Healthy Vegan Brownies | Refined Sugar Free and Oil-Free

These healthy vegan brownies will satisfy your sweet tooth without the guilt. They are refined sugar free and oil-free yet still chewy, gooey, and chocolatey.

The words healthy and brownie usually don’t go together. When I hear the word brownie I think of a thick decadent, chewy, and chocolatey bite of goodness.

While when I hear the word healthy I think of raw vegetables and salads. Now, I love a good salad, and raw veggies are my jam, but so are brownies. They are one of my favorite plant-based desserts.

If you couldn’t tell already I’m sort of a chocoholic. I don’t just love chocolate I need chocolate. But when it comes to desserts and brownies in particular, I want to feel like I’m having a sweet indulgence yet still feel good about what I’m putting into my body.

I wasn’t sure it would be possible to have a healthy vegan brownie. Sure there are vegan brownies out there that are thick and fudgy, but they almost always contain oil or a vegan butter, and other refined vegan ingredients such as vegan butters, white and brown sugar, and white flour.

I was determined to make a brownie that was healthy enough to put into my rotation of plant-based vegan treats. That meant it had to follow a few requirements. They had to be whole food plant-based with no oil, no refined sugar, no eggs, and no dairy.

What I came up with was a healthy vegan brownie that’s good enough to eat! They are subtly sweet, extra chocolatey, and dare I say, good for you!

Why You’ll Love these Healthy Vegan Brownies…

• Whole food plant-based ingredients
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Oil free
• Only 8 simple ingredients
• Easy prep
• Less than 100 calories per serving!
• Chewy and Chocolatey
• A healthy and decadent dessert

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Healthy Vegan Brownies

• 3/4 cup date sugar
• 1/2 cup of cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tbsp ground flax
• 1/4 cup water

Tools and Equipment You’ll Need

• Mixing bowls
• Spatulas
• 8×8 baking pan
• Parchment paper

Parchment paper is one of those tools I always have on hand. I use it whenever I’m baking because it allows me to bake cookies, cakes, brownies, and even roast vegetables without needing to use oil. The parchment paper doesn’t stick to food, so I was easily able to lift these brownies from the pan and cut them into even beautiful squares.

How to Make Healthy Vegan Brownies – Step by Step

Step 1: Preheat oven to 325 F. Combine ground flax and water in a small bowl. Set aside for 15 minutes. Stir in applesauce and vanilla after 15 minutes.

Step 2: While waiting for the flax egg to set, combine dry ingredients (date sugar, cocoa powder, whole wheat flour, baking powder, and salt) in a medium mixing bowl.

Step 3: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stirring until combined.

Step 4: Pour batter into an 8×8 pan lined with parchment paper. Spread evenly.

Step 5: Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan and cutting into squares.

Optional: Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Tips for Making Healthy Vegan Brownies

• Use organic whole food ingredients whenever possible.
• Mix the ground flax with warm water and set aside for at least 15 minutes or until flax and water begin to thicken into an egg like consistency.
• Mix dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls before combining.
• Line your baking pan with parchment paper. This eliminates the need to grease the pan and will allow you to remove your brownies from the pan with ease.
• Allow to cool completely before cutting.

What makes these healthy vegan brownies?

• Low-Fat-These brownies have no added oil or fat. One brownie has only 1.2 g of fat and .5 g of saturated fat.
• Low Calorie-One brownie has only 79 calories. By eliminating oil the calorie count in addition to the fat count in these brownies is significantly less.
• Fiber-By using flax and whole wheat flour you get 7% if your daily fiber intake from one brownie.
• Lower Sugar-Using date sugar which is lower on the glycemic index than refined sugar decreases the total grams of sugar in these brownies.

What are vegan brownies made of?

Most vegan brownies use oil, refined sugars, white flour, and chocolate chips. These ingredients make for moist and chewy brownies but they’re still not healthy even though they are vegan.

Sometimes you might want to indulge in one of these vegan brownies, and that’s okay too, but sometimes you want a healthy vegan brownie that is whole food plant-based yet still delicious and satisfying. That’s when you make some easy substitutions.

• Use a flax egg to replace regular eggs in a recipe
• Use whole wheat flour to replace white flour
• Use unsweetened applesauce to replace oil
• Use an unrefined sweetener such as coconut or date sugar, or maple syrup.

Can you make brownies without eggs or oil?

Yes, you can make brownies without eggs or oil. This recipe is proof that it’s possible to make a healthy, low-calorie, low-fat chewy chocolatey brownie using flax eggs instead of chicken eggs, and unsweetened applesauce instead of oil.

What do you serve with healthy vegan brownies?

I sprinkled a little powdered sugar on top for decoration. You can serve these brownies with a cold cup of dairy free milk, or a cup of tea or coffee. If you’d like the ultimate chocolate indulgence try serving these brownies with my Vegan Hot Chocolate.

CHECK OUT THESE OTHER HEALTHY DESSERT RECIPES!

• Vegan Pumpkin Brownies
• Gluten-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
• No Bake Vegan Snowball Cookies
• Vegan Cookie Dough Balls
• Ultimate Fudgy Paleo Vegan Brownies by Beaming Baker

If you’ve tried these Healthy Vegan Brownies, please rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more plant-based family recipes your whole family will enjoy!