I kid you not when I say that these might just be the best keto brownies I have ever made. Given the vast array of low carb brownie recipes I have created over the years, that’s a bold statement indeed. But I stand by it.
And while the brownies are ridiculously good on their own, topping them with some creamy keto chocolate frosting takes them above and beyond. Because that, my friends, is the ADIDAF way!
If you need ways to use your abundance of summer produce, these keto zucchini brownies are for you. Made with shredded zucchini and almond flour, they have the perfect fudgy, rich texture and a deep chocolate flavor. You won’t miss the sugar!
And you won’t believe how easy they are to make—all in one bowl with everyday keto ingredients!
Why you will love this recipe
- Rich, fudgy texture: The shredded zucchini makes them ultra-moist without a ton of butter or oil.
- Deep chocolate flavor: A good brownie should always be insanely chocolatey!
- Sugar-free chocolate frosting: What’s more delectable than a frosted brownie?
- Easy to make: There’s no need to salt and drain the zucchini, so this recipe saves time and effort.
- Gluten and grain-free: Made with almond flour so you can indulge without worry.
- Perfect way to use up extra summer zucchini!
- Make them ahead: These zucchini brownies store well in the fridge or the freezer.
- Fabulous macros: With only 4 grams of carbs per serving, they are a wonderful keto-friendly treat.
Ingredient Notes
- Almond flour: Make sure you are using a finely ground almond flour for the best consistency. You can also use sunflower seed flour, if you need to be nut-free.
- Sweetener: Use a granular sweetener for the brownies and a powdered sweetener for the frosting. See Tips for Success for more info about sweeteners.
- Cocoa powder: I prefer Dutch process cocoa powder when baking keto brownies. It has a deeper, richer chocolate flavor and mixes with the other ingredients better.
- Espresso powder: This is optional, but it does help enhance the chocolate flavor.
- Oil: Almost any oil or melted butter will work for the brownie base.
- Zucchini: You will need to shred the zucchini first, but do not drain out the extra moisture.
- Chopped nuts: You don’t have to add chopped nuts but they give the brownies a little crunch. Use walnuts or pecans.
- Butter and cream cheese: The frosting uses both of these to create a dreamy chocolate frosting. Make sure both are well softened prior to mixing.
- Heavy whipping cream: This helps thin out the frosting so it is creamy and easy to spread.
- Baking staples: Eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt.
Overview: How to Make Zucchini Brownies
- Prepare the batter: Whisk the dry ingredients, then add all of the west ingredients and stir to combine well.
- Add the chopped nuts: If you choose to add the nuts, stir about 1/3 cup into the batter and reserve the remaining nuts for the top.
- Bake the brownies: Spread the mixture in a greased 9×9 pan and bake until they are puffed on top and just firm to the touch. Let them cool completely.
- Prepare the frosting: Beat the frosting ingredients together until smooth and creamy. It helps to beat the butter and cream cheese together first, until they are well combined and smooth.
- Assemble and chill: Spread the frosting over the cooled brownies and refrigerate to help firm up before cutting into bars.
Tips for Success
I highly recommend using a metal pan for these keto zucchini brownies, preferably 9×9 inches (like this one). Metal conducts heat better than glass or ceramic, and far better than silicone. The zucchini adds a lot of moisture and metal pans will ensure that the brownies bake through properly.
For most of my brownie recipes, I recommend taking them out before the center is fully baked through, to make them extra fudgy. In this recipe, I don’t recommend that approach. They need to be fully baked through the center so that they aren’t mushy. Once the top of the brownies seems firm in the center, they are done.
If you choose not to frost the brownies, add more sweetener (another 1/4 cup). I keep the brownies themselves light on sweetener because I knew it would balance out nicely with the sweet frosting.
Sweetener Options
The brownies work well with any kind of granular sweetener. I used mostly allulose for mine. Do keep in mind that different sweeteners bake a little differently so keep a close eye on them in the oven.
The frosting should be made with powdered sweetener. I used a mix of erythritol and allulose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Finely shredded zucchini is a wonderful way to add moisture to baked goods like cakes, brownies, and muffins. It helps reduce the need for a lot of oil or butter, and it adds some nutrition to the treats. It also tastes great! That’s why recipes like keto zucchini bread are so popular.
Because they are so moist and have a creamy frosting, I recommend storing the bars in a covered container in the fridge. You can also freeze the bars for up to 2 months.
This keto zucchini brownie recipe has 4.1g of carbs and 1.8g of fiber per serving. If you count net carbs, that comes to 2.3g carbs per bar.
