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Gluten-free Zucchini Cake Brownies {Dairy-free, Egg-free}

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A little bit cake… a little bit brownie… a whole lotta chocolate! That’s how I would describe these delicious gluten-free zucchini cake brownies! 

white plate with three Gluten-free Zucchini Cake Brownie Squares

You can’t taste the zucchini in baked goods like this – it just lends the moisture needed to make these have a great texture and also be a little healthier. These gluten-free dairy-free egg-free brownies are a hit wherever I bring them every summer!

We currently are harvesting several HUGE zucchini every week so I’m often in the kitchen making new gluten-free zucchini recipes to help use it up. My family would be happy if I made my gluten-free zucchini bread every week, but I like to change it up a bit!

In developing this recipe, I searched online and found that pretty much everyone uses the exact same zucchini brownie recipe, some with frosting, some without. I started with the obviously tried and true zucchini brownie recipe that I found all over the internet, making substitutions to make it be gluten-free, healthier and tastier! The result is a super moist, very chocolatey, cake-like gluten-free zucchini brownie! I’ve now made this more than a dozen times.

The first time I made these, I used an 11″ x7″ glass pan. This made for a gluten-free chocolate zucchini cake with tall and delicious pieces, but very hard to cut nicely and make for a nice presentation. If I cut carefully, I could get some pieces that looked like this:

Gluten-free Zucchini Brownie

So if you want yours more like a cake and don’t mind if they’re messy when cut, then feel free to use an 11×7″ pan or similar. If you use a 9×13″ pan then they will be much thinner and will bake quicker.

The second time I made these, I decided to use my new brownie bar pan from Pampered Chef (you can get one here).  My hope was that the brownies would turn out just as tasty, but would be in perfect servings that would be easy to get out of the pan.  It worked beautifully! Now I always use the brownie pan for making these chocolate zucchini brownies.

This Wilton Brownie Bar pan is very similar and a much cheaper alternative to the Pampered Chef pan. And this champagne gold brownie cake pan is so pretty and would definitely work well for this too!

Here’s a look at them before baking:

unbaked gluten-free zucchini brownies - batter in pan

And here’s a look after they bake for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees:

Baked gluten-free zucchini brownies in pan

I use my brownie pan for making these gluten-free baked oatmeal squares also. My friend Kim just used that same pan to make my gluten-free carrot cake in and it worked very well too for individual cakes. I’m sure many more of my recipes can be adapted for pampered chef brownie pan recipes too.

Tips for shredded zucchini:

  • If you want to make sure no one can detect the zucchini by sight, you’ll want to peel the green part off the zucchini before shredding. I wasn’t trying to hide all evidence of it, so I didn’t care that you could see just a few specks of green here and there in them. Again, you can’t taste it either way, but if you are trying to hide it from a picky eater, I thought I’d let you know how to do that!
  • If you are using large zucchini, cut it into wedges and discard the seedy center before shredding. 
  • For ease, I usually shred several zucchini at one time, or just a huge one at once. I use my food processor with the shredding attachment to do it quickly and easily. I then measure out what I need for this recipe and save the rest for other recipes. You can keep the shredded zucchini in fridge for up to a week or you can freeze the rest in portioned bags.
  • If your shredded zucchini is dripping wet, then dab with paper towels. Some have said theirs was very wet. I have never had that happen for me, so it must be a variance in varieties of zucchini.
  • If using frozen shredded zucchini, let thaw and discard the excess liquid but don’t squeeze it all totally dry.

Here’s a look at what you’ll need for this recipe:

picture of Ingredients for Zucchini brownies

Notes on ingredients and substitutions for these gluten-free zucchini brownies:

While these do have a decent amount of sugar and chocolate in them to make them sweet and yummy, the zucchini and applesauce is enough I think to justify calling them healthy zucchini brownies. If you’d like to play around with sugar substitutes to replace the white sugar, feel free to experiment and come back and tell me of any successful substitutions you made.

Cooling rack with 9 Baked gluten-free zucchini brownies

I hope you can make this soon and enjoy! Happy gardening, harvesting and baking!

If you make these and love them, please come back and give this recipe a 5 star rating in the recipe card! Feel free to comment with tips or to share any successful substitutions you made.

