These zucchini brownies are my favorite low sugar brownie recipe on the blog. They're healthy, delicious, and FUDGY! They make a great treat, and they're made with oat flour.
Hello summer, hello zucchini!
I'm not a big fan of vegetables in treats, but zucchini truly does serve a purpose here!
Without a lot of fat and sugar, making a fudgy brownie can be difficult. Surprisingly, grated zucchini does the job beautifully!
I'm not certain how it happens, but I suspect it's the extra moisture that's distributed among zucchini shreds. You're not just adding in extra liquid, but rather using a conduit, if you will, to distribute the moisture.
Henceforth, FUDGY-NESS!
This is my favorite low sugar brownie recipe on the blog. (This (almost) sugar-free brownie recipe is a close second though!)
Though these brownies aren't as sweet as a traditional brownie, I'm hoping some of you will be open-minded enough to give them a try!
Ingredients and substitutions
Oat flour - I created this recipe around oat flour, so I haven't tried other flours.
Baking soda - I love baking soda in baked treats that use cocoa powder. It offsets the cocoa's acidity and helps the brownie to bake through.
Sea salt, vanilla extract - For flavor! With most of my lower sugar treats, I increase the vanilla a bit.
Cocoa powder - Cacao powder can also be used.
Coconut oil - Olive oil or melted butter are both great substitutes.
Applesauce - This helps with flavor and texture; it's pretty essential to lower sugar recipes, as it adds sweetness. Try my Instant Pot Applesauce, which is what I use in my baked goods.
Milk - Any milk you like will work here.
Coconut sugar, stevia - Both add sweetness; as the recipe only contains a minimum amount of added sugar, I find stevia to be essential. You can increase the coconut sugar, if you prefer. I would imagine 1/3 - 1/2 cup would be pleasing to most palates.
Zucchini - Finely grated zucchini gets distributed better than a coarse grate.
And, last but not least, add some chocolate chips or chopped chocolate to the top before baking!
How to make zucchini brownies
In one bowl, whisk the oil, applesauce, milk, vanilla, stevia (if using), and coconut sugar together.
In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder). Mix everything together, along with the grated zucchini.
Pour the batter into an 8 x 8 inch baking dish, and bake for 10-14 minutes, or until the top is springy.
It is better to have the brownies a bit underbaked, as they will be dry if baked too long!
Low sugar notes
This recipe is sweetened with a combination of coconut sugar and stevia. There's only a total of TWO tablespoons of added sweetener!
You can add more sugar if you like, without error. Just use a granulated variety, not a liquid.
I crafted this recipe to include naturally sweet ingredients, including oat flour, applesauce, and extra vanilla.
If you're dealing with chronic health issues, like candida or Lyme (me!), you might consider 'retraining' your sweet tooth. Here's a great post to get you started.
I have plenty of low sugar recipes on the blog to help you along!
In the meantime, I hope you like these if you try them!
Healthy Zucchini Brownies
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive or melted coconut oil
- ¼ cup applesauce
- ½ cup milk of your choice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- stevia to taste; I use about 20 drops
- 2 Tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 cup oat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1 loose cup finely grated zucchini
- chocolate chips or chopped chocolate as desired, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, mix the oil, applesauce, milk, vanilla, and coconut sugar. I add in about 15-20 drops of liquid stevia as well here.
- In a smaller bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cocoa, salt).
- Add the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients, along with the zucchini. Mix until well combined.
- Pour the batter into a well-oiled 8 x 8 inch baking dish.
- Top with chocolate, if desired.
- Bake 10-14 minutes, just until the top feels 'springy' to the touch. DON'T overbake! These, in fact, are better a tad UNDERbaked.
- Cool about ten minutes prior to cutting for best results.
Notes
Nutrition
If you have a chance to try this recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment below letting me know how you liked it!
Shared with: Full Plate Thursday
Sandy Farrell
can you use regular whole wheat flour or almond flour?
Congratulations on your new baby
Thanks
Lauren
Thank you, Sandy! I think whole wheat would work. 🙂
Meghan
Could one substitute maple syrup for molasses?
Lauren
I think that would work!
Jbird
These TRULY are fudgy and very satisfying. I ground my own oats for the flour, cut the molasses back by half, added two packets of stevia, because I didn’t have the liquid, and omitted the coconut sugar. Before baking I tossed a few chopped walnuts and a few chocolate chips on top. The melted coconut oil started to solidify when mixing everything together but it was fine after it warmed back up in the oven.
These are my new go to healthy brownies!
Lauren
Yes! That's awesome, these are probably my favorite brownies. 🙂
mia
this was wet and tasted like eggs even though it has no eggs??? very bitter and overall not worth the time or ingredients
Lauren Goslin
Sorry you felt that way, Mia. If they were wet, you may have not baked them long enough. Also, these are low sugar brownies, so they won't taste like regular brownies you might be used to. May I ask, did you add the stevia?