Spirited and Then Some

A food blog with hundreds of delicious gluten-free and dairy-free recipes.

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
  • Resources
    • Blogging Resources
    • Photography Resources
    • Teacher Resources
  • Blog
  • RSS
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Desserts Recipes

Paleo Zucchini Brownies

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Your tastebuds will never believe these fudgy, chocolatey Paleo Zucchini Brownies are made with a culinary vegetable! But, alas, they are! Shredded zucchini, maple syrup, and coconut sugar come together for an indulgent paleo brownie recipe! Top with chopped nuts, paleo chocolate pieces, or flaky sea salt! {Paleo}

Paleo Zucchini Brownies? DON’T MIND IF I DO!!!! Who knew vegetables could taste so good! I mean, technically a zucchini is a fruit. But from a culinary perspective, it’s treated like a vegetable. So vegetable it is. Especially if it’s immersed in chocolate, which these zucchini pieces are! 

Today’s recipe is inspired by Ambitious Kitchen’s Zucchini Brownies. One of the biggest challenges of creating zucchini brownies is getting the right consistency. Zucchinis hold a lot of water while coconut flour runs dry. Finding the right balance between the two took fortitude. So, countless practice batches later, we made adjustments along the way. One, we added tapioca flour in addition to the coconut flour. Two, we used almond butter instead of tahini (we have an allergy in the house). Third, we reduced the amount of salt used. And lastly, we also now bake our Paleo Zucchini Brownies in a 9×9 baking dish instead of an 8×8 baking dish.

Chocolate brownies cut into squares and some placed at different angles.

If you’re still on the fence about making your own zucchini brownies, then let me just say, hop off and join me in the kitchen! Because even the reject brownies were delicious! With so many brownies on our kitchen counters throughout the testing process, we ate them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and in between times, too. But, hey, we were eating our vegetables. That counts as elating our vegetables, right? I say it does.

Multiple batches in, let’s make another! You won’t likely need to make as many as we did to get everything right, but your tastebuds wouldn’t mind if you did. 😋

Paleo Zucchini Brownies cut into squares next to paleo chocolate chips and two heart-shaped measuring spoons.

These Paleo Zucchini Brownies are

  • Gluten-free
  • Grain-free
  • Dairy-free
  • Soy-free
  • Soft in the center with a mountainous, ridged top
  • Easy to modify for paleo chocolate chips or allergen-friendly chocolate chips (if you don’t need these brownies to be 100% paleo)
Paleo Zucchini Brownies batter in a 9x9 white baking dish lined with parchment paper.

Paleo Zucchini Brownies ingredients

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make your own decadent batch of Paleo Zucchini Brownies!

  • Zucchini. 1 cup, shredded/minced and drained. It’s critical to chop the zucchini into small pieces and squeeze out as much water as possible so your brownies are firm enough to hold their shape. See below, under Best Practices, for additional details.
  • Dry ingredients: Cocoa (or cacao), coconut flour, tapioca flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, and sea salt.
  • Wet ingredients: Egg, almond butter (or other nut butter of choice), maple syrup, vanilla, and coconut oil.
  • Mix-ins and Toppings (optional): Chocolate chips (dark chocolate pieces or carob nibs for paleo-friendly options), melted chocolate drizzle, mixed nuts, coarse sea salt, or shredded coconut.
Baked Paleo Zucchini Brownies in a white porcelain baking dish lined with parchment paper.

