When I want a brownie, I want thick, rich, fudgy, dense, and decadent.
I don’t want healthy. Unless it’s accidentally healthy, and I’d never know it from the taste.
And that’s exactly what these are. They don’t taste healthy, and they don’t taste like avocado.
You truly cannot tell there’s avocado in them and you cannot taste it.
And in person, they don’t come off as blue as they’re translating on the screen. They’re just incredibly dark.
I think avocado is quite flavor-neutral and takes on the flavors of what it’s seasoned or mixed with.
In the brownies, it serves to add moisture, density, and richness, without imparting flavor.
They’re healthier than most brownies because they’re nearly butter-free. I replaced all but 1/4 cup butter with avocado.
Two tablespoons of butter has 200 calories, 23 grams of total fat, with 15 grams of saturated fat.
Compared to 2 tablespoons of avocado which has 50 calories, 4.5 grams of total fat, and only .5 gram of saturated fat.
Talk about a fat and calorie savings, which translates into having 2 or 3 of these brownies compared to 1 traditional.
If you’re a stats person, I entered the significant ingredients here using the closest comparable ingredients the site lists as options.
The brownies are gluten-free. I replaced all but 1/4 cup flour with dark cocoa powder, which is full of iron and fiber and ounce for ounce, has less than half the calories of flour. You can use regular unsweetened natural cocoa powder, but I like using the Hershey’s Special Dark for the ultra-dark color and taste.
For the small amount of flour, to keep them gluten-free use your favorite gluten-free blend, or regular all-purpose if gluten isn’t a concern.
There’s a splash of coffee and some espresso granules included; both are optional and don’t make the brownies taste like coffee, but enhance the chocolate intensity.
Making brownies healthier so that I can have seconds – and thirds – is only a good idea if the taste is amazing. I’d rather have nothing than have something that tastes like health food masquerading as a dessert.
And these deliver. If you want to be a sneaky chef and trick people, or trick yourself, you definitely can with this recipe. Just make sure to mash the avocado very, very well so no stray little green blobs give you away.
The batter comes together in one bowl with a whisk, no mixer needed. They’re as easy as boxed brownies, but taste so much more amazing.
They’ll likely be some of the fudgiest, gooeyest, moistest brownies you’ve ever had. No cakeiness whatsoever. All fudge.
Even transferring the batter from the mixing bowl to the baking pan, is a dense, fudgy, spatula-clinging experience.
They’re sweet enough, but not too sweet. They’re the type of brownie you’ll need to wash down with a glass of milk. Or with a Creamy Boozy Iced Coffee or some Homemade Baileys Irish Cream.
I served them to my family without saying a word about the ingredients to see if they noticed anything usual. Nope.
When I say you cannot taste the avocado and it only serves to make the brownies moister, denser, and fudgier, I mean it.
It makes me wonder why I haven’t always been making brownies this way.
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Healthy Dark Fudgy Avocado Brownies
Ingredients
- flesh from 1 average-sized ripe to very ripe Hass avocado, very well mashed
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, half of one stick, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons coffee or water, coffee leftover from the morning brew is fine
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder or unsweetened natural cocoa powder or (I used Hershey’s Special Dark
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso granules, make sure it’s instant so it dissolves, optional but recommended
- ¼ cup gluten-free flour or all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil leaving overhang, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the avocado and mash very well with a fork. Really break it up and the riper the avocado is, the easier it’ll be to smooth it out.
- Add the melted butter, egg, sugars, coffee, vanilla, and whisk to combine. Continue to whisk out any green streaks or lumps.
- Add the cocoa powder, instant espresso, and whisk until incorporated and free from lumps; it could take a few minutes if your cocoa powder is lumpy.
- Add the flour and stir until it’s just incorporated; don’t overmix.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until top has just set, isn’t jiggly in the center, and the edges have firmed up and are set. A toothpick inserted in the center will not come out clean and there will be very moist and fudgy crumbs clinging to it, but no wet batter. They’re meant to be gooey and fudgy; don’t overbake. Allow brownies to cool completely in pan on top of wire rack.
