The best Healthy Brownies! Made without flour, refined sugar, butter, or eggs, these rich, fudgy, and deeply chocolatey brownies can be easily prepared with ingredients found at your local grocery store. Plus, there’s an optional frosting recipe for those who love frosted brownies.
Next time try our popular Applesauce Brownies or Gluten-Free Brownies!
Healthy Brownies
Brownies are hands down one of my favorite desserts — the richer and fudgier, the better! And if I don’t have a plan for a batch of brownies to go (family, friends, neighbors, etc.) they will all get consumed by yours truly. Literally, every single piece, and I wish I were exaggerating but I’m not.
As a result, I’ve worked and worked and worked on a healthy recipe that I absolutely love but has better ingredients, because I shouldn’t eat this entire tray of Peanut Butter Cup Brownies. So now, when I eat these at least I’m getting some health benefits from it. 🙂
What to expect from this recipe
This brownie recipe is one of the recipes I am proudest of — it’s pretty amazing how great the ingredients are for the insanely fudge-y, rich, and delicious flavor and texture these brownies deliver. But I also want to be completely transparent; these brownies aren’t for everyone. Read on to see what I mean.
Texture-wise: So, this is probably contrary to every single brownie law of the universe, but these healthy brownies are best served cold. Cover these tightly and chill them overnight (or about 4-6 hours) and then you’ll know what I’m talking about. They taste like rich, dark chocolate fudge. After being chilled they are very dense and not at all cake-like. When warmed up they do have a lighter and more cakey texture. Healthy Brownies are thick, chewy, and quite rich (especially with the frosting on them).
Flavor-wise: These brownies have a slightly bitter, strong dark chocolate flavor. I use 53% cacao dark chocolate so I don’t find them overly bitter, but they do taste strongly of dark chocolate. If you don’t love dark chocolate, you can use milk chocolate. Beyond the dark chocolate, these also have a lot of Greek yogurt in them. I recommend you use a good, sweet, and non-tangy Greek yogurt (more on this later).
Healthy Brownie Ingredients
Here are the ingredients I use and recommend for the best results in this recipe. None of them are sponsors; they’re just what I use when making this recipe.
- Dark chocolate. I use Nestle’s® Dark Chocolate Chips. Read up on the benefits of dark chocolate here. If you’re not a dark chocolate fan, milk or semi-sweet will work in its place.
- Greek yogurt. This is in my opinion the most important ingredient in this recipe. It can definitely make or break the final flavor. I have tried so many different Greek yogurts and hands-down, the best yogurt to use is Honey Vanilla Greek yogurt (made by Greek Gods®). Greek yogurt contributes loads of protein to these brownies, among other benefits.
- Coconut oil. I have found a good amount of variation in coconut oil brands; mainly there is a stronger coconut flavor in some brands as opposed to others. I personally use LouAna® Coconut Oil and don’t find any recognizable or pronounced coconut flavor in these Healthy Brownies.
- Vanilla extract, salt, and baking soda. These ingredients contribute to the flavor and leavening of the brownies.
- Coconut sugar. This sugar is a non-refined sugar that has become very mainstream in grocery stores in the last few years. You should be able to find it among other baking sugars or in the health food section of your grocery store. If you don’t want to buy a special sugar for this recipe, brown sugar can be used instead. It’s a 1:1 substitute, but note that brown sugar is refined sugar.
- Old-fashioned oats. More on this ingredient in the next paragraph.
Let’s talk oats
If there’s no flour in these flourless healthy brownies, what are we using? Regular old-fashioned oats! (Make sure to use old-fashioned or rolled oats, not quick or steel-cut oats). The oats are blended up before being added to the batter, and they resemble flour and serve the same function; read the “quick tip” below for a breakdown of the process.
Quick Tip
How to make powdered oats: Add the old-fashioned oats to a food processor or small blender jar. Pulse the oats until they are ground into a powder-like consistency that resembles flour. Stir the oats around to be sure that all the oats have been finely ground and there aren’t any whole oats left. (This will affect the texture and liquid absorption of these flourless brownies.) Make sure to measure the oats once they’ve been blended into a powder and not before.