How to make Paleo Zucchini Brownies

  1. Set oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×9 baking dish and line with parchment that has been cut to size. Set aside.
  2. Place shredded zucchini on a thin dishtowel (thick paper towels and napkins will also work), fold the towel over, and, using the heel of your hand, begin pressing on the zucchini in multiple places to extract the excess water. Repeat several times. Then gather the corners of the towel together and, standing over a sink or bowl, ring out remaining water from the zucchini. Set zucchini aside. If available, place the zucchini on a fresh, dry towel to continue draining any water that may still remain.
  3. Combine the dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl, whisk together with a fork, and set aside. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together with a fork and pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir until evenly combined. Fold in desired mix-ins.
  4. Pour the batter into the parchment-lined baking dish and bake for 28-30 minutes. For best results, rotate the dish once during baking. Remove from oven and set on the counter to cool for 10-20 minutes. Using the sides of the parchment paper, lift the brownie batch out of the pan, set on the counter or on a cutting board, and continue to cool another 5-10 minutes.
  5. Cut into squares, serve, and ENJOY! Store brownies in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Chopped fresh zucchini on a white cutting board.

Pro tips for zucchini brownies that aren’t too soft or too dry

When I first started learning how to bake paleo recipes, I found they were dry and crumbly. Baked goods with zucchini, on the other hand, tend to hold too much moisture, leaving them soft and soggy. So wouldn’t paleo baking and zucchini recipes be a match made in heaven then? I mean, couldn’t the zucchini soften up the paleo flours and the paleo flours absorb more of the zucchini’s moisture?

Technically, yes. But creating these Paleo Zucchini Brownies proved to be trickier than that. The key is to get the right balance of ingredients. Countless batches later, we figured out a few tricks:

  • Extract excess moisture from the zucchini. Friends, I cannot stress this enough: as soon as you think you have all the water squeezed from the zucchini, it’s important to check one more time. I use two main methods:
    • Place the chopped zucchini on a dish cloth, bring the sides of the cloth up, and ring the zucchini out over the sink.
    • Spread out the chopped zucchini along one side of a thin dishtowel and fold the cloth over so the zucchini is covered. Use the heel of your hand to press down on the zucchini tucked in the cloth. Water from the zucchini will absorb into the towel. Move the zucchini around to drier parts of the cloth to extra the rest of the water. You’d be surprised just how much water you find when both steps are utilized. I share more about this in my Paleo Zucchini Bread recipe.
  • Line the baking dish with parchment. In addition to greasing the baking dish, it’s a good idea to line it with parchment paper. This will make it easier to lift the brownies out of the pan to cool or serve.
  • Let the brownies cool before serving. This is a critical step. If you slice and serve the brownies too soon, the ingredients will be soft, and your brownies will fall apart. I like to cool the brownies in the baking dish for 10-20 minutes and then, using the parchment paper, lift the entire batch of brownies out of the pan to finish cooling on the counter.
Brownies drizzled with melted paleo chocolate chips and garnished with flaky sea salt.

Brownies, brownies, and MORE brownies!!!

Get your gluten-free, dairy-free brownie fix with these delectable, chocolatey treats!

  • Chocolate Almond Butter Brownies
  • Gluten-Free Cake Brownies
  • Paleo Fudgy Brownies
  • Delectable Dairy-Free Chocolate Tart (Okay, this one isn’t technically a brownie, but, wow, is it good! So, we’re making it an honorary brownie today!)

Spiriteds, I hope these Paleo Zucchini Brownies find you well. Take care and stay safe. I’m glad you’re here. ❤️ 

Pinterest Pin for Paleo Zucchini Brownies.
Print

Paleo Zucchini Brownies

Print Recipe

Your tastebuds will never believe these fudgy, chocolatey Paleo Zucchini Brownies are made with a culinary vegetable! But, alas, they are! Shredded zucchini, maple syrup, and coconut sugar come together for an indulgent paleo brownie recipe! Top with chopped nuts, paleo chocolate pieces, or flaky sea salt! {Paleo}

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 12 bars 1x
  • Category: Baked Goods
  • Method: Oven
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Scale

Dry ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons coconut flour
  • 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar 
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Wet ingredients:

  • 1 cup zucchini, shredded/finely chopped and drained
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup almond butter or other nut butter of choice
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Optional mix-ins: Approximately 1/2 cup chopped nuts or paleo dark chocolate pieces, chocolate chips, or carob nibs.

