These 6-ingredient fudgy no-bake brownies are vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and easy to make. They are a healthy snack or dessert, perfect for kids and a great alternative to store-bought chocolate candy.
Healthy Vegan Brownies!
After sharing my recipes for Sweet Potato Brownies and my Best Vegan Brownies, I decided to make these healthy no-bake brownies with dates.
They aren’t fully raw, that’s why I don’t call them raw vegan brownies, but you can actually make them fully raw (continue reading to learn how).
You will love these brownies because they are:
- Easy to make with simple ingredients.
- So much healthier than store-bought brownies or candy bars.
- Freezer friendly, perfect as a snack or quick dessert.
- Vegan (eggless, dairy-free), gluten-free, grain-free, and refined sugar-free.
Only 6 Simple Ingredients!
These no-bake brownies contain only 6 ingredients, which are:
- Dates – you can use any dried fruit of choice, e.g. dried figs.
- Flax seeds – these vegan brownies contain a good amount of flax seeds which are good sources of many nutrients. Their health benefits are mainly due to their content of omega-3 fats, lignans and fiber.
- Cacao powder – or use cocoa powder. Dutch processed is less bitter.
- Peanut flour – you can use almond flour (ground almonds) instead of peanut flour to make almond flour brownies. I tried it and it turned out great as well. Actually, any ground nuts or seeds would work as well. Some examples are ground walnuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, etc. However, I really love how these healthy brownies turned out with peanut flour (powdered peanut butter aka PB2), the taste is amazing. You can buy it in most big supermarkets in the US, or order it from Amazon.
- Vanilla extract – you can use real vanilla for the best result.
- Agave syrup – or maple syrup (for the glaze). Any other liquid sweetener like date syrup is fine too.
For the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information, please read the recipe card below.
How To Make No-Bake Brownies?
- Grind the flax seeds in an electric spice/coffee grinder or blender until it’s flour. You can also use 65 g of store-bought GROUND flax seeds but make sure the flax meal is fresh.
- Process all dry ingredients in a food processor, then add the dates and vanilla extract and blend until the dough sticks together when you press it between your fingers. It might take a while until the dough comes together. If it’s still too dry after some minutes add a few additional dates or a little of maple syrup or raw agave syrup. The dates should be very soft and juicy. If they aren’t moist soak them in warm water until they are soft.
- Line a 5-inch square baking pan or similar size (double the recipe if using an 8-inch baking pan) with parchment paper and leave about a 2-inch overhang on both sides. Grease the paper with a little oil.
- Transfer the brownie dough into the pan and press it down firmly.
- To make the glaze, just combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix everything together with a whisk.
- Pour the glaze over the brownie dough, spread it, and put the pan into the freezer for about 1 hour to firm up.
- Cut the brownies into squares by using a sharp knife, and enjoy!
Low-Fat Vegan Chocolate Glaze
Brownies are delicious, but brownies with a chocolate glaze are even better. I made a super simple and low-fat vegan chocolate glaze which is so delicious!
If you don’t want to make your own chocolate glaze, you can simply melt dairy-free chocolate chips, but they contain of course more fat.
How To Store these brownies?
This recipe makes just a small batch, however, you can double the recipe and store-leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Can you freeze these brownies? Yes, you can! The brownie bites are freezer friendly (freeze for up to 3 months). I always make sure to keep a batch in the freezer, so that I never run out of brownies when the chocolate craving kicks in. Simply thaw them at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, then enjoy!
Helpful Tips
- You can make these brownies raw vegan by using raw agave syrup instead of maple syrup, vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract, raw cacao powder instead of cocoa powder and almond flour (ground almonds) instead of peanut flour (powdered peanut butter).
- You can skip the powdered peanut butter in the chocolate glaze and try using 1 1/2 – 2 tbsp of regular peanut butter (or any other nut/seed butter).
- These vegan brownies can be neatly transported in a bento box or lunch box.
Other Vegan Brownie Recipes:
- Vegan Zucchini Brownies
- Flourless Brownies
- Vegan Black Bean Brownies
- Cheesecake Brownies
- Caramel Chocolate Brownies
These no-bake brownies are super easy and fast to make and I cannot wait to hear if you love them as much as I do. If you try out my recipe, please leave a comment below and tag me with @elavegan #elavegan on Instagram and/or Facebook.
No-Bake Brownies
Ingredients
Wet ingredients:
- 3/4 cup (130 g) dates soft and moist ones (see notes)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean
Dry ingredients:
- 1/3 heaped cup (65 g) flax seeds
- 1/4 heaped cup (30 g) cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
- 4 tbsp (32 g) powdered peanut butter or almond flour (ground almonds)
- 1 Pinch of salt
Low-fat chocolate glaze:
- 1/4 cup (80 g) maple syrup or raw agave syrup
- 3 tbsp (24 g) powdered peanut butter (see notes)
- 3 tbsp (18 g) cocoa powder
Instructions
- Watch the video in the post for visual instructions.Grind the flax seeds in an electric spice/coffee grinder or blender until it's flour. You can also use 65 g of store-bought GROUND flax seeds but make sure the flax meal is fresh.
