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!
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:
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. 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:
And here’s a look after they bake for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees:
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.Â
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:
Notes on ingredients and substitutions for these gluten-free zucchini brownies:
Gluten-free flour blend: Any good quality gluten-free flour blend should work in this recipe. I’ve tested with both gfJules all-purpose gluten-free flour blend, King Arthur Measure for Measure flour and Gluten Free Mama’s All-Purpose Almond Flour Blend with great success. I do not recommend Namaste Flour, Pillsbury GF Flour, or using any blend with coconut flour or bean flour or using all almond flour.Â
Xanthan gum: Remember that if your flour blend already contains xanthan or guar gum, you’ll skip adding the xanthan gum called for in this recipe. If your flour blend does not contain those, then you’ll add just 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum to help bind these together.
Applesauce: I have replaced some of the oil with some applesauce. Use plain, unsweetened applesauce. If you don’t have applesauce, you can use an equal amount of oil in place of the applesauce. You can also use melted butter.
Cocoa Powder: I like to use Saco cocoa powder, Hershey’s cocoa, or Guittard Cocoa Rouge. I often will use half of one of those regular cocoas that I listed and half of Hershey’s dark cocoa. That’s how to get a deeper brown color.
Chocolate Chips: I like Guittard semi-sweet morsels or Ambrosia semi-sweet chocolate (yes I buy the 10 lb bags of it!) If you need this to be dairy-free, make sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips like Trader Joe’s semi-sweet chocolate chips or Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips.
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.
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.
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 Time30 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Additional Time5 minutes
Total Time50 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
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.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, xanthan gum (if needed), baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat sugar, applesauce, butter/margarine/oil, and vanilla extract for 30 seconds.
Add flour mixture and continue beating for about 1 minute, until mixture resembles wet sand.
Add the shredded zucchini, then the cocoa powder, and mix on low until combined.
Stir in the 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
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.
Sprinkle extra 1/3-1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips over the top of brownie batter.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
Love your peanut butter additions. That would give this an entirely different taste. Glad they turned out great. Love your creativity and willingness to give things a try!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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.
Rebecca,
I asked around to some other food bloggers, and they all said they recommend Calorie Count as a great website where you can enter in ingredients and get the calorie information. Here’s the link: http://caloriecount.about.com/
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!
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?
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!
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.
Sally, Thank you for leaving a comment and rating for these. So glad you liked them. Thank you also for mentioning which flour blend you used. I’m so glad it worked well for you!
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.
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
Bex, Oh no! First off, what flour blend did you use? That plays a huge part in texture in gluten-free baked goods. As far as the taste, when the recipe is made as listed, there is a lot of great flavor. Is it possible that you forgot an ingredient? I do that often!! I hope you can figure out what might have gotten left out. These are quite flavorful!
I’m so sorry that something went wrong! I know how frustrating that is when you make something and it doesn’t turn out! I hope you’ll try it again.
These sound delicious.. I’m a Celiac (Coeliac here in Australia) of 13 years.. and zucchini is my new found love, after trying my beautiful daughter’s slice/pie/quiche. And her favorite dessert are brownies 🙂 sooo I might have to make these and I’ll see if she can detect the zucchini 😉 Just curious.. any ideas on what I could possibly use as an “apple sauce” replacement? Love your recipes!! Ox
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.
What is the nutritional content of this recipe…by that I mean Calories and carbs?
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!
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.
Glad that it turned out great! Love your idea for pecan frosting next time!
Can coconut flour or almond flour be used? Anyone tried those with this recipe?
Thanks
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!
Love your peanut butter additions. That would give this an entirely different taste. Glad they turned out great. Love your creativity and willingness to give things a try!
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!
Glad those changes worked out perfect for you! Thanks for commenting!
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!
Glad you and your kids liked them. I think those ideas for making it a bit healthier next time sound great!
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!
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!
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.
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! 🙂
Suzanne, Hope you’ve gotten to try these and enjoy them! Thanks for your comment.
Could you use honey and substitute for the sugar and applesauce? Or coconut sugar and the applesauce? Thanks
I’m not sure about subbing honey, but I think the coconut sugar would work just fine in place of the regular sugar called for.
This recipe is amazing. Delicious, moist, and no one guessed they were gluten-free.
Madelynne,
So glad to hear that you liked these! Thanks for letting me know they turned out moist and delicious for you!
Could you maybe figure out and list the nutritional facts to these? Please and thank you!!!!
Rebecca,
I asked around to some other food bloggers, and they all said they recommend Calorie Count as a great website where you can enter in ingredients and get the calorie information. Here’s the link: http://caloriecount.about.com/
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!
Jenny,
Thanks so much for commenting with your successful substitutions for the recipe. I’m so glad you liked how they turned out! Happy Baking!
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?
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!
The recipe is on Pinterest. The picture that is saved stated to replace chocolate chips for dairy free!
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.
Sally, Thank you for leaving a comment and rating for these. So glad you liked them. Thank you also for mentioning which flour blend you used. I’m so glad it worked well for you!
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.
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
Bex, Oh no! First off, what flour blend did you use? That plays a huge part in texture in gluten-free baked goods. As far as the taste, when the recipe is made as listed, there is a lot of great flavor. Is it possible that you forgot an ingredient? I do that often!! I hope you can figure out what might have gotten left out. These are quite flavorful!
I’m so sorry that something went wrong! I know how frustrating that is when you make something and it doesn’t turn out! I hope you’ll try it again.
These sound delicious.. I’m a Celiac (Coeliac here in Australia) of 13 years.. and zucchini is my new found love, after trying my beautiful daughter’s slice/pie/quiche. And her favorite dessert are brownies 🙂 sooo I might have to make these and I’ll see if she can detect the zucchini 😉 Just curious.. any ideas on what I could possibly use as an “apple sauce” replacement? Love your recipes!! Ox
Oh my goodness, Michelle.. these look SO good! I’m so happy that you’re enjoying your brownie pan, too! ♥