These vegan brownies will change your mind about trying a healthier brownie option. This is a super moist and soft dessert with a secret ingredient and plenty of chocolaty goodness involved. These healthy brownies will satisfy any hankering or craving that your sweet tooth is begging for.
Fudgy Brownies
I love to focus on eating vegan and healthy when it comes to any recipe, including desserts, like these eggless Zucchini Brownies, these Sweet Potato Brownies, or these No-Bake Brownies. I haven’t found a recipe yet that couldn’t easily be made vegan and still taste just as delicious as the traditional version.
This time, when I set out to make a coconut flour brownie that tasted like the traditional fudgy brownies, I thought I had my hands full. However, it turned out to be easier than I expected.
I know, I know, you’ve probably been burned in the past with someone claiming they had fudgy vegan brownies without eggs. However, I’m serious about these being the best healthy brownies that I made so far. I am not one to sacrifice on taste when it comes to my food and I’m definitely picky when it comes to texture as well. So, believe me, when I say, these dairy-free brownies won’t be a disappointment to your taste buds.
Thousands of people on Instagram and Pinterest are raving about these vegan gluten free brownies, and I hope you’ll also give them a try.
The ‘Secret’ Ingredient!
As mentioned before, these vegan brownies contain a healthy secret ingredient. This secret ingredient won’t be very secret anymore as I will reveal it in a second, but I am sure you will never guess what it is. Most people might think I added black beans, but nope.
The secret main ingredient is peas! Yes, sweet peas, not sweet potatoes. You might ask why sweet peas – is this lady crazy or what?!
Well to be totally honest with you, I was going to make black bean brownies one day but noticed that I didn’t have black beans in my pantry, so I grabbed the peas and made sweet pea brownies.
Also, since I like to experiment in the kitchen, I thought, “ok let’s try it out, either this vegan brownie recipe will turn out into the best ever vegan brownies or the worst ones I ever made”, haha.
And I really don’t regret trying it out since the recipe turned out to be absolutely epic. The brownies are even more chocolaty than these Cheesecake Brownies.
How To Make Vegan Brownies?
Seriously, these healthy brownies are so easy and fast to make in 6 simple steps and require only a few ingredients.
- Add all dry ingredients to a big mixing bowl and stir until there are no clumps.
- Blend the sweet peas with all other wet ingredients in a blender.
- Pour the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until the mixture is combined. But don’t over mix. If the batter is too thick, add a little plant-based milk. If it’s too runny, add about a tablespoon of coconut flour.
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper (with an overhang on all sides, for easy removal) or grease it with a little coconut oil. The size of my pan is 7 x 11 inches (18 x 28 cm).
- Bake in the oven at 390 degrees F (200 degrees C) for about 50 minutes. It can take longer, depending on your oven and the size of your pan, or until a toothpick, inserted into the center comes out almost clean (it can still be sticky but not wet). Check after 40 minutes with a toothpick. The brownies will still look slightly undercooked but don’t worry as they will firm up in the refrigerator.
- To make the chocolate glaze, simply add all ingredients to a small bowl and stir well with a whisk. Spread the chocolate cream on top of the brownies once cooled. Cut into bars with a large, sharp knife. Enjoy!
Vegan Chocolate Glaze
Well, these chocolate squares are already very chocolaty, but you can never have enough chocolate in your life, right? That’s why I topped these delicious fudgy brownies with a creamy chocolate spread which tastes like buttercream!
I made it with powdered peanut butter, cocoa powder, coconut oil, maple syrup, and water. It’s the vegan creme de la creme on top of these healthy brownies.
How To Store Brownies
Storing brownies is pretty straight forward. You’ve got a few options so you’re not limited. Also, they taste even better on day 2! Below are a few ways you can store these low calorie brownies.
On the counter – As long as your brownies are in an airtight container, they will do just fine either on the counter, in the pantry, or just in a cool, dark, place for a few days. If they’re somewhere too hot, condensation will build up and cause moisture, making them mold quicker. Therefore, I recommend storing them in the refrigerator.
In the fridge – If you want your brownies to keep a little longer, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge. You may want to pull them out a few minutes before consuming, so they will be closer to room temp and easier to eat.
Can you freeze brownies? – You bet you can! It’s important that the brownies are in an airtight container when placed in the freezer. It’s also a great idea to separate them by wax paper, so they don’t freeze together. Let them come to room temperature on their own if possible – they have a better outcome going this route.
