Easy flourless Almond Butter Bars with zucchini! These gluten free, oil free, one-bowl bars made with healthy ingredients like almond butter, zucchini, pure maple syrup, and spices to satisfy any sweet tooth. Freezer friendly and kid-approved!
It's a snack! It's breakfast! It's an afternoon delight!
It's the loveliest solution to all the fresh zucchini you have oozing from your refrigerator and trunk and sock drawer right now (after you make this healthy zucchini bread and these flourless zucchini muffins, of course.)
I'm just over here making the most of my giant Costco almond butter supply, you know. I love using my precious nut butter in bars (like my healthy pumpkin bars!) because they're full of nourishing goodies that keep me satisfied.
Key ingredients
- Almond butter: I love the drippy kind from Costco that's just almonds as the ingredient. It should easily pour into the measuring cup. For a nut-free version, try tahini.
- Zucchini: For a bit of moistness and extra veggies. No need to peel nor squeeze any water out. Easy peasy. A small zucchini will be just fine, but be sure to measure.
- Maple syrup: Just a splash for unrefined sweetness. Agave or honey would also work.
- Egg: This helps binds the bars and make them fluffy. I tried a flax egg but they came out more crumbly.
- Vanilla: Essential for extra flavor!
- Baking soda and salt: For rise and bring out the sweetness.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg: I love warming spices to add that classic zucchini bread flavor. You can omit the nutmeg if you're not a fan.
- Chocolate chips: When is chocolate a bad idea? Feel free to omit and sub walnuts if you disagree.
How to make almond butter bars
The star of the show today is...you guessed it: almond butter! You'd never believe they're flourless. The best part about these slightly sweet bars is that all you need is a bowl and a spoon and the batter is done before you know it.
- First, grate your zucchini.
- Then mix together almond butter, zucchini, egg and maple syrup until combined. Fold in cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt.
- Add chocolate chips if you fancy. Bake for 30 minutes and devour!
Are these bars healthy?
You bet! As a dietitian, I love that they're loaded with heart-healthy, brain-boosting fats plus four grams of protein per bar. They're low in sugar and made with unrefined sweeteners. Hooray for healthy foods that taste good!
Dietary modifications
- Vegan: Omit egg and use a flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax whisked with 3 tbsp water and set aside to gel for 5 minutes). They will be fudgier in texture and less puffy.
- Nut free: You can try these with tahini or sunflower seed butter (they will turn green if you use sunflower seed butter due to a harmless chemical reaction with the baking soda.
Storage tips
Store leftover bars on the counter for up to two days and then refrigerate bars for up to a week.
How to freeze
Place bars in a freezer baggie and freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or warm in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
More healthy desserts to try
- S'mores Bars
- Blueberry Pie Bars
- Chocolate Drizzled Wine Soaked Grapes
- No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Flourless Almond Butter Bars (with zucchini!)
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Easy flourless Almond Butter Bars with zucchini! These gluten free, one-bowl bars made with healthy ingredients satisfy any sweet tooth.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup creamy almond butter (the drippy kind)
- 1 heaping cup grated zucchini (1 small-medium zucchini)
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Spray an 8x8in baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Whisk together almond butter, zucchini, egg, maple syrup and vanilla in a large bowl until combined. Add baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Top with additional chocolate chips, if desired.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
Keywords: almond butter bars
Tricia says
I remember this recipe from 2013 - it's one of my all time faves!!! Thanks for it 🙂
★★★★★
Alexis Joseph says
Heck yes, thanks Tricia 🙂
MmmMmmei says
I always look forward to an abundance of homegrown zucchini just to have an excuse to make these bars. The bars are simple and delightful.
★★★★★
Alexis Joseph says
Mmmm fabulous. Thank you for letting me know you love these!
Melissa C says
was skeptical of how this would turn out because of the lack of flour, but this turned out incredible!! I subbed cacao nibs instead of chocolate chips and it was equally as delicious. I may not even put those in the next time I make them, they’re that good on their own!
★★★★★
Alexis Joseph says
That's awesome!! I'm so glad you loved them, Melissa!
Karen says
Wow! These bars are delicious!! My 6 month old granddaughter is having her first bit of egg eating them and making the cutest “yummy” sounds!
