This zucchini brownies recipe comes out ultra moist with deep chocolaty flavor! Bookmark this one for a deliciously simple treat.

What do you make when you’ve made all the zucchini bread and zucchini muffins? Zucchini brownies, of course! Stop what you’re doing and gather the ingredients for this recipe that will have your friends and family running for another piece. The brownies come out ultra moist and gooey, with a deep, rich chocolaty flavor. They’re simple to make and you won’t believe the amazing flavor and texture!

Ingredients in this zucchini brownies recipe

The secret to rich and moist brownies? Zucchini! Turns out, adding shredded zucchini to brownies makes for an incredibly moist, gooey texture (which is what we prefer in a good brownie). It also lets you get away with not using eggs, which makes this zucchini brownies recipe accidentally vegan! Here are the ingredients in this recipe:

Granulated sugar
Neutral oil
Zucchini
Vanilla extract
Cocoa powder
Dutch process cocoa powder
Cornstarch
All-purpose flour
Baking soda
Kosher salt
Chocolate chips

The flavor key: Dutch process cocoa powder

This zucchini brownies recipe uses a combination of two types of cocoa powder to achieve the deep, dark chocolaty flavor. The key? Dutch process (dark) cocoa powder, a special type of cocoa powder is treated with an alkali to make it pH neutral. This gives it a darker color and milder flavor. It makes the flavor ultra chocolaty, with deep rich notes instead of the lighter fruity notes that you’ll get with regular cocoa powder.

Dutch process cocoa powder is available in the baking aisle at your local grocery. Or you can buy it online: our favorite brands are Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder or Ghiradelli Dutch Process Cocoa Powder.
For more recipes using Dutch process cocoa powder, try Chocolate Zucchini Bread, Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, Chocolate Muffins, Chocolate Banana Muffins, No Bake Cookies, Mug Cake, and this fun Healthy Chocolate Pudding.

Tips for zucchini brownies

Zucchini brownies are as straightforward as a standard brownies recipe! There are just a few things to note for success:

Use a metal pan for baking. This makes for the most consistent bake and a better rise than a glass pan.
Finely grate the zucchini. This allows this green vegetable to meld seamlessly into the texture of the brownies.
Do not drain the zucchini! This recipe is optimized for undrained zucchini, using the moisture in this vegetable (which is 94% water!).

Some notes on cooling and cutting

It’s important for recipes like brownies, muffins and quick breads to cool completely. This sets the texture and allows them to hold together better. The flavor is also generally better at room temperature. These zucchini brownies don’t hold together if they are very warm, so make sure to let them cool completely.

For best results, cool for 1 hour in the pan, then remove the brownies from the pan with the foil and allow to cool on a baking rack for another 1 hour until cooled.

To get clean slices, but through the brownies once they are cooled and clean off the knife after each cut.

Brownie variations

If you love non-standard brownies, you’ll love these zucchini brownies! A few other variations you’ll love:

Try Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies with roasted sweet potato puree
Go for Amazing Gluten Free Brownies
Opt for Raw Brownies, made from walnuts and Medjool dates!

Leftover storage info

These zucchini brownies hold up well over time! Store them refrigerated for up to 1 week. You can also store at room temperature, but they are so gooey that refrigeration is best: plus, they’ll last longer.

More zucchini bread and muffins

There are so many ways to mix up zucchini bread! This chocolate zucchini bread is our absolute favorite, but a close second is lemon zucchini bread: it’s zingy and bright! It’s the exact opposite of this bread but nearly as satisfying. Here are a few more zucchini recipes:

Go for classic Zucchini Bread or Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Make bright and zesty Lemon Zucchini Bread, topped with a lemon glaze
Go for rich and chocolaty Chocolate Zucchini Bread or Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Mix up Best Zucchini Muffins or Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

This zucchini brownies recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based and dairy-free.