was testing a fudgy zucchini brownie recipe too.
Well, today is the day I am sharing it with you. Trust me, you won't even know there is a veggie in these rich and gooey brownies. They are that good!
Baking with Zucchini
Zucchini is quite the magical ingredient when it comes to baked goods. The moisture from the green veggie makes baked goods so rich, gooey, and delicious.
This Moist Chocolate Zucchini Cake is another one that always amazes me because of how the zucchini bakes!
Ingredients for Zucchini Brownies
- Zucchini - Shred your zucchini on the smallest side of your grater. You want the zucchini to be tiny and blend into the brownies, so that it is hidden. Do not squeeze out the moisture from the shredded zucchini. You need it to be moist in order for the brownies to bake up nice and fudgy. If your zucchini is extremely wet, you can squeeze a little out with a paper towel.
- Coconut Oil - You can use melted butter in this recipe too. Either one works and tastes great.
- Dark Cocoa Powder - gives the brownies the darkest and richest color and taste. Regular cocoa powder works too, just know your brownies will be a little lighter.
- Cinnamon - adds that extra little bit of spice and flavor. Feel free to use all-spice if you want to add a little bit more to it.
- Dark Chocolate Chips - Sprinkle the top of the brownie batter with chocolate before baking. Some of them will sink into the brownies and some will stay on top. The hidden ones are a fun surprise to bite into.
- Sea Salt - adds a delicious sweet and salty flavor to the dark chocolate brownies.
How to make Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies
When the warm pan of dark chocolate zucchini brownies come out of the oven, you will be shocked at how amazing they look. I know I was blown away at how good they were.
Of course, the sprinkle of coarse sea salt on top is an absolute must. It just adds a little something extra to the dark chocolate goodness.
- Mix together the coconut oil (or butter) and sugar in a mixing bowl until it looks like wet sand.
- Add the eggs, vanilla, and shredded zucchini and mix again.
- Slowly add the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and mix until it looks like brownie batter.
- Pour the mixture into a greased baking pan.
- Sprinkle the top of the brownies with some dark chocolate chips. Feel free to add more or less depending on your mood or taste.
- Bake and cool.
- Cut the zucchini brownies into small squares and add a pinch of sea salt to the top.
More easy zucchini dessert recipes
Three times the chocolate makes this Zucchini Bundt Cake a decadent and fun way to eat your greens. It’s such a great summer dessert!
This Banana Zucchini Cake is loaded with fruits and veggies. A layer of caramel frosting makes it an awesome way to eat green veggies.
These Zucchini Cookies are so soft and delicious. Such a great way to sneak some fruits and veggies into your dessert.
Pineapple and coconut add a fun tropical flair to this delicious Pineapple Zucchini Cake. This is a fun way to use up zucchini.
Grab a few of these No Bake Zucchini Cookies as you are running out the door on busy mornings. Little no bake snacks loaded with flavor and nutrition make them perfect for breakfast or snacking.
Recipe
Fudgy Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies Recipe
These Fudgy Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies are a delicious and rich summer dessert. You will never know there is a green veggie hiding under all that chocolate.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup solid coconut oil
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups finely shredded zucchini
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅔ cup dark cocoa powder
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 Tablespoons dark chocolate chips
- coarse sea salt, for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 square pan with nonstick baking spray.
- Mix the coconut oil and sugar together. Add the vanilla, eggs, and shredded zucchini and mix again.
- Stir in the cinnamon, cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt until a brownie batter forms.
- Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with dark chocolate chips.
- Bake for 28-30 minutes. Remove and cool.
- Cut into squares and sprinkle with coarse sea salt, if desired. Store in a tightly sealed container.
Notes
You can also use melted butter instead of the coconut oil if you prefer that instead.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 123Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 132mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 1gSugar: 11gProtein: 3g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.
M. Starkey
These brownies are DELICIOUS! Chocolate and moist. The only issue I had was that they didn't seem to hold together as well as I thought they would. I think next time I make them I will add 1 egg in the hope they will not be as crumbly. Anyone else have that problem? Maybe I baked them too long????
Signe Johnson
These are delicious!!! So moist I used butter instead of coconut oil.. definitely a keeper
Carol
I mixed it up today, and it is baking. After putting it in the oven, I noticed that "print recipe" left off steps 4 5, and 6 - which includes the baking time!
Since I did a double recipe (in a 9x13 pan), I'm not quite sure how long they will need to cook. (We have a crowd of young men coming tomorrow, and a single batch just wouldn't be enough.) Fortunately, I was able to find a site that describes how to tell when they are just right.
Jocelyn
Thank you so much for stopping back in to let me know about this issue. I tried printing it as well, and I see exactly the same problem. I sent an email to my recipe card team, so hopefully they are able to fix that issue quickly. I really do appreciate you letting me know. Have a wonderful weekend, and I hope you enjoy the brownies!