★★★★★
Alexis Joseph says
OMG so cute!!
Sarah Tonti says
OBSESSED with these and honestly make them on the reg. I sub flax egg, since I have an egg sensitivity, which works really well too!
★★★★★
Alexis says
Eeeee thank you, girl!
Dirk Tiu says
Thanks for sharing your recipe, Alexis! I shared it with my wife.
★★★★★
Elysia @ Haute & Healthy Living says
I NEED to make these!! I'm looking at the pictures and ingredients list and basically drooling! Best snack ever!
Alexis says
They’re so tasty! Hope you love them 🙂
Andy Bishop says
Hi Alexis! I love the bars. I baked some over the weekend using your recipe. Thankfully, they turned out right. My son loves them. Thanks again!
Alexis says
So glad to hear, Andy!
Matt says
This looks absolutely delicious!
I'm gonna make it for my mum's birthday on Saturday.
Also just wondered what's you favorite guilty-pleasure dessert at the mo?
Keep up the great work:-)
★★★★★
Didi says
I made these for my kids and we all loved them. They were delicious. I always like zucchini bars but these were so much better than most. I'll be making them again.
★★★★★
Kori says
Yummmmm! I only have a jar of maple caramel almond butter that, unfortunately, is not the drippy kind. But as soon as I have a jar and zucchini, I'll be making these!
Maclean Nash says
Love this recipe! Its great that it isn't too sweet and perfect for mornings on the go!
Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Lisa says
I'm not sure these will last long enough in my house for me to test this out, so I was wondering if these freeze well. I want to take a double batch for my sons bake sale, but they require that the items freeze and defrost well. 🙂
Alexis says
I have no doubt they would freeze and defrost just perfectly! And trust me, if I don't freeze the goods that come out of my kitchen they'd be gone within hours 🙂
Alexis says
I've frozen them before and it worked fine! I freeze pretty much everything 🙂
Melissa says
Made these this morning and it was a hit with my kids and coworkers. Just fyi - I didn't strain the zucchini and I used honey. I had to cook it maybe 10 minutes longer than the recipe said in my convection toaster oven. But it was well worth the wait. I love me some almond butter!
★★★★★
Karena says
Could you replace the honey with mashed bananas instead
Karena says
could I sub in mashed ripe bananas for the syrup/honey? If yes, how many (1/4c)?
Nicole says
Hey Alexis!
I was just wondering, if I wanted to make this in a loaf pan, at what temperature and for how long should I bake it?
Thanks in advance! 🙂
Barrie says
Oh. My. Gosh. These bars are to DIE FOR!!!
★★★★★
Alexis says
Yayy!!! I'm so glad they turned out well for you, Barrie!
jenna says
There is no way these can be healthy. They have all the warmth and comfort of my Moms zucchini loaf with a LOT less of the guilt! I attempted to make my own almond butter with my vitamix for the recipe and even though I would call that part of the venture a fail (basically made almond meal with coconut oil to hold it together) I still used it and it was still amazing. I'm glad I read the comments before trying because I was going to use PB instead but that probably would have been pretty weird and over powering. I am currently moderately obsessed with your blog, and have about 15 tabs open with different recipes I can't wait to try! Thanks for sharing 🙂
★★★★★
Alexis says
They ARE in fact healthy! I'm so excited that you liked them! Enjoy the 15 other ones 🙂
Shayne says
I just wanted to say thank you! and I think I am officially in love with these muffins. I wandered over here from Pinterest and this post was featured on the page... I clicked and it was lust at first sight 🙂 then I actually made them since I had all the ingredients and the relationship blossomed.... I may never look at another snack bar muffin again...
Liz says
Am I missing something? Just made these, followed the recipe to a tee and ended up with warm mush at the end (incredibly tasty mush but mush all the same). Even cooked it for an extra 5mins. Is there meant to be almond meal in this as there is none listed in the ingredients?
Alexis says
Hmmm I haven't heard of this happening before. The recipe usually works as is! Not sure what happened here :/ I hope it works out next time!
Kathryn @ Chicks Dig Running says
I just found this recipe on Run To The Finish under Almond Butter Recipes and I am in love! I'm going to the store to buy almond butter immediately because these HAVE TO HAPPEN. I'm not even Paleo or Gluten Free or any of that jazz, they just look really gooey and yummy and guiltless. Thanks for sharing and I love your site!