- After brownies have cooled for at least 1 hour, lift out with foil overhang and slice. Brownie crumbs will cling heavily to your knife; wipe it with a paper towel in between slices. However, I prefer the brownies chilled and refrigerate them for at least 2 hours, or overnight, before slicing. Brownies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator, or for up to 6 months in the freezer. I highly recommend storing them in the refrigerator because having a slight chill to brownies this rich and fudgy is almost imperative, and it will make slicing easier.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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What’s your favorite way to use avocado? Favorite brownie recipe?
I also have lots of avocado recipes, including savory options, linked in this post.
Made these last night and they are delicious!! It makes me want to try other recipes that substitute avocado for butter or oil…
That’s awesome to hear that, Stephanie.
These blueberry muffins are my fave BB muffin recipe EVER, with or without avo, healthy or otherwise, love them!
https://www.averiecooks.com/the-best-vegan-blueberry-muffins/
I didn’t realize you had more baking with avo recipes on here! Making those muffins next, thank you!! LOVE your blog!
Yes tons of baking/avo recipes. Love baking with it. Glad you love my blog!
These are the most delicious brownies I have ever made/tasted. Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe!
The most delicious – well that’s quite a compliment and I am so glad you love them! Thanks for telling me!
Made these today with a T of coconut flour instead of GF flour, a little coconut milk, an extra egg and some stevia extract instead of any sugar and they were amazing!!!! Thanks for the inspiration! Such a versatile recipe!!!!
Thanks for telling me you kept them GF by way of coconut flour and also sugar free by way of stevia. I have a friend who cooks like this and am going to send this to her, too! So happy you’re pleased with the brownies & thanks for LMK what you did – it helps others who are GF!
These are so fudgy and dark–really yummy! I love the brown sugar and espresso in your version, and special dark cocoa is all I ever buy anymore. I think all 3 help mask any avocado flavor…I didn’t notice any. I must say, this is a “forgiving” recipe. I made these before replenishing some of my baking supplies so barely had 3 TBS of butter and only a heaping TBS of flour (it was actually spelt flour). I am loving baking with avocado–I also remember that wonderful avocado bread recipe of yours that was so good!
Thanks for trying these and the detailed report and that you think all 3 named ingredients help to mask the avo – I do too. Good to hear you didnt notice any; nor did I. Only 3 tbsp of butter and 1 heaping tbsp of flour (spelt flour at that) – and they STILL workout out perfectly – that’s awesome. I wish I could say I ever dwindled down my baking supplies like that – you would die if you knew how much butter I kept on hand. I get nervous with anything under 2 lbs. :)
Wait a minute. There are plenty of healthy, fudgy, you-can’t-tell-they’re-healthy brownies out there! Just saying. ;)
Anyway, these look awesome! So fudgy and perfect. Love the ingredients list!
I know there are lots of ways to make brownies healthier but this was my first attempt with avo and I was so pleased with the huge fudge-factor! :)
Hello Averie, I’m making three of your recipes today! :) I just made these and, what can I say, they are sooo fudgy, chewy, rich and yet they feel so light!!! I actually ate them when they were still warm, as I couldn’t wait to try them! :) Now I’m off to bake the vegan blueberry muffins and the cream cheese and herbs savoury donuts. I will surely let you know how they will turn out! :) Thanks again for your amazing recipes!!
I love that you’re making THREE of my recipes today! And so glad to hear you made these are enjoyed them right away.
The vegan blueberry muffins are my fave muffins ever! Keep me posted! I hope you love them as much as I do!
And they donuts are a savory twist on regular sweet donuts which is a nice change.
Wow, these look so dark and delicious!
I like my brownies super fudgy too! I have been wanting to try avocados in a dessert recipe but my avocados never seem to make it that long. I gobble them up too quickly!
I am super pumped to try these!
I also have a bucket load of strawberries i need to use up so i might add them in
#themoreyouknow
Please LMK how it goes! Readers who have used natural cocoa powder ‘taste’ to avo more it seems like than those who use Special Dark. Lmk what you try!
This may be the only way I make brownies from now on, Averie. I love baking with avocado and I totally believe you when you say you can’t tell they’re in here. These look so wickedly rich, fudgy and decadent – everything a perfect brownie should be but these are healthier! I NEED to get my hands on Hershey’s Dark Cocoa.
