About once a month, my grandma invites her best friend over for a movie night. They typically gravitate towards older classics, and they nibble on pizza and popcorn while enjoying the films in Grandma’s living room.
The ladies welcomed me to join them for their most recent movie night, so that Sunday evening, I headed over to watch “The Shop Around the Corner,” a black and white film that came out in 1940. (“You’ve Got Mail” is a modern-day take on it!)
We enjoyed the cute romance with its old-fashioned snail mail letters and naïve innocence, and once it ended, Grandma’s friend mentioned that she brought chocolate cake from a local bakery. She cut us each a thick slice to slowly savor as we chatted before departing for the night.
My eyes lit up as she presented me with my plate… The cake had a generous layer of smooth, rich, fudgy chocolate frosting—more like ganache than buttercream—my all-time favorite kind! And the sides were even decorated with rosettes of the same frosting. Pure chocolate heaven!
I purposely refrained from asking for directions to the bakery… If I knew its location, I’d be much too tempted to dart over on a weekly basis for a chocolate fix! So this week, I baked a batch of these Healthy Sugar-Free Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies to satisfy my dark chocolate cravings instead. They literally taste like a cross between fudge and brownies, despite being just 41 calories!
I even thought ahead and popped half of them in the freezer to save for future chocolate fixes! I can’t be the only one who thinks chocolate should be its own food group… ??
To make these healthy brownies, you’ll start with white whole wheat flour (like this!) and unsweetened cocoa powder (like this!). White whole wheat flour sounds a bit strange, doesn’t it? I promise it’s actually healthy! It’s made from a special type of soft white wheat—hence the name! White wheat has a lighter taste and texture, similar to all-purpose flour, but the same exact health benefits as regular whole wheat flour. That makes it perfect for these brownies and lets their fudgy texture shine!
It’s extremely important to measure the flour and cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either will dry out your brownies, and too much cocoa powder will make them taste bitter instead of rich and indulgent.
I highly recommend this kitchen scale! It’s the one I own, and it only cost $20. I’ve had it for 3+ years, and I use it every day. It ensures my treats turned out with the perfect taste and texture every time I make them!
Instead of a stick or two of butter, you just need 1 tablespoon. That’s it! The rest of these brownies’ fudgy texture comes from Greek yogurt. You know how much I ♡ it! Greek yogurt adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your brownies a protein boost too! (So… Does that mean I can eat them as a pre-workout snack??)
You’ll skip the granulated sugar and sweeten your brownies with vanilla stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing artificial or refined (aka it’s clean-eating friendly!). It’s very concentrated, so a little goes a long way! This is the kind I use because I love its warm flavor. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, but I always buy mine online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
So… Umm… I might need to make another batch to restock my freezer this weekend… ? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your brownies and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Healthy Sugar-Free Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies | | Print |
- ¾ cup (90g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- ¾ cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ tsp vanilla stevia, or adjusted to taste
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup (180mL) nonfat milk
- Preheat the oven to 300°F, and lightly coat an 8”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, vanilla, and vanilla stevia. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the milk. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 300°F for 13-16 minutes. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan, and let the brownies sit for at least 6 hours at room temperature for the fudgiest texture before serving.
Regular whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. Oat flour (gluten-free, if necessary!) may be substituted as well, but be extremely careful when measuring it!
I don’t recommend using Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. The brownies already taste very rich and dark chocolaty without it! Make sure you measure the cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much will dry out your brownies and make them taste bitter.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
I highly recommend using the vanilla stevia! It’s one of my favorite ingredients (you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!), and I buy mine online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found. If you’d rather not use the vanilla stevia, use this recipe or this recipe of mine instead.
For slightly sweeter brownies, increase the vanilla stevia by an additional ¼ teaspoon.
When the brownies are done, the center part of the pan may still look slightly glossy and underdone. That’s okay! It’ll continue to cook through as the pan cools on the counter and as the brownies set for 6 hours.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, sugar-free}
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You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy One-Bowl Fudgy Brownies
♡ Healthy Small-Batch Fudgy Brownies
♡ Healthy Dark Chocolate Frosted Fudgy Brownies
♡ Healthy Practically Flourless Extra Fudgy Brownies
♡ Healthy Fudgy Dark Chocolate Orange Brownies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy fudgy brownie recipes!
Hi Amy, can you substitute solid stevia for this recipe?
It might be possible, Remi! What’s the exact brand and stevia product that you’d like to substitute? Many brands and products have a different sweetness level, so once I know the exact brand and product name, then I’ll have a better idea of whether it’ll work and if you’ll need to make any other recipe modifications. 🙂
Hi, just found your site.. FANTASTIC! I’ve been trying to find some healthy recipes for all my favorite chocolate treats and desserts. I love your recipes, (Tried the Fudgy Triple Chocolate Cookies yesterday – they’re all gone already!!) I’m gonna try this one out during the weekend.
Thanks so much!
Julie
I’m so glad you loved the cookies Julie! That’s the best kind of compliment if they’ve already disappeared — thank you for sharing that with me! 🙂 I’m really excited to hear what you think of these brownies too!