Healthy Brownies Frosting
The frosting on these is optional. While it is a whole lot healthier than most frosting recipes, it does have refined powdered sugar in it. If you are avoiding refined sugar, you’ll want to leave off the frosting on this recipe.
The frosting contains only four ingredients and uses similar ingredients in the brownie base — more dark chocolate and more Greek yogurt, plus some milk and powdered sugar. I use almond or macadamia nut milk, but any plant-based milk works great here.
The frosting is very thick and ganache-like. It will harden as it sets and firms up on the cold brownies. It can soften and get melty in a warm environment, so I recommend keeping these brownies chilled.
Tips
- Use the right ingredients. Take a minute to read through the ingredients section. The ingredients matter a lot on this recipe and you can end up with very delicious or, er… less-than-exciting, brownies, based on the ingredients used.
- Line the pan. These brownies are very fudge-y and can be difficult to get out of an unlined pan. Save yourself the trouble by lining the pan with parchment paper and leaving an overhang for easy removal.
- Wait until they’re chilled. These brownies are at their best after being chilled overnight. We love them best the next day. But even a few hours in the fridge and they’re delicious.
- Use a sharp chef’s knife to make cuts. Run the knife under warm water, dry on a kitchen towel, and repeat for each cut. These brownies are rich and sweet that you’ll want to cut them pretty small.
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Healthy Brownies
Ingredients
Brownies:
- 1 and 1/2 cups (53% cacao) dark chocolate chips divided Note 1
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut oil Note 2
- 1 cup honey vanilla Greek yogurt Note 3
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or use light brown sugar)
- 3/4 cup oat flour (just blend regular oats in your blender)
Optional Frosting:
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened vanilla almond milk or whatever milk you have on hand
- 2 tablespoons vanilla Greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C). Line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal. Lightly spritz with nonstick cooking spray.
- MELT CHOCOLATE: In a large bowl place 1 cup (175g) of chocolate chips and set aside. Add the solid coconut oil to a separate, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the coconut oil and then measure the coconut oil in its melted, hot state to get 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons. Pour the hot melted coconut oil over the dark chocolate and stir the chocolate until it is completely melted. If needed, microwave the chocolate and coconut oil in 10-15 second bursts, stirring in between each burst for 20 seconds until completely melted and smooth. Let cool slightly.
- REMAINING INGREDIENTS: Add in the Greek yogurt; stir to combine. Stir in the vanilla, salt, baking soda, and coconut sugar (or brown sugar).
- BLEND OATS: Add old-fashioned oats to a blender or food processor. Blend or process until the oats are fine and resemble flour. Measure the oat flour after blending and not before, to get a level 3/4 cup. Add blended oats and remaining 1/2 cup (91g) chocolate chips to brownie batter. Mix to combine.
- BAKE: Spread the mixture (it is very thick) into the prepared pan in an even layer. Bake in the preheated oven for 28-32 minutes or until a fork comes out clean when inserted into the center. Do not overbake. Slightly underbaking is better and will yield a superior taste and texture (more fudge-like). Remove from the oven and allow the pan of brownies to cool completely at room temperature on a wire cooling rack. If desired, frost the cooled brownies (see next step).
- OPTIONAL FROSTING: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons milk. Microwave in bursts of 15 seconds, stirring for 15 seconds in between each burst until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir in the Greek yogurt until fully incorporated and then whisk in the powdered sugar. Frosting may seem thin -- don't worry; it thickens as it cools. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes and then spread frosting evenly over the brownies.
- CHILL: Cover the frosted (or unfrosted) brownies and place them in the fridge to fully chill. These brownies are best cold (we like them best after being chilled 6-8 hours). Once chilled through, remove the brownies using the overhang of the parchment paper. Cut into small pieces and enjoy!
- STORAGE: Store leftover brownies in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Freeze individually wrapped brownies for up to 2 months. The frosting does get a bit watery upon being thawed.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are to die for! I made them right away when I read the recipe. I was having a major chocolate craving! I had to change 2 things because I didn’t have what was in the recipe. So, I used whole wheat flour in place of the oats and then I had to use regular granulated sugar in place of coconut sugar. I know my changes made it less healthy, but it’s all I had. I will be making them again. My mom had one and even said she would’ve never known they were healthier. They tasted just like the Dark Chocolate Ghirardelli brownie mix. Thanks!
