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
Ashley
Hello Ela
I just want to start by saying that I was never a vegan, and only until recently I basically ate what ever I wanted. But my health took a bit of a turn.. and now more then ever I really started to become aware of what I am puting in my body, not just to “eat” but to feed my body with nutritious foods. One day I found you on instagram and you just inspired me.. looking for something sweet but that could also be on the healthier side, I decided to make these brownies for my family and I. Everyone was alittle bit skeptical, not only did my family and I went for second but they were asking me to make more! Best brownies I have ever made.. thank you for showing me that being vegan is possible!!!!
Ela
Wow, your comment made me really happy, Ashley! Thanks so much for your incredible Feedback 🙂
Sophia
Liebe Ela, das Rezept klingt so toll und ich würde es gerne ausprobieren. Jedoch frage ich mich was sweet peas sind? Junge Erbsen? Oder wie lässt sich das ins deutsche übersetzen? Bei Google fand ich nichts nützliches. Viele liebe Grüße aus Berlin, Sophia 😀
Ela
Hallo Sophia, ja das sind junge Erbsen. Aber warum schaust du eigentlich beim englischen Rezept? Ich blogge doch auch auf Deutsch. 🙂 https://elavegan.com/de/die-besten-brownies-vegan-glutenfrei/
Sara of Shiso Delicious
I had to check your recipe out after seeing your pic Ela :)what a lovely blog! A really well made recipe, I’m just sad I don’t have all the ingredients at home right now ???? Could I use frozen peas do you think (defrosted of course) thanks and again, lovely work!
Ela
Thank you so much for checking out my blog, Sara! Yes, frozen, defrosted peas should work as well, even though I never tried it yet. Let me know if you give it a go 😀
Victoria Fjelde Alnes
Made this brownie for a sunday treat, and wow, what an amazing cake! It was SO delicious!! I will defintly make this again. – And that was also a great thing, it was so easy to make! Absolutly loved it???? Thank you so much for all the receipes you put out on your blog, Ela! Keep up the good work!
Lots of love from Victoria⭐
Ela
Thank you so much for your amazing comment, Victoria! I am really glad the brownies turned out delicious. Lots of love.
Caroline
Hi Ela, these look delicious! As I can’t get peanut flour where I live, I was wondering if you can simply make a ‘powder’ from raw peanuts in a food processor, or alternatively use a different kind of flour in its place such as almond flour (or again, ground almonds)? Thanks!
Ela
Hi Caroline, no that won’t work. The store-bought peanut flour is defatted, it’s completely powdery and it turns into “peanut butter” when you mix it with water or e.g. maple syrup. I would suggest to use creamy almond butter instead of the peanut flour and leave out the water. If the mixture turns out too thin then simply add more cocoa powder. Hope this helps. PS: I would recommend you to order peanut flour online, it’s such an amazing product. 🙂
Ozlem
I am so happy that I found you and your lovely receipes. I would like to try all of them in my kitchen. I also have vegan cafe at Antalya / Turkey. . I hope we can mret some day. I would like to invite you to Antalya also. We have very beautiful beaches. Greetings from Antalya
Ela
Thank you very much, Ozlem! How kind of you to invite me to Antalya. Should I ever consider to visit Turkey, I will definitely let you know. 🙂
Jena
So amazing!!! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe , these did not last long in my house.
Ela
That’s awesome Jena, I am glad you liked my vegan brownies 🙂
Lindsay
I made these for my husband’s Birthday. They turned out fantastic. I baked in a ceramic pan and needed a little extra bake time. The frosting is REALLY delicious. What I like best is that it stays creamy (most frosting gets dried out on surface after being exposed to air for a while). I will def use the frosting on other cake recipes as well! Also thanks for answering my baking questions while in process ????
Ela
Thank you, Lindsay, I am really glad the brownies turned out delicious. I love the frosting so much as well, so fluffy and yummy. PS: You are welcome, I am very happy I was able to assist you. Thanks for your great feedback 🙂
Matilda
Hi Ela!
Urg, these brownies looks sooo delish !! I’m gonna try and make them today 🙂 Is is ok to use frozen peas? Thanks for the inspiration!
Best, Matilda.
Ela
Hi Matilda, I would suggest to put the frozen peas in a pan/skillet first and cook them for a few minutes. I never tried this recipe with frozen peas but it should work fine if you cook them first. Please let me know how the recipe turned out. 🙂
Francesca
This recipe looks amazing Ela! I need to try it ASAP. Love the peas in there such a good idea!!
