Fudgy Paleo Vegan Zucchini Brownies

Fudgy and decadent Paleo vegan zucchini brownies that you won’t notice contain any veggies! Easy to make, one bowl, and the perfect allergen friendly healthier brownie recipe!

It’s nearing upon zucchini season, so naturally, what do I do rather than make zucchini in savory recipes?

Find ways to bake it into healthy vegan desserts of course!

Currently on the blog, the healthy zucchini dessert recipes that we have are:

• Healthy Zucchini Banana Bread
• Gluten Free Zucchini Bread
• Paleo Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Cake
• Chocolate chip zucchini muffins

But no Paleo vegan zucchini brownies?! That needed to change fast. So I decided to make some extra fudgy, ultra rich and absolutely decadent (yet undetectably healthy!) vegan zucchini brownies that check off all of the allergen needs.

You’ll be making these zucchini brownies all summer long!

What makes these zucchini brownies Paleo and vegan?

When creating these vegan zucchini brownies, I wanted them to not only be egg free and dairy free, but also free of any nuts, gluten, grains, and soy so that those with allergies to the top 8 allergens could safely enjoy these decadent fudgy vegan brownies.

So instead of regular flour, we’re using cassava. Instead of dairy or butter, we’re using coconut oil.

And of course, instead of eggs, we’re using ground flaxseed (mixed with water to create a vegan flaxseed “egg”!)

What you need to make Paleo vegan zucchini brownies

For these healthy zucchini brownies, you’ll only need a few basic plant based and Paleo ingredients:

• Cassava flour (if you are not Paleo, you can also use regular all-purpose flour or gluten-free 1:1 baking flour)
• Cacao powder
• Coconut oil
• Coconut sugar (again, if not Paleo, swap in regular sugar)
• Flaxseed (to make a vegan flaxseed “egg”)
• Chocolate chips
• Zucchini

The only special equipment that you’ll need for these brownies is a grater!

Unfortunately, you really cannot go without a grater, as this helps evenly distribute the zucchini throughout the brownie. Otherwise, you’ll have chunks of zucchini if you try to chop it up, and we want this to be a “hidden veggie” healthy brownie!

How to make healthy vegan zucchini brownies

Now that we’ve gathered our ingredients, let’s go over some helpful tips for making vegan zucchini brownies:

1. Prepare the ingredients beforehand: this is speaking mainly to the zucchini and the flaxseed “egg.” To prepare a ground flaxseed “egg,” simply whisk together the ground flaxseed and water, and allow the mixture to coagulate for 5-7 minutes. For the zucchini, just make sure that you grate the zucchini before beginning, and give it a good pat. It doesn’t need to be completely drained of water, but letting the paper towel soak it up for 2-3 minutes will do!
2. Sift together the dry ingredients before adding them to the wet: this ensures that all of the dry ingredients are evenly distributed. To do this, simply add the flour, cacao powder, and leavening agents to a sifter, and sift over the wet ingredients.
3. Fold the mixture gently: cassava flour requires a lot of liquid, and some elbow grease. It takes a few minutes to really work it into the wet ingredients, but you should end up with a batter that is spoonable into the pan!
4. Don’t forget the chocolate chips! This not only adds extra fudginess to these healthy brownies, but also some extra moisture, since cassava flour can be dry!

• 

• 

Ingredient Swaps:

Of course, you might not have all of these ingredients on hand, so here are some ingredient swaps that I have tried and can say work well:

• Swap out cassava flour for all purpose or gluten free 1:1 baking flour: this will make these Paleo vegan zucchini brownies not considered Paleo, but there is still the option for gluten free if needed. If you have no problem with gluten, then regular AP flour works great!
• Swap out coconut oil for vegan butter: just keep in mind that some vegan butters contain nuts, so read the ingredients carefully if you need to avoid nuts!
• Use applesauce in lieu of flaxseed: I recommend unsweetened applesauce, as these vegan Paleo zucchini brownies, while decadent, are also very sweet!
• Replace coconut sugar with regular sugar, and reduce by 25%: if you only have regular sugar but still want to make a healthy brownie recipe, I recommend cutting the sugar by 25% (so using 3/4 of a cup rather than the full cup). You’ll still have the richness and won’t notice the sugar reduction!

I hope you love these healthier zucchini brownies as much as I do! If you make them, be sure to let me know how they go in the comments section below.

As always, I love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!

Happy brownie baking!

More healthy brownie recipes

The Ultimate Paleo Vegan Brownie Recipe

Healthy Sweet Potato Brownies

Flourless Vegan Chickpea Brownies

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Vegan Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!

Print