Healthy dairy-free zucchini brownies

Joanna Kriehn, MS, RDN, CDCES - Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES)

If you love brownies, you'll love the bonus of healthy zucchini brownies! Call it creative or sneaky, it's still a delicious way to get in more veggies. This recipe for healthy zucchini brownies checks both boxes! No one will realize they are eating grated zucchini, the secret to these moist, chocolaty brownies.

What makes these healthy zucchini brownies stand out?

Nutrition highlights

Zucchini is rich in vitamin C, folate, and dietary fiber. Sneaking this vegetable into dessert is easy because of its mild flavor. Healthy, juicy zucchini adds texture and moisture, preventing dry brownies.
Using your favorite plant or seed oil in place of butter means you've got a heart-healthier product.
This recipe saves on calories and fat by using cocoa powder (rich in flavanols) instead of melted chocolate.
In addition, by skipping melted chocolate, you've got yourself an easy dairy-free dessert.

If you like to maximize your time in the kitchen, store these brownies in the refrigerator for about a week or freeze them to enjoy later.

Healthy Zucchini Brownies

Yield: 24 servings

Nutrition facts per brownie

Calories: 160, 7g fat, 23g carbohydrate, 2.5g protein, 1.4g dietary fiber

Ingredients

Vegetable cooking spray
2 cups all-purpose flour (or use 1 cup whole wheat flour + 1 cup white all-purpose flour)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup chopped pecans (or 1/2 c. chopped walnuts)
2 cups grated zucchini (3 medium zucchini = ~ 2 cups grated zucchini)*
1/2 cup canola or safflower oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a 13 x 9-inch (33 x 23 cm) baking dish with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, sift the flour, salt, sugar, cocoa, and baking soda together.
In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla extract, pecans, grated zucchini, and oil. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix well. Spread batter into prepared pan.
Bake brownies for ~ 30 minutes until a toothpick or knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting into 24 even squares.

*Use any extra zucchini in salads later in the week.

This healthy zucchini brownie recipe is one of hundreds of dietitian-approved recipes available with Premium membership!