Chocolate Banana Brownies
This healthy moist chocolate banana brownies recipe makes fudgy, gooey chocolate banana brownies that are moist, healthy, and oh-so-delicious. It’s a perfect dessert, a tasty afternoon snack, or even a delicious breakfast! This is the best dairy-free, egg-free treat, and it’s a satisfying scratch to your chocolate-craving itch.
Shawn and I enjoy our desserts. For example, there’s my indulgent Vegan Brownies recipe. Every bite is divine!
However, some days I prefer things less sweet. Oftentimes I’m okay with a little bit of chocolate on a banana. That must have been what inspired me to try making chocolate banana brownies…combining my favorite flavors together.
If you doubt my appreciation for using bananas in recipes, you should see my Banana Chia Pudding recipe. It’s pretty, tasty, and healthy too! And there’s also my Vegan Banana Bread recipe. Of course, the house smells pretty impressive every time I bake a loaf of that bread!
Key Ingredients
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
- Lemon — We’ll use both the zest and the juice of the lemon.
- Oats — I used rolled oats for this recipe, but you can substitute instant oats.
- Chia — We’ll add some ground chia seeds to create a thicker texture. You can use whole chia seeds; I just prefer ground because it creates a smoother finished texture.
- Syrup — I used maple syrup, but you can substitute agave nectar.
- Milk — We’ll use almond milk for the best overnight oats! Substitute your favorite plant-based milk.
- Yogurt — I love adding some plant-based yogurt (plain, unsweetened) for an even more tangy flavor.
- Protein Powder — I add some vanilla protein powder for increased flavor and nutrients. If your protein powder is not sweetened, you may want to add an extra teaspoon or two of sweetener.
- Cornstarch — We’ll use cornstarch to thicken the lemon curd topping.
- Turmeric — A pinch of turmeric makes that lemon curd sunny yellow.
- Chocolate Chips — use this dairy-free chocolate chips guide to find your favorites!
- Vegan butter — I used vegan butter (Earth Balance), or you can use coconut oil.
- Chia seeds — This is the egg substitute. You can substitute ground flax seeds.
- Ripe bananas — You can get away with bananas that are not ripe, but you may need to add a little sweetener.
- Applesauce — We want moist brownies and applesauce helps a lot!
- Coconut sugar — I used coconut sugar because it may not impact blood sugar as much as processed sugar.
- Whole Wheat Pastry Flour — If you don’t have whole wheat pastry flour, you can substitute half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour.
Add 1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter to make chocolate peanut butter banana brownies.
Why This Recipe is a Winner
- Using whole wheat pastry flour adds the fiber and nutritional benefits of a whole grain while keeping these goodies delicious
- Adding ripe bananas increases the sweetness without refined sugars
- Adding applesauce keeps these treats extra moist and delicious from one bite to the next!
Marly’s Tips
Should you mash the bananas with a fork or with a food processor? I used a fork to achieve chunkier banana bits throughout the brownies. If you want the banana to be more processed, use a food processor.
Reader Reviews
★★★★★
Michelle
These turned out so yummy!
★★★★★
Jenny
I came across this recipe and was so happy to make it. It was super delicious. Can’t wait to eat more tomorrow morning for breakfast.
More Brownies
Want some more recipes for ripe bananas? Check out some of the best banana recipes here:
Healthy Banana Brownies
Here are some health benefits in these chewy chocolate banana brownies:
- Bananas — a great source of fiber, potassium, and phytonutrients.
- Dark chocolate — a source of fiber, magnesium, and more surprises like selenium. Dark chocolate also has organic compounds like polyphenols and flavonoids.
- Chia Seeds — contain Omega-3 fatty acids. They are also an essential source of calcium, magnesium, and protein.
- Fiber — Each bar includes 3 grams of fiber.
- Calories — There are around 192 calories per bar. Want to reduce calories more? Use 1/2 cup of coconut sugar, 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, and add 1/4 cup of cocoa powder.
