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. Plus, 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!
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 rich, and I'm sure I'm not alone.
Lightened-up versions of classic desserts are totally my jam! And these oil-free WFPB banana brownies are just perfect. Gotta love a dessert that doesn't leave you feeling sluggish and that's healthy enough for everyday!
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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 combination of maple syrup and coconut sugar to make these healthy brownies taste dessert-worthy.
Oat flour lends really nice texture, nut butter gives them a bit of richness, and cocoa powder brings ALL the chocolate vibes. Include chocolate chips if you like!
At only 120 calories per brownie, these are surprisingly light, so I actually want to give you a heads up on that...
If you're looking for a super dense, rich, fudgy kind of brownie, these may not be the ones for you. I highly recommend these buckwheat brownies in that case.
But if you like the sound of a delicious, wholesome, cake-like brownie married with the warm flavor of banana bread and the crunch of walnuts, you're definitely in the right place!
Ingredient Notes
- Bananas - make sure to use bananas with a lot of dark spots. They should be 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 cocoa.
- 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 to use 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 chocolate flavor. Also, a little liquid is 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 the recipe card below for amounts and full instructions.
Instructions
Start by preheating the oven and lining a square, metal 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Next, combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Then peel and thoroughly mash the bananas in a separate bowl.
The longer you stir and mash the bananas, the softer and more moist they will become. Measure to make sure you have 1 full cup mashed banana.
Add the remaining wet ingredients to the banana and whisk well. Pour into the mixing bowl, and stir to form a batter. Fold in the chopped walnuts.
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Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and bake for 28 to 31 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes, then move to a cooling rack.
Tips for Slicing
The only difficult part of this recipe is 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.
Serving Suggestions
For breakfast: Enjoy a banana brownie straight from the fridge for breakfast along with a hot cup of coffee. Sometimes I like to pair it with a spoonful of peanut butter to make it extra filling. They're also great with fresh berries and yogurt!
Afternoon snack: These brownies travel well and make a great on-the-go snack since they're fine at room temperature all day.
For dessert: I'm perfectly happy having one or two of these small brownies after dinner as a healthy dessert. For more indulgence, serve them with your favorite non-dairy whipped cream or vegan ganache on top!
Banana brownies taste fantastic with a scoop of any of these homemade vegan ice creams:
- Vanilla Oat Milk Ice Cream - a reader favorite!
- Banana Nice Cream
- Vegan Butter Pecan Ice Cream
- Chocolate Chickpea Ice Cream - nut-free
Substitutions
- Almond butter: Other options are tahini, sunbutter, peanut butter, or cashew butter.
- Flour: Though I haven't yet tested the recipe 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 want to use 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 - although you can definitely use cacao if that's what you have. Also, as noted in the recipe, if using Dutch process cocoa, use baking powder instead of baking soda.
How to Store
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 are fine at room temperature for a day or two, 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 on the peels. They should be sweet, fragrant, and soft since they provide a lot of the moisture in the brownies.
More Healthy Brownies & Treats
I hope you love these Vegan Banana Brownies! If you try the recipe, leave a comment below to let us know. You can also tag me on instagram with @myquietkitchen. I always love to see what you're making!
Recipe Video
Tap to play the video and see how to make banana brownies.
Recipe
Healthy Vegan Banana Brownies
Equipment
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
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon - reduce or omit if you like
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup mashed overripe banana - about 2 very large bananas; should have plenty of dark spots
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut sugar - Can sub date or 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
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C), and line an 8x8 metal baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the oat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- Place the bananas in a small bowl, and thoroughly 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, coffee, vanilla, and almond butter, and stir vigorously until smooth.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry, and stir until fully combined. Fold in the walnuts.
- Transfer batter to the prepared pan, and bake for 28 to 31 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the banana brownies rest in the pan for 20 minutes, then lift out by the parchment paper. Allow to cool completely before cutting into 16 squares.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and ingredients used.
kathyodell6 says
I love these brownies. The first time I made them I accidentally used orange flavoring instead of vanilla. Wow! I use it every time now.
