These fudgy and chewy Zucchini Brownies are a simply decadent way to use up all that extra zucchini! The chocolate frosting makes them extra yummy!
We love using our extra zucchini in treats like these brownies. Butterscotch zucchini blondies and zucchini cookies with cream cheese frosting are a couple of our other favorites.
Well, it is finally upon us. Zucchini season! Our plants are starting to produce, and once zucchini plants start to produce, you have zucchini coming out your ears. So buckle up, I’ve got lots more zucchini recipes to share!
BEST ZUCCHINI BROWNIE RECIPE EVER!
What makes these brownies the best?
- They taste like an indulgent, decadent fudgy brownie, but they are in fact hiding healthy zucchini underneath that frosting. Tastiest vegetables ever!
- You can make the brownie batter up in one bowl, using just a whisk.
- There are no eggs in the batter, so if you omit the frosting, they are vegan and egg allergy friendly.
- The crunch of the nuts is a perfect balance to the ooey gooey brownie.
- Did I mention the frosting! Guys, it is so good you might be tempted to drink it. It just melts into the brownies and creates the most ooey gooey brownie experience! They are so fudgy that you’re probably going to need a fork.
This zucchini brownie recipe is from my aunt Connie. She is the most amazing gardener I have ever known. So of course she has a great stash of recipes that feature fresh garden produce. I’ve made these brownies for years now, and they are always a hit.
My favorite way to serve zucchini brownies is warm, with the frosting all melted down into the nooks and crannies.
But they are also good cooled and then frosted. Try them both ways and see which one you like best!
How to make zucchini brownies:
- You don’t even need a mixer for these brownies. Just whisk together the oil, sugar, vanilla, and zucchini, then stir in the dry ingredients.
- Pour the batter into a 9×13″ pan and bake at 350° for about 30 minutes.
- You can frost the brownies while they are warm, or wait for them to cool. So easy!
The brownies will keep for 4-5 days at room temperature. If your kitchen is warm, you can store them in the refrigerator, then heat them in the microwave for a few seconds before serving.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING ZUCCHINI BROWNIES
- If you really want to disguise the zucchini, peel it before you grate it. No one will even know it’s there!
- A plastic knife works great for cutting these brownies.
- If you are using a really large, tough zucchini, shredding it with a fine grater will yield a better texture.
VARIATIONS:
- We like our zucchini brownies with frosting, but if you want to omit it, you can just sprinkle the top of the brownies with chocolate chips before baking.
- For extra chocolate flavor, try stirring a cup or two of chocolate chips or chocolate chunks into the batter.
- Instead of chocolate frosting, you can use cream cheese frosting or even half a batch of this peanut butter frosting.
- Top them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an extra special treat.
Need to use up even more zucchini? Try these:
- Zucchini Cobbler (AKA Mock Apple Crisp)
- Coconut Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Zucchini Bread
TASTY HOMEMADE BROWNIES:
- Chewy Brownies
- Mint Brownies
- Dulce de Leche Brownies
- Peanut Butter Brownies
- Marble Brownies
- Cheesecake Brownies
- S’more Brownies
Zucchini Brownies with Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
Brownies:
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ¾ cup oil
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powde
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup chopped pecans optional
Chocolate Frosting:
- 3 Tbsp melted butter
- 2 Tbsp cocoa
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp buttermilk or milk more or less
- dash of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Spray a 9×13" baking pan with non stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350°.
- Whisk sugar, oil, vanilla, and zucchini in a large bowl till blended.
- Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir till blended, and fold in nuts if desired.
- Spread batter into prepared pan.
- Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or till toothpick comes out clean. Frost with chocolate frosting while warm, or cool and frost.
- Frosting: Stir together butter and cocoa till smooth. Beat in remaining ingredients, adding milk till it is the consistency you like.
Notes
- If you have zucchini haters, peel the zucchini before you add it. No one will even know it’s there!