Instructions

  1. Set oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×9 baking dish and line with parchment that has been cut to size. Set aside.
  2. Place shredded zucchini on a thin dishtowel (thick paper towels and napkins will also work), fold the towel over, and, using the heel of your hand, begin pressing on the zucchini in multiple places to extract the excess water. Repeat several times. Then gather the corners of the towel together and, standing over a sink or bowl, ring out remaining water from the zucchini. Set zucchini aside. If available, place the zucchini on a fresh, dry towel to continue draining any water that may still remain.
  3. Combine the dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl, whisk together with a fork, and set aside. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together with a fork and pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir until evenly combined. Fold in optional mix-ins such as chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or carob nibs.
  4. Pour the batter into the parchment-lined baking dish and bake for 28-30 minutes. For best results, rotate the dish once during baking. Remove from oven and set on the counter to cool for 10-20 minutes. Using the sides of the parchment paper, lift the brownie batch out of the pan, set on the counter or on a cutting board, and continue to cool another 5-10 minutes.
  5. Cut into squares, serve, and ENJOY! Store brownies in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

    Notes

    • Make sure to extract as much of the zucchini’s moisture as possible before making the brownies. The extra effort on the front end will yield better brownies on the backend!
    • Line the baking dish with parchment. The parchment paper will help prevent the brownies from burning or sticking to the pan and will also make it easier to pull the brownies out of the pan once they have cooled.
    • Let the brownies cool before serving. These brownies will be soft when they first come out of the oven and will fall apart if sliced too soon.
    • If baking in an 8×8 baking dish, then plan for a longer cook time – about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the center of the brownies comes out clean (or mostly clean, as these brownies have a slight crumble to them.)
    • To cut the brownies into squares, use a plastic knife and you should have fewer brownie crumbles stick to it.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @SpiritedMorgan on Instagram and hashtag it #SpiritedRecipes

    You May Also Enjoy These Posts...

    No-Bake Lemon Coconut Bites
    Chicken Lime Soup
    Dairy-Free Shrimp Chowder
    Chocolate Chunk Crinkle Cookies

    Desserts Recipes


    Leave a Comment

    About Spirited and then Some

    I'm Morgan. A spirited, social chatterbox, small biz owner, and teacher. Lover of all things food. Think dip. Lover of all things family. Think K-Hubs, Toodlebug, and Twinkleberry. I'm so glad you found our spirited community.... Click Here to Read More

    « No-Bake Chocolate Almond Butter Truffles
    Dairy-Free Strawberry Oatmeal Smoothie »

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    Greetings!

    I'm Morgan. A spirited, social chatterbox, small biz owner, and teacher. Lover of all things food. Think dip. Lover of all things family. Think K-Hubs, Toodlebug, and Twinkleberry. I'm so glad you found our spirited community. Learn more…

    Take a Stroll

    my foodgawker gallery  my finding vegan gallery  
    View my Tasty Kitchen Profile

    Recent Posts

    • Cucumber Mint Cooler
    • Rustic Farmhouse Classroom Decor
    • Apple Slice Charcuterie Board
    • Chocolate-Drizzled Matcha Energy Bites
    • How to Make Cauliflower Rice
    • Creamy Avocado Garlic Quinoa Bowls

    Categories

    As Seen On

    Pure Wow logo
    Red Tricycle Logo
    Yahoo! Lifestyle logo
    Mom and daughters in front of Magnolia Market in Waco, Texas! | spiritedandthensome.com

    Family

    How to make 3-ingredient Fluffy Slime without borax! | spiritedandthensome.com

    Kids’ Activities

    Spirited Learning

    • About Us
    • Blog
    • Recipes
    • Family
    • Kids’ Activities
    • Resources
    • Photography Tips
    • Blogging Tips
    • Free Course
    • Privacy Policy

    Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT