Chocolate Courgette Fudge Brownies (Vegan Gluten-Free)
The fudgiest, richest chocolate brownies packed with hidden courgette and wholesome ingredients, these Chocolate Courgette Fudge Brownies are easy to make and so delicious. They are naturally vegan, gluten-free and easily nut-free.
If you love al things brownies, and who doesn’t, and want to make them more wholesome, then these Chocolate Courgette Fudge Brownies are for you. They are also perfect for those who just like rich chocolatey brownies as you will not be able to see a shred of green lurking in these brownies. They are made with simple ingredients, in one bowl meaning they are the perfect way to use up summer courgettes/zucchinis.
Why will I love these Chocolate Courgette Fudge Brownies?
These brownies are pretty special, they are:
- Rich, fudgy and chocolatey
- Decadent, indulgent yet good for you
- Made with easy, vegan and gluten-free ingredients
- Easy to make nut-free
- Made in one bowl with minimal effort
- Packed with chocolate
- Lots of hidden courgette/zucchini inside
- They freeze and travel well
If you already love the sound of these Chocolate Courgette Fudge Brownies then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
The ingredient list is simple:
- Courgette or zucchini: make sure you weigh this before and after squeezing out the water to make sure you have the correct amount of vegetable without the unnecessary water. See my top tips in this post.
- Ground chia or flaxseed: this is to make a chia/flax “egg” which acts as the egg replacer in these fudge brownies. If you only have whole chia or flax seeds, add them to a blender and process to a fine meal and keep in a sealed container for 1-2 months.
- Runny smooth almond butter: or you can use another nut butter like cashew or peanut butter. To keep these nut-free, opt for tahini instead, always use the runny, smooth nut or seed butter here.
- Maple syrup: for sweetness and stickiness. You can swap this for other syrups like agave or vegan honey.
- Coconut sugar: again for sweetness and to add bulk to these brownies. If you prefer, you can use golden or regular caster sugar.
- Melted and cooled coconut oil: just a little goes a long way to create a melt-in-your-mouth texture and to ensure these brownies set just right. You could use vegan butter, if you prefer.
- Vanilla essence: for flavour.
- Cocoa powder: this makes up the bulk of the dry ingredients and makes these brownies so rich and fudgy. Opt for raw cocoa powder without any sugars added. You could also use raw cacao powder here.
- Oat flour: this is the second main dry ingredient. Instead of regular plain flour, oat flour adds more fibre and goodness and is naturally gluten-free. You can make your own oat flour at home by blending whole/rolled oats to a flour texture in your blender and storing for 1-2 months in an airtight container. Make sure your oats are gluten-free where needed.
- Bicarbonate of soda and salt: for a slight rise and taste.
- Dark chocolate: chop up your favourite chocolate bar (I like the 70% dark one from Divine Chocolate) and stir through the brownie batter.
How do I make these brownies?
These brownies come together really easily:
- Grate the courgette or zucchini: and squeeze out all the water. See my top tips in this post.
- Stir together the chia or flaxseed with water: to make the egg. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Whisk together all wet ingredients including the chia “egg”: till smooth and glossy.
- Now stir in the courgette: and stir again.
- Add in the dry ingredients: and stir to a thick, chocolatey batter.
- Fold in most of the chocolate chunks: and pour into a lined 8-inch square tin.
- Add on the remaining chocolate chips and swirl through more almond butter: and bake at 160Fan/180*C for 22 minutes. An inserted skewer will come out with some specks of batter on, but this is perfect.
- Cool for 20 minutes then lift out the tin to cool for 20 minutes more: and you can now slice the brownies into squares.
Are these gluten-free and nut-free?
Yes, these are naturally gluten-free, just check that your oats or oat flour are gluten-free. To make these nut-free, swap the almond butter for tahini. Also check that your chocolate is nut-free.
How long will they keep?
These brownies keep well in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month, wrapped well. Allow to defrost and you can enjoy these Chocolate Courgette Fudge Brownies straight from the fridge or allow to reach room temperature.
