Vegan Flourless Zucchini Brownies

Published: Dec 30, 2012 · Last Updated: Oct 9, 2020 by Karielyn Tillman · This post may contain affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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These Gluten-Free Vegan Flourless Zucchini Brownies are a healthy brownie makeover recipe made with clean, real food ingredients. You'll love how easy it is to make these fudgy and ultra-chocolate plant-based brownies and that they contain no white flour, white sugar, eggs, butter, or oil!

Here's Why This Recipe Works

My top 3 favorite reasons:

Healthier Than Traditional Brownies
Contains No Eggs, No Butter, No Oil, and No Flour
Made With Clean, Real Food Ingredients

You can feel good about making this healthy, plant-based recipe because it's vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free, oil-free, paleo, and contains no refined sugar.

How To Make This Recipe: Step-by-Step Instructions

Before beginning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Next, prepare an 8 x 8 baking dish lined with parchment paper, then set aside.

Step 1: Prepare the Zucchini

Firstly, you'll need to prepare the zucchini with two options:

Grater - Peel and grate the zucchini with a grater. It should look like finely shredded coconut.
Food Processor - Peel the zucchini and add to a food processor. Process until it is shredded but taking care to not overprocess.

Important: Above all, make sure to squeeze as much liquid as possible from the shredded zucchini with a nut milk bag. If there's too much liquid in the zucchini, the brownies will be "soggy" and won't bake properly.

Step 2: Prepare the Flax Egg

Secondly, add the ingredients for the flax egg to a small bowl, whisk them together, then set aside.

Step 3: Prepare the Brownies

Thirdly, measure out and add all the ingredients for the brownies to a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Re-whisk the flax egg and add it into the mixing bowl.

Stir all the ingredients together until well combined.

Step 4: Add the Add-In

Fourthly, add the chocolate chip add-in and stir until evenly distributed.

Step 5: Bake the Brownies

Lastly, transfer the brownie mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow the brownies to cool before slicing and serving.

Store in an air-tight BPA-free container.

Karielyn's Expert Tips + Ingredient Substitutions

Here are some of my expert tips to make this recipe perfectly:

Zucchini. The zucchini can be prepared in two ways:

Grater - Use a handheld grater to finely grate the zucchini. For example, it should have the texture of shredded coconut.
Food Processor - Peel the zucchini then add to a food processor. Process until it is finely shredded.

However, whichever method you use, make sure to squeeze as much liquid from the zucchini as possible using a nut milk bag. Too much liquid in the zucchini will cause the brownies to be "soggy" and not bake properly. See "Notes" in the recipe section for more detail.

Flax Egg. This can be substituted with 1/3 cup of organic applesauce.

Almond Butter. Organic peanut butter is a good substitute - but is not paleo. In addition, I haven't tested it but you can also try organic sunflower butter.

Cacao Powder. Can be substituted with regular cocoa powder.

Vanilla Extract. You can use either organic pure vanilla extract or 100% organic vanilla bean powder, in the same amount.

Chocolate Chips. I prefer to use semi-sweet mini chocolate chips, but regular-size chocolate chips would work as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are These Brownies Healthy?

In my opinion, yes!

Here are some ingredients found in a traditional brownie recipe and a store-bought boxed version:

S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Traditional Homemade Brownie Ingredients: 3/4 cups cocoa, 2/3 cup butter, 2 cups white sugar, 2 eggs, 1 1/3 cup flour, 12-oz pkg chocolate chips, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp vanilla extract
S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Pillsbury Brownie Classics Traditional Fudge Brownie Mix: Sugar, Flour Enriched Bleached (Wheat Flour, Niacin Vitamin B3, Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate Vitamin B1, Riboflavin B2, Folic Acid Vitamix B9), Soybeans Oil Partially Hydrogenated, Cottonseed Oil Partially Hydrogenated, Cocoa, Corn Starch, Salt, Flavors Natural and Artificial Baking Soda, Milk Non-Fat, Soy Lecithin

They contain dairy (eggs, milk + butter), white flour, white sugar - and they're not vegan or gluten-free.

This healthier version is flourless, and 100% vegan + gluten-free.

Want More Healthy Plant-Based Dessert Recipes?

