Vegan Banana Brownies (Gluten-Free & Healthy)

These ultra gooey and decadent vegan banana brownies are a must-try! Made without added oil and using oat flour, they are healthier and completely dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan. Perfect good-for-you dessert or snack and healthy enough to enjoy for breakfast!

If you love healthy vegan desserts, then you are at the right place! I already have plenty of them on my website, with my favorites being my recent no bake peanut butter fudge and my vegan matcha cookies, but this time I felt like a gooey and fudgy vegan banana brownies.

And these are so yummy! I highly recommend you to try making this recipe instead of banana bread (although very delicious too, of course) next time you have a bunch of perfectly ripe bananas that are ready to be baked into something. Especially if craving chocolate. These healthy banana brownies are so easy, flavorful and even low-in-fat!

Plus, this banana brownie recipe is very satisfying: it really feels like a treat, but will also make you feel good! Even though they are made dairy-free, without oil (no coconut oil), egg-free and without vegan butter, they are incredibly soft, very moist and very very chocolatey. The bananas add an extra sweetness naturally, but also bind the ingredients together and help keep the brownies ultra moist.

The batter is made with tons of good-for-you and gluten-free ingredients, such as oat flour, almond butter and antioxidant-rich raw cacao powder, plus a good amount of banana for extra natural sweetness and fudgy-ness. Load it up with vegan dark chocolate chips for a nice boost of sweet and melted chocolate flavor in every bite.

This is a lightened up vegan brownie recipe that's healthy enough to enjoy for breakfast, but that also will take care of any sweet chocolate craving!

Hope you give them a try! ❤️

Why you will love this recipe

• Easy and simple recipe
• Great recipe to use your overripe bananas!
• Gluten-free and made without wheat flour
• Rich in flavors with lots of chocolate yumminess and just perfectly sweetened
• Super soft and gooey
• Includes fiber-rich oat flour for a healthier recipe
• Dairy-free, eggless and oil-free

Ingredients you will need

• Bananas: look for ultra ripe bananas for best texture, but also more sweetness.
• Almond butter: the almond butter's healthy fats will help create a soft and moist consistency, but will also add a nice background of nutty flavor. Other nut or seed butters should work too.
• Maple syrup: complements the bananas to sweeten the brownies. Maple syrup is less processed than granulated white sugar, which helps make this recipe healthier!
• Plant-milk: use any kind you like!
• Vanilla extract: optional, but pairs well with the dark chocolate to flavor the brownies.
• Oat flour: it keeps this brownie recipe fully gluten-free, but also makes for a healthier swap compared to white flour. I used oat flour from the brand Arrowhead Mills, but any brand should work. You can also make your own oat flour using rolled oats and a blender if you don't have any store bought oat flour (you are looking for a super fine texture just like regular flour).
• Baking powder: to help puff slightly the brownies so they are not too dense.
• Raw cacao powder: I prefer cacao powder compared to cocoa powder because it is less processed and retains more of its nutrients through the manufacturing process. But, if you only have cocoa powder, then that will work too.
• Vegan dark chocolate chips: I love the mega chunks vegan chips from the brand Enjoy Life.

How to make healthy vegan banana brownies

Pre-heat the oven to 350º and line a 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.

Combine

In a large bowl, combine the oat flour with the baking powder, salt and raw cacao powder. Make sure to get a smooth mixture without any clumps of flour or cacao left. I love using a spatula so I can break and press on the clumps as I go.

In a medium bowl, add the mashed banana, almond butter, maple syrup, plant milk and vanilla extract. Use a whisk to ensure the almond butter is all combined and smooth without any clumps: it should be very uniform with some visible specks of bananas.

Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Then, fold in the chocolate chips.

Garnish and bake

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth the surface using the back of a spoon or a spatula. You will have to push the batter up to all the corners.

Then, garnish the brownies with your favorite ingredients! I love adding a few sliced bananas and chocolate chips on top. The banana caramelizes and becomes super sweet and creamy while the chocolate gives it that extra melting effect.