How do I keep these fudgy?
There are a few top tips to make the fudgiest brownies:
- Make sure you squeeze out all the water from the courgette: check my top tips here.
- Weigh all your ingredients correctly: using scales.
- Do not overmix the batter: as they could become tough.
- Take the brownies out while they are still fudgy: they will be firmer at the edges but an inserted skewer will not come out fully clean.
- Allow to cool before slicing: so that they are still fudgy but they hold their shape.
I love these brownies, what else can I make?
I hope you are going to love making and eating these Chocolate Courgette Fudge Brownies and for more ideas, how about my:
- Chocolate Chunk Courgette Muffins
- Snickers Caramel Brownies
- Chocolate Chip Brownie Cookie Bars
- Pumpkin Spice Brownie Cookie Dough Bars
- Dark Chocolate Vegan Brownie Cookies
- Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies
Chocolate Courgette Fudge Brownies
The fudgiest, richest chocolate brownies packed with hidden courgette and wholesome ingredients, these Chocolate Courgette Fudge Brownies are easy to make and so delicious. They are naturally vegan, gluten-free and easily nut-free.
Ingredients
- 1 large courgette/zucchini (250g)
- 1 tbsp ground chia or flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp water
- 120g + 20g runny, smooth almond or cashew butter, divided
- 60ml maple syrup
- 80g coconut or caster sugar
- 2 tbsp melted and cooled coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 70g cocoa powder, sifted
- 50g oat flour
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of sofa
- A pinch of salt
- 90g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160Fan/180*C and line an 8-inch square dish with parchment paper.
- Grate the courgette/zucchini so you have 250g. Now leave to one side for 10 minutes and then strain using a cloth, produce bag or muslin cloth to get rid of the excess water. You will now have 125g of shredded courgette/zucchini.
- Stir together the chia seeds and water and mix well. Leave for 5 minutes to thicken.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together 120g almond butter with maple syrup, coconut sugar, coconut oil, vanilla and chia gel. Whisk till smooth then break up the shredded courgette/zucchini add to the bowl. Mix well.
- Pour in the cocoa powder, oat flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix to a thick, glossy batter.
- Fold in most of the chocolate and pour into the lined dish. Smooth over the top and then swirl over the remaining 20g almond butter. Press in the leftover chopped chocolate.
- Bake for 22 minutes, until firming at the edges but still fugdy in the middle. An inserted skewer will come out with some streaks of chocolate on.
- Cool for 20 minutes in the tin then lift out to cool for 20 minutes more on a wire rack.
- Use a sharp knife to slice into 16 squares and enjoy still warm or cool fully and store in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the fridge. You can freeze the brownies for up to 1 month and allow to defrost thoroughly at room temperature.
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I look forward to hearing what you think of these Chocolate Courgette Fudge Brownies so please let me know in the comments below and leave a star review above. If you do make them, I’d love to see so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest – please say hello!
With courgette brownie love x
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I love this recipe! I was looking for tahini brownies and have made these a coupe of times now with liquid tahini instead of nut butter and with a tahini drizzle over the top. Absolutely delicious. I had been trying to develop a recipe myself and after a couple of tries i still hadn’t found the right consistency and flavour. I was so happy to find your recipe!
I’ve also subbed pumpkin puree for the oil and that works really well. Once i used my Magimix to grate the courgette and that didn’t work out so well. The grated bits were larger than when doing it by hand and they stayed quite firm, rather than disappearing into the brownies and giving it moisture.
I’ve made this for groups i’ve catered for and people absolutely loved it. I’m catering later this year for one of the women who tasted it and she’s has requested it especially.
Thank you so much for developing this recipe and putting in your time and effort. <3
thank you SO much for the comment Daphne, and I am admire your dedication. I love the swaps you made – tahini is SO good in these brownies! Thank you so much and so happy you’ve been sharing these courgette brownies with groups, too!