Helpful Tips and Variations
- How to cut brownies? – The best way to get a nice clean cut when slicing them up is by using a plastic knife. I know, it sounds crazy, but it works. If you don’t want to use plastic, you can use a serrated knife dipped in hot water.
- Skip the chocolate cream – Even though I recommend not skipping the cream, but if you prefer these gluten free brownies without the glaze, that’s perfectly fine. If you would like something to still go on the top, simply add some dairy-free chocolate chips.
- Coconut flour substitute – When it comes to this recipe, there truly is no equal when it comes to coconut flour. If you absolutely must, almond flour and other nut flours will be fine, but you’ll want to add at least a half cup more than you did with the coconut flour.
- Powdered peanut butter substitute – If you don’t want to use powdered peanut butter, or you’re having trouble finding it, you can use cocoa powder instead. You’ll just need to double the cocoa powder and nix the water or use regular peanut butter.
If you end up giving these healthy brownies a try, please leave a comment below, and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan – I love seeing those remakes!
If you love chocolate, you should definitely also try out these delicious vegan chocolate cake and brownie recipes:
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- Vegan Lava Cake
- Flourless Brownies
- Caramel Chocolate Brownies
- Vegan Chocolate Pie
Healthy Vegan Brownies
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 3/4 cup (100 g) coconut sugar (*see notes)
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp (50 g) cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup (33 g) coconut flour (*see notes)
- 2 tbsp ground flax seeds OR chia seeds
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
Wet ingredients:
- 2 (15 oz) cans (500 g) sweet peas drained and rinsed (*see notes)
- 1/3 cup (110 g) maple syrup (or any other liquid sweetener)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) coconut milk canned
- 2 tbsp (28 g) coconut oil melted
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate glaze:
- 3 1/2 tbsp (21 g) cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp (24 g) powdered peanut butter (*see notes)
- 1/4 cup (80 g) maple syrup
- 2 tbsp (28 g) coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp of water
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- I recommend measuring the ingredients in grams on a kitchen scale.
- Add the dry ingredients to a big bowl and stir until there are no clumps.
- Blend the sweet peas with all other wet ingredients in your food processor or blender.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is combined. If the batter is too thick add a splash of plant-based milk. If it's too runny add a tbsp of coconut flour.
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper (with an overhang on all sides, for easy removal) or grease it with a little coconut oil. My pan measures 7 x 11 inches (18 x 28 cm).
- Bake in the oven at 390 degrees F (200 degrees C) for about 50 minutes (it can take longer, depending on your oven and the pan you use) or until a toothpick comes out almost clean (it can still be sticky but not wet). Check after 40 minutes with a toothpick. The brownies will still look slightly undercooked but don't worry as they will firm up in the refrigerator.
- To make the chocolate glaze, simply put all ingredients to a small bowl and stir well with a whisk. Spread the cream on top of the cooled brownies. Slice into squares with a large, sharp knife. Enjoy!
- They taste even better on day 2! Store them covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can freeze leftovers!
Notes
Video Of The Recipe
- You can use 1/2 cup (100 g) of brown sugar or any other granulated sweetener instead of coconut sugar.
- You shouldn't replace the coconut flour as it's unique and very absorbent. However, if you really want to use a different flour (like almond flour) then use at least 1/2 cup more of it but I highly recommend using coconut flour.
- I use this brand of peanut flour/powdered peanut butter. You can skip it and use 7 tbsp of cocoa powder and leave out the water (as the peanut flour absorbs a lot of liquid). Or use regular peanut butter.
- I am using canned sweet peas which are labeled as "sweet peas" but some brands might be labeled as "small/young peas".
- You can also skip the chocolate glaze and bake the brownies with dairy-free chocolate chips on top
- Recipe makes 12 brownies. Nutrition facts are for one brownie WITH the chocolate glaze.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Riana
Hi Ela, deine Brownies sind der absolute Oberhammer. ???? Sie sind so… matschig, schokoladig und lecker. Ein Traum ???? Alle waren begeistert und ich werde sie nun mindestens 1 mal im Monat machen. Morgen werden sich meine Arbeitskollegen freuen. Meine Familie war schon hin und weg. Vielen vielen dank . LG Riana
Ela
Wow Riana, was für ein tolles Feedback. Ich freue mich wirklich unheimlich, dass dir und deiner Familie meine Brownies geschmeckt haben. Das macht mich gerade wirklich super happy.
Markus
Richtig richtig gutes Rezept! Machen süchtig die Dinger! ????
