Flourless Zucchini Brownies with Chocolate Frosting

These Flourless Zucchini Brownies are gluten free and dairy free, but still rich and indulgent. Made with almond butter, they have a soft and fudgy texture. Plus, I top them with a healthy chocolate frosting.

The recipe is simple. You only have to roughly squeeze the moisture out of the zucchini. Allowing some moisture to remain helps to keep the brownies moist. I also share a handy trick below to avoid visible shreds of zucchini in your brownies.

Small batch brownies without butter

This brownie recipe makes a small batch of eight brownies. I like to bake desserts in smaller quantities to avoid overeating them. However, you can easily double the recipe to make a larger batch if you prefer.

The brownies are also made without butter or oil. Instead, almond butter is used as a substitute. It gives the brownies that fudgy texture, while also providing a nutrient boost and some extra protein.

Preparing zucchini for baking recipes

If you want to avoid seeing shreds of zucchini in baking recipes, use a microplane grater to finely grate the zucchini. Microplane graters are handy to have in the kitchen. You can also use them to zest citrus fruits, to mince garlic and to finely grate cheeses.

After grating the zucchini, I simply squeeze out some of the excess water using my hands instead of using paper towel or squeezing through a cloth. Leaving some of the moisture in the zucchini keeps these flourless brownies moist. You can watch how I do it in the recipe video below.

Ingredients for flourless zucchini brownies

• Almond butter: Natural almond butter replaces the need for regular butter or oil in this recipe. After opening a jar of almond butter, give it a good stir if any of the natural oils have risen to the top. Then, I like to store the jar in the fridge to keep it fresh.
• Coconut sugar: Coconut sugar has a delicious toffee flavor and works really well in chocolate recipes. You can use brown sugar as a substitute if you prefer.
• Maple syrup: I blend maple syrup with the coconut sugar to sweeten the brownies. It also sweetens the chocolate frosting. You could use another syrup sweetener like honey or brown rice syrup, but I think maple syrup works best in this recipe.
• Zucchini: Freshly grated zucchini keeps the brownies moist. You can’t taste it at all. To avoid any visible shreds of zucchini, I recommend finely grating it as I explain above.
• Cocoa powder: I use Dutch-processed cocoa, also known as Dutch cocoa or alkalized cocoa, to flavor the brownies and the frosting. It’s less bitter than regular cocoa powder or raw cacao powder. However, any unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao powder will work.
• Egg: An egg binds the mixture and holds the brownies together. I haven’t tested this recipe using an egg substitute, but would love to hear if you do.
• Vanilla extract: A dash of vanilla is always a good idea in brownies. However, you can leave it out if you don’t have any at home.
• Baking powder: Baking powder gives the brownies some lift. Make sure your baking powder is within its best before date to ensure that it still works.
• Salt: Adding salt to baking recipes helps to enhance the flavors and balance the sweetness.
• Dark chocolate: I stir some chopped dark chocolate through the brownie batter for an extra hit of chocolate. You can also shave some chocolate to decorate the frosted brownies. This is totally optional though. The brownies are still delicious on their own.

How to store these flourless zucchini brownies

After frosting these flourless zucchini brownies, store them in an airtight container in the fridge. They should keep this way for up to five days.

You can also freeze the brownies if you prefer. Freeze them in an airtight container, separated by some baking paper if needed to stop them from sticking to each other. They should last like this for up to two months and can be defrosted overnight in the fridge.

More healthy chocolate recipes

• Almond Flour Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
• Vegan Sweet Potato Chocolate Fudge Cake
• Raw Rocky Road
• Vegan No Bake Chocolate Mint Slice
• Chocolate Sour Cherry Slice

You can find more ideas on the Chocolate Recipes page.

Flourless Zucchini Brownies with Chocolate Frosting Recipe

Notes

1. Coconut sugar – Coconut sugar gives a delicious caramel-like flavor. You can use brown sugar as a substitute.
2. Zucchini – To avoid visible shreds of zucchini in the brownies, finely grate the zucchini with a microplane grater. After grating, squeeze out some of the excess water using your hands. You can watch how I do this in the recipe video above. Measure out the zucchini after grating and squeezing it.
3. Cocoa powder – Dutch-processed cocoa powder, also known as Dutch cocoa or alkalized cocoa, gives the smoothest chocolate flavor with less bitterness. Check the label or ingredient list of your cocoa powder to see if it’s Dutch processed. You can use regular unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao powder as a substitute, but they will give a slightly more bitter flavor.
4. Doubling the recipe – To make 16 brownies, you can double the recipe and bake it in an 8 x 8 inch / 20 x 20 cm square cake tin or dish. The baking time should still be 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out almost clean.
5. Storage – Store the frosted brownies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you prefer to freeze them, they should last in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 2 months and can be defrosted overnight in the fridge.
6. Serving the brownies – I like to decorate the frosted brownies with shaved dark chocolate. For a more indulgent dessert, they are delicious served with some vanilla ice cream.

Nutrition Facts

• Serving size: 1 frosted brownie
• Energy: 236 Calories / 986 Kilojoules
• Total Fat: 13.8 g
• Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
• Total Carbohydrate: 18.7 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.8 g
• Sugars: 13.9 g
• Protein: 7.9 g
• Sodium: 108 mg
• Potassium: 232 mg