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These paleo zucchini brownies are a delicious low carb, healthy dessert made from almond flour, chocolate chips, and maple syrup – you won’t even know there are veggies in them!
Zucchini in brownies? I know what you’re thinking. But trust me on this one when I say that these brownies are rich, decadent and everything you want in a traditional brownie.
I’m a sucker for a good brownie, and I’m going to need that brownie to be chewy, fudgy, and slightly dense. I want to bite into it and immediately feel like I’m taken back to my childhood when I used to eat those Duncan Hines brownies from the box. Those seriously used to be my favorite.
What makes these brownies paleo?
So to make a paleo brownie, there cannot be any regular flour that comes from a grain, so no oat flour, no white flour, no spelt flour. It basically has to be a gluten-free flour, and typically one that is lower in carbs.
To keep them gluten-free and low carb, the only flour that is used is almond flour. So that handles the flour aspect, but we also need to use a paleo certified sweetener, such as coconut sugar, maple syrup, or honey.
So in order to keep them refined sugar free, the only sugar were going to use here is maple syrup.
Are these zucchini brownies healthy for you?
Yes! And the best part of it is that you can’t taste that they are healthier either. The zucchini is actually blended in to nicely and just adds a veggie boost to your brownies.
I love making traditional sweet treats and finding ways to make them healthier for everyone to enjoy. Seriously, I made these last week for Tom’s roommates to enjoy ( 3 guys!) and they all gobbled them up.
Ingredients in paleo zucchini brownies:
- zucchini
- almond flour
- almond butter
- maple syrup
- cocoa powder
- eggs
- coconut oil
- vanilla
All you truly need is one bowl (can use two if you wish!), and about 25 minutes and then you’ve got the most perfect fudgy zucchini brownies.
How to make these brownies
They are seriously easy to make. Like most things of mine, they don’t require a lot of steps or ingredients because I like to keep things as basic as possible.
You’ll need to shred a zucchini as fine as possible. I actually used my food processor for this because there is an attachment on the processor that grates things. This still wasn’t fine enough for my liking so I ran it through the regular food processor for a few pulses to get it small enough.
You’ll want to squeeze it with a paper towel, too, just to remove any extra moisture. I just wrap it up and squeeze.
You’ll then combine all of your wet ingredients in one bowl, whisking together the eggs, maple syrup, coconut oil, almond butter, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. The almond flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stir till combined, and then add in the zucchini and the chocolate chips.
Stick them in the oven for 24-28 minutes or until baked through when a tooth pick gets inserted and comes out clean.
STORE THEM IN THE FRIDGE!!!! They get so fudgy and delicious.
Enjoy!
If you make this recipe, be sure to comment below and let me know how it was! Also tag @erinliveswhole on Instagram and use the hashtag #erinliveswhole so I can see it and feature you!
If you liked this recipe, you’ll want to try these!
Paleo Zucchini Brownies
These paleo zucchini brownies are a delicious low carb, healthy dessert made from almond flour, chocolate chips, and maple syrup – you won’t even know there are veggies in them!
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup finely shredded zucchini, squeezed to remove extra moisture (I grated it, then pulsed it through my food processor for extra fine texture) *no need to peel the zucchini.
- 1/2 cup chocolates chips + more for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8×8 with parchment paper and non-stick spray. I use both for no sticking.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and maple syrup.
- Whisk in coconut oil, almond butter, and vanilla.
- In a separate small bowl, mix together almond flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir till combined.
- Add in the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips.
- Pour into 8×8 dish and top with more chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake for 24-28 minutes or until toothpick or knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool before cutting.
- STORE THEM IN THE FRIDGE!!!! They get so fudgy and delicious.
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Debra says
Hello
I think this is a wonderful brownie recipe that I lost track of, till now. Am I reading the nutrition values correct. Are they 14.4 carbs for 12 brownies? thank you for any help you can provied
Erin says
Hi Debra, thank you and yes, that is what my nutrition calculator came out to be. Feel free to use your own too.
Dawn Fishman says
Love this recipe! The only issue I have is it takes much longer to bake than the instructions state. I’ve had them in for 45 minutes and they still do not have a toothpick coming out clean.
Erin says
Hi Dawn, so glad you loved them and that definitely happens. It depends on your elevation and even your oven. Not all ovens will always heat to the same temperature. Just keep them baking until the toothpick is clean.
Anxhela says
Another winner for me! My only go to recipe for brownies!!!
Every-time I have to provide desert for a school function, I go with these! It helps to make a double batch, one for home and one for school. This whole website is filled with amazing recipes, and the best part is I have all the ingredients at home all the time. Thanks Erin! ❤️
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Anxhela, I am so glad you loved these too!! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Laura t says
These brownies are incredible. I used peanut butter instead of almond butter just for personal preference and it tasted great.