Ela
Vielen Dank Markus! Freut mich sehr, dass dir meine Brownies schmecken 🙂
Luiza
I am really short of words! I didn’t expect this outcome at all! These brownies aren’t just the best vegan brownies, but the best brownies I’ve made, period!! Genius creation and use of sweet peas. I followed the recipe almost exactly – I subsituted peanut powder with hazelnut powder instead (couldn’t find peanut). I also only had to leave ny brownies in the oven for 40 minutes because the oven I used was super strong! SO GOOD. They were fed to carnivores and they could not believe they were vegan. They were gone within 1 hour 🙂 will make them again!!
Ela
Luiza!! Thank you!! I really appreciate your feedback so much. How awesome that you subsituted peanut powder with hazelnut powder, that’s genius. I actually never heard of hazelnut powder, but I will google it in a minute. And so cool that also your non-vegan friends enjoyed them, that makes me really happy. 🙂
Angelina
This recipe is just amazing! I really love it, because these brownies are so yummyy and fudgyy! ????
My whole family was surprised when I told them that the main ingredient is peas. Me too, but the brownies are truly fantastic!
Besides I want to thank you for your inspiration, your effort and your beautiful pictures! Your blog and your Instagram account are very motivating for me (and others) to start a vegan life. It shows how various a plant-based life can be and makes me think about the motives of this kind of nutrition.
Thanks a lot! ????????????
Ela
Hi Angelina, thank you very much for your wonderful feedback. I am thrilled that you enjoyed my brownie recipe and your family too. 🙂 I feel very flattered to hear that my blog and my Instagram account is inspiring. Ich danke dir ganz herzlich für deine lieben Worte.
kay
When she means best she really means best brownies. These are absolutely perfect! Not too much sugar but they are really sweet. Perfect for chocolate craving. I used peanut butter because I didn’t have powedered pb. And brown rice struo instead of maple. Came out perfect but I suggest you check them. You don’t taste the peas at all.
Ela
Hi Kay, thank you for your feedback. I am glad you like my brownies as much as I do. Good to hear that regular peanut butter worked too! 🙂
Christina
Hi there! Thanks so much for posting this recipe! Can I substitute maple syrup and the coconut flour for anything else? My local supermarkets don’t have them ☹️
Ela
Hi Christina, you can you use any liquid sweetener like agave syrup or sugar cane syrup etc instead of maple syrup. It’s difficult to sub the coconut flour though because it is extremely absorbent. I would suggest to use almond flour but you definitely need more of it, I would say 1/2 cup of almond flour. I never tried out the recipe with a different flour than coconut flour but my suggestion is to either use 1/2 cup of a different flour (like almond flour) or you need to reduce the liquid in the recipe. Hope this helps. Let me know how the brownies turned out. 🙂
Gabriela
Hello Eva,
This recipe looks soooo yummyyyyy! 🙂 I would like to try it out, but I only have frozen peas! :p What could I possibly do? Just boiling them in water will do the trick?
Thank you in advance! 🙂
Ela
Hi Gabriela, yes this could work! Just boil them long enough in water until they are very soft. You can also add some sugar (or any other sweetener as the canned ones often contain sugar). Let me know how the brownies turned out 🙂
Dee
These look fantastic and I can’t wait to try! I have two questions, please:
For the cocoa powder, is Hersey’s dark cocoa powder okay and for the peanut flour/ powder, would PB2 work? Thank you so much!!
Ela
Hi Dee! The cocoa powder should work. And yes, PB2 is what I also use quite often! 🙂
Dee
Thank you!
Ela
You are very welcome, Dee ?
Megan
Made these the other day and they were so good! I fed them to my boyfriend and roommate and they were both blown away by the undetectable secret ingredient. If you try to take them out of the pan too soon, they will crumble a little bit(or at least mine did). But after letting them cool they were the perfect consistency. They were also really amazing after refrigerating and eating them the next day. I will definitely be making these again!
Ela
Hey Megan, thank you very much for your feedback. I am glad you and your boyfriend + roommate enjoyed my recipe. I also noticed that the brownies taste best on the second day.
Melany Lowen
These were delicious! I followed the recipe exactly, but added a teaspoon of chocolate extract to the dough and the frosting. I ate half the pan in 2 days because they were so good and I froze the rest and am eating them as a frozen treat. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Ela
Hey Melany, thank you so much for your feedback. I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed my recipe. Chocolate extract sounds very delicious, great idea!!