Gluten-free Zucchini Cake Brownies Recipe:

Yield: 18-24 brownies

Gluten-free Zucchini Cake Brownies

Gluten-free Zucchini Cake Brownies

A little bit like cake... a little bit like brownies... a whole lotta chocolate in these gluten-free zucchini brownies! Shredding the zucchini is the hardest part of making these - and that's made easier with a food processor that has the shredding attachment.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 5 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups good all-purpose gluten-free flour*
  • 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum (*see note)
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter or margarine, or canola oil
  • 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 cups shredded zucchini (unpeeled, or peel to avoid green flecks. If large zucchini, discard seeds)
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (dairy-free use Enjoy Life semi-sweet chips)
  • Additional 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips for topping

Instructions

  1. Before you begin - shred the zucchini and set aside. See blog post for tips! Peeling is optional, but I do recommend removing the seedy center of the zucchini.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, xanthan gum (if needed), baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat sugar, applesauce, butter/margarine/oil, and vanilla extract for 30 seconds.
  4. Add flour mixture and continue beating for about 1 minute, until mixture resembles wet sand.
  5. Add the shredded zucchini, then the cocoa powder, and mix on low until combined.
  6. Stir in the 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
  7. Pour brownie batter into greased 7x11 pan or use a large cookie scoop/ice cream scoop to scoop into each cavity of a brownie pan.
  8. Sprinkle extra 1/3-1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips over the top of brownie batter.
  9. For best results, use a brownie pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. If using brownie pan, bake brownies at 350° for 15-18 minutes or until brownies are set. Let them cool in pan about 4-5 minutes, then gently use a spatula to remove.
  10. If using a greased 7"x11" pan to make it more like cake, then bake at 350° for 25-32 minutes, or until brownies are set. (Due to chocolate chips in batter, it is hard to get a toothpick to come out entirely clean).
  11. Cool on wire rack. Serve at room temp or warm for about 10 seconds for a truly melty, gooey dessert!

Notes

*I've tested this with King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour, gfJules Flour, and Gluten Free Mama's Almond Flour Blend and all worked well.
*If using a flour blend that already includes xanthan or guar gum, then omit the xanthan called for in the recipe.

*If you want yours to be dark like mine, use a mixture of part Hershey's Dark Chocolate, and part regular cocoa powder.

If you need these gluten-free zucchini brownies to be dairy-free, make sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips like Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips , or omit the chocolate chips.

Please see blog post for ingredient suggestions and substitutions.

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© Michelle @ MyGluten-freeKitchen.com
Cuisine: American / Category: Bars & Brownies
For more gluten-free recipes, be sure to follow my Gluten-free Goodies board on Pinterest!

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Photo of finished Gluten-free Dairy-free Zucchini Cake Brownies

old pin from August 2013! Yes, this recipe was from my first year of blogging!
Photo with text of Zucchini Cake Brownies {Gluten-free, Dairy-Free, Egg-free}

Enjoy these gf zucchini brownies!

Related posts:

Gluten-free Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Patriotic Dark Chocolate Brownie Balls {Gluten-free, Dairy-free}
Gluten-free Peanut Butter Brownies

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Comments

  1. Oh my goodness, Michelle.. these look SO good! I’m so happy that you’re enjoying your brownie pan, too! ♥

    Reply

  2. I made these a few weeks back. They were ooey-gooey, melty yumminess. But I did encounter some issues. I don’t have an appropriate sized metal pan, so I used what I had – a light colored glass Pyrex dish. Even with increasing the bake time they never seemed to set up, especially in the middle. Very important, I think, to use one of those metal brownie pans with the individual wells so that the gluten-free flour has a chance to firm up into shapes. Gooey chocolatey dessert is what I had been missing so it worked out fine, but I wouldn’t want to share them with people like that.

    Reply

    • I’m glad you liked them Valerie. I totally agree about them turning out best in a pan with places individual servings, really even a muffin pan would work if you don’t have a brownie pan. I’ve also noticed that how wet your zucchini is definitely affects the outcome.
      Thanks for trying and coming back to rate and comment! ~Michelle

      Reply

  3. I made these last year during zucchini season, several times. Not only did I think they were delicious, but many, many other people commented on how great they were. One little boy ate several pieces and said they were as good as his grandma’s. No one believed they were gluten, dairy and egg free. By the way, I used King Arthur’s gluten free flour and it worked very well. Just a bit crumbly, but oh what delicious crumbs. I am making them again this weekend for our Farm Ramble open house. Thanks for a great recipe.

    Reply

  4. I just found this recipe, I wanted to make them for my son who’s dairy intolerant. But semi-sweet chocolate has milk in it, so how are these dairy free?

    Reply

    • Sarah, Thanks for your question. In the blog post, I mentioned: If you need this to be dairy-free, make sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips as well, or omit the chocolate chips.
      I’ll add that to the recipe as well since you pointed it out. I should have put it there.
      I made these last week with the Enjoy Life chocolate chips which are dairy free, and they were very good! Hope you’ll try them!