Spring V
I was concerned but the outcome was great! I used a organic Dutch cocoa powder (what I already had), but besides that, followed the directions. Mine did not have a brownie texture in the bowl, it was very soupy and was worried, but I baked it for 30 minutes, checked it and cooked it for another 10; and they were fudgy, thick and soft. Great texture. I did add semi sweet and dark chocolate chips, some in the mix and some on top. I shredded a fresh zucchini and did not squeeze any juice out. Sorry for others not having theirs's turn out. My family loved them so I will make it again. I do wish I had salt for the topping, I feel it would have really brought it all together.
Libby
Why did mine come out tasting and looking like rubber?
Jocelyn
Oh, no! I'm so sorry they didn't turn out for you. I have made these so many times and never had a batch do that. Was your zucchini extra wet or did it seem really dry? And then how long did you bake them?
Monique
Kan die sugar be substituted with xylitol and flour with nut flour?
Jocelyn
I can't say for sure since I haven't baked it that way. If you try it, keep me posted on how it turns out.
Leanne
This recipe had more of a cake texture than brownie texture for me. Not sure what happened exactly but I didn't achieve that fudginess.
Nathaniel
My kids thought these tasted weird, and no one asked for seconds. I kind of agreed with them. Tasted kind of like a chewy spoonful of cocoa. I mean, there's more cocoa in these than FLOUR. Oh well, to each their own.
Jocelyn
I'm so sorry you didn't enjoy these brownies. My husband and I love them, but you are so right. Everyone does have different tastes!
Bonita Carter
I am definitely going to try this but I will use sugar substitute for even less calories
Francesca
What If I use brown/cononut sugar instead of regular?
Jocelyn
I haven't tried it this way, but I think brown sugar would be just fine. Keep me posted if you try the recipe this way.
Tina
I don't usually comment on recipes, but this is absolutely delicious! It is so moist, fluffy, yet fudgey, its just super good. Thank you for this yummy treat!
Jocelyn
You are very welcome!! I am so excited to hear how much you enjoyed the brownies.
Weazie
Could you make these with a gluten free flour such as almond or brown rice?
Jocelyn
I haven't tried these with any other flours, but I think if you use a gluten free flour that is 1 for 1 it would be just fine.
Sara
Yes you can. This recipe is very similar to King Arthur’s and they use a half cup of their GF Measure for Measure flour.
Weazie
Thank you!
Lisa
I made these brownies last night. They had a nice flavor but were a little too moist for my liking. When I printed the recipe there were tips added which are no longer here. One of the tips was to not squeeze out moisture from the zucchini. After making the brownies, I feel like the moisture needed to be squeezed out. I will definitely try this recipe again to see how they come out without the extra liquid.
Jocelyn
I make these quite often and I do not squeeze the moisture from the zucchini. The tips for baking these brownies are still in the post where I say NOT to squeeze moisture out. Now if you shred your zucchini and they are extremely wet, you could squeeze just a little bit out. Another thing that can affect it is oven temperature. You may just need to bake it 1-2 minutes longer in your oven. If your oven runs a little bit on the lower side, they will not bake as fast. Not sure which it could be...I'm just trying to offer a few suggestions.
Iveta
I made Mexican Zucchini boats and saved
the pulp to make these brownies. They
We’re delicious. Used coconut sugar instead of regular sugar. Will make again.
Leo
Awesome recipe! I'm about to bake my second batch. Worked perfectly in a 8 x 6 baking tin. One question, how long would these brownies last if kept refrigerated?
Jocelyn
I am so happy to hear you are enjoying this recipe. It's one of my favorites. I honestly do not know how long they would last in the fridge because we ate them way too fast. LOL! My guess is 3-4 days if covered tightly.
Bethany
These look delicious! I’m looking for a recipe that I can make for a vegan friend. So you think the egg could be substituted with avocado or applesauce in this recipe?
Jocelyn
I have not tried this particular recipe with either of those instead of the eggs, but I have done it with other recipes using 1/4 cup banana for each egg and had success. Keep me posted if you try it with a sub for the eggs because I would love to hear how it turns out.
Rachel
These brownies look delicious! I might try them with a few shots of espresso added for a great adult treat. What do you think?
Jocelyn
As long as you are not adding the espresso to the brownies, I think it sounds like an awesome dessert plan. More liquid added to the brownie batter will totally change the texture and how it bakes. If you want to add a shot of coffee flavor in the brownies, I would add espresso powder in the batter before baking them.
Leslie Fisher
Can I use something other than coconut oil for this?
Jocelyn
You sure can. In the blog post I talked about using melted butter instead of the oil. I went ahead and added a note to the recipe card about that. I hope you enjoy the brownies as much as I did!