Fudgy Chocolate Banana Brownies
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.
Lexus said: “This brownie recipe is such a treasure… These were so fudgy and I loved the banana/chocolate flavor. 10/10 recommend! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐“
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!
Leaving a star rating is a great (and free) way to support Stress Baking! ❤️ After you've made this recipe, please consider clicking on the stars below to share your experience!
Fudgy Chocolate Banana Brownies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce, can substitute 1 egg
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup, can substitute honey
- 2 tablespoons coconut or almond milk, can substitute dairy milk
- 2 teaspoons pure 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
- confectioners’ sugar (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 (81 ⅓ g) unsweetened applesauce1 cup (86 g) unsweetened cocoa powder1/3 cup (107 ⅓ g) pure maple syrup2 tablespoons coconut or almond milk2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract1 teaspoon espresso powder
- Add baking soda, baking powder and chocolate chips and pulse for a couple seconds to blend.1/2 teaspoon (½ teaspoon) baking soda1/2 teaspoon (½ teaspoon) baking powder1 cup (180 g) 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 :)
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is generated by an automatic API and does not take variations across specific brands into account. This information is provided as a general guideline and should not be treated as official calculations. Learn more here.
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!
Fantastic – so glad you liked them!
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!
Forgot to add that I used an egg and regular milk.
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 :)
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
Made this this afternoon. Had it with ice cream. Sooooo yummy. Thanks for the recipe.
So glad you liked it!
This is a nice blog. Keep it up. I Just shared it on my Facebook profile.
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!
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!
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!
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!
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??
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.
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.
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!
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!!
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.
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.
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! :)
I’m thrilled that you liked it so much – thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment and rating, Nadim!
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.
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!
I used Premier Protein powder instead of the cocoa powder and these turned out sooo good! Thanks for the recipe!
That sounds great – so glad you liked it. Thanks for stopping by to share!
These turned out great! ??
Love this recipe! Thanks for the healthy recipe to hit the spot! Will keep this recipe and share with friends! ❤️
That makes me so happy to hear – thank you so much for stopping by to comment!
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.