Bake in the oven for 35-37 minutes (it will depend on your oven!). When testing this recipe, I baked it for 30 minutes at some point, which gave me SUPER gooey brownies. Something to consider if this is what you are looking for (underbaking is safe as there is no white flour and no eggs)!

Let the brownies cool down for at least 15 minutes in the dish before slicing (pull on the sides of the parchment paper to take it all out first).

Watch how to make it

Baking tips

• Overripe bananas are best to bake in cakes or breads as they bring more natural sweetness and also keep the baked goods moist.
• Stir well in the pot of almond butter before measuring what you need. You are looking for a runny and not dry (like what you can get at the bottom of a container) almond butter!
• Every oven is different! Check for doneness using a toothpick: it should come out clean (unless you poke in some melted chocolate...). For ultra gooey brownies, then you can also bake it for about 5 minutes less than recommended.
• Cool the brownies for at least 15 minutes before slicing. If still super warm, then it might break and crumble while you try slicing them.
• For a sharp cut: wipe clean your knife in between each row!

Variations to the recipe

I didn’t include nuts in this brownie recipe, but if you want a nice crunch, then add a handful of chopped walnuts or almonds to the batter.

Also, for a more intense chocolate flavor, feel free to add some coffee! To do it, replace the amount of the plant milk with either instant coffee mixed in with hot water or a strong coffee brew (total of ¼ cup). This will definitely deepen the flavor even more!

More ideas to include in the batter are: a dash of cinnamon, vegan white chocolate chips instead of dark chocolate or salted peanuts.

As for toppings, there are endless options! Feel free to be creative and garnish your brownies with your favorite ingredients before baking. Here are a few ideas:

• Shredded coconut
• Sliced strawberries or raspberries instead of sliced bananas
• A swirl of peanut butter or fruit jam
• Chopped nuts, especially almonds or walnuts

Serving suggestions

Chocolate brownies and a large glass of cold milk are definitely a pair meant to be! We love oat milk by the glass, so this is what we enjoy them with, but if you love flavored milks, then try pairing them with a strawberry almond milk or a cashew chocolate milk.

We love these brownies for dessert, but they are so healthy they can be enjoyed for snacking or even breakfast with a nice steamy cup of coffee. Yum!

Also, I love to frost brownies to give it a nice layer of creamy texture. Try pairing with my super simple peanut butter frosting or this dark chocolate coconut frosting. Make sure to frost when the brownies are completely cooled down.

And if you really feel like a treat, then you can chop the brownies in smaller cubes and use them to top ice cream. Then, garnish with vegan whipped cream and a tahini caramel or a vegan chocolate sauce for a delicious dessert.

Storage tips

Once completely cooled down at room temperature, then slice and transfer to a air-tight container so they don't dry out. They are fine at room temperature for about 24 hours, but after that, transfer to the fridge.

They can also be frozen for up to 3 months! Let them thaw overnight in the fridge before enjoying.

These are delicious cold straight from the fridge, but for a softer texture with clusters of melted chocolate, then warm up in the microwave for a few seconds before enjoying.

FAQ's

More vegan brownie recipes you might like

• Vegan pumpkin brownies
• Vegan mini matcha brownies
• Vegan black bean brownies
• Vegan chickpea blondies
• Vegan mug brownie

More vegan recipes to use your ripe bananas

• 5-Ingredients vegan banana bread
• Strawberry banana smoothie bowl
• Chocolate banana milkshake
• Spelt banana bread
• Banana watermelon smoothie
• Chocolate, strawberry and banana smoothie
• Gluten-free buckwheat banana smoothie
• Banana carrot smoothie
• Vegan banana mug cake
• Almond flour banana muffins
• Banana chai smoothie
• Vegan baked oats
• 3-ingredient banana oatmeal muffins

I hope you like these vegan banana brownies as much as we do! If you try this recipe, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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