- Process all dry ingredients in a food processor, then add the dates and vanilla extract and blend until the dough sticks together when you press it between your fingers. It might take a while until the dough comes together. If it's still too dry after some minutes add a few additional dates or a little maple syrup or raw agave syrup. The dates should be very soft and juicy. If they aren't moist soak them in warm water until they are soft.
- Line a 5-inch square baking pan (double the recipe if you have an 8-inch baking pan) with parchment paper and leave about a 2-inch overhang on both sides. Grease the paper with a little oil.
- Transfer the brownie dough into the pan and press it down firmly.
- To make the glaze, just combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix everything together with a whisk.
- Pour the glaze over the brownie dough and put the pan into the freezer for about 1 hour to set.
- Cut into 16 equal brownie bites and enjoy! Store leftovers in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
- If the dates aren't soft/moist enough I highly recommend soaking them in (warm) water until they are soft.
- You can skip the powdered peanut butter in the chocolate glaze and use 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp of regular peanut butter (or any other nut/seed butter). However, I would recommend adding more cocoa powder otherwise the glaze might be too runny.
- The Nutrition Facts are for one serving if you cut the batch into 16 brownie bites. Calculation includes the low-fat glaze (made with powdered peanut butter).
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Freda
Simple to make and extremely yummy! Love the glossy cacao top! My little 15 month old licked the date mixture from the spoon saying mmm hehe first attempt tonight with almond flour looking forward to getting some peanut flour to repeat it. Also need a smaller tray to get a perfect square! #goals
Ela
Awww that’s so cute of your baby. 🙂 Thanks for leaving such a lovely feedback 🙂
Karolina
I loved this recipe!!!
Very delicious
Go vegan
Ela
Thank you so much, Karolina! Makes me happy you liked my recipe. Yes, veganism rocks 🙂
Sharon
I made the brownie last week and it was amazing!
Thank you for the recipe!
Ela
I am glad to hear that, Sharon. Thanks for your great feedback 🙂
Nisha / @rainbowplantlife
Omg Ela, these brownies are amazing! And the photography is beautiful. That ganache on top is just amazingly beautiful.
Ela
Thank you so much Nisha! So sweet of you to say this 🙂
Alice
I just made a batch of these as a gift for my gluten-free friend but I seriously doubt they’re going to make it to her – soooooo delicious! And so easy! I used almond instead of peanut flour and they’re divine. One question – can you just leave them in the freezer for ages or do they go too hard? I’m worried that they’ll be too melty if I keep them in the fridge! Xxx
Ela
Hey Alice, thanks for your a great feedback! Should you ever get some peanut flour, then make another batch, I like it even more, but yes almond flour is amazing too. I store leftovers (from recipe testing) in the freezer and that works perfectly fine. I take them out 10 minutes before I want to eat them and they have the perfect gooey consistency, not hard at all. I hope your friend will like them too, if you give her some, haha. 🙂
George
Made these last night. The brownie part turned out amazing, but since I ran out of almond flour, I used coconut flour in the topping. Believe me, coconut flour doesn’t belong anywhere near this recipe. In fact, I’m avoiding coconut flour altogether from now on due to it’s penchant for soaking up too much liquid and always creating a very grainy, unpleasant texture. I’m going to try fixing the topping with avacado. I’d add coconut oil too if I hadn’t run out of that lately.
Ela
Hi George, I am glad you loved my brownie recipe. Why did you use coconut flour for the glaze? Did you run out of peanut butter? I wrote in the recipe notes: “You can skip the peanut flour in the chocolate glaze and use 1 1/2 – 2 tbsp of regular peanut butter or any other nut/seed butter instead”. I tried the glaze with sunflower seed butter and it turned out amazing. Peanut flour is the best low-fat option for the glaze as it turns into peanut butter when you mix it with water or maple syrup. You can make the brownies with coconut flour, but NOT the glaze, haha. Avocado however works pretty well in the glaze too 🙂
Alana
These look amazing, can’t wait to make them! I want to make them to bring on an RV trip…how long will they last in the fridge or freezer?
Ela
They can be stored in the freezer for at least a month or even longer. I am sure you can store them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks but the glaze might melt, that’s why I store leftovers in the freezer. Hope this helps 🙂
Jessa Roman
I made these brownies thinking it was going to go bad since I don’t own a food processor. Luckily, I had flaxmill to substitute flax seeds. Ok but seriously…. THESE ARE THE BEST VEGAN BROWNIES IVE EVER HAD/MADE. Even non-vegan people will fall in love with these! They have such a perfect consistency and sweetness. Definitely making these again!!
