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Um totally spaced and forgot to add the almond butter and these were STILL so good! My toddler gobbled them down. Obviously a foolproof recipe and so easy. Can’t wait to try it again with the almond butter! Also I replaced the maple syrup with apple sauce 🙂
Sarah
So yes, I made my favorite zucchini muffins into a bar.
And yes, they are as dense, moist, blondie-like, wholesome (!!) and perfectly sweet as you are hoping they will be.
Zucchini Bars: A Love Story
Let me tell you 7 of the 100+ things I love about these zucchini bars:
- Super easy to make. NO FUSS WHATSOEVER.
- Shockingly nutritious. No refined sugar or flour. All ingredients that you can feel good about – oats, olive oil, maple syrup, zucchini, almond butter, etc.
- Pantry friendly! You probably have everything you need already.
- Breakfasty, but also snacky and desserty. There is no such thing as a bad time for these.
- Delicious served warm or (wait for it) cold out of the fridge on a hot summer day. SO GOOD.
- Extremely popular with the kidlets because they are so yummy.
- Even more popular with the parentals who let the kidlets eat *almost* as many bars as they want because of the aforementioned wholesome factor.
If you can ignore my use of the words kidlets and parentals and just only take the really good things from that list, then you will be tracking with me on the awesomeness of these bars.
These Bars On Repeat All Summer Long (For Real)
We test so many recipes on this website and love them all, but because we’re always trying new things, there are actually very few recipes that earn a repeat-after-repeat, year-after-year place in my real life home kitchen.
I’m happy to tell you that these muffins (the zucchini muffin originals) and now their cousins, the almond butter chocolate chip zucchini bars, have BOTH earned a spot in that esteemed repeat-after-repeat, year-after-year category.
They were a near-weekly staple for us last summer (BIG HIT with 18-month-old Solvi last year, both the making and the eating), and they have been and will continue to be making an appearance in my kitchen all summer long. ♡
These Can Be Made Date Or Date-Free
A quick note about the dates in this recipe:
This “base recipe” which we use for so many baked yummies (apple muffins, carrot muffins, etc.) on POY started way back in the day with a genius idea from Krista and Alana on our team to try using dates in a muffin batter.
The dates make the bars gooey and dense in all the right ways, and they also add some natural sweetness.
That being said, I realize that not everybody loves dates and not everyone HAS dates on hand all the time, so we also included a version in the notes of the recipe for date-free option of these zucchini bars that is still really, really good.
Bottom line: dates or no dates, we can work with it either way!
These are such an essential. They are a total easy summer baking project for, honestly, kind of everyone. Looks like it’s time for me to head home and… um, make another batch.
Prefer To Watch Instead Of Read?
Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bars: FAQs
Yes! Try using a flax egg (or the equivalent of two regular eggs) here.
These are best stored in a sealed container in the fridge to maintain freshness.
After you grate the zucchini, one quick squeeze to get out some of the extra water should do the trick.
Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bars
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 9–12 bars 1x
Description
These Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bars are wholesome and perfect and just everything your summer needs! Made with oats, almond butter, zucchini, dates, and maple syrup. So many feel-good ingredients packed into one bar!
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 8 medjool dates, pitted
- 1–2 zucchini, grated and squeezed once (about 2 cups total, divided)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of kosher salt
- chocolate chips (optional, for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Set aside about half of the zucchini and chocolate chips to stir in later. Blend everything else together until a smooth-ish batter comes together.
- Stir in chocolate chips and zucchini. Pour batter into a square baking dish (9×9 or similar). Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and gently springs back when you press into it.
- For clean cuts, let it cool completely. (Or for hungry bellies, just get into it right warm out of the oven.) I like to store this in the refrigerator but you can serve warm or cold ALL DAY LONG! Snack, breakfast, dessert, all of it. ♡
Notes
For a date-free version, use 1/2 cup almond butter and 1/2 cup maple syrup (and omit the dates). Still delicious!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: zucchini bars, zucchini dessert, chocolate dessert
Need More Zucchini Inspo?
- Lemon Poppyseed Zucchini Bread (this bread just feels good right down to your soul)
- Sweet Corn and Zucchini Pie (one of our favorite ways to use up summer zucchini)
- Creamy Garlic Roasted Red Pepper Pasta (zoodles on zoodles on zoodles!)
- Summery Chipotle Corn Chowder (chock-full of summer veggies – so yummy!)
