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A healthy and delicious recipe for avocado brownies! Replace oil or butter with heart-healthy avocados for a delicious and nutritious dessert. These rich and chocolatey brownies are actually good for you!
Brownies with Avocados!
You can have your brownies and eat them too with these healthy avocado brownies!
In place of more traditional fats like butter or oil, we’ve used avocado which keeps them 100% dairy-free and also saturated fat free.
We also swapped regular wheat flour for coconut flour making these brownies totally paleo (technically not keto because of the maple syrup) and low carb. Not to mention using maple syrup for sweetener – honestly these brownies are delish!
Ingredients in Avocado Brownies
- Avocado – one large, ripe avocado.
- Applesauce – you could also replace with 1 large, mashed banana if you don’t have applesauce.
- Maple Syrup – for sweetness. You could replace with honey, if desired.
- Vanilla extract – for flavor.
- Eggs – I know 3 eggs seems like a lot but it’s necessary for the ratio with coconut flour.
- Coconut flour – do not skip or replace! I’ve never had any luck making these with a different type of flavor so proceed with caution if replacing.
- Dutch-processed cocoa powder – do not use regular cocoa powder or cacao, they will be too bitter!
- Sea salt – helps to amplify the sweetness. Omit if watching sodium levels.
- Baking soda – to help these avocado brownies rise
- Chocolate chips – you can also use chocolate chunks. Highly recommend!
Learn how to make Avocado Brownies Step-by-Step
Are these avocado brownies healthy?
Love it or hate it, these avocado brownies are healthy! Will these taste like Betty Crocker boxed brownies? Hell.to.the.no. But they will taste totally delicious! Better yet they’re made with super healthy swaps like:
- Avocado for butter
- Coconut flour for regular all-purpose flour
- Applesauce for fudgier texture (you can also replace with 1 large banana if you don’t have any)
This is probably the most controversial recipe I’ve ever posted. If you read the comments you will see that people love them or absolutely hate them! At the end of the day it comes down to taste buds. Like I said, if you like a super decadent and sweet brownie, these are not for you. However, if your tastebuds are acclimated to not that much sugar and grain-free recipes, you will love this avocado brownie recipe.
Tips for Making Avocado Brownies
- Make sure your avocados are ripe – but not TOO ripe. They should be green and creamy inside
- Coconut flour is essential to keep these brownies paleo – do NOT replace with another flour (even almond flour) unless you know how to adapt flours
- SIFT YOUR FLOUR! I’m a #lazybaker so I often skip this step but if you watch the video above you’ll see that these avocado brownies come out clumpy if you forget to sift your flour. Still delicious but the texture is off.
- Use dutch-processed cocoa powder. Because these brownies are already rich, using unprocessed cocoa will make them too bitter.
- Depending on how you like your brownies adjust the baking time for texture. At 25 minutes they come out on the fudgier side but if you prefer more fudgy bake for less or more cake-like bake for longer
How To Store These Avocado Brownies
I prefer to store leftovers in the refrigerator though they’ll last for 2 days on the counter in an airtight container.
My favorite way to eat these though is directly from the freezer! I know…sounds gross but it tastes like fudge. Just cut into 16 brownies (or desired amount) and once fully cool place them in a sealed ziplock bag or airtight container to freeze. Take one out and enjoy right away or let sit for 5-10 minutes to thaw up a bit. They’ll last up to 6 months in the freezer (though they never last that long here!)
More Healthy Brownies!
- Dark Chocolate Tahini Brownies
- Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Brownies
- The Ultimate Grain-Free Brownies
- Raw Walnut Brownies
- Black Bean Brownies
Avocado Brownies
A healthy and delicious recipe for avocado brownies! Replace oil or butter with heart-healthy avocados for a delicious and nutritious dessert. These rich and chocolatey brownies are actually good for you!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 16 brownies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 large avocado
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (replace with 1 large banana if you don’t have any)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened dutch-processed cocoa powder**
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup of chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with coconut oil or line with parchment paper.
- In a blender or food processor blend avocado, applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla.*
- Add these wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk in eggs.
- In a separate bowl, sift your coconut flour and dutch-processed cocoa powder. Mix in sea salt and baking soda.
- Slowly add your dry ingredients to avocado mixture and stir until well-combined.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Add batter to baking dish and spread so top is even.
