Zucchini season isn’t complete until you’ve made this fudgy almond flour chocolate zucchini cake recipe. It’s ULTRA fudgy and delicious, made with simple ingredients you’ll love. It’ll be your new favorite way to eat zucchini! (Gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo-friendly)
This part of summer feels like EVERYTHING good in season. Between things like Gluten-Free Peach Crisp, Watermelon Popsicles, Street Corn Salad, Refrigerator Pickles, and Burrata with Tomatoes & Basil, we’re enjoying this season’s produce every way we can get it!
Summer wouldn’t be complete without at least one batch of this almond flour Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Cake. It’s made with surprisingly healthy ingredients (even the frosting!), but has the fudgy flavor and tender crumb you want from a gluten-free chocolate cake.
It’ll definitely be your new favorite way to eat vegetables. Kidding! (…sort of!). Now, let’s make a batch! Here’s what you’ll need to get started on this delicious recipe…
Gather Your Ingredients
One thing you’ll LOVE about this healthy chocolate zucchini cake is the simple ingredients list. Let’s take a look:
How to Make Almond Flour Chocolate Zucchini Cake, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below!
- Preheat & Prep. To star, preheat oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8″ or 9×9″ pan with parchment paper.
- Combine Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, cocoa powder, arrowroot, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Combine Wet Ingredients. In a large bowl, combine melted coconut oil, coconut sugar, eggs, milk, syrup, and vanilla. Pulse or whisk until well combined and smooth.
- Combine Batter. Add the whisked dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Fold or stir in the grated zucchini.
- Bake The Cake. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, with just a few moist crumbs. Allow the cake to cool COMPLETELY while you mix up the frosting.
- Combine. In a food processor (or a bowl with a hand mixer), combine cocoa powder, syrup, softened (not melted!) coconut oil, vanilla, and salt. Pulse or mix until completely smooth.
- Adjust. If the frosting seems too stiff, you can add more syrup 1/2 teaspoon at a time until you reach the right consistency.
- Frost. Spoon frosting onto the fully cooled cake and spread with a spatula over the surface. If desired, garnish the top of the cake with shaved or chopped chocolate, mini chocolate chips, or sprinkles.
- Serve & Store. Cut the cake into 9 larger or 12 smaller slices and enjoy. Cover the cake and store leftovers 1-2 days at room temperature, or 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
FAQ + Tips For The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Cake
AN EASY WAY TO GRATE ZUCCHINI. You can grate zucchini in 10 seconds or less with a food processor and the grating attachment. I use mine for everything from energy bites to grating veggies to making this almond flour chocolate zucchini recipe. The grating blade makes this a cinch. Otherwise, I love a grater like this one that catches everything it grates. (That said, a box grater will definitely get the job done if that’s what you have on hand!)
CAN I USE SOMETHING BESIDES ALMOND FLOUR? I don’t recommend it for this recipe, but I do have a Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Bread made with 1:1 flour that you’ll love! Keep in mind that you CANNOT substitute coconut flour in this cake. (Coconut flour absorbs several times its volume in liquid, so you’d need to adjust the amount of coconut flour and/or the amount of liquid in the recipe to make it work)
CAN I MAKE THIS CAKE A DIFFERENT SIZE OR BAKE IT IN A DIFFERENT PAN? I haven’t tried it yet. This makes enough for one 8×8 or 9×9 square pan (I use this one). It *should* work in a round pan instead, though you may need to watch the bake time a bit. For a 9×13, you’d need to double it and extend the baking time by a few minutes.
CAN I MAKE THIS VEGAN? Again, I haven’t tried it without eggs yet, but I’d love to know how it goes if you give it a try with flax eggs or another vegan egg substitute!
Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Zucchini Cake:
- 1/2 cup blanched almond flour (56 grams)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (48 grams)
- 1/3 cup arrowroot powder (48 grams)
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup milk
- 3 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
For the Frosting:
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (72 grams)
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (softened, but not melted)
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- Generous pinch salt
Instructions
Make the Cake:
- Preheat & Prep. To star, preheat oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8" or 9×9" pan with parchment paper.
- Combine Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, cocoa powder, arrowroot, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Combine Wet Ingredients. In a large bowl, combine melted coconut oil, coconut sugar, eggs, milk, syrup, and vanilla. Pulse or whisk until well combined and smooth.
- Combine Batter. Add the whisked dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Fold or stir in the grated zucchini.
- Bake The Cake. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool COMPLETELY while you mix up the frosting.
Make the Frosting:
- Combine. In a food processor (or a bowl with a hand mixer), combine cocoa powder, syrup, softened (not melted!) coconut oil, vanilla, and salt. Pulse or mix until completely smooth.
- Adjust. If the frosting seems too stiff, you can add more syrup 1/2 teaspoon at a time until you reach the right consistency.
- Frost. Spoon frosting onto the fully cooled cake and spread with a spatula over the surface. If desired, garnish with shaved or chopped chocolate, mini chocolate chips, or sprinkles.
- Serve & Store. Cut the cake into 9 larger or 12 smaller slices and enjoy. Cofer the cake and store leftovers 1-2 days at room temperature, or 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Almond Flour. Do NOT substitute the almond flour for any other type of flour here. 1:1 flour, oat flour, or coconut flour will NOT work the same way.
- Arrowroot. If you don’t have (or can’t find) arrowroot flour/arrowroot starch, you can substitute tapioca starch or cornstarch.
- Cocoa Powder. I recommend natural cocoa powder (like Hershey’s or Ghirardelli) rather than Dutch processed cocoa in this recipe for best results.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.
Originally shared July 2021. Recipe has been improved and updated with step by step photos, additional notes and tips, and new video and republished July 2026.
This zucchini cake surprised me with how chocolatey it was. It tasted so decadent and fudgy! The zucchini kept the cake tender without tasting like a vegetable. This is a total keeper.
This cake is super chocolatey and delicious! It feels like I’m eating the Bruce Bogtrotter cake from Matilda!
I so love this recipe…and lost it for days before I found it again!
Is it ok to freeze?
Thanks Fran 🙂
Yes! Freezes like a dream.
Do you need to squeeze excess juice out of the zucchini before adding it to the mixture?
Only if your zucchini feels really wet… I’ve skipped that step several times without any trouble!
How can the cake/frosting be stored for and should the cake be in the fridge if making a day before?
Hailey – I’d frost the cake, then store it covered in the refrigerator if you’re making it a day early. 🙂
Ohhhhh girl, this was gooooood! I subbed the arrow root for cornstarch and it turned out great.
Yaaaaaas! I love hearing that. So glad you guys loved it!
Can you double the recipe and make in a 9×13 pan?
Yes, I believe so, but I don’t have a baking time for you. You’ll probably want to start checking it every few minutes after the 20 minute mark. I’d love to hear how it goes if you give it a try!
Can I substitute arrow root flour with other flour? Do you have calories information for this cake?
Nancy – Depending on your dietary needs, yes! You can substitute cornstarch or tapioca starch for the arrowroot. And I’ve updated the nutrition facts at the bottom of the recipe card. You should be able to see them now! (If not, refresh the page and wait a few seconds for it to load) Hope that helps!
Thanks Emily!