📋Healthy Zucchini Bars recipe

Zucchini bars cut in a pan, with some missing and a red silicone knife

5 from 1 vote

📋Healthy Zucchini Bars recipe

These These Healthy Zucchini Bars are not only wholesome they are downright addictive! Chock-full of nutritious ingredients like fresh zucchini, carrots, dried cherries, chia seeds, unsweetened applesauce, and cinnamon, they make a great healthy snack or dessert and are ideal for packing along in the lunch bag!

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American, Canadian, North American

Keyword bar, carrot, healthy, zucchini

Special Diet Vegetarian, weight watchers

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings bars

Calories 185kcal

Author Terri Gilson

Equipment

Ingredients

¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon baking soda
⅓ cup chia seeds
2 eggs slightly beaten
1½ cups shredded carrots *See recipe NOTE if using frozen shredded carrots
2 cups packed cup shredded zucchini *See recipe NOTE if using frozen shredded zucchini
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup dried cherries
¼ cup canola oil
⅔ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/176 degrees C. Spray a 9X13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl combine flours, baking powder, cinnamon, chia seeds, baking soda and brown sugar.
¾ cups all-purpose flour, ¾ cups whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ⅓ cup chia seeds, ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
Slightly beat eggs.
In another large bowl stir together eggs, carrot, zucchini, dried cherries, oil, applesauce and vanilla.
Hint: To better distribute the cherry flavor, chop them up. But be sure to soak them in hot water for 2 minutes and drain, because they are much easier to chop!
2 eggs, 1½ cups shredded carrots, 2 cups packed cup shredded zucchini, ½ cup dried cherries, ¼ cup canola oil, ⅔ cup unsweetened applesauce, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Add zucchini mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined.
*If it looks too wet, add a little more all-purpose flour. If it looks too dry, add a little more water. Do this by the tbsp, so you don't end up adding too much at once.
Spread batter in prepared baking pan. Bake 20- 25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean and bars are firm to the touch.
* I usually bake for 20 minutes, then test it. It was perfect for me at 25 minutes.
Cool in pan and then cut into bars. *You can cut it into 12 or 18 bars.

Notes

* NOTE: If you use FROZEN shredded zucchini or carrots, use 3 cups of zucchini and 2 cups of carrots and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Use ½ the amount of apple sauce and add a little more at a time, until it looks like the texture of a loaf batter.

Expert Tips:

Squeeze excess moisture from zucchini and carrots when using frozen. This prevents the batter from becoming too wet and ensures the bars bake evenly and set properly.

Soak and chop the dried cherries for better flavor distribution. Soaking softens them, making them easier to chop, and disperses their tangy-sweetness throughout the bars.

Use a nylon knife to cut bars directly in the pan. It helps preserve your non-stick bakeware and gives you cleaner cuts.

Don’t overmix the batter. Stir just until combined to avoid a tough texture—overmixing can develop too much gluten, especially with whole wheat flour.

Adjust the batter texture if needed. If it looks too wet, add a little more flour a tablespoon at a time; if too dry, add a tablespoon of water until it resembles thick loaf batter.

Let bars cool completely before cutting. This prevents crumbling and gives them time to firm up for neater slices.

Cut smaller bars for portion control and lower WW points. You can get up to 18 bars from a 9x13 pan if you want smaller snacks or lower-calorie portions.

Make a big batch and freeze for grab-and-go snacks. They thaw beautifully in lunch bags and are perfect for busy mornings.

Nutrition