Check out these:

Matcha Green Tea Chocolate Chip Brownies
Gluten-Free Vegan Walnut and Oat Brownies
Raw Vegan Cinnamon Brownies
or my CLEAN DESSERTS Cookbook with 72 plant-based no-bake dessert recipes made with clean, real food ingredients just like this one that you will love!

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Did You Make This Recipe?

I'd love to hear about it! Please give it a rating and leave a comment below...it would make my day! : )

Gluten-Free Vegan Flourless Zucchini Brownies

These plant-based Flourless Zucchini Brownies are a healthy brownie makeover recipe made with clean, real food ingredients. You’ll love how easy it is to make them and that they contain no white flour, white sugar, eggs, butter or oil!

{ Plant-Based | Vegan | Gluten-Free | Dairy-Free | Egg-Free | Soy-Free | Grain-Free | Oil-Free | Flourless | Paleo-Friendly | No Refined Sugar }

4.98 from 37 votes

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Prep Time: 10

Total Time: 45

Yields: 16 brownies

Calories : 180

Equipment

Ingredients

For the zucchini:

▢ 1 1/2 cup organic zucchini (peeled and finely grated)

For the flax egg:

▢ 1 tablespoon organic ground flax seeds
▢ 2 tablespoons water (filtered/purified)

For the brownies:

▢ 1 cup organic almond butter
▢ 1/3 cup organic maple syrup
▢ 1/3 cup organic cocoa powder
▢ 1 teaspoon organic pure vanilla extract
▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda

For the add-in:

▢ 1 cup Enjoy Life semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prepare an 8 x 8 baking dish lined with parchment paper, then set aside.

Prepare the zucchini:

Peel the zucchini then finely grate it or process it through a food processor.
You will need to measure 1 1/2 cups of finely grated zucchini for the recipe.
Take a handful of the grated zucchini at a time and squeeze it tightly in your fist to release as much water as possible. Another option is to use a nut milk bag to squeeze the excess liquid from the zucchini. This is very important and will keep the brownies from getting soggy.

Prepare the flax egg:

Add the ingredients for the flax egg to a small bowl and whisk together, then set aside.

Prepare the brownies:

Add all the ingredients for the brownies (including the grated zucchini + flax egg to a medium-size bowl and stir until well combined.

Add the add-in:

Add the chocolate chip add-in to the brownie mixture and stir until they are evenly distributed.

Bake the brownies:

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick or fork comes out clean.
Allow the brownies to cool before slicing and serving.
Store in an air-tight BPA-free container.

Recipe Notes

Recipe inspired by and slightly altered from: http://www.delightedmomma.com/2012/05/flourless-zucchini-brownies.html

Vanilla Extract: You can use either organic pure vanilla extract or 100% organic vanilla bean powder, in the same amounts.

Chocolate Chips: I prefer to use Enjoy Life semi-sweet mini chocolate chips, but if you can also use regular-sized chocolate chips as well.

Zucchini: After peeling the zucchini, you can finely grate it with either a grater or a food processor. You will need to measure 1 1/2 cups of finely grated zucchini for the recipe. Make sure to squeeze out as much liquid from the zucchini before adding it to the brownie mixture or the brownies will be "soggy". I use a nut milk bag to get approximately 1/3 cup of liquid squeezed from the fresh zucchini.

Flax Egg: Can be substituted with 1/3 cup organic applesauce.

Almond Butter: Can be substituted with organic peanut butter (not paleo) or organic sunflower butter.

Cacao Powder: Can be substituted with regular cocoa powder in the same amount.

Serving Size: This recipe will make 16 squares. Nutritional information is for (1) square which is (1) serving.

Nutrition Information

Course:Dessert

Cuisine:American

Recipe Author: Karielyn Tillman

Did You Make This Recipe?Leave a Rating + Comment Below!

Karielyn Tillman

Hi, I'm Karielyn! I'm the published cookbook author of CLEAN DESSERTS and content creator of The Healthy Family and Home™ website since 2012. I specialize in creating easy, healthy plant-based and Medical Medium® compliant recipes that are gluten-free + vegan and made with clean, real food ingredients that you can feel good about eating.

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