Flourless Zucchini Brownies and 15 Ways to use up all Your Zucchini
My favorite ways to use up my zucchini:
When you’re asking yourself, “What can I do with too many zucchinis?” and you’re staring with a glazed look at the mountain of green fruit that came off just a few plants, this is your go-to list.
#1 would have to be these flourless zucchini brownies. In the interest of full disclosure, I don’t actually like zucchini. Most of the time. I found over the years that there are a few ways that I do like it. You really can’t go wrong with chocolate. 🤣
These are fudgy, dense, and everything a brownie should be. I make these during summer, and I shred and freeze zucchini to make them the rest of the year too. The printable recipe is below.
#2 is chocolate zucchini bread. I swear I do more than make chocolate dishes with this vegetable! Again, I use frozen shredded zucchini to make this in winter. The recipe is on this post here. It’s also in my veggie cookbook here.
#3 – I promise this is the last dessert. But it’s also in my cookbook. Mexican Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes are a favorite at my house. We usually have them on Cinco De Mayo and the Cocoa Tajin Buttercream is the perfect touch. Printable recipe here.
#4 – Let’s go to a main dish, and a pretty healthy one! We love these Turkey Zucchini Burgers with Cilantro Crema. They are ‘da bomb and way more flavorful than your standard turkey burger.
#5 – Freeze dried zucchini chips! If you have a freeze dryer you might like these. I like to use a mandolin to slice these thin and also prefer to work with young zucchini that aren’t too seedy in the middle so I can just slice and go. I sprinkle them with garlic salt and just lay them out on the trays and freeze dry. They make a good healthy snack.
#6- In sweet relish. I kid you not. So I grow a ton of cucumbers for pickles and relish for our family for the year. I prioritize the pickles because I know if I run out of cucumbers and still need to make relish I can just swap the cucumbers for zucchini. The family never noticed the first time I did it. The second year I told them and they gave the thumbs up. It’s a slightly lighter color, but the flavor is the same.
#7- Zoodles. If you have a grater, or zoodler, you might like these in place of pasta. For my personal preference (remember I’m picky with my zucchini) I use them raw. I have tried freezing them and they get too mushy for me. It doesn’t matter if I blanch them before freezing or not, they get too mushy for my taste. But if I use them raw and just toss them in whatever dish I’m making (say, spaghetti – I’d toss in spaghetti sauce) just long enough to make sure they’re not cold, I like them.
#8- A lot of my friends like grilled zucchini. I’m putting this here for your benefit, not mine. I’m not a fan of the texture of these. But if you like the soft texture of cooked zucchini, try marinating some slices or spears in Italian dressing and grilling them. You can also just brush them with olive oil and sprinkle your favorite veggie grill seasoning blend on them to grill.
#9- Throw them in a smoothie. They’re not really noticeable and blend up pretty smooth. The smoothie will take on whatever other flavors you add. This is an easy way to use some up.
#10- Zucchini boats! There are recipes all over with zucchini boats. There are taco boats, breakfast ones with egg and cheese and bacon, pizza, lasagne stuffed boats, etc… My favorite is Philly cheesesteak boats that also help me use up my peppers in summer. Bonus! For my personal preference, I barely cook the zucchini part of these. I saute some sliced roast beef (usually lunch meat) with onion slices and sliced bell peppers of all the colors in a little oil, salt, pepper and Worcestershire. Then I cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, scoop out a bit of the middle, put my sauteed mix in and lay provolone on top. Next, I bake them at 400° for 7-10 minutes. The filling is already cooked and warm. The cheese just needs to melt and I like a firm zucchini so I just want it warmed through. Most people fork and knife these, but I just use my hands and eat them kind of like a taco.
This pic is from my Instagram a few years ago. You don’t really need a recipe for zucchini boats. Just fill and bake.
#11- In place of lasagna noodles. You can usually just make an even swap with these, so long as you salt them and let them sit for about 15 minutes first. (rinse and pat dry). You just want to get some of their liquid out so it doesn’t ruin the lasagna.
#12- Zucchini Flour– This is a way to use up a TON of zucchini because 5 pounds of zucchini only makes 1 cup of flour! But it’s a great swap if you want a low carb flour. Here is a great blog post (not my own) with instructions for making the flour and how to use it.
#13- Zucchini bread waffles!– This helps you use up both zucchini and carrots! And it’s a Ree Drummond recipe so it’s super tasty.
#14- Falafels! This is a great recipe that adds a zip to your regular falafels.
#15- A zucchini tomato gratin. I love tomato pie, tomato gratin, and just about any other things that has tomatoes and cheese. This gratin adds layers of zucchini that blends right into the standard tomato dish without taking away from the all that deliciousness.
I hope that gives you some ideas to help you start digging yourself out from under a mountain of zucchini! Don’t forget that you can get free broccoli recipes from me in the sidebar!
What’s your favorite way to use zucchini that I didn’t mention? Let us all know in the comments!
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 45 minutes |
| Passive Time | 1 hour to cool |
| Servings |
brownies
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- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter You can use another nut butter if you prefer
- 2 whole eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Ingredients
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Rate this recipe!
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- Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment and spray it with oil. I know, it seems like overkill, but it helps. Trust the process.
- Combine all the ingredients in a food processor until very well mixed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes. You can't use standard ways to tell when these are done. They should be completely set and have dry edges that are pulling away from the edge of the pan.
- These need to cool completely before eating. I get them down to room temp and then keep them in the fridge. The fudgy texture comes out best when they're cold.