Red Lentil Brownies
Transform red lentils into rich, fudgy, moist, yet wholesome lentil brownies packed with protein and fiber, with no refined sugars or flours, gluten, oil, eggs, or dairy!
Servings 8 brownies
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
- ½ cup (100 g) dried red lentils (soaked and thoroughly drained)
- ½ cup (120 g) canned coconut milk (see notes)
- 7 Tbsp (140 g) maple syrup (see notes)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 medium ripe banana (weight without the peel)
Dry ingredients
- ½ cup (50 g) almond flour (finely ground almonds)
- ½ cup (50 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (see notes)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cinnamon (optional)
- 1 pinch of salt
Topping
- ¼ cup (40 g) dairy-free dark chocolate chopped into small pieces (I used 100% dark chocolate)
Instructions
- I recommend measuring the ingredients in grams using a kitchen scale. You can watch the video for visual instructions.
- Rinse the dried red lentils thoroughly until the water runs clear. Place them in a bowl, cover them generously with water, and soak for at least 2 hours or longer.
- Drain the soaked lentils very thoroughly. Their weight should be approximately 180 g after soaking.
- Preheat the oven to 360 °F (180 °C).
- Add the drained lentils, canned coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar, and banana to a high-speed blender. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides when necessary.
- Add the ground almonds, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Blend briefly until a smooth, homogeneous brownie batter forms.
- Pour the batter into a silicone brownie mold. My mold measures 8 x 4-inch (20 x 10 cm). Alternatively, use a loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
- Break or chop the dark chocolate into small pieces and scatter them evenly over the batter.
- Bake for approximately 28–30 minutes.
- Allow the brownies to cool completely before carefully removing them from the mold and slicing them.
Notes
- Red lentils: Use dried, uncooked red lentils—not canned or already cooked lentils. The 100 g measurement refers to their dry weight before soaking. After soaking and thoroughly draining them, they should weigh approximately 180 g.
- Coconut milk: You can use another plant-based milk. However, canned coconut milk contains more fat than a regular plant-based drink, so the brownies will be slightly less moist when using another milk. In this case, I recommend using 100 g of plant-based milk plus 20 g of oil.
- Cocoa powder: I used 30 g of raw cacao powder and 20 g of Dutch-process cocoa powder.
- Sweetener: Maple syrup can be replaced with another liquid sweetener of choice. The sweetness and consistency may vary slightly depending on the product used.
- Chocolate: I used 100% dark chocolate. You can use your favorite dairy-free dark chocolate with a lower cocoa percentage if you prefer sweeter brownies.
- Baking pan: Baking time can vary depending on the material and dimensions of the pan.
- Cooling: Allow the brownies to cool completely before removing and slicing them, as they need time to firm up.
Nutrition Facts
Red Lentil Brownies
Serving Size
1 brownie
Amount per Serving
Calories
209
% Daily Value*
Fat
9.4
g
14
%
Saturated Fat
4.8
g
24
%
Sodium
6.7
mg
0
%
Potassium
375
mg
11
%
Carbohydrates
22.9
g
8
%
Fiber
5.2
g
21
%
Sugar
12.7
g
14
%
Protein
6.6
g
13
%
Calcium
61
mg
6
%
Iron
2.4
mg
13
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.