The day before Christmas, my brother walked over to my house around midday to keep me company during a baking session. Grandma and Dad had planned to pick up a classic bûche de noël as a fancy holiday dessert, so because of my brother’s egg allergy, I offered to whip up a couple of different homemade goodies for him so that he’d be able to enjoy something sweet after our Christmas feast.
When he arrived, he requested these cookies (literally our all-time favorites… we’re completely obsessed!!) as well as brownies. He mentioned that it had been years since he had eaten one of those classic rich and fudgy dessert bars because it was nearly impossible for him to find any decent store-bought options, and as an incredibly busy graduate student, he really didn’t have much time to try baking his own.
I immediately agreed to bake both, and once I had whipped up a double batch of our favorite cookies and put the mixing bowl in the fridge so the dough could chill, I turned to the brownies. I offered to add whatever fun mix-ins my brother wanted to the batter, and his eyes lit up as he started pawing through my vast pantry of ingredients.
He ended up pulling out mini pretzels, milk chocolate covered caramel bites, dark chocolate covered pretzels, pecans, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and mini M&Ms… And just like I had promised, I folded all of them into the bowl of batter.
Well, except the pecans… With them sitting on a different counter, we accidentally forgot about them — but at least he didn’t mind!
After a quick trip to the oven, the pan of my brother’s special candy-laden and egg-free brownies sat cooling on the countertop in all of its incredibly rich, decadent, chocolaty, and fudgy glory. Because the brownies needed to cool and set for at least eight hours, we left them at my house for the evening…
But after baking the dough, I brought over a few of our favorite cookies for my brother that night when we headed to Grandma’s for Christmas Eve!
The next afternoon when we sliced into the brownies after our Christmas dinner, my brother excitedly reached for the first one while the rest of us looked on, waiting for his verdict… And the biggest, sweetest smile spread across his face as he licked the fudgy chocolate remnants from his fingers and reached for a second.
I’d call those brownies a big success!
And today, I made an even better version! Not only are these Healthy One-Bowl Fudgy Chocolate Chip Brownies eggless… They’re also flourless and dairy-free!
That’s right! No butter, eggs, cream, refined flour or sugar in these yummy brownies, yet they’re still incredibly rich and decadent. They literally taste like big squares of fudge! And they’re 72 calories too!
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HEALTHY ONE-BOWL FUDGY FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CHIP BROWNIES
Let’s go over how to make these healthy one-bowl fudgy flourless chocolate chip brownies! Just like the recipe title implies, you’ll need one medium mixing bowl to start. I always love one-bowl, one-pot, or one-pan recipes… They usually result in fewer dishes to wash!
The first ingredients to go into your bowl are a small amount of olive oil, a splash of vanilla, and a pinch of salt. A little over a year ago, I discovered how much I love using olive oil in brownies! As I learned here, it’s so easy to measure and use (no butter to melt!), and it adds a silky smooth richness to the batter. It also keeps these healthy one-bowl flourless fudgy chocolate chip brownies dairy-free!
Even better? You only need 1 tablespoon of olive oil. That really helps keep these healthy one-bowl flourless chocolate chip brownies low calorie and low fat! That tiny amount also means your brownies won’t taste like olives at all. I pinky swear promise — you’ll only taste lots of chocolate in these!
Next comes the special ingredient that replaces the eggs and cream (or Greek yogurt, if you’ve tried any of my other brownie recipes!). Can you guess what that is? I have a feeling you probably know…
Unsweetened applesauce! And the combination applesauce and olive oil means your healthy one-bowl flourless fudgy chocolate chip brownies are vegan too! (Although with me previously mentioning that these are eggless and dairy-free… I’m guessing you probably figured out that these healthy brownies were vegan already! 😉 )
To make life as easy as possible for you, I designed this recipe to use exactly 1 single-serving container of unsweetened applesauce (like this!). I know not everybody buys big jars of applesauce to eat each week (some of my family members used to, but I certainly don’t!), and since those single-serving containers are shelf-stable and can usually keep for a few months, I thought that using one of them would both minimize food waste and make measuring the applesauce super easy. Just dump in the contents of that single-serving container and you’re good to go!
Next, you’ll stir in coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is exactly what it sounds like: an unrefined sweetener that comes from coconuts. However, it does not actually taste like coconuts! It has a rich caramel-like flavor, very similar to brown sugar, which gives these healthy one-bowl vegan fudgy chocolate chip brownies a really decadent flavor. (You can usually find it on the baking aisle at the grocery store right next to the regular sugar!)