These vegan banana brownies are both healthy and delicious!
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Healthy Banana Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter (see note for alternatives)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 2 medium ripe Bananas
- ½ cup applesauce (unsweetened)
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (see note)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup coconut sugar (see note)
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350°F/175°C. Spray a 9×9" square baking pan with vegetable cooking spray.
- Place 1 cup of chocolate chips and vegan butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir to combine the melted chocolate and vegan butter.
- Add the chia seeds to the chocolate mixture and stir to combine.
- Slice the ripe bananas and add slices to the bowl with the chocolate. Use a fork and mash the banana slices up against the side of the bowl. Add the applesauce and water and stir this all together. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Stir to combine.
- Pour the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture. Stir to combine. Add additional water if necessary, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach a desired, spreadable consistency. Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading it evenly across the pan.
- Bake in the heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until a butter knife or toothpick inserted in the middle, comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Optional: Melt additional chocolate and drizzle over the top.
- Store banana brownies in a sealed container in the fridge for up to one week. You can also freeze the bars. Place them on a tray and place that in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. Store in the freezer up to two months.
Recommended Equipment
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Notes
- Use all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour
- You can use brown sugar, granulated sugar, or even 1/2 cup of agave nectar in place of the coconut sugar.
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This post was originally published in 2019 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.
Had 2 very ripe bananas and finally decided to make these. Was out of almond butter; used peanut butter instead with great success. That’s the only change I made to this recipe. These are so darn good….guaranteed to cure whatever ails ya! Only downside is trying not to eat the whole pan……..gonna save the rest for Valentines Day
Thanks again, Marly!
Hi Kat! I’m so glad you liked these brownies. And I’m always for peanut butter with chocolate and bananas. It’s seriously my favorite flavor combination.
Hi I see on the recipe you say to add apple sauce and water and set aside, when do I add these to the batter?
Hi Lisa. The applesauce and water are added to the chocolate mixture and then that is added to the flour mixture.
I made these but used an egg instead of chia seeds and no sugar and they are delicious. I added some nuts (because, why not?) too, and used dark chocolate. They are not too sweet and super moist and brownie-like. Hopefully the banana smell will fade & my daughter will try them…
So glad you like them Jessica. I hope your daughter will like them too!
Thank you very much for the recipe, it was delicious I only added 1/4 cup sugar and it was sweet enough! Next time I will add even less, there will be a next time :).
I’m so glad you liked this recipe, Lu!
These turned out so yummy! I actually just used dark chocolate chips, coconut oil, AP flour, and cane sugar. I eliminated the applesauce because I didn’t have any at home. Although they turned out yummy, it was more cakey than dense/thick brownies. Suggestions on how to make them more brownie-like?
Hi Michelle. So glad you liked this recipe! The applesauce will add the moisture to the recipe that will transform them from cake-like to brownie-like. But if you don’t have applesauce, you could try reducing the AP flour by 1/4 – 1/2 cup. Hope this helps.
I was looking for a brownie recipe that I could make with items I had on hand! I came across this recipe and was so happy to make it. It was super delicious. Can’t wait to eat more tomorrow morning for breakfast 😉
Hi Jenny! We are in the same boat and also making do with the ingredients we have on hand. I’m so glad you liked these brownies! I agree, they’re great for breakfast too! Sending you a virtual elbow bump. 🙂
Thank you for that recipe which was awesome! Didn’t use any applesauce and replaced the butter by canola oil and that is perfect!
Thanks, Célia! I’m so glad you liked this recipe! It’s good to have a healthy brownie every now and then. I like your tweaks too!
This banana brownies look so like something I could make. Delicious!
I tried this today, changing some things (as always) : I put 1 more banana and no applesauce, and I didn’t put vegan butter beacuse I try to avoid wastes and oil. 😉
But it was sooooo good ! And I think it can be even better with some nuts, cashews, almonds or hazelnut into ! *-* <3