Yes, you can make satisfying flourless brownies! With just 7 ingredients, this chocolatey treat will satisfy your sweet cravings, AND it's a super easy to make.
Sweetened with dried fruits only and baked with cocoa or cacao powder instead of flour, this healthy gluten-free brownie recipe is also
- grain-free,
- refined sugar-free,
- nut-free (can be),
- dairy-free,
- yet melts in your mouth like chocolate truffles
- (Paleo and whole30 approved).
I'm a bit obsessed with this easy brownie recipe because this healthy baked good pairs so well with a hot cup of tea, coffee drink, or a healthy iced latte.
If you are a serious dark chocolate lover, then this gluten-free brownie recipe is for you.
It's one of those no-fuss, healthy homemade desserts ready in less than 30 minutes with only seven ingredients.
And because it contains no nuts, it is also an excellent school treat or to bring to potlucks.
Each bite will give you an intense chocolatey flavor reminiscent of chocolate truffles with a dense, fudgy, and deliciously moist texture.
How to make flourless brownies from scratch
Notes on Ingredients
Healthy dried fruits as a sweetener
If you are an 80% dark chocolate lover, you only need dates to add sweetness to these chewy paleo brownies.
But, if you love it a tad sweeter, I highly recommend incorporating dried Turkish apricots into the batter mix.
It also adds extra fiber, making these healthy brownies deliciously moist.
Note: Trader's Joe sells small bags of organic Turkish dried apricots without any added sugars at an excellent price—in case you are wondering where to get them.
Adding the chocolate flavor
These flourless brownies contain no chocolate or chocolate chips. Instead, the recipe only calls for real cacao powder to give them that intense pure chocolate taste.
The powder also acts as the flour in this recipe. I have used cocoa or cacao powder interchangeably—read about the difference between the two.
But If you opt for cocoa, choose a full-flavored one with deep chocolate flavors perfect for baking.
The non-alkalized cocoa powder from Shiloh Farms tastes divine in this recipe.
Dairy-free liquid
As mentioned before, I prefer using a plant-based liquid such as pea milk (a nut-free option) to add extra protein, hazelnut milk, or almond milk.
If you are not sensitive to dairy, you can substitute it with regular milk. Although I think regular milk makes these brownies a bit too heavy.
Eggs
They are one of the main ingredients in this recipe to give it structure, bind everything together, and help lift the batter during baking.
A tad of salt
It reduces any bitter flavors and nicely balances the sweetness in these flourless brownies.
Coconut Oil
It's added for richness and tenderness, of course.
The equipment needed
Use an 8-inch square baking pan to get the perfect thickness.
Once baked, cut it into either nine squared treats or 18 mini brownies—each mini piece is enough to satisfy your sweet cravings.
A few notes on instructions
Make the dried fruit paste first
Make the dried fruit paste first by blending the dates, apricots, coconut oil, milk, and eggs in a high-speed blender.
You can also use a Nutribullet or food processor. You'll get a beautiful and deliciously tasting light brown paste.
Transfer the paste into a bowl.
Mix in the cacao or cocoa powder
In batches, stir in the cacao powder and sea salt until no powdery lumps remain and you have a dark brown paste.
It's important to mix the cacao powder in small batches.
If you find it hard to break down all the cacao powder by just stirring by hand, place the batter briefly back into the blender and mix for a few seconds until you have a beautiful shiny and chocolatey paste.
Mixing by hand versus using a blender
Note that the batter might look slightly different if you use the blender versus mixing it by hand (see pics below).
Allow the flourless brownies to sufficiently cool
Because this baked good contains no flour, it is essential to let the brownie cake cool for at least 10 minutes, preferably longer, before carefully removing it from the pan and cutting it into squares.
The delicious brownie pieces will become more solid as they further cool, and the sweet, rich chocolatey flavor will settle in.
How to remove the brownie cake from the pan
First, I use a pairing knife and trace it around the edges to make sure the cake is no longer attached to the sides of the pan.
