• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
My Quiet Kitchen
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Start Here
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home >> Recipes >> Vegan Dessert Recipes

    Healthy Vegan Banana Brownies

    Updated Aug 4, 2022 by Lori · This post contains affiliate links.

    13.1K shares
    • Share
    • Email it
    Jump to Video
    banana brownie pin for Pinterest
    Vegan Banana Brownies pin for Pinterest
    pin for Pinterest.
    image to save on Pinterest
    pin for Pinterest.

    These healthy vegan banana brownies are a tried-and-true reader favorite! Made with oat flour, they have a light, cake-like texture, with hints of banana bread and rich chocolate flavor. They're a sweet treat you can feel 100% great about! Made without oil or refined sugar, these banana brownies are WFPB (whole-food, plant-based), gluten-free, and dare I say it, healthy enough for breakfast!

    a stack of healthy oat flour brownies showing texture and walnuts inside.

    The Best Healthy Brownies

    Not long ago I was working on a different brownie recipe (these fudgy almond flour brownies) and doing some research to get ideas.

    I fully admit I've been living a somewhat sheltered, healthy-ish plant-based lifestyle for a long time, and I know my tastes have changed. But looking at some of the brownie recipes online kind of blew my mind!

    We're talking heaps of butter, coconut oil, sugar, and flour... not to mention the chocolate!

    I honestly can't imagine the tummy ache I would have after eating something that intensely rich, and I'm sure I'm not alone.

    Lightened-up versions of classic vegan desserts like these oil-free brownies are totally my jam!

    Gotta love a dessert that doesn't leave you feeling sluggish and that's healthy enough for everyday!

    Jump to:
    • The Best Healthy Brownies
    • Why You'll Love Banana Brownies
    • Ingredient Notes
    • Instructions
    • Tips for Slicing
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Substitutions
    • Storage
    • Top Tip
    • More Oat Flour Recipes
    • Recipe Video
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Why You'll Love Banana Brownies

    One cup of mashed, overripe banana provides moisture, binding, and sweetness, which means we need less sugar.

    And speaking of sugar, we're not using any of the refined stuff. We're using a combo of maple syrup and coconut sugar to make these healthy brownies taste dessert-worthy.

    Oat flour provides awesome texture, nut butter gives them a bit of richness, and cocoa powder brings ALL the chocolate vibes.

    That's right, there's no actual chocolate in these, unless you'd like to add chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate.

    At only 120 calories per brownie, these are surprisingly light, so I wanted to be sure to give you a heads up!!

    If you're looking for a super dense, fudgey type of brownie, these may not be the ones for you...

    But if you like the sound of a refined sugar-free, cake-like brownie married with the warm flavor of banana bread and the crunch of walnuts, you're definitely in the right place!

    oil-free oat flour brownies on parchment paper with bits of banana on top.

    Ingredient Notes

    • Bananas - make sure to use bananas that are very soft, sweet, fragrant, and moist. Since we're not using oil, a lot of the moisture in the brownies comes from the bananas.
    • Oat flour - use fine oat flour, whether store-bought or homemade in a high speed blender.
    • Cocoa powder - regular or Dutch process.
    • Sweeteners - maple syrup contributes moisture and flavor, so I can't recommend a substitute. Brown sugar may be used instead of coconut sugar.
    • Almond butter - I like raw, unsalted almond butter in this recipe. Use your favorite nut or seed butter. If it's salted, reduce the sea salt to ¼ teaspoon.
    • Coffee - just 1 tablespoon of brewed coffee really adds to the rich flavor. A bit of liquid is also important for the overall consistency of the batter. So if you don't have coffee, use your favorite non-dairy milk instead.
    • Cinnamon - adds depth and lovely banana bread vibes! But if you don't enjoy cinnamon feel free to reduce or omit it.

    See recipe card below for amounts and full instructions.

    collage showing mashed banana for brownie batter.
    two photos showing mixing wet ingredients into dry.

    Instructions

    The process is really easy and goes like this:

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.
    2. Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
    3. In a smaller bowl mash the bananas very well with a fork (or squeeze them with your clean hands).
    4. Stir the other wet ingredients into the banana.
    5. Next, add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir until well combined. Fold in the walnuts.
    6. Pour the brownie batter into the pan, and bake for 28 to 31 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
    banana brownie batter in a parchment-lined pan.

