This recipe for rich and fudgy healthy brownies is so completely delicious that you will never believe the healthy ingredients!
The best healthy brownies
Imagine a homemade secretly healthy brownie recipe that can easily its own in taste and texture against any regular chocolate brownie.
There is no flour, no refined sugar, and more than five grams of protein packed into each and every super chocolatey fudge brownie.
The wholesome brownie recipe can be vegan, oil free, low fat, egg free, dairy free, and cholesterol free, with fiber, potassium, and iron.
Also try this healthy Frozen Yogurt Recipe
Flourless brownie ingredients
These super chocolatey low calorie brownies call for the following ingredients: unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, quick oats, pure maple syrup (or honey or raw agave), banana, nut butter, pure vanilla extract, chocolate chips, and black beans.
For flourless and grain free brownies, the half cup of quick oats can be replaced with an equal amount of almond flour if desired.
There is also keto and paleo brownie recipe option included in the recipe.
Feel free to use your favorite nut butter, such as almond butter, cashew butter, or peanut butter. Or for an allergy friendly option, sunflower butter also works well.
Use chocolate protein powder instead of the antioxidant rich cocoa if you want high protein brownies. Just be sure to choose a protein powder with a flavor you already know that you like for baking.
The gluten free brownie recipe calls for a standard fifteen ounce can of black beans. If you want to use cooked beans, measure out one and a half cups after cooking.
I have not tried any other beans or legumes in place of the black beans here. However, I do have a different recipe for Chickpea Brownies if you want to use garbanzo beans.
For the chocolate chips: I like to use Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips in the recipe, or you can use whatever chips you have on hand. My preference is for dark chocolate, but semi sweet, milk chocolate, and white chocolate all work too.
For a no sugar variation, Lily’s dark chocolate chips are a great option.
Or you can even make your own Sugar Free Chocolate Chips.
Liquid sweeteners that do well here include pure maple syrup, raw agave, honey (not for vegans), date syrup, or even keto syrup for sugar free brownies.
Healthy brownie recipe video
Above, watch the step-by-step video
Healthy brownies without banana
The recipe below uses banana to add natural sweetness without added sugar.
If you are allergic to the fruit, do not have any on hand, or just dislike the taste of banana brownies, make these popular Black Bean Brownies instead. It’s a similar recipe, but with no banana.
Or you might also really like these healthy Sweet Potato Brownies.
To answer a common reader question: You might be able to sub applesauce, avocado, or Greek yogurt for the banana if you also add some sweetener to replace the sugar from the banana. I have not tried this substitution so cannot say how it will taste.
Be sure to report back if you experiment.
How to make vegan healthy brownies from scratch
To make the plant based brownies, start by reading through the recipe instructions and gathering your ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and line an 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper or grease the pan well. Set it aside.
In a high quality food processor, blend everything until completely smooth. You can mix in the chocolate chips either before or after blending, but be sure not to leave them out!
Smooth the healthy brownie batter into the prepared pan. If desired, you can sprinkle some extra dark chocolate chips on top. Place the pan on the oven’s center rack.
Bake the healthy chocolate fudge brownies for fifteen minutes. Let them cool before cutting into bars or squares.
If you want them extra gooey and fudgy (definitely my preferred way to eat brownies!), you can eat them right away.
Otherwise, refrigerate the pan overnight, very loosely covered, and the delicious chocolate dessert will firm up considerably as excess moisture escapes.
They also have a deeper, sweeter, and richer taste a day after they are made.
Chocolate brownie storage tips
Store leftover brownies in the refrigerator for up to four or five days.
Or slice and freeze the brownie bars in a single layer or with parchment in between layers. Thaw the frozen brownies before serving, and enjoy for dessert or snack whenever a brownie craving hits in the future.
Try topping the recipe with cream cheese or chocolate frosting, melted chocolate chips or chocolate ganache, or Banana Ice Cream if desired.
With all the protein, fiber, vitamins and antioxidants, who is to say you couldn’t even eat these wholesome chocolate brownies for breakfast???
Health benefits
When cut into nine servings, each brownie is just 150 calories.
And the recipe contains 5.6 grams of protein and 5.7 grams of heart healthy fiber.
They are low in saturated fat, low sodium, and high in iron, with calcium, quercetin, and potassium.
Plus, the superfood black beans and unsweetened cocoa powder provide nutritious vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Easy healthy brownie recipes
Healthy Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 can black beans
- 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup quick oats (for low carb, try these Keto Brownies)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup or honey or agave
- 1 banana (see banana free options listed above)
- 1/4 cup nut butter of choice or coconut oil
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (not optional)
Instructions
- To make healthy brownies, first preheat the oven to 350 F. Blend all ingredients except the chocolate chips in a food processor until completely smooth. (A blender can work if you must, but the texture and taste will be better in a food processor. I use this food processor.) Stir in the chips. Smooth into a greased or parchment lined 8×8 inch baking pan. If desired, add extra chocolate chips on top. Bake on the oven's center rack for 15 minutes. Let cool before cutting. If they are too fudgy and gooey for your liking, you can place them in the fridge overnight, during which time they firm up even more. View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
Healthy Dessert Ideas
Hey Katie,
So I played around with this recipe last night because I don’t do soy, so I wanted to see if I could do it without tofu. I also didn’t have a 8 x 8 pan, so I halved the first four ingredients to make it smaller, and I used a small bowl. To make up for the tofu, I added more almond milk (3 tablespoons) and used 2 tablespoons applesauce. I also cut it back to 3 tablespoons of sugar. I cookied it all up in a little bowl, and was AMAZED to discover that when I went to eat it, it was like a lava cake, all hard on the outside but gooey on the inside! You MUST try it this way!!! Without even planning to, I made a single lady dessert. Aren’t you proud of me? 😉
Oh and I also omitted the oil and it was still perfectly yummy :). If anything, it was a little too gooey, so next time I’d probably add less milk or applesauce. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
And by “cookied” I obviously mean “cooked”! 😉
Oh wow, are you serious?!? That sounds incredible, Faith! I will definitely have to try it. Lol yes, I am very proud of you :). And very thankful you left such a yummy-sounding comment!
