Black beans and avocados don’t belong in healthier brownies. There I said it.
While I’m all for squeezing in extra nutrients and (obviously) making healthier versions of comfort foods, there is a line. Brownies are a beloved classic that have withstood the test of time. So adding unconventional ingredients, regardless of if you can detect them in the final product or not, feels like a disgrace to brownies. I’m here to show how you can make a healthier tray of chocolatey brownies without straying too far from the traditional ingredients or compromising the integrity of this widely cherished, timeless dessert.
Imagine sinking your teeth into creamy chocolate icing layered generously on top of a dense, gooey brownie with silky chocolate chips scattered throughout each bite. With a rich, dreamy texture, these tried and true healthy brownies taste like the real deal – decadent, so fudgy, and overflowing with chocolate (dairy-free, of course). So much so, they’re sure to fool your friends and family because there’s no way that brownies can taste like this AND be healthier for you!
I dare you to make these last more than 2 days.
Healthy Fudgy Brownies
Ingredients
Brownies
- 2 TBSP vegan butter or oil: coconut, almond, walnut
- 120 g (½ C) chocolate chips, divided dairy-free
- 1 egg
- 2 TBSP liquid egg whites or 1 egg white
- 5 oz. unsweetened plain Greek yogurt or 4 oz. unsweetened plain dairy-free yogurt
- 1 TBSP vanilla
- 2-4 TBSP stevia or sweetener
- ½ C flour: oat, GF, AP, WW*
- 6 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
- ¼ C unsweetened dairy-free milk any kind
Icing Option 1 (ganache style glaze)
- 120 g (½ C) chocolate chips dairy-free
- ½ C unsweetened dairy-free milk any kind
- 2 ½ tsp. vegan butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Icing Option 2 (reminiscent of jars of Pillsbury frosting)
- 1 can unsweetened coconut milk, solid part only
- 3 TBSP unsweetened plain dairy-free yogurt
- 180 g (¾ C) chocolate chips dairy-free
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- In a microwave-safe mixing bowl, melt the butter or oil and HALF (60 g) of the chocolate chips in the microwave
- Once melted, add the egg and egg whites, and whisk until combined
- Mix in the yogurt, vanilla, and stevia – it’s okay if it’s a little lumpy
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, and sea salt and mix until smooth
- One tablespoon at a time, gradually stir the milk in until a brownie batter consistency is reached – it should take about 3-4 TBSP
- Fold in the remaining chocolate chips and spread the batter evenly into a prepared 8×8 or 9×9 square pan
- Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean; for a gooier brownie, remove around 16 minutes or when the middle is spongy to the touch. While the brownies are making, prepare the icing
- Icing Option 1: over medium-high heat in a sauce pan, heat the milk and butter until it starts to simmer, but don’t let it boil. Once simmering, turn the heat off but keep the pan on the stove, add the chocolate and vanilla, and stir constantly (to prevent burning) until smooth. Remove from the stove and stir occasionally as it cools and thickens – can also place in the fridge to speed up the thickening process
- Icing Option 2: melt all of the ingredients together on the stove or in the microwave in 10-20 second increments to avoid burning the chocolate, then let it set and thicken in the fridge for about 30 minutes before spreading onto the brownies
Notes
- *Flour: keep in mind that different flours may yield different densities and chewiness – I’ve successfully used whole wheat, oat, all-purpose, and gluten-free (Bob’s Red Mill) flour
- *Milk and butter in icing option 1: can use chocolate dairy-free milk for a creamier, richer ganache or the milk and butter can be replaced with ½ C of half and half or dairy-free creamer for an even creamier, thicker icing
To me, brownies were always one of those foods that couldn’t be made healthy without “tasting healthy” or feeling like something’s missing. But between two people, the first tray of these healthier brownies disappeared in less than 36 hours; they are that good.
I promise, this will be your new reliable, go-to recipe for when you want to cheer up a friend, take a little something to a get together, make an indulgent, festive holiday treat, bring a dessert to a party or event, or say thank you to someone. Keep it classic with one of the two chocolate icing options or easily tailor the toppings to the occasion or taste preferences:
- Powdered sugar
- Chocolate peanut butter swirl
- Fold butterscotch chips into the batter instead of chocolate chips
- Christmas-themed
- Oreos crumbled on top or mixed into the batter
- Colorful sprinkles and birthday candles
- Caramel or melted chocolate drizzle
- White chocolate icing
- PB cups pressed in or slivered on top
- Spooky ghost brownies
Candidly speaking, this is one of the recipes that I’m most proud of. It’d bring me genuine joy if you tagged me in your healthy fudgy brownie creations on IG: @sunutrition_ or FB: SUNutrition. I sincerely hope you love and devour these gooey, chewy brownies as quickly as we do!
If interested, the macronutrients are below. They are kept separate at the very end of each recipe blog so that this can remain a safe, positive space for all as not everyone wishes to see the nutritional information.
Macros:
- Macros per brownie, plain, no icing (based on 12): 11.68 C | 6.5 F | 3.8 P
- Macros per brownie, with icing option 1 (based on 12): 17.7 C | 10.7 F | 4.4 P
- Macros per brownie, with icing option 2 (based on 12): 21 C | 14.9 F | 5.6 P
If you cut them into more or less than 12 bars and want to know the macros per brownie, just divide the macros of the entire pan (below) by the number of brownies!
- Whole recipe, plain: 140.2 C | 77.6 F | 45.25 P
- Whole recipe, icing option 1: 212.7 C | 128.8 F | 53.25 P
- Whole recipe, icing option 2: 254.2 C | 178.8 F | 65.5 P
The macros for recipes are also available on MyFitnessPal. Simply search the name of the recipe followed by “ – SUNutrition” (so for this recipe, search “Healthy Fudgy Brownies – SUNutrition”).
The ABSOLUTE BEST 🤤 Sami made these for my husband and I during the baseball season & I haven’t stopped dreaming of them since 😍 It’s a must have in our house now!