Lori Rasmussen says
Oooh, orange sounds delicious. So glad you love them, Kathy!
Libby says
I substituted the maple syrup for agave, brown sugar for coconut sugar, and added a tad extra flour and they came out amazing, super cakey and unlike a lot of vegan healthy brownies these are very fluffy !!
Kimberly says
Hello,
These brownies sound delicious, and I'm eager to try the recipe!
I follow Dr. Joel Fuhrman's "nutritarian" eating style, so I do not cook or bake with salt, oil, or sugar, or any other sweetener, except whole dates that I process/blend myself (not packaged date syrup).
Do you have any suggestions for what I could use in place of the maple syrup and the coconut sugar? Of course, I'm thinking of using blended dates, but I don't know how much I should use to replace these two ingredients, especially considering that they have two different textures. Also, if I were to omit the salt, would it affect the texture, as well as the flavor? (I'm concerned only about the texture; at this point, I'm accustomed to eating foods without added salt.)
I was taught that "baking is chemistry," so before I attempt to adapt a recipe to my way of eating, I always consider how the original ingredients work together to yield the finished product, and try to find the best substitutes I can.
I appreciate any ideas you may have, and I promise to follow up here with the outcome!
Thank you very much,
Kimberly
P.S. I love Mexican chocolate, so I will add some dried, powdered chile, probably ancho, or maybe morita for a touch of smoky flavor. (Cayenne would also work.) For those who like a little heat, chiles pair beautifully with chocolate, cinnamon, and nuts.
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi Kimberly. I think using your homemade date paste will work very well. I would start with 1/4 cup, then taste to see if you might like a touch more. The mashed banana adds a good amount of sweetness. Also, love the idea of adding ancho or another chile powder. Sounds delicious!
Kimberly says
Hi Lori,
Thank you very much for your reply, and your advice!
I definitely will give the modified recipe a try, and will comment again to let you know how the brownies came out.
With appreciation,
Kimberly
Josie G says
Wow wow wow! Delicious! By far one of the best brownies I’ve ever had! Just sweet enough and chocolatey! My go to from now on! Thank you 🥰
Christine says
This is - hands down - THE best healthy vegan brownie recipe I've ever tried! What an amazing recipe. The only change I made was, instead of 1 tbsp of brewed coffee, I added 1/2 tsp of instant coffee. Thank you so much!
Anto says
This came out super tasty!!! I was a little concerned about the banana flavor, but they were so yummy. Also, I added more cacao powder and used peanut butter (because that’s what I had). I definitely will do this recipe again!!!
Vaths says
Thanks Lori for the awesome recipe. The brownies came out delicious.
I did the following substitutions.
Soy flour (what I had)
Extra ¼ cup maple syrup (for sugar)
Raw cacao powder (what I had)
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi Cammie - I'm replying here to your question below so it doesn't get lost. That should work but unfortunately I haven't tried it. You'll need to increase the bake time and may sacrifice some texture around the edges, but otherwise should be okay. Let us know if you give it a try!
Donna says
Very happy w this recipe. Thank you.
Taha says
We love these! We have completely omitted the coconut sugar and replaced the almond butter with tahini.
Absolutely delicious!! 😋
Kathy says
can you substitute applesauce for the banana?
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi Kathy - I haven't tried it so I'm not sure about the texture. Flavor-wise I I wouldn't recommend a straight swap since bananas are sweeter and more flavorful.
Eliza says
Looks amazing,is there an alternative to the nut butter?
Lori Rasmussen says
If you're looking for tree nut-free, tahini and sunbutter also work. Since this is the main/only source of added fat in the brownies, it needs to be something similar to the nut butter. Hope that helps!
Lila says
I sadly missed putting in the coffee /plant milk because I was following the instructions under the recipe and it wasn't listed. I hadn't read through it all so assumed it came later but then put it in the oven before double-checking.
Lori Rasmussen says
Oh my goodness, sorry about that! I can't believe it's been missing all this time and you're the first person to tell me. Thank you. Hope they turned out delicious anyway!
Cammie says
Can this be doubled and turn out okay and does it have to be baked in a metal pan?
I can't wait to make them!