    Tips for Slicing

    The only difficult thing about this recipe might be waiting while they cool! Between the bananas, cinnamon, maple, and cocoa, they smell totally irresistible.

    Since these brownies are gluten-free and have a tender, cake-like texture, it's best to wait until they're completely cool before cutting into squares. I know it's tough, but I believe in you!

    And hey, if the smell of chocolate banana brownies overtakes your will, and you cut into them a bit early, is a bit of crumbly, moist, chocolatey goodness really such a bad thing? I think not.

    overhead view of dark, low-calorie vegan brownies cut into squares.

    Serving Suggestions

    For breakfast: 

    Imagine this... you wake up the next day, and while enjoying a hot cup of coffee or tea you pull a healthy banana brownie straight out of the fridge for breakfast.

    And maybe you even pair it with a spoonful of peanut butter to make it extra filling. There are worse ways to start the day!

    After lunch or as a snack: 

    These are perfect on-the-go or as an afternoon snack since they're fine at room temperature all day.

    For dessert:

    I'm perfectly happy having one or two of these after dinner as a healthy dessert. If you want to kick up the dessert-factor, serve these with your favorite non-dairy whipped cream or ice cream plus a dash of cinnamon on top!

    Banana brownies taste fantastic with a scoop of any of these vegan ice creams:

    • Vanilla-Maple Oat Ice Cream (a reader favorite!)
    • Pumpkin Oat Ice Cream 
    • Banana Nice Cream
    • Butter Pecan Oat Ice Cream
    • Chocolate Chickpea Ice Cream (nut-free)

    Substitutions

    • Almond butter - try them with tahini, sunbutter, peanut butter, or cashew butter.
    • Flour - though I haven't tested the recipe yet with other whole-grain flours, I do think it will be fairly forgiving. The key is to use the same weight in grams. For example, if you wanted to use white whole-wheat flour instead of oat flour, use ¾ cup (approx. 90 grams) instead of 1 cup.
    • Cocoa powder - for the best flavor I recommend regular cocoa powder instead of raw cacao powder (though you can definitely use cacao if that's what you have). And as noted in the recipe, if using Dutch process cocoa instead of regular, use baking powder instead of baking soda.
    close up of little chunks of banana in these oil-free brownies.

    Storage

    Once the brownies are cool, I like to leave them on the parchment paper and transfer them to a storage container with a tight-fitting lid.

    If you need to stack them to fit inside the container, place parchment between the layers to prevent sticking.

    The brownies can be stored at room temperature for a day or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I actually prefer them cool straight from the fridge.

    Banana brownies freeze well, too. They thaw fairly quickly, so just pull one from the freezer an hour or two before you'd like to eat.

    Top Tip

    Make sure to use very ripe bananas with plenty of dark spots. They should be sweet, fragrant, and moist since they provide a lot of the moisture in the brownies.

    More Oat Flour Recipes

    • overhead view of cut blondies on parchment paper
      Vegan Banana Blondies
    • overhead view of cake with a slice on a plate
      Oil-Free Vegan Chocolate Cake With Strawberries
    • big stack of chocolate cookies
      Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • drizzling dark chocolate sauce from a spoon over a jar
      Vegan Chocolate Sauce (Oil-Free; Oat Milk)

    I hope you love these deliciously healthy Vegan Banana Brownies!

    If you try the recipe please leave a comment below to let us know! You can also tag me on instagram with @myquietkitchen.

    Recipe Video

    Tap to play the video and see how to make banana brownies.

