This healthy chocolate avocado brownies recipe is rich, fudgy, decadent, and so delicious!
Healthy avocado brownies
This is one of the best brownie recipes you will ever taste.
And it makes a great party dessert.
Even people who think they do not like healthy desserts at all will go back for seconds and beg you for the recipe.
No one can ever believe the secret ingredient!
Also try this Avocado Chocolate Mousse
Health benefits of chocolate avocado brownies
Why should you add avocados to brownies?
For one thing, each brownie offers two and a half grams of fiber and over three grams of protein.
The chocolate dessert can be gluten free, egg free, cholesterol free, vegan, low fat, and low calorie, at just 100 calories per brownie.
Superfood avocados are packed with folate, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium, and vitamin K, plus B vitamins like niacin and riboflavin.
Black beans increase the nutrition profile. They add fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals, and moisture without excess oil and saturated fat.
Ingredients for the avocado dessert
The recipe calls for mashed avocado, cocoa powder, oats or almond flour, black beans, liquid sweetener, coconut oil or almond butter, pure vanilla extract, baking powder, salt, and chocolate chips.
I highly recommend adding both unsweetened cocoa powder and Dutch process cocoa powder for the most authentic dark chocolate brownie flavor.
If you wish to substitute the almond flour or rolled oats, the recipe also works with all purpose flour, gluten free white flour, or spelt flour. For flourless brownies, you may use fine almond meal.
I have not experimented with coconut flour or whole wheat flour in the recipe and therefore cannot vouch for those options.
For brownies with no oil, choose almond butter, sunflower seed butter, or cashew butter. Gently warm the nut butter until it is easily spreadable and soft in texture.
If you play around with a different type of bean or legume, such as pinto beans or lentils, please let us know how it goes. The recipe box below also includes a low carb, paleo, and keto option with no sugar.
Our sweetener choice is pure maple syrup. Honey or agave work well too. For sugar free brownies, use keto maple syrup.
Prefer avocado brownies with no chocolate? Substitute an equal amount of raw or toasted carob powder for the cocoa.
The recipe was adapted from my Black Bean Brownies
Vegan avocado brownie recipe video
Above, watch the step by step recipe video
How to make avocado chocolate brownies
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an eight inch baking pan with parchment paper, or grease the bottom and sides.
If using rolled oats, process them first in your food processor until they reach a consistency similar to flour.
Drain and rinse the beans well.
Process all ingredients until completely smooth. Using a food processor instead of a blender will yield the best texture.
Spread the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan, and place it on the center rack of the preheated oven.
Bake for twenty minutes if you want fudgy brownies or thirty minutes for more of a avocado cake texture. Then let the pan cool.
Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, very loosely covered with paper towels. The brownies will firm up considerably as they cool.
These avocado chocolate brownies are fine to leave out on the counter for a few hours if serving at a party or transferring to an event.
Due to the perishable ingredients, store any leftovers in the refrigerator for freshness. Refrigerated, they should keep for up to five days.
You may also slice and freeze leftover brownies. Add a piece of parchment paper between each layer of the baked goods, and store in an airtight covered container.
Want a more traditional recipe? Make Vegan Brownies
Tips and tricks
For the best taste, start with a ripe avocado. Test for ripeness at the grocery store by gently pressing the fruit with your fingers. It should be soft but not mushy.
The brownies are naturally prepared without eggs. To make them vegan as well, simply use your favorite dairy free chocolate chips.
While it may be tempting, do not decrease the nut butter or sweetener amounts. I have already formulated this recipe to contain less fat and sugar than traditional brownie recipes.
Top with Chocolate Avocado Frosting or Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.
Or go with an even healthier option by spreading on a layer of smooth peanut butter and sliced bananas or strawberries instead of any icing.
Brownies will look under baked when they first come out of the oven. Let the pan cool fully, then refrigerate for at least a few hours or overnight. The chocolate treats will firm up nicely without turning dense and cakey.
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp Dutch cocoa powder or additional unsweetened
- 1/2 cup rolled oats or almond flour (for keto, try these Keto Brownies)
- 1 can black beans or 1 1/2 cup cooked
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey
- 1/4 cup mashed avocado (60g)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil or almond butter
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (not optional)
-
Preheat oven to 350 F. Drain and rinse beans very well. If using rolled oats, blend them until they reach a flour consistency. Blend all ingredients until completely smooth. While a blender can technically work, the taste and texture are much better if you use a food processor. Spread the avocado brownie batter into an 8 inch baking pan greased or lined with parchment paper. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 20 minutes. Let cool. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, as the brownies firm up considerably as they cool.View Nutrition Facts