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Keto Zucchini Brownies Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Brownies
- 1 1/4 cup (140 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (95 g) granular sweetener
- 1/4 cup (21.5 g) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp espresso powder, (optional)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup (78.86 ml) avocado oil, (or melted butter)
- 2 cups (226 g) shredded zucchini, (not drained)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (58.5 g) chopped walnuts, (optional)
Frosting
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter, well softened
- 2 ounces (56.7 g) cream cheese, well softened
- 3 tbsp (15.22 g) cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup (95 g) powdered sweetener
- 1/4 cup (59.15 ml) heavy whipping cream, room temperature, (more as needed)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Brownies
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and lightly grease a 9×9 inch metal baking pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt.
- Add the eggs, oil, zucchini, and vanilla extract and stir until well combined. Stir in about 1/3 cup of the chopped walnuts, if using.
- Spread the mixture in the pan and sprinkle with the remaining chopped walnuts. Bake 18 to 25 minutes, or until the brownies are puffed on top and just firm to the touch.
- Remove and let cool completely in the pan.
Frosting
- In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until very smooth. Beat in the cocoa powder and sweetener.
- Add the heavy cream a little at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract, and more cream as needed to achieve a spreadable consistency.
- Spread over the cooled brownies and refrigerate 30 minutes to help firm up both the brownies and the frosting before cutting into bars.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I made them without the espresso powder and the frosting. Everyone in my household enjoyed them and thought they were really good.
Do you have a cookbook or are your recipes just online? Every recipe I have looked at sounds delicious! I found your website through Mallory Nowak’s Type 2 Transformation program.
I have multiple cookbooks! https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/keto-cookbooks/
With respect to the zucchini, do you peel off the outer layer and then shred the inner portion or do you include the zucchini peel?
Include the peel. I would specify peeled if I wanted you to remove that. 🙂
Thank you for this recipe, it helps me make absolutely delicious super fudgy brownies. No frosting necessary.
I use a 50/50 mix of almond flour and sunflower seed flour because the latter is cheaper, more finely ground and tastes great with cocoa (or spices), but I don’t want it to get too noticable. I also replace about a third of the erythritol with flavored liquid sweeteners.
PS: I would pay a small monthly subscription, if it made adds disappear entirely or if I could turn them off for a few recipes I selected for a set amount of time. I don’t think either is doable so I will unfortunately continue with adds.
Checks all the boxes for what I’m craving!
This recipe made a delicious zucchini chocolate snack CAKE with wonderful frosting. But I wanted a brownie which for me is dense, chewy and fudgy. This came out light and delicate. Won’t make again as I keep searching for a keto chocolate brownie recipe.
I’m about to make these delicious looking brownies. BUT: can I use Instant Espresso instead of the Espresso Powder? Or make espresso, let it cool down and use a little bit of that? I’d rather not skip the coffee flavor altogether…..thanks!
Excellent. Moist and chocolatey. I keep in the fridge.
Delicious! I’ve made them twice without the frosting (I’m lazy 🙂 ) and they’re still delicious and fudgy!
I rarely find a recipe worth a comment. I feel it is my DUTY to post this one. 🙂 Hands down this is the best brownie recipe that checks my boxes including not tasting like a diet brownie. They are superb. I did not frost. The zucchini makes them ultra moist. I even got away with a bit less sugar. The taste is perfect and with a spritz of lower fat whip cream they are divine. THANK YOU
So great to hear!
can you use coconut sugar?
Sorry, I don’t use it so I really can’t advise.
Just made these brownies and I cannot wait to serve these tonight for family dessert! They smell incredible. You mentioned you used powdered sweetener and some Alluose for the frosting, but I don’t see it in the ingredients. Perhaps you left it out?
I do love using Alluose.
Love you Carolyn and thinking of you 😘
I meant I used some erythritol and some allulose, both powdered. 🙂
well, my family is so happy I made your recipe! my tastebuds are dancing. The brownies are very good; the frosting is stellar!
Our zucchini is just starting to come in this is delicious looking. My biggest problem is my digestive system can only handle Stevia and it’s not always the best for baking purposes but I still try.
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Something that might inspire you along these lines: one of my favorite keto quick breads is to substitute shredded (raw) yellow squash for pumpkin in a keto pumpkin bread recipe. It gives a milder flavor and a nice change of pace. i’ve never seen a
recipe for this, I just tried it and it worked out great. Just thought you might find inspiration in playing with the idea to work your msgic on….
This is worth turning the oven on for!
Your tips and tricks also are always so valuable – thank you thank you Carolyn!
this looks delish! can you substitute yellow squash for the zucchini,
Probably?