The Best Vegan Date Brownies
These Vegan Date Brownies are AMAZING. You would never guess that these fudgy brownies are also gluten-free and are sweetened with dates only!
As someone who doesn’t go a single day without consuming some form of chocolate, brownies are one of my favorite ways to get my chocolate fix. These brownies are perfectly fudgy, chocolatey, and indulgent. And you would never know they are made with healthy ingredients!
Vegan Date Brownie Recipe Notes
These Vegan Date Brownies are naturally sweetened with dates. Allowing the dates to soak in boiling water for 10 minutes is the secret to giving these cookies an extra fudgy texture! Dates are loaded with health benefits, which is why I love using them as a sugar alternative in baking.
These Vegan Date Brownies call for oat flour, which is one of my favorite gluten-free flour alternatives. I usually make my own oat flour. You can make your own oat flour by placing oats in a blender and blending until a flour consistency is reached.
Additionally, this recipe calls for 1/2 a cup of unsweetened apple sauce. Apple sauce is used in this recipe as a vegan egg replacement. Plus, it also helps add moisture to these brownies. A good rule of thumb is that you can replace one egg with 1/4 cup of apple sauce.
If you love these brownies be sure to check out my recipe for Sweet Potato Brownies, which is one of the most popular recipes on my website!
Did you try this recipe? Feel free to share it with me on Instagram or leave a comment below! Happy baking!
The Best Vegan Date Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup of dates pitted
- 3/4 cups oat flour can be made by blending whole oats in your blender or food processor until you have a flour consistency
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 salt
- 1/2 cup of unsweetened apple sauce
- 2 tablespoons of natural nut butter I use peanut butter
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup of chocolate chips
- Plus chocolate chips for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 4×8 pan with parchment paper. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, once water is boiling remove from heat and allow dates to soak for 10 minutes until soft.
- While you are waiting for your dates to soak, add the rest of the ingredients (aside from chocolate chips) to your food processor and blend until combined. Stir in your chocolate chips.
- Drain your dates and add them to the food processor and blend until evenly combined (About 30 seconds to a minute). You may want to stop periodically and scrape the sides to ensure everything is evenly combined.
- Scoop out brownie batter into your prepared baking pan. The dough will be thick and sticky, but these brownies do not spread in the oven so try evenly spread the batter. Top with additional chocolate chips.
- Bake in preheated oven for 22-24 minutes or until the top no longer appear to be wet. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving and enjoy!
Wow, these are real beauties! Trust me, I have tried these and they are INCREDIBLE! Ella’s recipes should always start with “I can’t believe it’s vegan.”
Hi! Is the peanut butter optional? I don’t like butters and wondered if it was okay to just omit it 🙂
Hi Nalia, the peanut butter helps add moisture to these brownies, but the flavor does not come through. I have not personally tried any additional nut butter substitutions, but I would love to know if you tried any other substitutions that worked here! Happy baking! 🙂
I made these last night for the first time, and they were so, so good. Especially because I served them warm…yummm. I love that they are not only refined sugar-free, but also oil free (yay applesauce!) They are a really wholesome treat, even though they taste like a very indulgent dessert. Thank you for this recipe!
Hi Caitlyn, thank you so much for this kind review! I am so glad you enjoyed these brownies! Happy baking! 🙂
These brownies are really good! I’ve been craving and looking for a healthy brownie recipe that doesn’t spike my blood sugar, and doesn’t contain oil or flour! These are really easy to make and just plain lovely! Thank you!!!!
Hi Kim, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, I am so glad you enjoyed these brownies! Happy baking! 🙂
These truly are the best vegan, date sweeten and gluten-free chocolate goodness I’ve ever had! I have been trying various vegan brownies for six months and they’re all subpar. . But this! This is my all-time favorite vegan date sweetened brownies and I will make these again and again and again! Yay !!!
Hi Eli! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed these brownies! Thank you so much for the kind review! 🙂