      Reply

  5. Yummy and fluffy! I used bobs red mill all purpose flour and coconut oil and instead of zucchini I used squash. I couldn’t believe how fluffy they were! Thank u!

    Reply

  8. Could you use honey and substitute for the sugar and applesauce? Or coconut sugar and the applesauce? Thanks

    Reply

  9. These look awesome! We just found out that we need to be GF, DF, and now also egg free, so I think this may be the first recipe I try! 🙂

    Reply

  10. We used Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose GF flour. We also did not have the 7×11 pan, and instead divided the batter into 1 large and 2 small loaf pans, bread style. The large pan was definitely gooey in the middle, even after 15 more minutes of cook time. The smaller pans were firmer, but still VERY moist. We did not peel the zucchini so our finished product had a bitter taste. Next time I am going to peel the zucchini and try a 9×13 pan.

    Reply

  11. It’s great to see such a healthy recipe but sad that margarine and canola oil are recommended as options. They are so both terribly bad for you. I would definitely use coconut oil!

    Thank you for the recipe though. I hope to give it a try soon. Do you have any recommendations for adding egg? Do you think I can add a couple to the recipe without changing it? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Angela,
      I’ve only tested with butter, but include the other substitutions as I know people have been successful with those as well. I’d love to try it with coconut oil soon too. Let me know how that works for you.
      It would definitely change the texture if you add eggs – make it more cake-like and less brownie-like. If you would prefer that texture, you can definitely try that. Let me know how it goes! Happy Baking!

      Reply

  12. I made 12 muffins out of the picture and a cake.
    The muffins turned out great,moist and chocolately. The cook took a little loger to cook but still turned out great.
    I think next time I would decrease the amount of chocolate chips and maybe add some shredded carrots, more zucchini and some nuts to add alittle cruch.
    Overall I was impressed with this recipe especially for a gluten free dessert and my kids like it too!

    Reply

  13. These came out perfectly! I used half rice flour and half almond meal (because that’s what I had on hand). I am aware of the almond meal texture, but it’s not bad. 9×13 metal pan for 25 mins. Thank you for this recipe!

    Reply

  14. I used this as a base for making up some brownies last night! I used the King Arthur gluten free flour mix. Here’s the modifications I made: only used 1 cup of sugar, added an egg to make them a bit fluffier, and added 3 tbsp natural peanut butter and 2 tbsp PB2 powder (to get a stronger peanut butter taste with out adding in more fat). Turned out great – now to only pace myself so I don’t eat them all at once!

    Reply

  16. Because I mixed up my gf baking mix with the flour and used the same amounts of flour and everything else. I added a egg to the mix. Put it into a small glass oblong cake pan. I had to bake it the same amount. The brownie cake came out great. Next time I’m putting pecan frosting on them.

    Reply

  17. I made these brownies two weekends ago. I used my own gluten free blend. I cannot tell you how wonderful these brownies were. I shared them with some of the teachers that I work with and they could not believe they were gluten free. This recipe is a winner and I willl most certainly make them again. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  19. I used my own gf flour blend (Teff, organic brown rice, Sun Flour Mills whole grain pastry flour, & chickpea flour) I also added a 1/4 of a cup of chocolate whey protein to the blend. I used 1/3 ghee, 1/3 avocado oil, and 1/3 hemp oil. I also only used 1 cup of sugar (beet sugar). I did peel my zucchini before I shredded it. I couldn’t get the zucchini shredded down small enough for my liking but, it did really add the moisture as you said it would. Now it is 1AM and I am just waiting for them to come out of the oven 🙂 I tasted the batter before cooking and it tasted wonderful so hoping they taste as good once cooked.

    Reply

  20. I’m upping my rating LOL… These are the best brownies I have ever tasted! They are soooo good. Super moist. I made them in a cupcake pan and they only took 20 minutes to cook. They were perfect. Came out of the pan nice and easy. They didn’t fall apart and they definitely weren’t dry 🙂 Also, I mentioned the zucchini not being as small as I would have liked, but when cooked can even tell it is in there. Now just not to over-eat them 😉

    Reply

  21. I just made these tonight. I don’t have a GF flour blend so just used what I had (1/2 cup each of buckwheat, coconut, almond and amaranth flours). I used coconut sugar instead of the white stuff and didn’t even measure out my zucchini, just eye balled using a med size one (with skin on!). I did not have the correct size of pan noted so simply scooped some into muffin tins and the balance into a mini loaf pan. I’m pretty sure I only cooked for 15 mins and then let them set for a bit in the warm pans. They turned out great – half gone already! Not sure what the complaints are for as I’m not even sure I followed the recipe but they turned out great!

