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Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

Chocolate zucchini brownies with an ultra-fudgy, dense crumb and a shiny, crinkled top. Grated zucchini is squeezed dry and baked into deep chocolate batter for hidden veggie fudgy zucchini brownies.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
cooling 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 340
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.75 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.25 tsp salt
Wet ingredients
  • 1.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 0.5 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cup zucchini, grated and squeezed dry
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted (mixed into batter)
  • 0.5 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (fold in at the end)
  • 0.25 tsp flaky sea salt for top (optional)

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 baking pan so the brownies release cleanly after baking.
  2. Whisk all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a mixing bowl until evenly combined, with no cocoa streaks visible.
Make the chocolate base
  1. Melt 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and let cool slightly so they mix into the batter without scrambling the eggs.
  2. Beat granulated sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until slightly fluffy, about 2 minutes, so the batter looks smoother and lighter.
  3. Stir the melted chocolate and the grated squeezed zucchini into the wet mixture to evenly distribute the zucchini strands.
Combine and bake
  1. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined, then fold in the remaining semi-sweet chocolate chips at the end for melty chocolate pockets.
  2. Spread the batter into the prepared 9x13 pan and sprinkle flaky sea salt on top if using for a crackly finish.
  3. Bake 25–30 minutes at 350°F until the top is set and shiny but the center still has a slight jiggle, indicating fudgy doneness.
Cool and cut
  1. Cool for 20 minutes before cutting so the brownies firm as they cool and produce clean squares.

Notes

Key pro tip: Squeeze the grated zucchini really well (until it’s not watery) to prevent cakey brownies and keep the ultra-fudgy texture. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days; freezer option: freeze baked and fully cooled brownies up to 2 months. For a gluten-free swap, use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour.