These Healthy Banana Brownies are fudgy vegan brownies made with just 3 ingredients: banana, cocoa powder, and peanut butter. They are gluten-free, flourless brownies you can make in less than 30 minutes for a quick healthy dessert.
I am back with another healthy brownie recipe made with just 3 ingredients and I am so excited to share this treat with you. It taste like the combo of my vegan banana bread and vegan brownies. It’s fudgy, packed with bananas, and a delicious peanut butter flavor.
This recipe is inspired by two previous recipes I developed, the 3-ingredient chocolate banana cookies and my peanut butter banana brownies made with oat flour.
Why You Will Love These Healthy Banana Brownies
- Easy and healthy
- Just 3 ingredients
- Gluten-free
- Vegan
- Grain-free and no flour needed
- Egg-free
- Dairy-free
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Ripe Bananas – The choice of bananas in this recipe is the key to the success of these brownies. I recommend using large, yellow to ripe bananas, but not green ones. You want bananas that are sweet and soft enough to mash easily into a puree. If your bananas are too small or too green, the brownies will be dry and not sweet. For naturally sweetened banana brownies, use bananas with dark brown spots on their skins.
- Unsweetened Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder is the best to avoid added sugar and ensure a deep chocolate flavor. But, if you have a sweet tooth, go for a sweetened cocoa powder. My tip is to use fairtrade cocoa powder sweetened with coconut sugar to keep the brownies refined sugar-free and healthy.
- Natural Peanut Butter. This is the second tricky ingredient that can make the brownies perfect or super dry. My tip for a delicious, fudgy, healthy banana brownie is to use a fresh jar of natural peanut butter without added sugar and no added salt. You need runny, drippy peanut butter, not dry nut butter that will make the brownie dry. My expert tip is to stir the newly opened jar of peanut butter well before measuring it in a cup. This combines the oily part on top with the nut butter to perfection. If you have a nut allergy, try sunflower seed butter or tahini. Almond butter and cashew butter also work in this recipe.
Preparation
Making healthy banana brownies is easy, and you have two options. You can use:
- A food processor
- A mixing bowl
If you use a food processor it’s easy, place all the 3 ingredients into the food processor bowl and blend until smooth.
- If you use a mixing bowl, peel and mash the bananas in the bowl into a thin puree. You can use a fork or a potato masher. Most of the time, bits and pieces of banana won’t mash well, and that’s fine.
- Then, use a silicone spatula to stir in fresh drippy peanut butter and cocoa powder.
- The batter should be thick, moist and not dry. At this point, you can stir in 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts of chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into a greased 6-inch baking pan, or a greased 8-inch brownie pan for thinner brownies.
- If you like the brownie sweeter, sprinkle dark chocolate chips on top of the batter before baking.
- Bake from 25 minutes to 30 minutes at 350°F (180°C) or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the banana brownies comes out with just a little crumb on it.
- Let the brownies cool down on a cooling rack for 30 minutes at room temperature before slicing.
Expert Tips To Bake 3-Ingredient Brownies
- Measure carefully. Baking with minimal ingredients means that each ingredient is more important than usual. If you use a too small banana, the brownies will be dry. If you don’t add enough of one ingredient, the result can be different. Make sure you use the ingredients listed in the recipe card for the best outcomes.
- Use ultra-ripe bananas for ultimate fudgy texture and sweetness without added sugar.
- Add chocolate chips. Stir 1/2 cup of chocolate chips in the batter for an ultra-fudgy and intense chocolate flavor.
- Serve with a pinch of sea salt to enhance the chocolate flavor of your brownies.
- Add maple syrup if the bananas are not ripe enough. For a natural boost of sweetness add 2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup to the wet ingredients.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can store the brownies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
You can freeze these brownies sliced in small containers for up to 3 months.
More Healthy Vegan Brownies
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Healthy Banana Brownies
Ingredients
- 3 large Ripe Banana - (note 1)
- 4 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - (note 2)
- ½ cup Peanut Butter (Unsalted) - (note 3)
Optional – for a boost of sweeteness
- ½ cup Vegan Dark Chocolate Chips - (note 4)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 6-inch brownie pan with parchment paper and grease it with cooking oil. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the banana into a smooth puree,
- Stir in peanut butter and cocoa powder with a silicone spatula until it looks like a brownie batter. It's fine if you see bits and pieces of bananas as long as the batter is not dry. If too dry, it means you used smaller bananas or your nut butter is dry and not oily. Add more mashed banana to fix the batter or a splash of almond milk.
- Stir in chocolate chips until if used.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top if you like.
- Bake the brownies for 25-30 minutes in the oven at 350°F (180°C) until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a little crumb on it.
- Cool down on a cooling rack for 20 minutes before serving.
Simple. Delicious. Perfect . . . and not too much chocolate for someone who only enjoys a mediocre amount of chocolate.
‘m kinda lost. It says to measure well, but I can’t find how much of any product is needed in here. Or I’m really dumb but I’ve read it 3 times now
Did you try looking at the recipe card? There’s a jump to recipe button, a table of content to take you there
Thank you. I missed that
I am so glad I found your recipes! I have already made these brownies twice! They are truly sooo delicious and satisfy a sweet tooth without all the guilt. I add a little splash of maple syrup and a little almond milk and they’ve come out perfectly both times. Thank you soo much for sharing your creativity with the world!
These brownies are amazing! So easy to make and perfect for a healthy treat. I used almond butter instead of peanut butter and they were still delicious. Thanks for the great recipe!
Wow! I can’t believe these brownies are healthy! They are so rich and decadent. I will definitely be making them again.
It would be helpful to have quantities listed next to the ingredients. For example how many bananas and how much cocoa powder and how much peanut butter.
It’s all there in the recipe card 😉
Delicious and easy to make! I added some chocolate chips to mine and they were even better. Perfect for a quick snack.
I had a bunch of ripe bananas sitting on my counter and came across this recipe on Instagram. It was so easy to make and turned out to be a fabulous recipe for healthy brownies. I used chocolate almond butter instead of peanut butter only because I had an excess of almond butter. I did use the chocolate chips. The texture is not dry at all and it turned out great. It’s a keeper!
These brownies are a lifesaver! They are so quick and easy to make, and they are perfect for satisfying my sweet tooth. I will definitely be keeping this recipe in my rotation. Thanks!
Love these brownies! They are so healthy and satisfying. I will definitely be making them again and again. Thanks for sharing!