- Place in oven to bake for 25-30 minutes (slightly less for fudgier brownies or slightly longer for more cake-like brownies).
- Allow to cool for 20 minutes before cutting into 16 brownies.
- Keep them on the counter in an airtight container at room-temperature for up to 2 days or for a longer shelf-life store in the fridge or freezer (see notes above).
*You can also mash these together by hand but make sure that you mash it up very well and there are no clumps.
** Make sure you use dutch-processed otherwise your brownies will taste bitter – this is the step that people often forget!
I was a bit skeptical with all the negative comments, but I have to admit, these were very misleading comments! The end product was absolutely wonderful!!
Thanks for your feedback! Really goes to show that everyone’s taste-buds are different 😉
Hi Davida,
I would LOVE to try these. I’m allergic to coconut however. Could I substitute for regular flour in the same quantity? I know it’s less healthy…but that’s been my struggle with trying to cut out traditional flour in my baking. I’m also allergic to all nuts and Almond flour is another staple. What about tapioca?
Thank you,
Ivette
I made this using white flour because I did not have coconut flour. I think it turned out quite well. I baked it for 30 minutes. It was moist and dense. If you like dark chocolate you will like this as dark chocolate is not as sweet as milk chocolate. We put a little peanut butter on our second piece and it was even better. I read the cmments about the coconut flour after I made it so I used the exact measurements but white flour instead of coconut. My husband and I loved it. Will probably make it again.
I just tried making these – followed your recipe step by step. I can honestly say they’re the most disgusting thing I’ve ever tried – eggy and bitter with the cocoa – almost savoury. I even tried making a second batch with slightly more maple syrup and sweetened cocoa – while marginally more edible, they were still awful. Needless to say, both batches are in the bin. I clearly should have read the other comments first as it seems others have had the same issue. Don’t waste your time with this recipe. I won’t be wasting my time with this blog either.
Had an avocado that was going to turn so I figured I’d give these a try. I’m an admitted sugarholic so…these were interesting. More cake than brownie-like and slightly gritty mouth feel. I covered them in melted chocolate and pb chips and then I could eat them. If you’re used to traditional brownies, you will not be pleased with these.
I made these brownies last night and they were pretty good! I cooked them for 24 minutes. They did seem a little dry. Do you suggest cooking them for a little less time to keep them moist?
definitely. I find mine are still pretty fudgy at that time but every pan and oven is different. Cook for less time for a fudgier brownie. Enjoy!
I just made these and I did enjoy them. The texture of it is slightly different than something made with regular flour, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it in no time. Mine turned out nice and soft, and I didn’t think they were “disgusting” at all. Of course they aren’t as sweet as a traditional brownie, but if they were that sweet they wouldn’t be healthy! I made coconut whipped cream (just chilled canned coconut milk whipped with some maple syrup) and topped the brownie with the cream and strawberries…made it more of a cake than a brownie. I did enjoy it, but I have also not had sugar (besides pure maple syrup) in a few weeks so I’m sure that makes a difference. Maybe the people that said it was disgusting eat really sugary desserts?
Yes I totally agree! My taste buds are adjusted to a much less sweet dessert. They’re delicious, but if you’re expecting a Betty Crocker brownie, then you’re in for something else haha. Glad you enjoyed!
I just made these and was pleasantly surprised by the taste. I wasn’t expecting them to taste like a regular brownie and I don’t have a sweet tooth so maybe that helps. I sprinkled a bit of cinnamon and coconut sugar on the top (a small amount) and it added a little sweetness. My boyfriend loves sweet things and even he was into it. So maybe they aren’t for everyone but seriously don’t let some of the negative comments above scare you away from trying this. I’m probably going to add some banana in the batter next time.
Keep up the good work! I’m subscribing now 🙂
Glad to hear you enjoyed them! I think people get caught up in the idea that a brownie needs to be super sweet….or just somehow ignore that they’re labelled as “healthy”. While I wish we could make healthy brownies taste like betty crocker brownies, that would require us to load them with butter and sugar. Glad you enjoyed them and great idea to add a banana for added sweetness!
Made these today and they taste AMAZING. so delicious. I used coconut oil instead of apple sauce and agave nectar instead of maple syrup. They are super moist and i will definitely make again 🙂
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed 🙂
It would be so great if you could list the number of calories in your recipes – i am going to try these after i have worked out just how big a dent they will put into my calorie allowance for the day. 🙂