To keep these healthy flourless fudgy chocolate chip brownies dairy-free (and vegan!), you’ll stir in some non-dairy milk after the coconut sugar. I use unsweetened almond milk because it’s my family’s favorite milk (many of them are lactose-intolerant!), so I know they’ll always have it on hand. It’s also just 30 calories per cup with zero added sugar!
Tip: Any milk will work in this recipe, so just use whatever you normally keep in your fridge! Oat, soy, rice, cashew, nonfat, whole, coconut… The sky’s the limit!
Time to add the dry ingredients! You’ll need oat flour and unsweetened cocoa powder. Oat flour is literally just oats that have been finely ground into a powder… But “powdered oats” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it! 😉 So I wasn’t sure whether to call these healthy one-bowl fudgy vegan brownies “flourless” or “practically flourless”… But either way, I promise they’re delicious!
Tip: This is my favorite store-bought oat flour (or this for a gluten-free version), and I also show you how to make your own oat flour at home here!
Just use regular unsweetened cocoa powder, like this! I don’t recommend substituting Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. Both of those have a different acidity level, which can affect the taste and texture of your brownies. Besides, you’re adding equal amounts of oat flour and cocoa powder, so your healthy one-bowl fudgy vegan chocolate chip brownies will already taste incredibly rich and decadent without those other two options!
Before you stir in the oat flour and cocoa powder, sprinkle a teensy bit of baking powder over the top. Yes — sprinkle! Don’t just dump it straight into the bowl. Sprinkling the baking powder over the top of the other two dry ingredients helps prevent clumps, which means your healthy one-bowl fudgy vegan brownies will bake evenly!
Of course, there’s still one last important ingredient… The mini chocolate chips! These are my favorite vegan chocolate chips. I love how rich they taste, and their small size ensures that every bite of your healthy one-bowl fudgy flourless vegan brownies contains at least one morsel of chocolate. I always save some to press into the top of the batter just before baking it too!
To ensure these healthy flourless vegan brownies turn out as fudgy as possible — literally tasting like oversized squares of fudge! — you’ll bake them low and slow. Just 300°F! You’ll know the brownies are ready to come out of the oven when the center still looks glossy and underdone but the edges look firm. If the edges begin to pull away from the pan within 10 minutes of removing them from the oven, you’ve baked them long enough!
However… You must let the brownies cool completely to room temperature and then rest for 8+ hours before slicing into them. I know it feels like pure torture to wait that long! Yet the brownies turn even fudgier while you let them rest, which gives these healthy one-bowl fudgy flourless vegan chocolate chip brownies the best taste and texture imaginable!
And if you’re anything like me… You just might reach for a second! 😉 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 healthy one-bowl fudgy flourless vegan chocolate chip brownies!
| Healthy One-Bowl Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Chip Brownies | | Print |
- 1 tbsp (15mL) olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 (111g) single-serving container unsweetened applesauce (the equivalent of 7 tbsp + ½ tsp!)
- ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar
- 6 tbsp (90mL) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- ¾ cup (90g) oat flour (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
- ¾ cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- Preheat the oven to 300°F, and coat an 8”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together the olive oil, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the unsweetened applesauce. Stir in the coconut sugar. Stir in the milk. Pour in the oat flour and cocoa powder, and sprinkle the baking powder over the top (to prevent it from clumping!). Stir in the oat flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder until just incorporated. Stir in 2 ½ tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips.
- Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips on top. Bake at 300°F for 17-21 minutes (17 minutes for the fudgiest brownies, 21 minutes for firmer and slightly cakier brownies). Cool completely to room temperature in the pan, and let the brownies rest for at least 8 hours once at room temperature for the best taste and texture before slicing and serving.
Remember to measure the flour and cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much oat flour and cocoa powder in the brownie batter will make your brownies dry and crumbly, rather than chewy and fudgy. Too much cocoa powder will also make your brownies taste bitter, rather than rich and chocolaty.
White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, and all-purpose flour can all be substituted for the oat flour.
For a non-oat-flour gluten-free option, I recommend the following: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, and ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this!) will also work, if measured like this.
I do not recommend substituting Dutched or special dark cocoa powder for the regular unsweetened cocoa powder (this kind). Both Dutched and special dark cocoa powder have a different acidity level, which can affect the taste and texture of your brownies.
Any oil may be substituted for the olive oil. (If using coconut oil, make sure to melt it first!) Regular butter and vegan butter that have been melted will also work.
To make life as easy as possible for you, I designed this recipe to use exactly one single-serving sized container of unsweetened applesauce (like this!). That’s why the tablespoon + teaspoon measurement is so weird! If you only have sweetened applesauce, that will also work.
