Super fudgy chocolate banana brownies that you could easily eat for breakfast! This dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan treat will satisfy any chocolate craving without destroying your diet. If you like the idea of dessert for breakfast, try my paleo banana berry breakfast cookies, too.
They’re brownies, sure – but you know what they’re not? Unhealthy. They’re, dare I say, healthy. Good for you.
Brownies that are suitable as breakfast! Okay, maybe that’s a difficult thing to sell… or is it?
Ingredients for fudgy chocolate banana brownies
Let’s take a look at the ingredients:
- Banana – source of vitamin C and potassium
- Applesauce – source of fiber, makes the brownies moist as a substitute for eggs
- Cocoa powder – also a source of fiber and antioxidants
- Maple syrup or honey – source of antioxidants, adds sweetness
- Almond milk – free of cholesterol and saturated fat
- Espresso powder – enhances the chocolate flavor
- Dairy-free chocolate chips – perfect for the allergy-prone because they’re gluten, dairy, nut, egg and sulfite free
How to make chocolate banana brownies
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×8 pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- In a food processor, blend bananas for 5-10 seconds until mostly smooth.
- Add applesauce, cocoa powder, maple syrup, milk, vanilla and espresso powder and blend until smooth.
- Add baking soda, baking powder and chocolate chips and pulse for a couple seconds to blend.
- Pour batter into pan and bake for 25 minutes or until the top is no longer shiny and slightly cracked. The inside should be slightly under-baked – it will set as it cools, and will be the perfect fudgy consistency!
- Very important: Let sit at least a couple hours to cool before cutting and serving (they’ll be even more firm if you can leave them overnight). Store in fridge in an airtight container. Enjoy!
Can I substitute some of the ingredients?
You can swap ingredients to your liking and I’ve noted those substitutions in the recipe card below.
This doesn’t have to be dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan – but why not let it be?
With that said, don’t swap all the things. If you swap all of the ingredients for different things, you may not end up with the same result, and I unfortunately can’t predict that outcome for you.
Tips for the perfect fudgy brownies
- The omission of flour isn’t a typo! This recipe was developed with the intention of being flourless. No flour, no baking powder. That’s why they’re super fudgy and rich.
- You have to let them set – I’m serious. When they come out of the oven they’re not yet going to be completely set. This step is critical to your success.
- These have strong banana and chocolate flavors, so if you don’t like bananas or chocolate – this probably isn’t the recipe for you. If that’s the case, maybe you should try my Paleo Double Chocolate Brownies or No-Bake Date Brownies!
- You don’t have to include the espresso powder, but I highly recommend it. It enhances the chocolate flavor, but won’t affect the texture of the final recipe if it’s not present.
I mean, c’mon. How could you say no to these things? I’ll tell you right now that people in my office were to the point of harassing me for this recipe they loved them so much.
And then my coworker’s spouses were harassing me.
And I’m fairly confident that a random crow flew by while I was on a walk and asked me about it.
These are so moist that they almost fall apart a little… but in a good way.
So keep some napkins and a glass of milk (non-dairy or otherwise) nearby!
Description
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce, can substitute 1 egg
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup maple syrup, can substitute honey
- 2 tablespoons coconut or almond milk, can substitute dairy milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips or chunks, can substitute regular chocolate chips
- Powdered sugar, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8"×8" pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- In a food processor, blend bananas for 5-10 seconds until mostly smooth.2 ripe bananas
- Add applesauce, cocoa powder, maple syrup, milk, vanilla and espresso powder and blend until smooth.1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/3 cup maple syrup, 2 tablespoons coconut or almond milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- Add baking soda, baking powder and chocolate chips and pulse for a couple seconds to blend.1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips or chunks
- Pour batter into pan and bake for 25 minutes or until the top is no longer shiny and slightly cracked. The inside should be slightly under-baked – it will set as it cools, and will be the perfect fudgy consistency!
- Very important: Let sit at least a couple hours to cool before cutting and serving (they'll be even more firm if you can leave them overnight). Store in fridge in an airtight container. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- You could swap ingredients to your liking and I’ve noted those in the recipe above – but keep in mind if you swap all of the things, you may not end up with the same result, and I unfortunately can’t predict that outcome for you.
- These are very fudgy and moist, and don’t hold together the way a more cake-like brownie would. Embrace it! Top it with some fruit or ice cream and eat it with a spoon :)
Linda
Made this following the recipe completely and it is life changing—can’t wait to make it again!
Leslie Kiszka
Ahhh love to hear this!
Lexus
This brownie recipe is such a treasure.
