These flourless zucchini brownies are fudgy and chocolatey. It’s an easy one bowl recipe and a great way to use up zucchini.
close-up of stack of four brownies

A few weeks ago, I shared a recipe for zucchini brownies. It’s one of my favorite new recipes and I’ve made them several times already for friends and family. After sharing that recipe, I received several requests for a flourless gluten-free version, so I went back into the kitchen to do some testing.
overhead photo of zucchini brownie squares

Why This Recipe Works

  • The brownies are very chocolatey and the chocolate flavor is even more intense the next day.
  • If you enjoy fudgy brownies, you will love this recipe.
  • You don’t need any kind of flour to make them.

Ingredients

  • Zucchini
  • Natural Almond Butter
  • Banana
  • Semi-sweet chocolate
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Honey
  • Vanilla extract
  • Baking soda
  • Large egg

Zucchini: You will want to shred the zucchini using the small holes on the grater because you want very thin shreds. The thin shreds will almost disappear into the brownies once cooked.
prep photo of zucchini shreds
Almond Butter: One of the key ingredients to these brownies working without flour is using almond butter. When mixed with eggs and a rising agent and baked, it creates a cake-like structure. Make sure to use the creamy, natural almond butter with no added oils.

Banana: Mashed banana helps sweeten the brownies and also helps create the right brownie texture.

Chocolate: I use chopped semi-sweet chocolate. If you want to make the brownies paleo, you can use paleo chocolate chips.

Cocoa powder: Use regular unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process).

Honey: If you want to make the brownies paleo-friendly, use raw honey. If you’re not concerned about that you can use regular honey.

How to Make the Brownies

  • Make the brownie batter. Mix the almond butter, mashed banana, egg, honey, cocoa powder, vanilla, and baking soda in a mixing bowl.
  • Add the zucchini and chocolate. Mix in the shredded zucchini until well combined. Mix in half of the chopped chocolate.
  • Bake the brownies. Spread the batter in a prepared baking pan and sprinkle the rest of the chocolate over the top. Bake the brownies in a 9″ square baking pan at 350°F for 30 minutes.
  • Cool the brownies. Leave the brownies in the pan until they are cooled to room temperature before slicing them.

Expert Tips

  • When you shred your zucchini, drain off any excess water before adding the zucchini to the batter.
  • I prefer natural almond butter for this recipe, but readers have used natural peanut butter as a substitute.
  • Line the baking pan with parchment paper to make it easy to remove the brownies.
  • Don’t slice them until they are cooled. If you slice them warm from the oven the brownies will fall apart.

photo of stacked flourless zucchini brownies

5 from 7 votes

Flourless Zucchini Brownies

A grain free, gluten free, and paleo version of zucchini brownies. These brownies are fudgy and chocolatey and easy to make.
Servings: 12
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup creamy natural almond butter
  • 1 ripe medium banana, mashed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup raw honey
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, (do not use dutch processed)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup finely shredded zucchini
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chopped chocolate (to keep this strictly paleo, you can use paleo chocolate chips)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9 inch by 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, combine almond butter, banana, egg, honey, cocoa powder, vanilla and baking soda. Mix batter until it is evenly combined. Batter will be quite dry.
  • Stir in the zucchini. As you continue to stir, the zucchini will release some water and you should see the batter becoming more liquid. Stir until batter is evenly mixed and no longer dry and it becomes a thick liquid batter. Stir in ½ cup chocolate.
  • Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle surface with remaining ½ cup chocolate. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • Allow brownies to cool before cutting and serving.

Notes

  • Make sure to use creamy, natural almond butter. Avoid using the thick, processed almond butter.
  • You will want to shred the zucchini using the small holes on the grater because you want very thin shreds. When I finished shredding my zucchini, it was very moist, but it did not have any pools of released water. If for some reason you are dealing with a very watery zucchini, drain out that released liquid before adding the zucchini to the batter. You want the moisture from the zucchini, but not any pools of water.
  • Recipe adapted from Running with Spoons
Serving: 1brownie, Calories: 202kcal, Carbohydrates: 24.2g, Protein: 4.8g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 4.4g, Sodium: 83.1mg, Fiber: 3.7g, Sugar: 18.4g, NET CARBS: 21
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!