It shouldn't if you greased the baking pan with some coconut oil before baking and shaken in a bit of cocoa or cacao powder covering the bottom of the pan and all four sides.
Then I flip it over in one swooping motion with a large enough plate on top of the cake pan to catch the brownie cake.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy them for up to five days.
Or freeze leftover squares wrapped in baking paper and place them in an airtight container for at least a month.
They defrost in a couple of minutes, but they taste even better when frozen, in my opinion. TRY IT!
Time to bake
Make these gluten-free decadent, chocolate-rich flourless brownies now, or PIN them on your healthy treats board for later!
Check out some of my other healthy grain-free or chocolate-flavored treats. Enjoy!
- Golden Healthy and Grain-Free Mango Cookies
- No Flour Peanut Butter Cookies (you are going to love these!)
- Easy Chocolate Coffee Mousse
- Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gluten-free, Low-Carb, Flourless Chocolate Cake (so easy and simply divine)
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Healthy Flourless Brownies
Mariska RamondinoEquipment
- 8-inch square baking pan
Ingredients
- 15 to 20 Medjool dates pitted (350 grams)
- 15 dried Turkish Apricots 110 grams
- ½ cup coconut oil 80 grams, plus some more to grease the baking pan
- 1 cup pea milk or any other unsweetened plant milk 225 ml
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups cacao or cocoa powder 240 grams, plus some more to cover the baking pan
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the dried fruits, coconut oil, milk, and eggs in a high-speed blender (you can also use a Nutribullet or food processor). Blend into a paste.
- Transfer the paste into a bowl.
- In batches, stir in the cacao powder and sea salt until no powdery lumps remain and you have a dark brown paste. If you find it hard to break down all the cacao powder by just stirring, place the batter briefly back into the blender and mix for a few seconds until you have a beautiful shiny and chocolatey paste.
- Grease the baking pan with some coconut oil. Shake in a little cocoa or cacao powder and tap out the excess.
- With a spatula, spread the chocolate mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out dry.
- Let it cool for about 10 minutes before cutting it into squares.
- They will become more solid once cooled.
Notes
- Storing tips: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freezer for longer. No need to defrost. You can enjoy them immediately out of the freezer or let them sit at room temperature for a bit.
- Cut into 9, 18, or anywhere in between.
Add your own private notes
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Nutrition (% Daily value)
Disclaimer: This nutritional data is calculated using third party tools and is only intended as a reference.
(Note: this post was initially published in November 2018. This post has been updated to include new info and photos)
A few general questions answered
Yes, you can, and I often use dates as a natural sweetener in healthy baked goods.
For this brownie recipe, I prefer to use a combination of fiber-rich dates and dried apricots to add natural sweetness.
The flavors of these dried fruits will completely disappear in the brownies batter but will leave a sweet, almost caramel-like taste and a beautiful gooey texture.
These date brownies are quite fudgy and have a rich chocolatey taste with no added sugar.
Instead of flour, I use cacao or cocoa powder, giving these brownies a dark-rich chocolate flavor. So they are also completely gluten and grain-free!
Yes! To make healthy dairy-free brownies, I use cacao powder and your choice of plant milk. Pea and hazelnut milk are great choices. But unsweetened almond or cashew milk will do just as well.
I would even advise avoiding regular milk because it might make these gluten-free brownies a tad too heavy.
These flourless brownies are not only a healthy dessert but also ideal if you want an energy-boosting chocolaty snack.
To keep dairy-free, gluten-free brownies also nut-free, I highly recommend pea milk!
Kelsey Harmony says
I'm gluten-free and I love dates so this would be a perfect recipe for me! Thanks for sharing (:
Mariska says
Thank you, Kelsey! I hope you will enjoy them!
Patricia - Grab a Plate says
These look and sound amazing! I can't wait to try them, and I love the added dried apricots - that's interesting!
Mariska says
Thank you, Patricia! I definitely recommend adding the apricots;)
Becky Ginther says
Ooh these sound good! I've come across a lot more recipes lately using dates, which makes sense since they are naturally so sweet.