My bf who doesn’t like Zucchini couldn’t even tell they were in here so it was a win. Def going to make these again
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Laura, so glad he loved them!! 🙂
Maria Borgvall says
The almond flour gives these brownies a gritty texture. The coconut fat flavour is significant and doesn’t go well with the maple sirup flavor which is also too strong, despite the brownies being more bitter than sweet. These are deffenetly not worth the work or the calories.
★★
Erin says
Hi Maria, I am so sorry that you did not like the recipe! We’ve heard tons of good things about this one, bummed it didn’t work out for you!
Ariane says
OMG! I tried this recipe last night and my husband loved it! I substituted the maple syrup with the golden monkfruit, and used keto choc chips and it turned out pretty goooood! Good good good! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Ariane, so glad you loved the brownies and made them your own!!
Danielle says
This is a great recipe! I modified a couple of things due to not have ingredients, but they still turned out amazing. I used a handful of dark choc chunks to thinly ice the tops. They’re great for me because they aren’t overkill sweet. Just sweet enough 🙂
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Danielle, so happy you enjoyed them and made them your own!
Courtenay says
This is our favorite paleo brownie recipe, hands down! We blend the zucchini in a vitamix and then blend in the other ingredients. We watch the moisture content, adjusting with a little ground flax meal if needed, but otherwise we follow and love these.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Courtenay, so happy you love them so much! 🙂
Ashley says
These are our absolute favorite brownies. My boyfriend refused to believe they were GF, grain free, refined sugar free, dairy free, and paleo. They’re incredibly chocolatey, fudge, and delicious. Make them ASAP. Easy to follow the recipe as well!
Erin – I love that you included how to store these. I always wonder on some of your other recipes. Love love love following you!
★★★★★
Ashley says
I’m catching up on reviewing several recipes I’ve tried lately and am dying at all my minor typos 😩 YOU’RE AMAZING
★★★★★
Erin says
Awe no worries! Thank you for taking the time to review them!!
Erin says
Hi Ashley, I am thrilled you and him both loved them and thank you so much for your support! 🙂
Melissa says
Substituted honey for the maple syrup and put 1/4 cup of olive oil instead of 1/2 cup of coconut oil – they are amazing!!! Soooo moist & flavorful! Obsessed with these and they don’t even taste healthy!! Will definitely be making them a ton in the future 🙂
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Melissa, so happy you loved them and made them your own! 🙂
moriah says
hi Erin! I was wondering what is a good sub for nut butter?
Thanks!
Erin says
Hi Moriah, you can use tahini or coconut butter. Let me know what you use and how they come out!
Ashley says
I will never get enough of these brownies!!! SO FREAKIN delicious and easy to make Will forever be my go-to brownie recipe. Thank you ELW!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Ashley! Thanks for your kind words! I am so happy you love them!
Paige says
These are fantastic! They come together fast and as Erin says, are SUPER fudgey coming out of the fridge. Will definitely make again!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Paige, thanks for your kind words! I am so happy you loved them! 🙂
Lisa says
This is amazingly good and quick even with my modifications and mistakes. I only had a grater for the zuke so it wasn’t as fine. I didn’t have chocolate chips so I added brown sugar. I accidentally mixed all the non-dry ingredients first so I’ll have to try it again the right way!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Lisa, I am so happy you enjoyed them and they came out so well for you!! 🙂
Sasha says
I used 1/4 C coconut flour instead of almond flour and cooked it a few minutes linger and it was great!
Kylee says
Holy Moly these are the best brownies! Seriously, you must make these, you will be blown away that these are not just a simple normal brownie!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Kylee, thank you so much for the kind words! I am thrilled you love them!!
Kylee says
Holy Moly these are the best brownies! Seriously, you must make these, you will be blown away that these are not just a simple normal brownie!!
★★★★★
Danica says
These are great! Rich, moist, and fudgy without feeling too heavy or dense. I added ~1 tsp of espresso powder to enhance the chocolate flavour.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Danica, Thank you so much for your kind words! I am so happy you enjoyed it and made it your own! 🙂
Kimberley says
A real cracker of a recipe! Super easy, healthy & totally delicious. It’s a new fav in our family…. my boys gave it a big thumbs up 😃
★★★★★
Erin says
Love to hear it! Thank you for letting me know and enjoy!
Shifu says
I really wanted to try this recipe out, just wanted to know if I could use coconut flour in place of almond flour… (oh pleeeeease tell me it’s possible!?!?! 😩) May be use 1/3 cup of coconut flour?
Erin says
You could try but no guarantees! I have never tried.