Wow! That is quite the compliment to hear they taste like Ghiradelli 🙂 Makes my day to hear that! Thank you so much for your comment and trying these out Meghan! Glad they were enjoyed 🙂
I used the Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips they were so great.. and they melted up so creamy. I used all the ingredients listed in the recipe and I spent a fortune at the grocery store, but at least I know what I am eating is healthier.. the coconut sugar blended so great. and I used Organic greek vanilla yogurt Liberte’ it was so very creamy. I would do this again.
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed these!! And Ghiradelli is definitely one of my favorite chocolates to use – YUM! The vanilla yogurt sounds delicious too 🙂 Thanks for the comment!
I made these yesterday and refrigerated overnight (and ate for breakfast today!). I really like the texture of them but oh man they are way too sweet with the combined sugars from the chocolate chips and vanilla Greek yogurt. I only used half of the amount of Palm Sugar after reading how much sugar is in the vanilla Greek yogurt.
I would like to try them again with plain Greek yogurt as it has no sugar and an unsweetened dark chocolate, perhaps the baking squares. Have you ever tried the recipe with the baking squares of chocolate rather than the chocolate chips?
Glad you enjoyed them!! And it sounds like you don’t have much of a sweet tooth — that is awesome! 🙂 Plain Greek yogurt should be totally fine in these. I haven’t tried baking squares, but I don’t see why they wouldn’t work if you still chop and then measure them as if they were chocolate chips!
Hi Chelsea,
This is just what I have been looking for! Can you replace the chocolate chips with cocoa powder?
Thanks!
AJ
Hey AJ! So glad to hear it!! Unfortunately these wouldn’t work out at all without the chocolate chips — those are one of the main “structures” to these brownies!
Definitely want to try this Recipe. I hope it is as good as it sounds. 🙂 I will get back to you. 🙂 xxx
Sounds great! I hope you love it 🙂
Absolutely Delicious!
I made this brownies and within 1 and half day it was all gone! My husband and 3 girls (11, 8 and 6) absolutely loved them. I will never make brownies any other way. I am so grateful for your recipe and I am so looking forward to trying more of your healthy recipes.
YAY!! That seriously makes me so happy to hear! I hope you love whatever you try next! 🙂
These brownies were amazing thank you!!
So glad you enjoyed these!!
HAHA too funny! 🙂
I’m about to make this recipe as soon as my son gets home from Walmart with the dark chocolate chips and yogurt!
Haha!! Thanks for chiming in; I’ll have to let him know 🙂 Hope you loved the brownies!
I definitely think my result was because of too much coconut oil (will try again with just 1/4 c) and no eggs. The taste was AMAZINGG just not the texture…so I don’t want to give up on this recipe yet!
Hey Laura! So glad to hear you liked the taste on these!! I’m not quite sure what texture you are hoping for, but they are more the texture of a dense (almost undercooked) brownie or even the texture of thick fudge in my opinion. Did you try chilling them too? They shouldn’t be “liquid-y” at all, so make sure that you have enough oat flour in your brownies (measure oat flour after blending) Check out my video too to make sure you have the same consistency as in the video. Hope this helps! 🙂
Thank you!! I think the problem was measuring the coconut oil pre melting!!! If I could delete that past comment I would bc I tried then again and they were great (coconut oil measured post melting)!!
So delete away if you want and I can post about the awesomeness!!!! ??
YAY!!! I am so happy they were better for you with that coconut oil melted, so glad you loved these!!
can I use oat flour instead of blending oats?
Yes! 🙂
I’m dairy-free. I’m wondering what I can substitute for greekyogurt.
Sorry Deborah, I haven’t tried anything in place of the Greek yogurt so I can’t say for sure what would work. It’s pretty important to this recipe unfortunately.
I know this was posted years ago but I thought I would make a suggestion for anybody else out there that is dairy free. Coconut yogurt might work as it is thick like Greek yogurt. I haven’t tried this recipe yet but I will once I have coconut yogurt on hand.
These brownies look delicious!
Hahaha aren’t they awesome?! Thanks so much Raquel! 🙂
YUM, these look absolutely delicious!