- The Ultimate Guide to Keeping Produce Fresh (never toss a forgotten veggie again)
We have been making these all summer with zucchini from the garden. My 2 little boys love them. They taste like an oatmeal cake, and they fill you up well with good energy — win win! I have even used Nutella when I didn’t have almond butter on hand, and just lowered the amount of maple syrup.
I love these almond butter chocolate chip zucchini bars but I have a question. My oatmeal seems to be a little chewy?? Did I not blend everything together long enough? Maybe the rolled oats are just chewier?? Should I give the oatmeal a quick blend by itself before adding remaining ingredients? Either way…I will be making these again…very good.
So delish!!! Loved it and all the nutrition too
What can I substitute for dates?
I thought I would give this one a go a few weeks back and have already cooked it 4 times. TY!
Great use for the onslaught of zucchini I have this year! Did not have chocolate chips so added blueberries-makes an excellent breakfast cake! Cake for breakfast? YES PLEASE! Thank you so much for all you do!
I have never left a review in a recipe ever! This is so good I just had to thank you!
I did not have dates, so I did the swap with more maple syrup and almond butter, Devine !
Will definitely be making them again! Soon!
Thanks so much for the comment, Linda! We’re so happy you enjoyed the bars!
I just made these. Super delicious and easy.
I have been working changing my diet to muffins with protein powder for breakfast. What are your thoughts of how to add protein powder without making these muffins dry?
I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about these actually tasting good… but I have to say they came out YUM! I added a dash of vanilla extract as well as a generous amount of chocolate chips on top before baking. I’m so glad I did! They made for the perfect breakfast treat this morning paired with a cold glass of almond milk!
Do you think I could substitute almond flour for the oats?
I just made this with an additional 1/4 cup of cocoa powder. I was trying to recreate a chocolate zucchini bread recipe from my aunt. I’m pleased to say it turned out great and I’m excited for another way to make this recipe!
Absolutely love these!! So moist and delicious!!
I didn’t feel like cleaning my blender, so I attempted to just mix the ingredients in a bowl. I’m still waiting on it to cool, but I think the oats (and other ingredients) need to be blended for this to set properly. Excited to try again using the blender 🙂
How long will these keep in the fridge for? And can they be frozen?
We’d say they would keep best for about 5 days in the fridge, and yes, it works to freeze them!
I’m two weeks postpartum and had my Doula make these for me as a quick breakfast/snack and I am so glad I did. Ate a couple after dinner last night as a sweet treat however this morning refrigerated made me so happy. I love the ingredients and feel that I’m fueling my body. You won’t regret making this.
I’m making these today for the 2nd time and am seriously in LOVE. As Lindsay mentions, they are no fuss, nutritious, wholesome, and delicious! I have been sharing them with friends, especially a girlfriend who’s a new mom and is breastfeeding! Nice work on this one!
What a delicious and super easy to make dish! I used peanut butter as I didn’t have almond butter in my pantry. This will be something I make again and again!
Love your recipes, thank you!
These turned out well, the dates give a rich sweetness and I liked how the oats gave a bit of texture. I barely used 1/4 honey (all I had on hand) and still fine. When I re heated the next day I slathered with almond butter for good measure 🙂
These are delectable. I subbed applesauce for dates and maple syrup. A+ recipe! Will be making again.
So easy and delicious! I added some toasted slivered almonds and toasted unsalted pumpkin seeds for some crunch, yum!!
Great additions, Eva! So glad you enjoyed the bars!
We have made these twice, and we love them. The second time we made them we scooped the batter into cups in a muffin pan, and they turned out great! Only needed to bake for about 25 or 30 minutes.
Glad to hear they worked as muffins! Thanks for the comment!
I’ve made these a few times now with a couple of tweaks & they will continue to be in my rotation! The texture is spot on – not too dense but more substantive & satisfying than fluffy muffins. I add 2 tsp of cinnamon & 1/4 c each toasted walnuts & coconut shreds, & skip the chocolate chips. Making another batch now!
Glad to hear it, Meg!
These are quite simply amazing. It’s pretty hard to find things I can cook easily on a low histamine diet and these fit the bill with just a couple of easy swaps- flax egg for the eggs (with a splash of oat milk) and no chocolate chips. I also swapped maple for golden syrup as I was out. They were really great, so moist and it felt like I was eating proper cake, which is so rare for me! I haven’t finished the first batch and am already planning the second as soon as they’re gone.
So glad to hear this, Alex!
This was so moist!!! so easy and absolutely delicious! I’m going to make this for potlucks from now on. Thanks for the great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed the bars!