Zucchini Bars

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These zucchini bars are most, perfectly spiced and loaded with fresh zucchini. Topped with the best cream cheese frosting, they’re a delicious dessert perfect for using up fresh garden zucchini!

7 Zucchini Bars with cream cheese frosting cut into square


These zucchini bars with cream cheese frosting are easy to make with a handful of simple ingredients.

They’re a cross between a zucchini cake and a blonde brownie (zucchini brownies) in the best possible way. They’re dense and moist, richly spiced and perfectly sweet!

A delicious recipe to use up garden zucchini in the summer!

up close photo of a zucchini bar with cream cheese frosting

Zucchini Bars: Ingredients & Substitutions

overhead photo of the ingredients in this Zucchini Bars recipe
  • Salted butter.  Unsalted butter, coconut oil and ghee are good substitutions for salted butter.
  • Sour cream. full-fat sour cream is the best for the richest taste and texture. You can use light sour cream or Greek yogurt.
  • Granulated sugar. white granulated sugar or organic cane sugar are the best choices.
  • All-purpose flour. You can substitute up to half of the all purpose flour with white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour. 
  • Zucchini. this recipe uses one medium/small zucchini, which comes out to be about 1 cup after being shredded. If you shred and freeze zucchini in the summer to use all year long, let the zucchini thaw in a strainer in the sink until it’s room temperature. Squeeze out a little bit of the excess water and use in the recipe.
a Zucchini Bar on a plate with a bite taken out of it

How to Make Zucchini Bars

This recipe is very easy to make, we’ll walk through how to make zucchini bars step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.

Begin by combining flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl, set aside.

two photos showing How to Make Zucchini Bars - combining dry ingredients

Then, melt the butter gently, stirring until it’s smooth. Be careful not to over-head the butter.

Then, whisk in the sour cream, egg, vanilla and sugar until mixture is smooth.

two photos showing How to Make Zucchini Bars - combining wet ingredients

Next, add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until smooth.

two photos showing How to Make Zucchini Bars - combining wet and dry ingredients

Then, gently fold in the shredded zucchini until itis evenly distributed throughout the batter.

two photos showing How to Make Zucchini Bars - adding the zucchini to the batter

Next, spread the batter evenly in a prepared baking dish and bake in the until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Let the bars cool completely in the pan.

two photos showing How to Make Zucchini Bars - in the baking dish before and after baking

While the bars are cooling, make the cream cheese frosting!

This frosting recipe makes enough for two batches of zucchini bars, you can cut it in half or just use half and freeze the other half for another recipe.

cream cheese frosting in a mixing bowl for these zucchini bars

Spread the frosting over the top of the cooled bars, then chill the zucchini bars until you are ready to serve.

two photos showing cream cheese frosting being spread over the top of cooled zucchini bars

Serve

Cut the zucchini bars into squares and serve. The bars can be served slightly chilled or room temperature.

9 Zucchini Bars with cream cheese frosting cut into squares

Store

Store leftover zucchini bars in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Freeze

You can either freeze individual squares or you can freeze the entire pan of bars:

Entire recipe. Make the recipe, then chill it until it’s completely cooled, then cover the top tightly with plastic wrap and foil (or bake in a pan with a lid) and freeze for up to two months. Thaw in the refrigerator.

Individual bars. To freeze individual bars, put them on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer until they are hardened (about 1 hour). Individually wrap each bar in plastic wrap and put them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.

a Zucchini Bar on a plate with a fork and a bite taken out of it

Zucchini Bars Recipe FAQs

Can I double this recipe?

Yes, double the recipe and bake in a 9×13″ baking dish.

Do I have to peel zucchini before baking with it? 

No! You don’t have to peel the zucchini. In fact, most of the nutrition is in the skin so I prefer to keep it on.

Can I use frozen zucchini?

If you shred and freeze zucchini in the summer to use all year long, let the zucchini thaw in a strainer in the sink until it’s room temperature. Squeeze out a little bit of the excess water and use in the recipe.

6 Zucchini Bars with cream cheese frosting cut into squares

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Zucchini Bars Recipe

Laura
These zucchini bars are most, perfectly spiced and loaded with fresh zucchini. Topped with the best cream cheese frosting, they're a delicious dessert perfect for using up fresh garden zucchini!
5 from 6 votes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16 Servings
Calories 110
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Cooling1 hour
Total Time1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Grease an 8×8” baking dish, set aside.
  • Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl, set aside.
  • In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter.
  • Whisk in sour cream, egg, vanilla and sugar until mixture is smooth.
  • Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until smooth.
  • Fold in zucchini until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
  • Spread batter evenly in the prepared baking dish.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 min or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  • Let cool completely.
  • Make the cream cheese frosting (follow this recipe: https://joyfoodsunshine.com/cream-cheese-frosting/)
  • Spread it over the top of the cooled bars.
  • Chill until you are ready to cut into squares and serve. The bars can be served slightly chilled or room temperature.

Video

Notes

The cream cheese frosting recipe makes enough for two batches of zucchini bars, you can cut it in half or just use half and freeze the other half for another recipe.
Nutrition information calculated for the zucchini bars without the frosting.
Ingredient Substitutions
  • Salted butter.  Unsalted butter, coconut oil and ghee are good substitutions for salted butter.
  • Sour cream. full-fat sour cream is the best for the richest taste and texture. You can use light sour cream or Greek yogurt.
  • Granulated sugar. white granulated sugar or organic cane sugar are the best choices.
  • All-purpose flour. You can substitute up to half of the all purpose flour with white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour. 
  • Zucchini. this recipe uses one medium/small zucchini, which comes out to be about 1 cup after being shredded. If you shred and freeze zucchini in the summer to use all year long, let the zucchini thaw in a strainer in the sink until it’s room temperature. Squeeze out a little bit of the excess water and use in the recipe.
Store
Store leftover zucchini bars in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze
You can either freeze individual squares or you can freeze the entire pan of bars:
Entire recipe. Make the recipe, then chill it until it’s completely cooled, then cover the top tightly with plastic wrap and foil (or bake in a pan with a lid) and freeze for up to two months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Individual bars. To freeze individual bars, put them on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer until they are hardened (about 1 hour). Individually wrap each bar in plastic wrap and put them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 137mg | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 164IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Recipe Rating




6 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    5 stars. Added ground walnuts to batter. Lovely dessert. Light, moist & easy to make. I could see it served alone or with fruit or topped with ice cream for the kids. Best part of serving was the look on my husbands face as he tasted it. He couldn’t believe it was made with zucchini.

    1. If you are tripling the recipe you can bake it in 3 8×8″ pans, or you can bake a double recipe in a 9×13″ pan or a triple in a 17×12″ sheet cake pan.

  2. 5 stars
    These were excellent! I loved that they were baked in an 8×8 inch pan! My husband gave them a 10 out of 10! Thank you! I just found your website and am looking forward to trying more of your recipes!