Zucchini Brownies are moist and chocolaty with a simple frosting. They also happen to be dairy-free/vegan. You’ll never know there’s zucchini hidden in them!

Zucchini Brownies
My first job was at a retirement home in the kitchen/dining room. One of my many tasks was shredding carrots for the salad bar. I hated shredding carrots. For one, it’s pretty boring. But it also turns your hands orange and is kind of messy. It was better than peeling hard boiled eggs though.
Man, I loved that job. Old people are the best.

This recipe requires you to shred zucchini. It’s still not my favorite thing to do but at least it doesn’t stain your hands. Plus, it’s worth it.
I went to the Farmer’s Market last weekend with my mom & brother and picked up some green beans and zucchini. I made roasted green beans & zucchini but made sure to save enough for a dessert.
Usually my go-to zucchini recipe is Paula Deen’s zucchini bread.
However, I saw Dorothy at Crazy for Crust make zucchini brownies and knew I had to try my version.

Zucchini Brownie Ingredients
These actual brownies are vegan / dairy-free. The frosting does call for butter but it can be swapped for coconut oil to keep them vegan.
- Flour
- Cocoa Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Vegetable Oil
- Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Zucchini
- Hot Water

Do I have to peel the zucchini?
Nope.
Many people wonder if you have to peel zucchini before you use it in baked goods and the answer is no, you don’t. Just give the zucchini a wash then grate it, leaving the skin on, with a box grater. That’s it!
They’re all kinds of delicious. They’re very moist and chocolatey. Everyone that has tasted them has said “these have zucchini in them?!”.
I don’t like frosting on brownies so I just drizzled it over the top & they were still plenty sweet.
TOOLS TO HELP MAKE ZUCCHINI BROWNIES
- 9 x 13 baking dish – love that this one has a lid
- Box grater – for grating your zucchini
- A whisk – which reminds me, I need to order a new one
NEED MORE WAYS TO BAKE WITH ZUCCHINI? TRY THESE:
- Chocolate Marble Zucchini Bread
- Apple Cinnamon Zucchini Muffins
- Lemon Zucchini Bread
- Butterscotch Zucchini Blondies
Photos updated August 6, 2017; originally published September 30, 2012
More ways to use up zucchini…


Apple Cinnamon Zucchini Muffins
I loved that you liked them! I really need to make them again. 🙂 Now, I’ve had it all of 2 days, but I love my Nikon D3100 so far. I had lots of recommendations for it from others too. 🙂
These look delicious! I’ve pinned your recipe for the not-too-distant future. 🙂
~Steph @ Silver Boxes
These turned out to be the best vegan brownies I’ve made! We loved them!
Yay! So happy to hear that. Thank you for reporting back!
I love the idea that you can triple the recipe with a press of a button and what a delicious recipe
Oooh tripling them sounds like an excellent idea 😉
Do these need to be refrigerated???
No, they’re fine at room temp, but keep them covered.
These look delicious! I’m going to try them this week. How many small zucchinis would you say I need to get 2 cups shredded?
Thanks!
They’re so good 🙂 Size is so subjective with zucchini but I would say 2.5-3 smallish zucchini. Let me know how you like them when you try!
No eggs in the zucchini bread?????
Nope. I have plenty of zucchini bread recipes & brownie recipes that do include eggs, but not in this one.