- Make sure you mix the sugar with the oil. I made the mistake of adding it with the dry ingredients. The dough was VERY thick. (They still tasted great though.)
- It’s not a typo, this recipe has no eggs.
Nutrition
(originally posted 7/22/2009, updated July 2021)
Ooey, gooey, and perfectly fudgy, these chocolate zucchini brownies are going to be an instant hit with anyone who tries them!
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Can you freeze these once they are frosted?
I’ve never had great luck freezing frosted cookies because the frosting ends up getting smashed or misshapen, but if you don’t care what they look like, you could try it.
Miss Kara Cook, one heck of a moist chocolaty fudge Brownie big piece of Yum!
This one’s hard to quit eating!! And so easy to make!!
I am so glad you love them Marcia! I haven’t found a more rich and decadent way to eat zucchini. I agree, they are hard to stop eating! 🙂
great way to use up garden zucchini
My mind is blown! My husband is allergic to eggs, so cake and brownies are almost impossible to get to turn out. This recipe was fantastic and will definitely be a long time favorite. How does it get any rise to it, do you know? Is it the zucchini?
The baking soda helps it rise, but the steam from the zucchini probably does play a part as well. So glad you found something that your husband can enjoy! 🙂
My 12 and 9 year old made these, since we have soo many zucchini’s from the garden this year and everyone that we have shared them with has loved them!! They’re delicious!! We are allergic to eggs, so this was a great recipe. Easy to make and perfectly moist. Thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂
So glad you enjoyed them! I haven’t made them yet this year, but I have been craving them. They are so good! 🙂
Thanks a bunch for sharing this yummy recipe. We loved them!
OMG!!! Best zucchini recipe on Pinterest. Thank you so much for this. I have made it again and again!!!
Yay!! I’m GF and allergic to egg so this will be a great recipe to make today!! Can’t wait!!
I added an egg, and applesauce for half of the oil. Baked it in a 8×8 pan, and I used non-dairy butter and coconut milk in the frosting, so it was all dairy-free for my daughter. Absolutely delicious!
I’ve made these several times and they are so delicious. The first time I made them my granddaughter miss read the recipe and we put 2/3 c. cocoa in plus two eggs. They were SO good! So don’t be afraid of putting the eggs in. They were chocolatey (which I love) and a bit more cake like then they would have been had I not used the eggs. This will be my go to recipe for brownies. Thank you so much for sharing!
Glad to hear that they worked out with the eggs. That’s a great option for people who like cake-like brownies!
I brought them in to work and everyone loved them! Thanks for the recipe.
So glad they were a hit Jeannie!! 🙂
So yummy! The family started eating it before it cooled and before I got the frosting made. (They didn’t know I was coming back in to make frosting after it cooled) They were awesome without the frosting too! I used yellow squash, and doubled it to fit a jelly roll pan!
Glad to hear that it also worked well with yellow squash, thanks for the tip. And I’m glad your family loved them!!
These are the best zucchini brownies I have ever made. I used a yellow zucchini from our garden and they are light, moist and so delicious. I will make these again! Thanks!
So glad to hear it Kathy! They are definitely one of my favorite ways to use up zucchini! 🙂
Are there eggs in this recipe?
No, there are no eggs in the recipe.
Do you drain off any of the water in the zucchini?
Emily,
I don’t drain off the water in the zucchini unless I’m using frozen zucchini. Then I just pour off the excess water, but don’t squeeze it dry. Hope that helps!
I don’t see eggs listed in the ingredients….. Is that correct? I plan on trying a GF version. I have soooo many squash and zucchini. Thanks for the recipe!
It says soda…so I’m going to ask the dumb question…
is that baking soda? Thanks!
Yep, that’s right. Baking soda.
These are absolutely delicious! I ran out of cocoa so for the frosting I used a packet of hot chocolate mix and YUM. So good!
I’ve never tried that. Sounds delish!