Ela
Thank you very much Francesca! Please report back if you try out my vegan brownies 🙂
Max
These are easily the best vegan brownies EVER!
Super easy and super delicious, even non-vegan will like these a lot.
Ela
I am so happy you like my brownies! Thanks for your amazing feedback, Max 🙂
Kali
Is there any way to replace the sweet peas?
Ela
Well the main ingredient is sweet peas so if you replace them with e.g. chickpeas, black beans or white beans you basically change the complete recipe. You can try it out, but the result will be of course different 🙂
Liz
Hi Ela, I’m a new semi-vegan who is interested in learning more vegan recipes! I’m excited to try this recipe this weekend for the 4th of July holiday. Quick question – are these OK to leave out or should they be refrigerated? I want to be sure they don’t go bad and since I’m new to a lot of the vegan ingredients, would appreciate any insight in storage. Thank you! Liz
Ela
Hi Liz, I would say it’s better to refrigerate them, I always do. I hope you will like my brownies. 🙂
Nesrin Solano
Omg ???????? this was amazing! You cannot taste the peas in them at all! One way to feed my toddlers peas ???????????????? Taste better than the real thing! I forgot to put the peanut powder in the ganache but it still tasted super delicious! I didn’t have a brownie tin tray so I used a muffin tray. Was ok but I’ll definitely be buying one cause I’ll be making this all the time. Thanks lovely amazing lady for this recipe ❤️
Ela
Thank you so much for your awesome feedback Nesrin! I am so happy you liked my brownies and your kids too, that’s really wonderful ❤️❤️❤️
Alenka Han
Hi. I need to work around a number of food allergies. This brownie recipe hits many of them (egg free; dairy free; gluten free; nut free), but I also have to worry about my son’s peanut allergy. What do you recommend as a substitute for the peanut flour in the chocolate cream? Thank you!
Ela
Hi Alenka, I will copy and paste what I wrote in the recipe notes: “I use this brand of peanut flour. You can skip it and use 7 tbsp of cocoa powder and leave out the water (as the peanut flour makes the mixture thicker)”
Karolina
looks lovely:)! Is it possible to substitute all the sugar and maple syrup with dates? (or date paste – mixed with water)? and what do you think could be the best amount for that replacement?
Ela
Hey Karolina, yes I think you could totally use dates. I don’t use them so often in my recipes as they are very expensive here. Try to use 3/4 cup of dates instead of 3/4 cup coconut sugar and 1/4 to 1/3 cup of date paste instead of 1/4 cup of maple syrup. Please don’t forget to report back 🙂
Leah
I cannot believe how delicious these are! They actually taste like brownies! This is such a creative recipe. Did you create it? Thank you!
Ela
Thank you so much Leah! Very happy you like my vegan brownies. Yes of course, I create all my recipes 🙂
Leah
Wonderful! You have a real talent. Do you have the nutrition facts for your recipes?
Ela
Thanks for your compliment! Yes I have the nutrition facts in some older recipes, but not in all, as it’s quite a lot of work to calculate everything. You can check out Cronometer.com it’s amazing to check out the nutrition facts. 🙂
Sanah
I made these yesterday and they turned out great!! I used two cans of Sueur brand sweet peas and made it in a nutribullet. I tasted the batter and thought it was a little undersweetened so I added two packets of stevia powder. It baked for about 50 minutes and was still gooey but I took them out anyway and they eventually firmed up. The glaze is an absolute must for rounding out the chocolate flavor. Overall a 5/5 recipe that I totally recommend!!!
Ela
Wow thanks a lot for your amazing feedback. Makes me so happy that you like my vegan brownies and that glaze on top! I love it so much as well 🙂
Mariela
These are the best brownies ever!! I made this recipe and everyone in my family loved it, even though they are not vegan. They turned out so moist and fudgy!! I followed the recipe exactly as it is!! Definitely you need to try it cause you don’t know what you’re missing! Thank you Ela for this recipe ????
Ela
Awww thank you so much my dear! Makes me super happy that you like my brownies. 🙂 And how amazing that your family loved them as well. Big hug to you.
Eve
Hi
Thanks for the recipe
I don’t have coconut flower can I use ote flower?
Ela
Hi Eve, like mentioned in the recipe notes: “You shouldn’t sub the coconut flour as it’s unique and very absorbent. However if you really want to use a different flour (like almond flour or oat flour) then use at least 1/2 a cup of that different flour but I highly recommend to use coconut flour.” Hope this helps 🙂