Becca
These brownies were AMAZING!! I made them for my friends without telling them they were vegan/gluten free- and they said they were the perfect brownie and were shocked when I told them what was in them. No joke. The ganache is especially delicious. Also, these were even better the second day. Definitely will be making these again for a healthier natural alternative for brownies!!
Ela
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback, Becca! This is so clever of you to not tell your friends that the brownies are vegan and gluten free before they tasted them. And it makes me so happy that they loved them. I also agree that they taste even better on day 2. Thank you once again ❤️
Laura
Super tolles Rezept und richtig originell mit den Erbsen! Ich liebe so “alternative” Rezepte! Sehr lecker… weiter so 🙂
Ela
Vielen lieben Dank für deinen lieben Kommentar, Laura. Es freut mich sehr, dass dir die Brownies gut geschmeckt haben.
Lola
Thank you!
Ela
You are welcome ❤️
Master. Hari
Hello Ella my name is Master Hari teach kung fu and yoga here in Birmingham , I am vegan and for years have not ate any brownies and when I came across your recipe I was do happy and excited. I just want to ask you one question. Have you got you making this on video and put on you tube . Would be so good for people like me to see you make it step by step . , thank you for sharing this great recipe anyway
Ela
Hi Master Hari! I haven’t started making YT videos yet, I would love to make them but didn’t find any time yet. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. These brownies are very easy to make even without video, I hope you will like them. If you have any further questions, just ask. 🙂
Francesca
I love these brownies! I made your recipe yesterday and they turned out so fudgy and moist. They took about an hour to cook. I already ate three of them and I can’t get enough lol. Thx for this great recipe. Xoxo Francesca
Ela
Hi Francesca, thanks a lot for your comment. It makes me so happy that you like my brownies. Also I totally understand that it’s hard to stop eating them, lol. Enjoy them ❤️
Mickey
I just made these! Firstly, if you have a cheap food processor, you’re better off using a blender for the peas. Otherwise you’re going to end up with greenish batter and teensy pea chunks. Secondly, these took WAY long to cook for me, like 1.5 hours long. But they are delicious! You can’t taste the peas at all, they are super ooey gooey, and go wonderful with some vegan ice cream atop. I added some melted extra dark chocolate to the batter because I have a chocolate problem.
Ela
Thank you very much for your feedback. I am really glad you tried out my recipe. I have a very cheap food processor and didn’t experience any problems. They took so long to cook? I made them twice already and both times they came out just perfect after 50 minutes. I guess it really depends on the oven and the pan. What was the consistency of the batter? Was it thick or thin? I am sure they taste incredible with the extra dark chocolate and some ice cream on top. Great idea! So happy you enjoyed them.
Becky Bender
How do i keep them? In fridge? Freezer? Cabinet? How long do they keep? Thank you! I made them late last night.
Ela
Hi Becky! I live in the tropics, so I have to keep everything in the fridge. If it’s cold where you live, you might keep them at room temperature for 1-2 days. You can keep them in the fridge for up to 7 days!
Lola
Please, is it possible substituted the flaxes seeds and sweet pea for others?
Ela
You can use chia seeds instead of flax seeds and black beans instead of peas. Why don’t you want to use peas? They are available in every supermarket right beside the beans. 🙂
Annie
Omg never would have guessed peas! Need to try this they look so delicious I don’t think I will be able to sleep now I’m craving these! Thanks for the recipe
Ela
Haha thank you so much for your sweet comment. I hope you can still sleep tonight so that you have enough energy to make my recipe tomorrow. 😛 Enjoy them ❤️
Geraldine/eatwithfingers
Interesting! Who would have know. My mouth is watering in all these pictures. I will try it when I finally get my oven.
Ela
Thank you so much Geraldine! I can’t wait to hear if you liked them. Much love ❤️
Ali
These look amazing, cant wait to try. Is it ok if the coconut milk is reduced fat or does it have to be full fat?
Ela
Thank you very much Ali! Yes you can use light coconut milk but I bet the brownies tastes a bit better/more rich with regular coconut milk. Let me know if you try it out. 🙂
Dee | Green Smoothie Gourmet
Gorgeous post Ela! I love the how-to photos, and peas! So interesting, thank you sweetie for sharing. Going to send this off into Pinterest now too! Dee xx
Ela
Awww Dee! You are such a sweetheart. Thank you so much for your kind comment, it made my day. And thanks for the Pin!! Much love ❤️
Nisha / @rainbowplantlife
Love the chocolate ganache on top! And your secret ingredient is so clever!
Ela
Thank you so much Nisha, you are so kind to say this. Have a beautiful day ❤️