    📖 Recipe

    a stack of 4 vegan oil-free banana brownies

    Healthy Vegan Banana Brownies (Oil-Free)

    Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen
    These healthy vegan banana brownies are light yet perfectly chocolatey, with a cake-like texture, wholesome oat flour, crunchy walnuts, and hints of warm, caramel-y banana. Free from refined sugar, oil, dairy, eggs, soy and gluten.
    Servings: 16 brownies
    4.89 from 204 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time: 30 minutes mins
    cooling time: 30 minutes mins
    Total Time: 40 minutes mins

    Equipment

    • 8x8 baking pan
    • parchment paper

    Ingredients 

    Dry ingredients:

    • 1 cup oat flour (100 g) - Use certified gluten-free oat flour if needed.
    • ½ cup natural cocoa powder - If using Dutch-processed cocoa (alkalized), replace the baking soda with baking powder.
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda (replace with baking powder if using Dutch-processed cocoa)
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

    Wet ingredients:

    • 1 cup mashed overripe banana (about 2 large bananas) - Use bananas with a lot of dark spots
    • ¼ cup maple syrup
    • ¼ cup coconut sugar - Can sub brown sugar
    • 1 tablespoon brewed coffee or non-dairy milk
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • ⅓ cup runny almond butter, unsalted - Or any nut/seed butter you like; will alter flavor.

    Addition:

    • ½ cup chopped raw walnuts
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.
    • In a mixing bowl whisk together the oat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
    • Place the bananas in a small bowl, and mash with a fork. It's fine to have a few larger pieces remaining. Measure to make sure you have 1 cup of mashed banana. Add the maple syrup, coconut sugar, vanilla, and almond butter, and stir vigorously until combined.
    • Pour the wet mixture into the dry, and stir to combine. Fold in the walnuts.
    • Transfer batter to prepared pan, and bake for 28 to 31 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
    • Let brownies rest in the pan for 30 minutes, then lift out by parchment paper. Allow to cool completely before cutting into 16 squares.

    Notes

    Storage
    Store brownies in an airtight container. If you need to stack them, just fold over the existing parchment paper or place a new piece of parchment between the layers to prevent sticking.
    The brownies can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 days, refrigerated for up to 5 days, or frozen for a month or two.
    From frozen, the brownies thaw fairly quickly. So just transfer them to the refrigerator about an hour before you'd like to eat.
    Serving Suggestions
    These taste great straight out of the fridge. You can also warm them slightly before serving and top with whipped coconut cream or vegan vanilla ice cream. And don't forget an extra dash of cinnamon on top!

    Estimated Nutrition (per serving)

    Serving: 1squareCalories: 122kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 3gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 0.7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 80mgFiber: 3gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 10.5IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 1mg

    Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used. We calculate this information using the online calculator cronometer.com.

    Tried the recipe?I love hearing from you! Share your feedback below.

    More Vegan Desserts

    • Bright photo of a spoon scooping up vegan apple crisp made in the microwave, topped with a crunchy pecan-oat topping.
      Microwave Apple Crisp (Scalable Recipe)
    • banana cookies with chocolate chips on a baking sheet with one cookie broken in half to show texture.
      Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
    • Thick vegan whipped cream clinging to the whisk of a stand mixer.
      Vegan Whipped Cream (No Coconut!)
    • A vegan vanilla milkshake in a hurricane glass topped with non-dairy whipped cream and sprinkles.
      Vegan Milkshake Without Ice Cream
    13.1K shares
    • Share
    • Email it

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Share Feedback Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Nina

      July 29, 2023 at 5:58 am

      Hi thanks for fab recipe 👏👏👏 could I use regular plain flour (UK) instead of oat flour? Nutritional Valued do you know what the saturated fat is. Thanks.

      Reply
      • Lori

        July 29, 2023 at 8:14 am

        Hi Nina,
        Plain flour will be fine - reduce the amount to about 80 grams (2/3 cup). And I just checked on the saturated fat. Per small square it's less than 1 gram. Hope you enjoy the brownies!

        Reply
    2. Emily C

      June 29, 2023 at 10:01 pm

      These are great!! I added walnuts and vegan marshmallows and they are FANTASTIC. Thanks so much!

      Reply
    3. Tammy

      May 06, 2023 at 10:20 am

      These turned out so delish. They had a very moist heavy cake texture. I used tahini for the nut butter and brown sugar. I blended all of my wet ingredients in a blender so my family wouldn’t see any banana. Worked perfectly. Thanks for a great recipe.