I just made these and cannot stop obsessing over them. YUM YUM IN MY TUM <3 I'm bringing them to work tomorrow to celebrate my last day, my coworkers better be prepared 😉 I always love telling people how healthy it is after they eat one of the creations I make from your recipes. Keep it up, I spend so much time reading your blog and you've inspired me to become so healthy. I even ran a little over 5 miles today and I'm not a usual runner. And the funniest thing is, I ENJOYED it! Haha, who woulda thought?! Anyways, I just want to let you know that you are fantastic.
Oh my goodness, you are TOO sweet! This makes me so happy 🙂 :). I hope your coworkers like the brownies!!
OMG Katie, you are a chocolate covered genius! I made a small batch of these brownies with a little silken soft tofu, a 1/4 c date and prune puree (sub for the apple sauce and sweetener) and I also added a bit more than an 1/8th c of sucanat (for good measure!) I used a combo of oat and almond flours and threw in a square of a melted unsweetened chocolate and a bit more cocoa. Pffft a little extra chocolate neeever hurts anyone right??? I made a mini brownie and…WOW. It was too sweet for me (LOL @ back-up plan fail) BUT the brownie was incredibly fudge-y and was– yeah, it was INCREDIBLE.
I’m new to this date and prune puree thing, so I under-estimated it. Next time I’ll definitely lessen the amount of sucanat. Wait… I’ll cut the extra sugar …no maybe less puree. Ohhh, I guess I’ll do another experiment —>excuse to make another batch of brownies.
Thank you so much for this recipe! By the way, do you have any tips for using date puree like how much to use when subbing other purees and sweeteners?
I have actually never used date puree! How do you make it? Do you just soak dates and then puree them in the soaking liquid? (If so, how much liquid to dates? Half cup liquid for 1/4 cup dates?) Haha I had to do a lot of experimenting for the brownie recipe too! I made like 6 batches before getting it to what I wanted!
I just googled date and prune purees and then I just experimented. But you’re pretty much right on how to make it; you boil some dates, you soak the dates and then you puree them with the same water. The liquid to dates ratio is usually 1 1/2 c dates to like 1/2 cup water– I just eyeball it and sometimes add more or less liquid depending on how I want it. So it comes down to how thick you want your paste and what you’ll use it for.
I’m from South Africa, and we use a lot of dates in our desserts because when you bake with them they give everything a delicious moist, puddingy texture. We pour boiling water over the dates, add a teaspoon of baking soda, and then soak for about 15 minutes. They can then be pureed or just mixed into the batter. My favourite date pudding is called Cape Brandy Pudding. It’s a date sweetened cake that you bake in the oven, and then pour over a syrup made from sugar, Ginger and brandy while it’s still hot
Oops! I wrote as anon. My bad.
Hi Katie,
Quick Question….Instead of using tofu, could I use Avocado instead? Would that work do you think? Let me know! Thanks! Im loving your recipes :o)
Hi Breanna! I’ve never done that, so I can’t really say for sure how it would taste. But it sounds like a fun substitution! I think someone else used banana, so I don’t see why avocado wouldn’t work. If you try it, will you let me know how it works? 🙂
They are in my oven right now 🙂 It smells great!
I used Soy-yoghurt instead of the tofu, because I hadn’t silken-tofu at home and I don’t like the taste of it. I don’t think that you will taste it (all these people woudn’t like it that much if it tastes like tofu), but I am lazy,too, and soy-yoghurt I have always at home 😉
I am a vegan, too. And I am crazy for Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Oatmeal, like you!
Greetings
Jana
I’m so excited to meet another chocoholic vegan!! 🙂 And another oatmeal-a-holic hehe. I hope you love the brownies!!!
The brownies are soo great!!
I used the time they need for cooling down for jogging (not really jogging. I do nordic walking with short intervalls of jogging whitin) and came back with a huge wanting for brownies. The best brownies I ever ate, definitely!
My non-vegan mum loved them, too, and my non-vegan sister begged me that she could have one right from the oven, because she had to go a few minutes later. But I remebered that you wrote that later they are sweeter, so I permitted it. But I’m sure she will love it, too.
P.S.: Sorry for some mistakes, I’m German…
What kind of sweetener do you recommend using for the brownies because all the recipe says is sweetener and does not specify what kind.
You can use regular sugar. I usually use some sugar and some stevia. Under the “nutritional info” link, I also wrote about what to do if you want to use liquid sweetener.
I halved the recipe, used white whole wheat flour, all applesauce (no tofu or oil), and agave syrup (I think I used 3/4 of the amount of sweetener called for). They took fooooooooooorever to cook and came out of the oven looking gummy-ish 🙁 But then I tried one and my mind was blown! So yummy! 😀 Sweet and fudgey! Next time I’ll try making them with oil but I’m pretty satisfied as it is!
🙂 🙂
This might be a really STUPID question, but in your ingredients, does the “T” stand for tablespoon?? I’m eager to try your recipes!!
Yes! 🙂
Katie- These are fantastic! My boyfriend and I went through the first pan so fast I had to make two for the following week. He loved them because they are very fudgey. Thank you for providing me with an outlet to satisfy my huge sweet tooth without feeling so guilty : )
Thank YOU for trying them! I am always so happy to know someone else likes them, because I think they’re one of my favorite recipes. But then again, they have chocolate so of course I like them ;).