    Reply

  22. This was my first attempt at gluten free. AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!!! I used 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of applesauce. Next time I will use 1/2 cup of sugar and 3/4 cup of applesauce. My goal is also sugar free. I used Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix. It was even expired! I didn’t realize that when I bought it but I didn’t feel like returning it. I’m not a stickler for dates. I baked it as directed. The outer edges were to die for but the middle was not done. I cut the edges off, spread it out, baked it for 15 more minutes, and it was done! I baked it in 5 min intervals. VERY, VERY IMPRESSED!!!!

    Reply

  23. Just made these and they are in the oven I used Krusteaz gluten free flour mix the batter was yummy so Im hoping to the brownies are too

    Reply

  24. I made these yesterday and they were really yummy. Thank you! I made them in the 7×11 glass pan, and after baking for the max time, they were still quite gooey in the middle. We ate a couple of them and then put the rest back into the oven for another 15 minutes, and they set up better after that. I think next time I’ll try making them in cupcake pans. The zucchini I used was large and somewhat mealy – maybe that’s why they were so gooey? I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flout Mix. Thanks again for this recipe!

    Reply

  25. Just made these! Was searching for a good gf recipe That’s also dairy free for a friend. Amazing!! After reading info/posts I did them in muffin tins & grabbed some gf King Arthur flour at the store & I had great results! (Never tried that kind before) I only had the namaste brand on hand from costco. Look forward to trying it again when I get more gf mamas almond blend flour ????

    Reply

  26. I’ve made this recipe now maybe a dozen times. Sometimes I use an egg if I don’t have applesauce on hand. It turns out amazing every time! People now ask me to make this for them. Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply

  27. I was not sure about this recipe but did it turn out wonderfully! Used 1/4 c yogurt for applesauce and Carol Fenster’s flour blend and less sugar,about a cup. We put less chips in the batter then sprinkled more on top to melt into a chocolate “frosting”. Warmed up with frozen yogurt…too yummy! Thank you sooo much for this recipe. My GF son is beyond happy as he needs this large amount of zucchini for good digestion.

    Reply

  28. I made this recipe for my husband’s boss who was recently in town and he thought that my chocolate concoction was amazing. He has Celiac’s disease and isn’t able to eat wheat flour. I used Pillsbury’s GF flour made with pea and rice flours plus tapioca and potato starch with xantham gun already added. Our garden has been producing a ton of zucchini, so I have trying lots of recipes to use it. I know this recipe was to be egg free, but went ahead and added 2 eggs. I used some dark chocolate mini chips and some milk chocolate chips to the mix, too. I bake GF for friends and have been successful with several recipes. I will do some research to see if I can substitute regular wheat flour to make this again for my family. Great recipe!

    Reply

  29. Tried this recipe today, made everything according to the recipe and it was a total disaster. Baked for 40 mins and it is still raw inside. Had to throw everything to the garbage. The sides which baked does not taste like browny anyway… They were more like a muffin, rather than chewy browny. Happy others have more success with this one.

    Reply

    • Same issue here. It was not good. Cooked on the outside and was cake like and the middle was raw. Gritty taste. I think it was the flour I used. Pillsbury GF. Waste.

      Reply

  30. After the flour mix and sugar mix are blended to resemble sand, the zucchini and cocoa powder are added. At this point, is it still supposed to resemble sand? Mine is barely starting to clump and certainly does not resemble a batter. Given the mixed success of repliers, I wonder if this is the sticking point? If the batter is still crumbly, should a baker add some water, oil, or more egg substitute until it resembles a batter?

    Thanks!

    Reply

  31. I just finish baking mine, waiting for them to cool. In the meantime, I tasted it with the spoon I used to flatten it down a bit in my glass pan. These brownies are AMAZING! I made a few adjustments: used Arthur Kings Flour, used coconut oil to grease pan, used just 1 cup of sugar (sugar in the raw) instead because my apple sauce was sweet. I baked for an extra 10 minutes. I also added pecans (can’t eat brownies without them). Thanks sooooo much! By the way, I also made your gf chocolate chip cookies and those left me speechless! Your baking is incredible!

    Reply

  32. These turned out great – super moist and nice flavor but not too sweet. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour and baked them in a mini bundt pan. No trouble getting them out of the pan either. Will definitely be making these again with our abundance of zucchini from the garden this year!

    Reply

  33. The batter was super dry once I mixed everything together. I tossed in three free range organic eggs and the batter looked about the right consistency. I baked for 45 min they turned out amazing!

    My daughter has celiac and she misses out a lot on treats made with wheat. These will become a staple in our house.

    Reply

  34. I baked it in the toaster oven for 35 minutes in an 8×8 pan and it still did not bake in the centre. Very disappointing.

    Reply

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