      Reply
    4. Ching Crowell

      April 17, 2023 at 1:59 pm

      Excellent recipe, thank you so very much for sharing. Made this recipe probably 9 times. No matter which I ingredients I replaced instead of what's listed it's still tastes soooooooo good, and I believe I am kind of addicted 😅.

      Reply
    5. Kathleen

      March 13, 2023 at 5:47 pm

      I was staring at two very ripe bananas, wondering what to do with them, and came across this recipe. It could not have been easier! I didn’t want to dirty two bowls so I mixed the wet ingredients then added the dry to that. Delicious, moist and not cloyingly sweet. Perfect!

      Reply
    6. Sarah

      February 28, 2023 at 8:42 pm

      I wanted to sweeten w fruit only as I am diabetic so I smooshed 6 medjool dates in w banana to replace maple syrup and coconut sugar as an experiment. Delish! Definitely less sweet than what most are used to but for me, so delish! So glad I stumbled upon your page! Thank you!

      Reply
      • LisaH

        July 14, 2023 at 9:09 am

        I love your idea of replacing the sugar with dates. I have used date sugar in recipes, which is a bit drier, so I add an extra tablespoon of moisture (apple sauce, nondairy milk, etc). The powder form of dates is convenient when you don’t have dates on hand. Really appreciate your tip!!!

        Reply
    7. Michelle

      February 22, 2023 at 1:53 pm

      Can’t wait to try this! What can I do if my homemade almond butter is stiff? Maybe add a tablespoon of applesauce?

      Reply
      • Lori

        February 22, 2023 at 2:34 pm

        Yes, applesauce sounds good! An extra tablespoon of milk would probably work, too. Hope you enjoy them!

        Reply
    8. Lynn

      December 31, 2022 at 1:10 pm

      I just made this for lunch and I loved it! So easy to make and SO full of flavor. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
    « Older Comments

    Primary Sidebar

    author Lori Rasmussen in her kitchen

    Hi, I'm Lori. Welcome to My Quiet Kitchen where I share easy vegan recipes with a healthier twist. Many are special diet-friendly or easily adapted. I also have a passion for veganizing classic desserts, and sometimes even those get a healthy-ish makeover.

    Learn more about me →

    Fall Favorites

    • close up of chili in a pot showing thick meaty texture.
      Best Lentil Chili
    • two bowls filled with creamy mushroom stew garnished with parsley.
      Creamy Vegan Mushroom Stew
    • A slice of vegan gluten-free pot pie on a plate.
      Healthy Vegan Pot Pie
    • baked stuffed mushrooms on a baking sheet.
      Easy Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms
    • healthy and creamy vegetable noodle soup in a white bowl with herbs nearby.
      Creamy Vegetable Noodle Soup
    • close up of mushroom gravy on mashed potatoes
      Vegan Mushroom Gravy
    • a slice of healthy vegan pumpkin pie dusted with cinnamon.
      Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie (oil-free, too!)
    • overhead view of crimped unbaked crust in a pie plate
      Vegan Gluten-Free Pie Crust (Easy & Oil Free)

    Popular Recipes

    • close up of oat flour vegan mug cake in a cute smily face mug.
      Healthy Oatmeal Mug Cake
    • close up of vegan tuna sandwich to show texture.
      The BEST Vegan Tuna Salad
    • close up of herb salad dressing in a small glass jar on a gray stipe napkin.
      Oil-Free Italian Salad Dressing
    • Homemade Korean barbecue sauce in a small glass jar.
      Korean BBQ Sauce
    • sliced seitan steaks on a white platter.
      Easy Seitan Recipe (Seasoned, Versatile)
    • different tahini dressing variations with ingredients on marble background.
      Tahini Dressing 5 Ways
    • hand holding a waffle cone filled with 3 scoops of vegan ice cream.
      Vegan Oat Milk Ice Cream (No Coconut)
    • a stack of 4 vegan oil-free banana brownies
      Healthy Vegan Banana Brownies

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    About Lori
    Privacy Policy
    Accessibility

    Newsletter

    Subscribe to receive free recipes by email.

    Contact/Follow

    Facebook
    Pinterest
    YouTube
    Instagram
    Contact Us

    Copyright © 2023 My Quiet Kitchen