I really dislike Stevia. I just put these in the oven and tasted the batter and it was horribly bitter! I am hoping something changes with the finished product. Is there any other liquid sweeteners that could be substituted in??? My husband is a diabetic so the sugar free aspect is important.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Amanda! Your husband is so lucky to have you to make him diabetic-friendly homemade treats. I completely understand; my mom is exceptionally sensitive to the flavor of stevia and can’t stand just about anything that contains stevia. I’d be happy to help you adapt this recipe to better suit your tastes! What’s your favorite no-calorie sweetener? 🙂
Hello! Thanks so much for your reply. I tend to use Splenda. I have been unable to find liquid Splenda in stores but it is available on Amazon for a premium price so I tend to use the granular Splenda. My husband is newly diagnosed (10 months ago) so sugar free baking is still new to me but one thing everyone in the house can agree on is we do not like Stevia! I would appreciate any tips and advice you might be able to give.
It’s my pleasure, Amanda! One of my relatives is diabetic as well, and his preferred sweetener is also the granulated Splenda (the kind that comes in a big bag and is supposed to sweeten cup-for-cup like sugar!). Since that granulated Splenda dissolves differently than regular granulated sugar, it isn’t quite a straight 1-for-1 substitution. You often need to add more liquid to a recipe than you would if using granulated sugar! So for this recipe, I’d recommend using ½ cup of that granulated Splenda and ½ cup of milk to start. You may need to add the remaining ¼ cup of milk to get the correct batter consistency, but it’s much easier to add more milk than try to remove it from the bowl! 😉 I’m excited to hear what you and your husband think of this Splenda version of the brownies!
And if you find any of my other recipes that you’d like to try making with the granulated Splenda, just leave me a comment on each of those recipes and I’ll help you figure out how to adapt them as well!
Can the flour be substituted for almond flour?
In this particular recipe, almond flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. That’s not always true for my recipes, but thankfully it works for this one! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these brownies Chloe!
I just made the brownies and didn’t realize the the vanilla Stevia was liquid, I should have checked on the hyperlink. I used granulated Truvia and they are not nearly sweet enough. I tasted the batter before I put them in the oven and through some chocolate chips on top which saved them. Can this recipe be made with Truvia, how much would I add?
Yes, the vanilla stevia is a liquid and has much more concentrated sweetness than Truvia! If you’d like to use Truvia to make these brownies, you’ll need ½ cup to replace the vanilla stevia, and you’ll need to reduce the milk to ½ cup as well to compensate for the added volume. (For my recipes, I’ve found that Truvia seems to be a 1-for-1 granulated sugar sweetness equivalent, even though I believe their website says otherwise. Just my personal experience!) 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of that version if you decide to try making these brownies that way, Craig!
Hi, love your recipes! For the Sugar Free Fudge Brownies, I have to substitute the milk with something non dairy- do you have a suggestion? I would use almond milk, but suspect there’s some property in dairy milk that enables the recipe in some way to work?
I’m honored that you’d like to try making this recipe, Cheryl! I’ve actually covered what other milks will work in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions!). I know it can be easy to miss that bit! 🙂 I’m really excited to hear what you think of these brownies!
Is the amount of flour (3/4) cup correct? Your batter looked thick—my batter was as liquidy as a melted milkshake. The only change I made was that I used granulated Truvia instead of the liquid vanila stevia, but otherwise kept everything the same. Any ideas?
I’m honored that you tried my recipe, Kim! That sounds really strange and not like how this batter should be, so I’d love to work with you to figure out what happened. 🙂 The amount of flour is correct, as are the rest of the ingredient amounts. Did you make any modifications to the recipe, other that the Truvia? How much Truvia, milk, and cocoa powder did you use? Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups to measure the ingredients?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but I’ll have a much better idea of the culprit once I know your answers to all of them!
I followed the recipe as written except for the Truvia. I used measuring cups, but will use a kitchen scale next time. Side note: I also made your Peanut Butter Banana Bread Brownies and they came out perfect! That batter was just fine, but the flour content was also greater. My husband ate three ate three squares!
I’d like to try to make the brownies again, but want to sub out coconut sugar. How would I have to modify the rest of the recipe if I used coconut sugar in place of Truvia?
Thanks for sharing, Kim! How much Truvia did you use? I didn’t see your answer to that question I asked previously, but I could’ve missed it. (I’m asking because I think that’s the culprit, but I can’t confirm that until I know how much Truvia you used!)
If you’d like to use coconut sugar, then there’s a paragraph in the Notes section of this recipe that includes links to two other brownie recipes of mine that don’t call for stevia. The first one calls for coconut sugar, and it has the same exact texture as this recipe! 🙂
I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed my Peanut Butter Banana Bread Brownies too! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. That really means a lot!
I have regular liquid stevia. Can I use that in this recipe and then just add a bit of vanilla.
If it’s the same brand that I used, just their original flavor instead, then yes! You can substitute it for the vanilla stevia, and you don’t need to add any vanilla extract. (The vanilla flavor is really subtle, so it’s not necessary!) I can’t wait to hear what you think of these brownies, Marlene!
The brownies are in the process of baking, so I don’t know yet how they will taste when done. I put almost 1/4 cup of Vanilla Stevia sweetener in the batter, but it still taste bitter. I gave up adding the sweetener and just put them in the oven. I like dark chocolate, but this is the bitterest dark chocolate I have ever tasted.
It really means a lot that you tried our recipe, Martha! These brownies are supposed to taste similar to 75% dark chocolate, but they shouldn’t be excessively bitter or taste like purely unsweetened 100% chocolate. If that’s how your brownies tasted once they were fully baked and cooled, then we’re happy to help figure out what went wrong and how to fix it! We know how disappointing it is to end up with treats that don’t taste they way you expect — especially when you’re craving brownies or chocolate! 😉