Mind you I did switch up the recipe a smidge, instead of a full cup cocoa powder I did 1/2 and 1/2 almond flour.
These were so fudgy and I loved the banana/chocolate flavor.
10/10 recommend!
Leslie Kiszka
I’m so glad that you liked it! Thanks so much for coming back to share your experience and leave a comment, I really appreciate it!
Gila
THESE ARE DELICIOUS! I tried them for the first time today (replacing apple sauce with an egg because I didn’t have any apple sauce..) and felt skeptical because of the low calorie and fat content but it is so delicious I feel like my dreams are coming true *wipes away tear*
It’s perfect, so I gave 5 stars, but I might experiment with adding some melted chocolate and half a cup of cocoa powder instead as it is very rich..
Leslie Kiszka
Thank you so much for coming back to share your experience! I’m so glad you enjoyed them.
Guadalupe Hernandez
Great brownies, added walnuts and let me say these are one of the best brownies I have ever had :) thank you for sharing your recipe with us Leslie!:)
Leslie Kiszka
I’m so glad you liked them!
Kelsey
Have you tried using Stevia substitute for the syrup? That is just way too much sugar for me. I’m extremely sensitive to sugar, and ripe bananas are more sugary anyway so I’d like to just leave out any other added sugar. Should I add another egg? Oil?
Leslie Kiszka
I haven’t tried anything outside of what I listed in the recipe myself, so unfortunately I don’t have advice for you.
Susan
Can you substitute the espresso powder and if so what can you use
Leslie Kiszka
You can just leave it out altogether.
Gabrielle
I made these brownies. Yes, they are fudgy, not sweet, and healthy. I honestly think they could of used another babana. For some reason, my brownies did not rise. Any reason why?
Leslie Kiszka
I wouldn’t add another banana as there would be far more moisture than dry the dry ingredients listed would support. I’m not sure why they did not rise, but I would suggest checking on the expiration date of your baking soda and baking powder, and check on your oven’s calibration as it might have cold spots that prevented it from baking the way you needed it to – check out this post, hope it helps! https://stressbaking.com/how-to-calibrate-your-oven/
Esther
Lovely brownies! I was a bit unsure at first with them being banana based but they only have a slight banana after taste and are still very tasty! I think next time I might add some frozen raspberries to the mix to make them even better!
Cassey
These were REALLY good. I left out the chocolate chips to keep them healthier, they are great for someone who wants to be healthy and NEEDS chocolate! These will be my chocolate fix! Thank you!
Leslie Kiszka
Fantastic – so glad you liked them!
roaming through baja
This was really good! I can’t eat chocolate so I substituted carob powder and we can’t tell the difference. Delicious and gooey, and came out exactly like the photos. Glad I saw this recipe and I’ll start looking at others on your site. Thanks!
roaming through baja
Forgot to add that I used an egg and regular milk.
Leslie Kiszka
So glad you liked them! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment and rating, I really appreciate it. Hope you find other recipes you like on the site :)
willewanka
I’m ;pking for the banana cocoa fudge brownies recipe <3 as a topper for my breakfast, plant based / vegan As mine came together this a.m. there's one more medium sized stalk of rhubarb in the fridge to mince to add <3 The lectins in the nuts reduce ti the heat reactions of baking Love the site & please do share ma 'halo namaste~ wille wanka
Monica
Made this this afternoon. Had it with ice cream. Sooooo yummy. Thanks for the recipe.
Leslie Kiszka
So glad you liked it!
Jacquelin Matz
This is a nice blog. Keep it up. I Just shared it on my Facebook profile.
Elisa
I used egg instead of applesauce, added 1/3C pastry flour, and omitted the chocolate chips as I didn’t have any on hand. They looked beautiful and baked perfectly to the recipe’s instructions, I was so happy! However, the cocoa flavor was too much for me and they tasted kind of bitter. I’m definitely going to try this again with a little more flour and a little less cocoa. Thanks for posting!
Leslie Kiszka
I’ve never made these adding flour (since my goal was to have it be flourless), so I can’t speak to your results – but glad you’d like to try it again!
Katie
These brownies are DIVINE. I love to use very ripe bananas in recipes because of their natural sweetness so I’m always on the lookout for new banana recipes to try out. I love how easy this recipe was to throw together! I left them in the fridge and the next day they had the most perfect gooey fudgy brownie texture. I could barely taste the banana but the sweetness was there and the cocoa and espresso powder gave a beautifully dark intense flavour. Perfect with a splash of soya cream. This will definitely be my go-to brownie recipe from now on. Thank you!