I think that Special Dark is key, too! Definitely use that if you try these!
wow, i’m amazed they appear so blue in the picture, but they’re really just dark. amazing! so cool.
I just made these this morning. All I have on hand is TJ cocoa powder. Unfortunately, not so great. The avo leaves an aftertaste so def use Special Dark when making these. I put them in the fridge to see if that helps. I’m thinking I will add some melted dark chocolate to the tops to help. Don’t get me wrong, I WILL eat these. :) But I may be the only one around here.
I think the melted choc on the top would probably help matters and I think that using Special Dark is probably the best call for these. It’s so dark that it really masks other flavors. Also, the type of avocado. Mine were really ‘clean’ tasting that I got locally here in San Diego; but like anything natural, huge variance, i.e. some bananas are more banana-ey than others. Thanks for trying them & if you re-try with Special Dark, LMK!
Making these again today. I am using Special Dark cocoa powder this time and some TJ 72% pound plus squares (chunks). I tried the dough and I can tell you already these are going to be divine! I KNOW the kids will love them.
Oh wow, adding some 72% TJ’s PP squares sounds divine! Enjoy them and wish I was having what you’re having! :) Thanks for LMK you’re making them again!
Made these last night – So Fudgey!! They were delicious and I couldn’t taste the avocado. They were different than a normal brownie… I can’t put my finger on what but something was a little different… regardless they were good! And I really like them cold like you said. Thanks for the recipe!
Glad to hear you tried them and loved them and thanks for sharing you couldn’t detect the avo. I think what’s different is that the texture is so super dense and fudgy and there’s almost no flour – just 1/4 cup. However, I have had nearly flourless brownies in the past and these are somehow more fudgy than those were! And chilling them – perfect on hot summer nights (or days) :)
Ok so this was my first baking experience with avocado, which I love anyway. This recipe has the perfect texture nailed, they are super dense and fudgy, just the way I like brownies. The flavor – well I’d be lying if I said it tasted exactly like regular brownies with butter, because they don’t, but they don’t taste like avocados either. I could tell there’s something different about them, but maybe others won’t if they didn’t know. Maybe that was because I used regular unsweetened cocoa powder (Trader Joe’s) instead of the dark? Next time I will either get the dark, or bump up the amount of espresso powder. Either way, I do like them, as I’m eating my third after just finishing them an hour ago! Thanks Averie!
Thanks for trying them and for the detailed report. The flavor – I honestly think the cocoa powder is key to really provide that extra, deep, choclaty taste. For most cookies and such, or chocolate cakes, I like TJs cocoa powder. No complaints. But for something like these, I do think the Hershey’s Special Dark is really nice and masks the avo flavor because honestly, we tasted NONE. My husband isn’t really a big fan of avo and he had NO IDEA and he eats a ton of stuff and normally knows when I’m trying to pull a fast one :) But he had no clue. I think your idea to add more espresso powder OR get the Special Dark will do the trick. If you remake them with the Special Dark, LMK how you think they compare!
That’s funny that you fooled your husband! lol… Just like I suspected, I should’ve gone with the dark. Thanks for the tips, I will be sure to let you know when I make them again! :-)
I have been dying to perfect an avocado brownie (WW approved) for my husband. This gives me a great idea Averie! :) He’s not a fudgy brownie person, so I’ll have to make two trays, one for him and one for me.
Yeah, he’s weird. I really don’t know how we stay married. {Kidding}
LOL
Okay these are SUPER fudgy. Not even sure if you can make them less fudgy. Maybe some WW flour rather than AP would sort of dry them out a bit? The avo adds so much density and moisture & they are so thick, rich, and…fudgy! I have another avo recipe coming this week, too. I am loving baking with it!
As IF I needed another excuse to eat brownies!!! These are awesome!!! I’ve used avocado in so much of my experimental baking– I mean it really is like a wonder food. I’m talking about a RICH chocolate chip cookie! And all the other ingredients don’t have to get all crazy health-food-storeish and hard to find to make up the difference! Totally trying these soon Averie!
I hate healthy-ish recipes that send you trekking out to health food stores or for online-only ingredients. No.way. I need to keep it real. And for my readers who live in BFE and don’t have access. I have a Whole Foods 4 blocks away and a million co-ops, etc within 2 miles but not everyone lives here!