Brown sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar.
Any milk may be substituted for the unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
These are my favorite vegan miniature chocolate chips!
The brownies are ready to come out of the oven when the edges look firm but the center still looks glossy and underdone! The heat from the pan continues to cook the center while they cool. If the edges of the brownies pull away from the edges of your baking pan within 10 minutes of pulling them out of the oven, then you’ve baked them for long enough!
If you’re too impatient to wait for 8 hours once your brownies are at room temperature, then you can stick the pan in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours once they’ve reached room temperature to speed up the process!
{gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy One-Bowl Flourless Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
♡ Healthy Flourless & Eggless Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Healthy Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies
♡ Healthy One-Bowl Flourless Chocolate Chip Blondies
♡ Healthy Flourless Chocolate Monster Cookies
♡ Healthy Flourless Chocolate Chip Nutella Cookies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy brownie recipes!
can i make cookies out of this recipe?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Emily! The brownie batter is a bit too runny to make cookies as written. However, if you reduced the milk to 1-2 tablespoons (maybe a touch more!), then it might have a more cookie dough like consistency (although my intuition says that the cookie dough will be rather sticky, so use a spoon and spatula to drop it onto the baking sheet — I probably wouldn’t recommend trying to roll it between your palms!). The cookies may turn out more on the cakey side though — just something to keep in mind! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try that experiment!
Hi! Can I substitute almond or coconut flour?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Emily! Coconut flour won’t work, but almond flour should. The texture will likely be a teensy bit different (if you’ve baked a lot with almond flour before, then you probably already know the texture that it has!), but the flavor of these brownies will remain the same! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try making them!
I made a smaller batch of these and loved them! I used half the amount of black cocoa powder (I don’t have regular one) but I’m sure it would’ve been better if it was the normal one. Is it okay to reduce the sugar without changing the taste? Also if I have any questions about baking can I message you on instagram?
I’m so glad you enjoyed these brownies Sue! That means a lot to me! 🙂 If you reduce the sugar, you’ll change both the taste and texture. How much did you want to reduce the sugar, and is there a particular reason why?
The easiest way for me to help you and answer your questions is actually here on my blog in the comments section. But if you’d like to send me a photo of you brownies, you’re welcome to do that on Instagram!
Hey Amy! Just wanted to reduce the sugar to get lower calorie brownies. Liquid stevia is too expensive in my country so I was thinking if I can use erytithol (maybe half sugar half erytithol or full erytithol)?
I actually tried a lot of your recipes (not just these brownies), most of them are great but I also have problems (like why my cookies are cakey, or too hard etc.) but sure I can comment there if it’s easier for you.
I’m not a good baker so I have lots of questions (on your recipes) haha
I’m always happy to answer questions, so ask as many as you need to! 😉 If you’d like to use full erythritol in this recipe, then you’ll most likely need to add extra milk because erythritol and sugar dissolve differently in liquids (and absorb different amounts of liquids too!) so that your brownies don’t turn out dry. I’d recommend starting with an additional 4 tablespoons of milk, although you may even need slightly more. Since you’ve already baked these brownies once, you should have an idea of what the batter’s consistency should be like in order to get the same texture in your fully baked brownies! 🙂
Hi,
I tried out your recipe and I love it (great work!) but I find that it always comes out chewier then I would like. I have tried to adjust the cooking time (from 17 to 21 minutes) with no luck. Any tips?
I’m so glad you’re enjoying these brownies Vanessa! Are you trying to make these brownies more cakey and dry, rather than supremely moist and fudgy? (I just want to make sure I understand what you mean by “chewier” before I make any suggestions!) 🙂
Hi Amy, I have tried many of your recipes and live them. I find your healthy baking recipes to be the best out there! I’m wondering what I can substitute for the applesauce? Would sweet potato work or I guess I could make homemade applesauce.
It means SO much to me that you love my recipes Susan! I truly appreciate you taking the time to let me know! 🙂 Mashed banana or yogurt (any type will work — Greek, regular, and even non-dairy!) would be my top two recommendations for the applesauce. I don’t have quite enough experience with substituting mashed sweet potato to predict whether that will work, and I just don’t want to lead you astray. However, if you’ve been able to substitute mashed sweet potato for applesauce before in other baked dessert recipes, then it might be worth a try if you don’t have either of the alternatives that I recommend. I’d love to hear what you think if you make these brownies!
I made these and I live it. Thank you Amy! I halved everything since I was making smaller portions.
I’m so glad you loved these brownies Dami! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know — that truly means a lot to me! 🙂