A super flavorful and moist Healthy Zucchini Cake topped with cream cheese frosting. It’s made without flour, refined sugar, or dairy. Yes, really!
Author’s NOte
The Zucchini Cake That Blew My Mind!
I’m so excited to finally share this one! It took quite a bit of testing to get it just right, but I honestly think it might be one of my best healthy dessert creations YET!
I loved it so much that I immediately started playing around with another version using cashews and pistachios because I couldn’t stop thinking about all the possibilities.
The best part? There’s no flour, butter, refined sugar, or dairy, yet it still tastes every bit as rich and satisfying as a classic cake. Everyone who tries it is shocked when they find out what’s actually in it.
And my favorite part? The whole thing comes together in a blender. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
Healthy Zucchini Cake Ingredients
Here are the main ingredients that make this cake work so well:
| Ingredient | Tips |
|---|---|
| Cashews & oats | These blend into the base of the cake and replace flour. Use old-fashioned oats, not quick or steel-cut. |
| Pure maple syrup & coconut oil | Maple syrup sweetens the cake and keeps it moist. Measure the coconut oil after melting. |
| Eggs | Eggs help bind everything together and give the cake structure. |
| Zucchini | Grate on the small side of a grater, then blot with paper towels to remove extra liquid. No need to peel it first. |
| Cinnamon, vanilla & lemon zest | These add the best warm, cozy flavor with a little brightness from the lemon. Use a microplane to zest. |
| Cornstarch, baking soda & baking powder | Check if your baking powder and soda are fresh with a quick test! |
| Cream cheese frosting | Optional, but so good! Make sure the cream cheese is fully softened before mixing so the frosting turns out smooth. |
How To Make Healthy Zucchini Cake
- Prep: Line an 8×8-inch pan and grate the zucchini. Blot well with paper towels.
- Blend: Blend cashews, oats, maple syrup, and coconut oil until mostly smooth.
- Finish batter: Add the remaining ingredients, except zucchini, and blend again. Stir in zucchini.
- Bake: Pour into the pan and bake until the center is set and a toothpick comes clean.
- Cool & frost: Cool completely, then frost and top with pecans if desired.
Quick Tip
This recipe is quick and easy to make, but you do need a good, powerful blender (think Blendtec® or Vitamix®) to break down the cashews and oats.
Storage
- Cake (Unfrosted): No need to refrigerate unless keeping for more than 3 days. Store at room temperature in an airtight container. Freezes well.
- Cake (Frosted): Wrap tightly and refrigerate due to dairy in frosting. Consume within 2-3 days to avoid staleness.
Freezing/Thawing Unfrosted Bars:
- Cool completely and slice. Wrap bars in plastic and store in freezer bags. Thaw at room temperature or in the microwave.
More Zucchini Recipes:
Dinner
Mexican Zucchini Boats
Breakfast
Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins
Desserts
Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Zucchini Cake
This Zucchini Cake is ultra-moist and topped with dreamy cream cheese frosting. Bonus: it’s flourless, dairy-free, and has no refined sugar—delicious and guilt-free!
Video
Equipment
- Blender high-powered, see note 1
- Hand mixer optional
Ingredients
Zucchini Cake
- 1 cup cashews see note 2
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats see note 3
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup see note 4
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch see note 5
- 1 lemon for zest; optional but recommended
- 1 cup grated zucchini
Optional Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1-3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened vanilla almond milk or milk of choice
- Toasted and coarsely chopped pecans optional
Instructions
- If making frosting, set out cream cheese 30 minutes to and hour beforehand to soften to avoid chunky frosting. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Grate zucchini on small side of a grater to get fine shreds. Loosely measure to get 1 cup, then empty the zucchini onto 2 paper towels. Press another paper towel on the zucchini to wring out some liquid. Repeat with another paper towel. Leave zucchini on the paper towel until ready to use. Zest lemon to get 1 teaspoon zest.
- Add cashews, oats, maple syrup, and coconut oil (measure when melted) to a large, powerful blender and blend until fairly smooth, 60 seconds. Add lemon zest and remaining cake ingredients except zucchini. Blend until smooth and creamy, about 60–90 seconds. Stop and scrape sides of the blender as needed. Gently stir the zucchini into batter in the blender, then pour batter into prepared pan, using a spatula to scrape out every bit.
- Smooth the top with the spatula and bake 28–34 minutes or until cake is lightly browned at edges and set in the middle (toothpick when inserted in the center should come out clean); 32 minutes is perfect in my oven!
- Meanwhile, if making frosting, place softened cream cheese in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese with vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar (beating between additions) until smooth and creamy to your desired consistency. Add milk and beat until smooth.
- Frost the completely cooled cake evenly with the frosting. If desired, top frosting with chopped pecans.
Final step! Please let us know how it was by leaving a review.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: You’ll need a good, powerful blender (such as Blendtec or Vitamix) to break down the cashews without overheating the machine.
Note 2: I love dry-roasted and lightly salted cashews best—more flavor without any extra effort on your part. (Here’s what I use in this cake)
Note 3: Although it would make sense that any oats would work since they’re getting blended anyway, it’s important to use old-fashioned to ensure you get the right measurement. Both quick and steel-cut oats are smaller, denser, and more compact, so measurements would be off and the cake would end up too dry.
Note 4: Pure maple syrup is a natural sweetener (unlike corn syrup or pancake syrup) made from the sap of a maple tree, which is boiled down to a thicker consistency. I don’t recommend any substitutes.
Note 5: Corn starch is an important ingredient since we aren’t using flour and need some additional support and thickness.
Nutrition Note: Nutrition information does not include the optional cream cheese frosting. With the frosting, one serving of this cake is 236 calories.
Storage: Store unfrosted cake at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For frosted cake, wrap tightly and keep in the fridge for up to 2–3 days to avoid staleness. To freeze unfrosted cake, let cool completely and slice. Wrap bars in plastic and store in freezer bags. Thaw at room temperature or in the microwave.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 177kcal | Carbohydrates: 16.2g | Protein: 3.1g | Fat: 11.2g | Cholesterol: 23.3mg | Sodium: 11.9mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 9.6g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Do you think I can substitute cashews with pecans or walnuts? My family has a cashew allergy. Thank you.
Thanks so much! I actually wouldn’t recommend pecans or walnuts in place of the cashews in the cake batter. The cashews blend up much creamier and have a much milder flavor, so they really help create the texture and structure of the cake. Pecans or walnuts would likely make the cake denser and noticeably change the flavor.
If your family has a cashew allergy, I’d probably recommend trying a different recipe instead of substituting here. ❤️ The chopped pecans on top are completely optional, though, so you can simply leave those off if needed!
Delicious! I followed the recipe as written and now I have some questions about possible substitutions. Can arrowroot powder be substituted for cornstarch? And can cashew butter be used instead of actual cashews and, if so, how much?
So glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for making the recipe! I haven’t tested these swaps myself, but arrowroot powder should work in place of cornstarch. As for the cashew butter, I’m not as sure on that one. It might work, but it could affect the texture and flavor a bit. If you do try it, I’d start with a smaller amount and adjust to taste. Let me know how it goes if you experiment!
OH EM GEEE!!! AMAZINGLY the BEST zucchini cake I’ve ever had!! I was hoarding it from my family! My new go to! TY so much for sharing!
I am SO thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Chrissy! 🙂
Would this work with the zucchini peeled? Neither my husband or grandkids will eat anything that has a hint of green.
Thanks.
I haven’t ever tried so I can’t say for sure. Doesn’t seem like it would make too much of a difference, but baking can be finicky!