Bite into the ultimate chocolate chip cookie experience with these soft, chewy gluten free zucchini cookies. With shredded zucchini, quick oats, and a mix of mini and semi-sweet chocolate chips, they’re hearty, perfectly sweet, and a clever way to use garden zucchini. The recipe adapts easily to dairy-free diets.
Gluten-Free Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Zucchini usually belongs in savory sides, but shredded zucchini makes excellent gluten-free baked goods. Its moisture keeps muffins and quick breads tender, and in cookies it adds chew without an overt veggie flavor.
These cookies have the soft, oat-forward texture of breakfast cookies but chewier thanks to maple syrup and no banana. The edges are lightly crisp while the centers stay tender. Between the oats, zucchini, and chocolate, they’re one of my favorite gluten-free cookie experiments.
Ingredient Tidbits
- Quick-cooking oats: Use certified gluten-free quick oats so the dough binds and the cookies hold their shape.
- Gluten-free all-purpose flour: A blend with added starch (such as Cup4Cup) helps keep the cookies soft.
- Zucchini: Choose a smaller zucchini for less excess water. Grate and blot with paper towels to remove extra moisture before adding to the dough.
- Maple syrup: A touch of maple helps with spread and keeps the texture chewy while coating starches for a better mouthfeel.
- Chocolate chips: Use a combination of mini and regular chips so chocolate is evenly distributed in every bite.
Let’s Make This Together
Below are the key steps in simplified form. For exact measurements and the full recipe, see the recipe card included.
Blot the zucchini
Grate the zucchini and blot it dry with paper towels. Removing excess water prevents overly flat, spread-out cookies.
Cream butter and sugars
Beat softened butter with brown and granulated sugar until smooth and fluffy, then add the egg, maple syrup, and vanilla.
Combine oats, flour, and mix-ins
Stir in quick oats, gluten-free flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Fold in grated zucchini and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
Mix-in ideas
Besides chocolate chips, consider nuts, dried fruit, coconut, or butterscotch chips — just verify labels for gluten-free status.
Scoop and bake
Scoop heaping tablespoon-sized portions about 2 inches apart on parchment-lined sheets. Bake at 350°F for about 13–15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway. Let cool on the baking sheet 15 minutes before transferring to a rack.
Refrigerate dough or bake immediately?
The dough was tested both chilled and baked right away with very similar results. Chilling the dough for an hour produced a marginally softer bite as the oats and gluten-free starches hydrated, but it wasn’t a dramatic difference.
If you want a slightly more tender texture, chill the dough for 1 hour; otherwise bake immediately for great results.
Did you make this recipe? I love feedback — leave a star rating and a comment under the recipe card to help others and let me know how yours turned out.
Soft & Chewy Gluten-Free Zucchini Cookies
Melissa ErdelacPin
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Ingredients
- 1 cup grated zucchini, blotted dry
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups quick cooking oats, certified gluten-free
- 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use 1/4 cup mini chips + 3/4 cup regular)
Equipment
- Baking sheets
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Medium cookie scoop
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Grate the zucchini and transfer to paper towels or a clean dish towel. Gently blot to remove excess moisture and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, and maple syrup; beat until well combined.
- Stir in the oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Fold in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (or heaping 1 1/2 tablespoons) to place scoops about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake 13–15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are set and centers just begin to set. Cool on the baking sheets for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Dairy-Free Adaptation
Substitute a vegan butter stick for softened butter and reduce salt to 1/4 teaspoon. Use dairy-free chocolate chips such as Enjoy Life for a fully dairy-free cookie.
Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction (modified for gluten-free ingredients and technique).