Leslie Kiszka
I’m so happy to hear that you loved them, thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment with your experience as well as a rating!
Stacie
I loved everything about these brownies, except the overpowering flavor of the coacoa powder, like others have said it ruins the recipe a little bit, next time I will substitute regular flour and do only 1/2 cup of coacoa powder, I was hesitant to do a whole cup Knowing how strong and bitter it is, but I guess if that’s what you prefer it would be fine, regular brownies don’t taste like that though. Have you ever tried adjusting that??
Leslie Kiszka
Sounds like a matter of personal preference – so many people have told me how much they enjoy the flavor as it’s written. But if you were to use a different kind of cocoa powder (like maybe a Special Dark), it may be more to your liking! I’ve never made it with flour as it’s intended to be a flour-less recipe, so I can’t say how it would turn out for you with that added in.
Joy
I absolutely loved these brownies!! You said it….they are the fudgiest brownie I’ve ever had and I love the intense flavor!! I followed the directions and kept in fridge overnight and they are perfect! Thanks for sharing.
Leslie Kiszka
I’m so glad you liked them! Thank you so much for stopping by to give your feedback and a rating, it’s greatly appreciated!
Grace
I loved them! Let them set overnight in the fridge and ate them with neopolitin ice cream the next day. Very fudgy and worth the wait!!
Amelia
After reading so many polarizing reviews where people said it never cooked or the flavor sucked, I gave this recipe a try. I really liked it. I did have to cook it a few minutes longer but that’s usually the way my oven is.
Leslie Kiszka
Thanks for stopping by to share your feedback, Amelia! This recipe does seem to strike people in the extreme in one way or the other, but I’m certainly glad you enjoyed it.
Nadim Rahman
Never thought a healthy dessert would turn out to be better than the “real” brownie fudge. I had some fresh Medjool dates (juicy with slightly caramelized taste). I chopped about ten of those and added to the batter. I don’t have a baseline to compare this modified outcome with, but it turned to be divine – me and the missus LOVED it! Thank you for posting and inspiring! :)
Leslie Kiszka
I’m thrilled that you liked it so much – thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment and rating, Nadim!
ann
I made these this evening. I’m also not a fan of the recipe. The texture was fine, but the banana and chocolate flavors compete with one another and are overpowering.
Leslie Kiszka
I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy this recipe, and even more sorry that you disliked it enough to give it a 1 star rating. It’s definitely one for people who are big fans of strong banana and chocolate flavors, so if you don’t enjoy that, this definitely wouldn’t be a recipe you would enjoy! I hope you’ll consider trying some of my other brownie recipes to see if those flavors are more to your liking. Regardless, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Val Tyson
I used Premier Protein powder instead of the cocoa powder and these turned out sooo good! Thanks for the recipe!
Leslie Kiszka
That sounds great – so glad you liked it. Thanks for stopping by to share!
Lamia
These turned out great! ??
Anonymous
Love this recipe! Thanks for the healthy recipe to hit the spot! Will keep this recipe and share with friends! ❤️
Leslie Haasch
That makes me so happy to hear – thank you so much for stopping by to comment!
Cara
I think the size pan you recommended may be too small, with the exception of the version of the recipe that includes the egg. I used maple syrup, applesauce and coconut milk and the result had edges that had a consistency as shown in the picture of the finished recipe above, but the inside shifts around and is liquidy like batter. Also, I followed the recipe exactly and my brownies are far thicker than yours.
Laura
I love these healthy fudgy brownies and share with my healthy and celiac friends.
Anonymous
These are revolting. You have no flour in the recipe at all so it is just straight cocoa powder. Its way too strong of a taste and they fall apart when you cut them bc there is nothing holding it together!
Leslie Haasch
Wow, that’s a very strong reaction! I always hate to hear someone having a negative experience with one of my recipes – but it sounds like maybe you didn’t let it set completely, as noted in the recipe. You most definitely have to let them set for at least a couple hours before you try to cut into them and you can throw them in the fridge if you want to help that process along more quickly. At that point they’ll be very moist and fudgy, but shouldn’t completely fall apart. They do have a strong chocolate and banana flavor, so if you’re not into either of those this recipe definitely wouldn’t be appealing to you. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy these, but hope you’ll try other non-chocolate/banana recipes on my site to find something more to your tastes!
Kimberly Marks
These are my go to recipe when I “need” chocolate. Instead of the espresso I substitute with instant coffee. It really does enhance the flavor of them nicely. Thanks for the great recipe!
Leslie Kiszka
I’m so glad you like it!