Alexis says
Hey Kathryn! So glad you like the recipe! I'm not paleo/gluten-free either, but it's always so fun to experiment 🙂 Enjoy!
Charmaine San Pedro says
These look delicious! Will veganize and free it of sugar and hopefully have it taste/look just as good!
x
Alexis says
Hope they turn out well!! Enjoy 🙂
Victoria says
LOVE these babies. Made them twice so far. The first time, I squeezed out the extra water from the zucchini and they seemed a bit dry. The second time, I just threw the shredded zucchini in and the bars were so moist. Thank youuu
Alexis says
Fabulous--so good to know!!
Kendell says
I made these vegan by using a flax egg, and they turned out perfectly!!
★★★★★
Alexis says
I'm so glad to know that works! Thanks, Kendell!
diana says
What an awesome recipe! How do you store them and how long do they last? I need a yummy healthy go to snack for my 2 year old and this sounds perfect!
Jackie says
These came out great--very interesting flavor. I added a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder. YUM. Thanks for posting the recipe!
Alexis says
Glad to hear they turned out well! Adding cocoa powder sounds like a delish addition 🙂
Dennis says
Thank you, Alexis, for sharing your expertise and your love of healthy food. I love that I stumbled onto you!! My dessert the last two nights consisted of your strawberry-chia seed pudding, and your zucchini almond butter bars. My only issue is that these recipes taste so good that I need to be careful and not chow down on too much of this delicious healthiness!
★★★★★
Alexis says
Thanks for your sweet comment, Dennis! You are SO welcome. I really need to whip up a batch of that chia pudding...it's been too long!!
Missy says
I've made these several times now and tried them with sunflower butter--if you haven't tried it, it's fabulous!
Alexis says
I'm overjoyed to hear that, Missy! Since TJ's has been out of almond butter forever, I've been using sunflower butter way more. I love the flavor, so I'll have to try it out!
Day-Z says
OMG Thanks! I love this website and I can't wait to try the recipes!
Alexis says
Thanks so much! Hope you like them 🙂
Missy says
I made these last night and they were delicious!--I used honey instead of maple syrup I am on a gluten free diet and have been trying a variety of new recipes--this is a keeper. I brought one to work for my boss to try and he loved it too. Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★★
Alexis says
That's so great to hear, Missy! They're such a fab treat. Glad to know your boss enjoyed 'em, too 🙂 Baking with almond meal and almond butter is the best discovery, especially for those who eat a gluten-free diet.
April says
These are in the oven right now... Yeah!
Alexis says
Hope you love 'em, April!
April says
I do, so so much! I am already plotting when to make my 2nd batch (which I will share with my work friends - the first batch, all mine!). My fiance has been gobbling them up - so that is a true testament to how delicious they are. So easy to make and made our apartment smell divine. New favorite recipe! You rock! Love your blog. 🙂
Alexis says
That makes my day, April! Thanks so much for the sweet comment. They really do make the apartment smell fabulous!
Fiona says
Made these three times already and loved them! I made them with a quarter cup each of chocolate chips, walnuts and coconut...cannot get enough! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Alexis says
Fabulous to hear, Fiona! OMG--the addition of chocolate chippers, walnuts and coconut sounds amazing. I'll have to try that soon!
Elisabeth says
These are great! I have made them five times in the past month! I have been having a chocolate craving, so today I added 1/4 c. cocoa powder to the mix. Delish!
★★★★★
Alexis says
I'm so glad you've been enjoying them, Elisabeth! Great idea to add cocoa powder, too! YUM.
Rachel schaeffer says
I've been excited to try out this recipe for a while and I finally did....delicious! The only thing I did different was that I added 1 heaping Tbsp. of cocoa powder because I only had a few chocolate chips and really wanted the chocolate flavor. I'll definitely make these again.
Alexis says
Fabulous idea to add cocoa powder! This is one of my favorite recipes on the blog for sure 🙂
Barbara Reilly says
Hi! Just made these and they are outrageous! I have such a sweet tooth and try to eat as clean as possible and this was the perfect treat. Mine came out a bit mushy though. Are they suppose to be like that? Any suggestions?
