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Avocado Brownies are an easy gluten-free dessert using avocado instead of oil or butter. You’ll enjoy an extra dose of fiber and nutrients in each delicious bite!
If you’ve ever tried Chocolate Avocado Pudding or a Chocolate Avocado Smoothie, you know that avocado can be added to a dessert without being detected. Chocolate is an excellent way to mask the flavor!
If you’ve ever wondered if avocado can be used in baking, this avocado brownie recipe uses avocado as a substitute for oil or butter. While the flavor isn’t too noticeable, I do recommend that you are an avocado fan if you plan on trying this.
Otherwise, try Almond Butter Brownies, Coconut Flour Brownies, or Almond Flour Brownies for more nourishing ideas.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This brownie recipe calls for granulated sugar to create an authentic texture and uses and combination of almond butter and avocado for the healthy fat. No butter or oil is required!
If you need to make vegan brownies, try swapping the sweet potato in my Sweet Potato Brownie recipe for one small mashed avocado instead. Typically egg-free baking does better with the addition of flour or oats. (Like in the case of my vegan black bean brownies.)
Since these Paleo brownies call for no flour, they are also gluten-free and dairy-free!
How to Make Avocado Brownies
Preheat the oven to 325ºF and lightly grease an 8-inch baking pan. Press a piece of parchment paper into the bottom of the pan to help remove the brownies easily later.
In the bowl of a 12-cup food processor, add the ripe avocado, eggs, coconut sugar, almond butter, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt. Secure the lid and start processing until the batter looks smooth.
Scrape down the sides of the machine with a spatula to make sure everything is well-mixed.
Then add the chocolate chips and blend briefly to mix them in.
Transfer the brownie batter to the prepared baking dish and spread it out with a spatula. Bake at 325ºF for 40 minutes, or until the center doesn’t jiggle when you shake the pan.
Let the brownies cool for at least an hour in the pan before slicing. These brownies have a fudgy texture, so they will stick to the knife when sliced. Place the pan in the fridge on a trivet to speed up the cooling process.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are super-sensitive to the flavor of avocados (like I am) I do think you can taste it on your first bite. It’s less noticeable when the brownies are cool. If you take a second bite, the flavor goes almost unnoticed. (My husband says he can’t taste it at all in this recipe.) To hide the avocado flavor even more, you can add 1/4 cup of maple syrup to this recipe for a sweeter-tasting result.
White or brown sugar can be used instead of coconut sugar. For a keto avocado brownie, I imagine you can use a 1:1 granulated sugar substitute to replace the coconut sugar. (My body doesn’t tolerate zero-calorie swaps, so I can’t test this myself.)
Yes, you can swap the almond butter for sunflower seed butter. Be sure to review the notes in the recipe below for more ideas.
Looking for more avocado recipes? Try my Guacamole recipe, Avocado Ice Cream, or Avocado Fudgsicles for more ideas.
Ingredients
- 1 small ripe avocado (~ ½ cup mashed)
- ½ cup cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- ¼ cup almond butter
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips (dairy-free, if needed)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. (Grease the pan first, so the parchment paper will stay in place.) In a food processor, combine the avocado (peel and pit removed), cacao powder, eggs, coconut sugar, almond butter, baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Fold in the chocolate chips, then pour the batter into the prepared pan. (Decorate the top with a few extra chocolate chips, if desired.)
- Bake at 325ºF for 40 minutes, or until the center of the brownies looks cooked through. (You don't want it to jiggle when you shake the pan.) Allow the brownies to cool completely. The avocado flavor is MUCH more pronounced if you try these warm, so please don't be tempted to taste them until they have come to room temperature. You can place them in the fridge if you want to speed up the cooling process, or you'll have to wait at least 2 hours for them to cool on the counter.
- Slice the brownies into small squares and serve. It's normal for this brownie to stick to the knife a bit with you cut them since they are flourless and fudgy. Leftovers can be stored on the counter for up to 48 hours, or in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
Video
Notes
Baking Note: Brownies baked in a square metal pan will cook faster and more evenly than those cooked in a glass or ceramic baking dish. You may need to add 5 more minutes of cooking time when using a glass or ceramic option. Don’t have a food processor? You can make these brownies in a single bowl, mashing the avocado with a fork until relatively smooth. I prefer using a food processor, but I’ve had good results with both methods.
- If you need a nut-free recipe, try replacing the almond butter with 1/4 cup of your favorite flour. (I’d try oat flour or a gluten-free mix, or you could use 1/2 cup of almond flour instead.)
- If you dislike the flavor of avocado, you can replace half of it with butter or oil instead to ease yourself into the idea. Use a 1/4 cup of melted coconut oil or butter to replace half of an avocado.
- For a vegan avocado brownie, omit the eggs and replace them with 1/4 cup of all-purpose gluten-free flour, and increase the almond butter to a 1/2 cup total.
Nutrition
If you try this avocado brownie recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them.
Awesome! I really had to control myself not to eat the whole thing! I could not taste the avocado. Let them cool for 1 hour on a cooling rack out of the pan. Use parchment paper! Fudge and delicious. I’ll be making this recipe again and again!
Hi Megan, would peanut butter work in place of the almond? Thank you!
rlly rlly good. i used maple syrup instead of coconut sugar and peanut butter instead of almond butter and it still tasted perfectly fudgy. it was all eaten up within an hr of it being finished cooking. personally i’d do no chocolate chips next time, just bc i prefer a more seemless silky texture. ty for this recipe, my family loves it
Did you use equal weight maple syrup?
This has become a favorite recipe for me. I make a few substitutions. I used powdered peanut butter + water to make 1/4 cup, instead of almond butter, and Truvia Brown, instead of sugar. I bake it in a brownie pan with 12 different sections. It’s just the right amount to fit, and I don’t have to worry about it sticking to a knife. I do spray the pan before putting in the batter. This does require a shorter baking time, usually about 20 minutes.
These are very rich & tasty…….even for us , who don’t require non-gluten things! Are they keto-friendly?
16 carbs makes it not keto friendly. You could try leaving out the chocolate chips, which would cut it down some and try using xylitol, which will cut it down some more then check your car count.
Thank you for sharing your recipe! I add oats, use stevia for sweetener, and put a non-wheat flour in just to firm them up. My organic stevia-sweetened chocolate chips also help to make these brownies a healthy treat.
I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to butter or oil for my cookies.
Great fudgy brownies! Used half brown sugar and half Stevia, dark cocoa, milk chocolate bits and chopped walnuts. Couldn’t taste avocado. I appreciate the ingredient replacement ideas! Will definitely make again!
Super fudgy and decadent! Couldn’t taste any avocado. I added two tablespoons of pure maple syrup. So delicious!