Stephanie
I made a few changes And they turned out more cakey than fudgy (actually how I like it), and my family loved them! I made only 8 though. I first used an egg, then I only added a 1/2 cup of cocoa and 1/2 cup of all purpose flour. (Maybe you can use gluten free flour??). I skipped the espresso powder, substituted the maple syrup with 8 drops of stevia (stevia is a natural sweetener), and added one extra tablespoon of almond milk. I baked on a lower temperature (300 Fahrenheit) for about the same time. This recipe is great to use up bananas and make yourself a treat!
Kim
I substituted an egg, dairy milk, 1/2 cup sucralose, and 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips and they turned out well. I think they need whipped cream or ice cream to make them really tasty, but that’s probably because they have so much less sugar with so few chocolate chips. This way they are only 2 weight watcher points for 1/9 of the recipe.
Leslie Haasch
I’m so glad you liked it! However I’m not sure what you mean by your question – I used 1 cup (aka: 8 ounces) cocoa powder. I hope that answers your question!
Anonymous
This recipe is awesome! I am a vegan so I experimented with vegan egg (flaxseeds+hot water) instead! Cheated without putting baking powder, vanilla and coffee and it turned out perfectly fine after I left it in the fridge overnight! May I know what is the size of the cup you used for the cocoa powder?
Rose Deluca
Well I made them and I did put 2 tbls.flour because I was chicken,And I used the egg and they were the best I had ever had.Pretty much guilt free with almost no flour and no sugar.
Leslie Haasch
Haha, I understand why you may have been worried – I’m glad you liked them!
Oditty
Mine turned out exactly like the images here – I used an egg instead of applesauce and dairy milk (2%). Followed the recipe otherwise. So so good!
Leslie Haasch
I’m so glad you loved it!
Katie
These brownies are DIVINE. I love to use very ripe bananas in recipes because of their natural sweetness so I’m always on the lookout for new banana recipes to try out. I love how easy this recipe was to throw together! I left them in the fridge and the next day they had the most perfect gooey fudgy brownie texture. I could barely taste the banana but the sweetness was there and the cocoa and espresso powder gave a beautifully dark intense flavour. Perfect with a splash of soya cream. This will definitely be my go-to brownie recipe from now on. Thank you!
Leslie Haasch
I promise they will :) I’ve made them many, many times and they always come out as the picture – I would never, ever include photos that isn’t of the recipe that’s noted! That would be cruel and just plain rude to you all.
All you have to do is make sure that you’ve let them set for at least a couple hours before you try to cut into them, as noted in the instructions (you can throw them in the fridge if you want to help that process along) and they’ll be fudgy and wonderful!
Leslie Haasch
I’m so glad to hear it!
Claire
These turned out great! I used an egg and sugar instead of applesauce and honey, and halved the amount of chips. I also mixed everything with a fork instead of blending them. But they still turned out fudgy and moist. I will be making them again. Thanks for the recipe!
Ojones
Mine turned out awsome! Great recipe, just curious how many calories do you think 1 square is ?
Leslie Haasch
I’m so glad you liked them! The nutritional info will vary a lot based on which ingredients you use and how many squares you cut them into for each serving. But as a rough estimate if you had 9 bars, I would say 90-100 calories :)
Jeanette
I think something was left out of the recipe. Flour, maybe? Mine were just batter after baking also… :(
Leslie Haasch
I’m so bummed to hear this! It’s not missing an ingredient, since they’re purposefully without flour.
I’m going to do some testing this weekend to see what might be happening that would cause my results to be so much different from yours and Shan’s. If you could tell me the ingredients that you used if would really help me troubleshoot:
Did you use…
– applesauce or egg?
– maple syrup or honey?
– coconut, almond, or a different kind of dairy or non-dairy milk?
Tanya Miller
Exacrly! They will never be as at the pics wiithout any flour
Leslie Haasch
I’m so sorry to hear that! They’re definitely very moist like I mentioned, but I’ve made these many times without an experience where they were still mostly batter, so that’s terrible to hear. Let’s see if we can pinpoint what might have happened so I can ensure this doesn’t happen again – I wonder if there is a certain combination of ingredient substitutions that could be prone to this problem that I just haven’t experienced myself before:
Did you use….
– applesauce or egg?
– maple syrup or honey?
– coconut, almond, or a different kind of dairy or non-dairy milk?
Thank you for telling me, and I’m going to try to prevent this for others by altering the recipe to the best of my ability!
Shan
These turned out terribly! I baked mine over the over the amount of time because they puffed up then fell flat. They are still gooey, pretty much like the batter was before baking and nothing like your photos! Help??! Any others had success or failure?