Healthy Banana Brownies (3 Ingredients, Flourless)

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.

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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.

While the whole recipe is just below, don’t miss all my tips further down, including ingredient swaps, my cooking tips, and step-by-step shots!

Healthy Banana Brownies

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 and healthy dessert.

4.99 from 66 votes

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

cool down: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 9 squares

Calories: 140.9 kcal

Author: Carine Claudepierre

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Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• ▢ 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 sweetness

• ▢ ½ cup Dairy-Free 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.

Notes

Note 1: you need 1 1/2 cup mashed bananas. The darker the bananas, the sweeter the brownies. If your bananas are yellow, not ripe, add the chocolate chips for a boost of sweetness.

Note 2: You can use sweetened cocoa powder to boost the sweetness of the brownies if you are using yellow bananas.

Note 3: Almond butter or sunflower seed butter works as well.

Note 4: or chopped walnuts.

Storage: Store the brownies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Oven Mode: I use the fan-forced (convection) mode. If you have to use conventional mode, I recommend increasing the temperature by 25°F (15°C). The baking time should be the same, but it might take a few more minutes.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1square (no chocolate chips) | Calories: 140.9kcal | Carbohydrates: 17.3g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8.4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 63.3mg | Potassium: 343mg | Fiber: 4.3g | Sugar: 7.2g | Vitamin A: 29IU | Vitamin C: 3.9mg | Calcium: 17.7mg | Iron: 1.3mg | Magnesium: 69.2mg | Phosphorus: 106.8mg | Zinc: 0.9mg

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.

1. 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.

2. Then, use a silicone spatula to stir in fresh drippy peanut butter and cocoa powder.

3. 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.

4. Pour the batter into a greased 6-inch baking pan, or a greased 8-inch brownie pan for thinner brownies.

5. If you like the brownie sweeter, sprinkle dark chocolate chips on top of the batter before baking.
6. 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.
7. Let the brownies cool down on a cooling rack for 30 minutes at room temperature before slicing.

Carine’s Tips

• 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

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