These vegan zucchini brownies have a sweet chocolate flavor and the perfect moist, chewy texture. People will never guess they're vegan, or that they're loaded with zucchini!
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I used to be as skeptical as the next girl about veggies in my baked goods.
The church picnic is serving carrot cake? That's not cake. The neighbor brought over freshly baked zucchini bread? I see those green flecks in there, don't try to trick me into eating your salad.
But y'all. I'm converted. Not only can veggies be hidden inside baked goods, but they can also be REALLY GOOD. Like, OMG these zucchini brownies, I can't stop eating them and I don't know what's happening in my life right now.
These brownies just so happen to be vegan. Of course if this is really important to you you'll want to make sure the sugar you're using is vegan (believe it or not, not all of it is, here is an affiliate link to my choice for vegan sugar).
And if you're not vegan? Don't let the label scare you. These will be the chewiest, most indulgent brownies you've ever eaten!
Ingredients
- Granulated sugar
- Canola oil
- Unbleached all-purpose flour
- Whole wheat flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Shredded zucchini
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips
How to make vegan zucchini brownies
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar, oil, and flour until the mixture resembles wet sand.
- Turn the mixer to low and add cocoa, zucchini, vanilla, salt, and baking soda. Mix until well combined.
- Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares and serve.
Top tips
What the batter should look like
Zucchini is a vegetable that can have a lot of water in it. Most recipes recommend draining the shredded zucchini to control the outcome of the recipe.
I have found more often than not that if I drain the zucchini for this recipe I need to add more water back into before baking. If your zucchini seems very watery, let it rest on a towel for a few minutes before using and adjust the batter as outlined below as needed.
Whether you drained your zucchini or not, check the consistency of your batter before baking. Here is a batter that is in the "sandy" stage, and batter that has everything added to it but it is too dry. It's a little crumbly and looks like cookie dough. You could still bake it like this, but would get a slightly different result.
To fix this, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until your batter looks like the one pictured below. It will still be thick, but should be looser, pourable, and look like, well, brownie batter!
Try vegan brownies in the freezer
The flavor of chocolate changes with temperature, and if you haven't tried brownies straight from the freezer, then you're missing out! They're soft enough to eat straight from the freezer, and even better when crumbled over a bowl of butter pecan ice cream.
How to store zucchini brownies
Zucchini brownies will keep covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in a zip top freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Tips for customizing vegan zucchini brownies
- Bake in a 9x13 pan to make flatter brownies you can cut into more squares (decrease the baking time as needed)
- Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon with the flour
- Add ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter
- Use a chopped chocolate bar instead of chocolate chips
- Take it to the next level by topping them with vegan caramel sauce
FAQ
You could do either, but I prefer to shred zucchini on the large holes of a box grater when making brownies. If you'd rather not be able to see the strands of zucchini in the brownies, shred it on a smaller hole.
Dutch process cocoa powder is not the same as unsweetened cocoa powder and will not behave the same in this recipe. I recommend only using unsweetened cocoa powder when making these brownies.
More brownie recipes
- Sweet Potato Brownies
- Vegan Mug Brownies
- Vegan Single Serving Brownie
- Single Serve Vegan Chocolate Brownie Cookie
- Cream Cheese Ice Box Brownies
- Grandma's Brownies
- Refrigerator Bakery Brownies
- Dark Chocolate Brownies
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Vegan Zucchini Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup canola oil
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups shredded zucchini, lightly drained of excess moisture
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar, oil, and flour until the mixture resembles wet sand.
- Turn the mixer to low and add cocoa, zucchini, vanilla, salt, and baking soda. Mix until well combined.
- Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Irka says
This made a fluffy cake,not a fudgy brownie. I didn't squeeze out the zucchini,so the batter was plenty wet.
Patricia says
Made them this evening with two substitutions - applesauce instead of coconut oil and chopped crystallized ginger instead of chocolate chips. I also added about 1/4 cup ketchup to enhance the chocolate flavour. Altogether delish, one of the best zucchini brownies recipes I have tried.
Lindsay Moe says
Thanks for sharing your adaptation, the crystalized ginger sounds genius! I've also never heard of the ketchup trick, I'll have to try that!!
Laura says
Made these last night and they came out great!
Angela says
This is my go-to brownie with these changes: do 1 cup of flour, not 2! This will make it less cake-like. Can be less sweet, so reduce sugar by 1/4 cup. And add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Perfection!
Julie Gage says
Angela sounds like something I would do I will give it a try because I am not a fan of cake like brownies and I agree on less sugar the better but enough to give it some sweetness 🙂 oh and the cinnamon nice touch 🙂
Rebecca Collier says
Absolutely the best vegan Brownies ever - and I've tried alot of recipes!! I drained the courgettes over a bowl so I could add more liquid to the recipe and get the right consistency. I baked slightly shorter than stated but my oven gets super hot. Thank you for a lovely recipe!
Katie says
I have made these many times and they are delicious! Mine always turn out like a cake instead of brownies, but it's a delicious cake!
Sarah says
I can't remember if I have left a review or not yet, but I have made these so many times and they have turned out amazing each time so I am leaving one (possibly again).
So much love for this recipe! A crowd pleaser each and every time.
Thanks for the amazing recipes, Lindsay! Your zucchini muffins are in the oven right now and I look forward to seeing how they turn out. Someone gifted me a zucchini so big that I am making 2 loaves of vegan chocolate zucchini loaf, a double batch of your muffins, AND a double batch of these brownies. My husband isn't thrilled the oven is on in this heat, but he sure will be happy when everything cools!
Lindsay Moe says
Thank you for the lovely review! I'm so glad you enjoy this recipe, my family does as well!
Katia says
Delicious recipe, I’ve been making it for years. I reduce the sugar and it turns out great.