Ela
Awww, thank you so much for this wonderful feedback, Jessa. How awesome that you made my recipe without a food processor! Wow, that’s seriously amazing. I am very glad you like these no bake brownies as much as I do. 🙂
Alicja
Thank you for inventing this recipe!
I fell in love with these brownie bites the very moment I saw them on your Instagram. I’m so glad I made them today.
I chose almond flour because that’s what I had at home.
The taste is to die for and they look so mouthwatering! Every chocolate lover should try this recipe!
XX
Ela
Yay, I am so glad to hear you also fell in love with my brownie bites recipe. I have made it a couple of times and can’t get enough, haha. Thanks for this amazing feedback, it really makes me happy to hear that you appreciate my recipe. 🙂
Gina
Do you have all the nutritional information that would be supplied on a label if these were sold in supermarkets?
Ela
Yes, I calculated everything with Cronometer and modified the post. You can check it out now.
Riley
Is one serving size just 1/12 of the whole pan?
Ela
Hey, Riley! The Nutrition Facts are for one serving if you cut the batch into 16 brownie bites like mentioned in the recipe. So one brownie is 1/16 of the whole pan. 🙂
Riley
Great! I like those numbers 🙂 So excited to try this, thank you for all of your hard work to provide us with such delicious recipes!!
Ela
Thanks a lot for your support, Riley
LauraR
Could you use coconut flour instead peanut flour?
Ela
Yes, I think that should work just fine. You might need a little bit less because coconut flour is very absorbent, but try it out and report back. 🙂
Brooke
Can you use normal flour? These look good!
Ela
Hey Brooke, well I think you could, but I believe it won’t taste that good, to be honest. I never tried it out though because I don’t use regular flour as I am intolerant to wheat and I want to avoid gluten. I would recommend to either use almond flour (ground almonds) or ground sunflower seeds or ground hazelnuts. You could also try ground oats (just process oats in your food processor or blender and you have oat flour in seconds) if you don’t want to use ground nuts or seeds. Let me know how the brownies turned out if you make them. 🙂
Jackie
Made these today – quick, not difficult at all! I used almond flour and almond butter, as per your notes on substitutions. They made a very small batch, but they’re so fudgy it’s great that they’re small. The glaze itself is fantastic, I used a hand mixer to make it extra creamy. It’s not overly-sweet, but perfect healthy bites. Thank you for this quick fudgy bite!
Ela
Hello Jackie, thanks for your great feedback. I need to use a hand mixer for the glaze the next time, such a great idea. I am really glad you enjoyed my recipe 🙂
Pilar Onrubia
Best raw brownies ever! Thanks, Ela. You’re amazing and so are your recipes! ????
Ela
Aww, thank you so much, Pilar! I am thrilled that you like my raw brownies. Much love ????
Luzmaira
This brownie is amazing!!! So delicious! I just saw the post and made it right away and it was so good that I DID A SECOND BATCH 10 minutes later. Thanks!!!!
Ela
Yay, that makes me seriously so happy! Thanks for your awesome feedback, I am so glad you like my “no bake brownies”. 🙂
Sherry-lynn
Do they taste like peanut butter or chocolate? I love a fudgy brownie but with all the pb I wonder if they wld taste more like a Reese cup
Pat
Aloha! Ela, wie lecker das wieder aussieht! Es veführt dazu, den Bildschirm/display abzulecken???? das fettfreie cchocolate icing ist der Hammer! Wird getestet! Liebe Grüße, Pat
Ela
Hihi dankeschön liebe Pat! So lieb von dir hier vorbeizuschauen. Falls du mein Rezept ausprobierst, dann bitte berichten. Liebe Grüße zurück 🙂
Kahli
Been looking forward to this recipe for ages!! However I have a nut/peanut allergy, would oat flour work instead of peanut flour?
Ela
Hey Kahli, like mentioned in the blog post and in the recipe you can use almond flour instead of peanut flour but if you are allergic to almonds as well then oat flour should work too, never tried it out though. Maybe ground sunflower seeds would be a better option?
Claudia Morles
This is life — thank you so much for this recipe … I’ve been waiting so long for them and now I am so happy!!
Ela
You are very welcome, Claudia! I hope you will enjoy the brownies 🙂
Karla
I’ve been waiting for this recipe after seeing the picture sometime ago! Thank you!!! I think my little one will love these!
Ela
Thank you Karla! Please report back if you give my recipe a go 🙂
Andreea Gaskin
Can’t wait to try this recipe tomorrow. My mouth is watering.
Ela
Thank you so much, Andreea! I hope you will like it, please report back 🙂