Avocado Brownies (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

These Avocado Brownies are rich and indulgent but secretly healthy, and definitely don't taste of avocado! They're a good source of protein and fibre, super satisfying and easy to make. They're vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar free, date-sweetened, grain-free, oil-free and nut-free optional. A delicious alternative to my Sweet Potato Brownies or Black Bean Brownies!

Using avocado in brownies might seem a bit strange, but it's a great idea! They create a velvety, fudgy texture but you can't taste the avocado at all once you add the cocoa powder.

Tips for baking with avocados

• Make sure your avocados are soft and ripe - the softer the texture of your avocados, the better the texture of the brownies.
• Make sure to blend up the avocados until they're completely smooth - nobody wants chunks of avocado in their brownies!
• Be careful when peeling and pitting the avocados - don't remove the stone with a knife, it's dangerous!

How to make this recipe

Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (including measurements and full instructions).

• Place the soaked and drained dates, avocados, almond butter and plant-based milk in a food processor or blender.

• Whizz until completely smooth.

• Transfer into a glass mixing bowl along with all the other ingredients.
• Mix well.

• Transfer the batter into a square baking tin.

Tip: Line the tin with greased baking paper to make it easier to remove the brownies after.

• Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

• You can also spread over a chocolate frosting if you like - instructions in the recipe!
• Leave to cool completely (and ensure the frosting has firmed up) before cutting into squares.

Frosting options

I've included a simple chocolate frosting recipe in this post, but here are some other options:

• Chocolate ganache.
• Sweet potato chocolate buttercream frosting.
• Cashew chocolate buttercream frosting.

Substitutions you can make

• You can use any type of nut or seed butter - almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, tahini etc.
• You can use any type of plant-based milk - almond milk, cashew milk, soy milk, rice milk, oat milk etc.
• You can replace the ground almonds with ground hazelnuts, ground walnuts or ground sunflower seeds.
• You can make them nut-free by using ground sunflower seeds instead of ground almonds, sunflower seed butter or tahini instead of almond butter and nut-free plant-based milk.
• You can add chocolate chips!

How long do these Avocado Brownies keep for?

These Avocado Brownies keep covered in the fridge for up to a few days - the taste and texture remains unchanged which means they're great for meal prep and making ahead for entertaining.

More vegan brownies

• Sweet Potato Brownies
• Black Bean Brownies
• No-Bake Brownies
• Zucchini Brownies
• Peppermint Brownies
• Pumpkin Brownies
• Beetroot Brownies

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

Watch how to make this recipe

Avocado Brownies (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

These Avocado Brownies are rich and indulgent but secretly healthy, and definitely don't taste of avocado! They're a good source of protein and fibre, super satisfying and easy to make.

3.29 from 42 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: avocado brownies, gluten-free brownies, vegan brownies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 16 brownies

Calories: 264kcal

Author: Rhian Williams

Ingredients

For the brownies:

• ▢ 350 g (2 cups) pitted dates soaked overnight in cold water or for 10 minutes in boiling water
• ▢ 2 small ripe avocados , peeled, pitted and diced
• ▢ 60 g (¼ cup) smooth almond butter (or sub any other nut or seed butter)
• ▢ 120 ml (½ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or sub any other plant-based milk)
• ▢ 360 g (3 cups) ground almonds (almond meal)
• ▢ 75 g (¾ cup) cocoa powder
• ▢ Pinch salt to taste
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)

For the frosting (optional):

• ▢ 50 g (1.8 oz) dark chocolate * (ensure vegan/gluten-free if necessary)
• ▢ 4 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (or sub any other plant-based milk)

Instructions

For the brownies:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
• Drain the dates and place in a food processor or blender with the avocados, almond butter and almond milk.
• Blend until completely smooth, mixing it around a couple of times if necessary.
• Transfer into a large mixing bowl along with the ground almonds, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder.
• Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry.
• Transfer the mixture into a square or rectangular baking tin lined with greased baking paper – I used a 23cm/9inch square baking tin.
• Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. They should be slightly cracked at the top and slightly firm inside but still quite gooey – be careful not to overcook!

For the frosting (optional):

• Break up the chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl with the almond milk.
• Place the bowl over a pan of boiling water and stir regularly until melted – make sure not to overheat it as the chocolate will ‘split’ if you heat it too much.
• If the chocolate does split, you can easily fix this by adding boiling hot water to it 1 teaspoon at a time and stirring well until the mixture goes back to normal.
• Carefully pour the frosting over the brownies.
• Use a spatula, knife or spoon to evenly spread the chocolate across the surface.
• Leave to cool completely (and ensure the frosting has firmed up) before cutting into squares.
• Keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

Video

Notes

*For a refined sugar free version, use a refined sugar free chocolate. 

• You can use any type of nut or seed butter - almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, tahini etc.
• You can replace the ground almonds with ground hazelnuts, ground walnuts or ground sunflower seeds.
• You can make them nut-free by using ground sunflower seeds instead of ground almonds, sunflower seed butter or tahini instead of almond butter and nut-free plant-based milk.
• You can add chocolate chips!

Tips for baking with avocados

• Make sure your avocados are soft and ripe - the softer the texture of your avocados, the better the texture of the brownies.
• Make sure to blend up the avocados until they're completely smooth - nobody wants chunks of avocado in their brownies!
• Be careful when peeling and pitting the avocados - don't remove the stone with a knife, it's dangerous!

Nutrition Facts

Avocado Brownies (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 264 Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Fat 18g28%

Saturated Fat 2g10%

Sodium 14mg1%

Potassium 415mg12%

Carbohydrates 27g9%

Fiber 8g32%

Sugar 15g17%

Protein 8g16%

Vitamin A 37IU1%

Vitamin C 3mg4%

Calcium 108mg11%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

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