Alexis says
They are a bit mushy by nature but you could definitely increase the baking time by five minutes or so! Mine were super moist as well. So glad you liked them 🙂
Amber says
These look amazing! I gave up sweets for Lent so these look like the perfect thing to satisfy my cravings 🙂 What else do you recommend adding to these bars besides the chocolate chips?
Alexis says
These will definitely satisfy your craving, Amber! Feel free to just leave out the chocolate chips. They're a yummy addition but they'll still taste fabulous without them! I bet coconut would be good too.
GiGi Eats Celebrities says
Well hello sweet and delicious Browuffin.... That's my word for Brownie & Muffin! Ha Ha Ha! These look JAM PACKED with health and loads of fiber to keep you FULL and... REGULAR! Weeee! 😉
★★★★★
Alexis says
Hahah Browuffin--I love it!! These are most definitely jam packed with a goodie or two 🙂
Lindsey says
what a great idea: zucchini and almond butter! i'm sure the flavors complemented each other! i just made granola bars (not Paleo) with almond butter, yielding great results.
Alexis says
Yummmm I'm excited for that granola bar recipe!
Khushboo Thadani says
I just can't get my head around green monsters but hiding veggies in a zucchini bread? Now THIS is something I am on board with! Do you think subbing in peanut butter for the almond butter and honey for the maple syrup would work? I'm trying to work with what ingredients I currently have at home!
Alexis says
I wondered about the peanut butter thing, too! I wouldn't recommend subbing because the magic thing about almond butter is its ability to NOT make things taste like super almondy. It just makes them super moist! I think using peanut butter would turn these into peanut buttery zucchini bread, which doesn't sound too fabulous to me. I also don't know if the texture would work. So basically I'd recommend sticking with almond butter but let me know if you try it out!
Taylor says
I know this post was from a few years ago, but I substituted peanut butter for the almond butter, since it was the only kind I had on hand, and they still turned out fabulous! The peanut butter didn't overpower the taste at all and they were as soft as could be!
★★★★★
Carrie says
thanks for the sneak peek! Christen and I made them Sunday and they are beyond good!! I just wish we had made two batches!
Alexis says
Any time, Care. I'm so glad you liked them!!
Sally says
Alexis, these sound fantastic! I love baking with zucchini. And almond butter - how can you go wrong? one of my favorite butters 🙂
Alexis says
Thanks, Sally! I'm pretty much head over heels in love with them...there's no denying it. You're right--you really can't go wrong with almond buttah!
Matt @ The Athlete's Plate says
These look delicious!
Alexis says
Thanks, Matt! They're darn tasty.
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
You had me sold on these with the title! I have made chocolate zucchini muffins before, but I love your addition of almond butter. These sound super tasty :).
Alexis says
I lovelovelove chocolate zucchini muffins! I always make the ones from Happy Herbivore and add chocolate chips. Beyond heavenly.
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
Those are exactly the muffins that I was referring to! Happy Herbivore rocks :).
Alexis says
Haha great minds DO think alike! Love me some happy herbivore 🙂
Christen says
These bars are A-MAZING!!!! I wish I had doubled the batch-- they are that good! Thanks Alexis for another great recipe! 🙂
★★★★★
Alexis says
Wahhhooooo!!!! I love a good success story 🙂 I wish I could come to Chicago and bake with you guys!
Stephanie @ Legally Blinde says
Yum, this looks good! I'm going to need to pick up a zucchini soon!
Alexis says
Add it to your grocery list, Stephanie! These are a must-make 🙂
Jody says
These look yummy.. can you suggest something to bind it other than one egg..egg replacer or another idea would be welcomed
Alexis says
Hmmm you could try a flax or chia egg (1 tbsp flax/chia mixed with 3 tbsp warm water. Let it "gel" for 5 min.)
Donna says
Alexis
My son is has gluten, dairy n peanut/almond allergies. Can I use sunflower butter or cashew butter in place of almond butter? I would really like to try this recipe.
Also, where can I find that huge bag of dairy free chocolate chips?
Thanks!
Donna
Alexis says
Hi Donna, I haven’t tried it with another nut butter. As long as it’s drippy, not solid, I’d imagine it would work. I linked to the bag of chocolate chips, which you can buy at Costco or on amazon. Trader Joe’s chocolate chips are also dairy-free. Enjoy!