The Best Zucchini Bars
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If your garden is overflowing with zucchini or you grabbed one too many at the farmers market, these Zucchini Bars are one of the best ways to use it up! They taste like a moist spice cake with a cream cheese frosting. You’ll find cinnamon, shredded zucchini and carrots, and walnuts in these zucchini bars. This is the best zucchini bar recipe that I’ve made!
I got this zucchini bars recipe from my aunt and I have to tell you these are amazing. My aunt named this recipe literally “the best zucchini bars.” I can’t argue.
Unlike zucchini bread, these bars are a little lighter and are ready to serve after a generous swipe of cream cheese frosting. The shredded carrots, oats, and walnuts add texture and flavor without makimg the bars taste like a health food. Even people who claim they don’t like zucchini come back for another piece!
Why You’ll Love These Zucchini Bars
- Super moist and tender
- Great way to use fresh zucchini
- Thick homemade cream cheese frosting
- Easy one-bowl batter
- Perfect for potlucks and bake sales
- Soft enough to stay fresh for several days
- Freezes beautifully
Why This Recipe Works
The combination of shredded zucchini, carrot, and vegetable oil creates incredibly moist bars that stay soft for days.
Using both baking soda and baking powder gives the bars enough lift while still keeping them tender.
The oats absorb some of the vegetable moisture so the bars don’t become gummy and while the walnuts are optional they do add a nice texture.
Ingredients
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all ingredients and quantities.
Zucchini – No need to peel the zucchini. The peel softens completely while baking and adds little flecks of color throughout the bar. Don’t squeeze the moisture out of the zucchini! This gives the bars some of their moisture!
Carrot – The carrot doesn’t make these taste like carrot cake. It will flecks of orange color, moisture, and a subtle sweetness that just melts into the background of the bars.
Oats – The oats give the crumb a little more body and does absorb some of the moisture from the vegetables. It won’t give the bars a chewiness though.
Substitutions and Variations
- Substitute the shredded carrots with more shredded zucchini.
- Substitute the walnuts with peacans.
- Add white chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips to the bars when you’re folding in the shredded vegetables, oats, and walnuts.
- Top the bars with a traditional vanilla frosting, cream cheese whipped cream frosting, or a maple cream cheese frosting.
NOTE: This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations
How to Make the Best Zucchini Bars
Step 1: Mix together the oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
Step 3: Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.
Step 4: Fold in the zucchini, carrot, oats, and walnuts.
Step 5: Spread into a prepared baking pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of her bars comes out clean.
Step 6: Let the bars cool completely. Whip up the frosting and spread it on the cooled bars.
Tips for Success
- Shred the zucchini and carrots yourself.
- Don’t overmix the dry ingredients. Once the flour disappears, stop mixing.
- Let the bars completely before adding the cream cheese frosting. Warm bars will melt the frosting.
- Toast the Walnuts. This is optional, but toasting the nuts first gives the bars even more flavor. To toaste the walnuts, place them on a sheet pan in a single layer and toast in a 350 degree F oven for 7 to 8 minutes. Stir them half way through and keep a close eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.
How to Store and Freeze
Store the zucchini bars covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Serve them chilled or let them sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.
You can freeze the unfrosted bars. Let them cool completely before wrapping them tightly in the pan with two layers of plastic wrap and a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
The cream cheese frosting can be frozen, but it may separate so I would recommend freezing that in its own freezer-safe bowl and remixing it once it’s thawed before adding it on the bars.
Recipe FAQs
If you don’t have a jelly roll pan, I would recommend using two square pans but pay close attention that the bars aren’t too thin. They bake up to be about an inch thick. They come to the top of the jelly roll pan when I bake them. Get yourself a large jelly roll pan if you can.
No. You can substitute the carrots for more zucchini.
Of course not. They can absolutely be nut free bars.
There are a few culprits. It could be that there’s too much moisture from the vegetables, it’s underbaked, or you can into the bars while they’re still warm.
If you try this recipe, be sure to leave a rating below and also share it on Instagram, and tag me! You can also find me on Facebook and stay up to date on recipe releases by joining the Newsletter!
SAVE THIS RECIPE
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Ingredients
Zucchini Bars
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups shredded zucchini, don't squeeze
- 1 small carrot, shredded
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Bars
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 17x11x1 or 15x10x1 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, add in the vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix with a hand mixer for 1 minute until well combined.1 cup vegetable oil, 2 cups granulated sugar, 3 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, sift flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk to combine.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- Add the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients. Mix with a hand mixer on low until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Fold in the shredded zucchini and carrots.2 cups shredded zucchini, 1 small carrot
- Fold in rolled oats and walnuts.3/4 cup rolled oats, 1 cup chopped walnuts
- Spread out on prepared pan. Place in the oven and bake for 24 minutes. Let cool completely and frost.
Frosting
- In a large bowl, combine butter and cream cheese. Beat with the hand mixer until the mixture is smooth and well combined.1/2 cup salted butter, 8 ounces cream cheese
- Add in vanilla and powdered sugar. Mix on low until the powdered sugar is well incorporated. Turn mixer on high and mix for an additional minute or two.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 cups powdered sugar
- Spread on cooled bars with an offset spatula.
Notes
Nutrition Info
(Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.)
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was and be sure to leave a rating!This post was originally posted July 10, 2018 but has been since updated with more information, images, and tips.
These are great! To help them be healthier, I cut the oil in half and add a 1/2 cup of applesauce.
These are delicious! I baked them 20 minutes longer than the recipe called. Maybe the zucchini was wetter but I could tell the middle needed more time. They were a hit at my family barbecue. The frosting is yummy! I will definitely make them again!
Yes, since zuccchini varies in water-moisture it will for sure vary a bit in baking and such. Glad you enjoyed them.
Very good, but would leave out the oatmeal or use quick oats instead. They don’t add anything and take away from the nuts. I made a browned butter frosting and it was yummy on them.
You really should say in the recipe if the zucchini should be drained or not because some recipes calls for it differently. Since it didn’t say to drain I didn’t and I’m not sure they’ll turn out at all. I read through a lot of comments until I saw that question/ answer about draining it. Very frustrating if it doesn’t turn out since it’s a lot of ingredients and time.
This recipe is fabulous! Served warm there are no words!!!!!!
Mine seemed a little dense 😕
I am sorry to hear that. Sometimes depending on the water in the zucchini vs dry ingredients you can run into texture being off. Or if it was overbaked or measurements were off.
Can you use shredded tart- peeled apples for the carrots? These look good as they are, but l was wondering as a fall dessert. Can’t wait to try them. Thanks for sharing.👍😋☕
Yes, I think that would be a tasty swap!
Delicious but how should you store them?
Store them in the fridge or freeze.
This is a hit. I make these a lot. Thank you. These are so good
I don’t usually write reviews on recipes but these were DELICIOUS! I’ll be adding this to my recipe box for sure!!
So happy to hear!