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My 3 ingredient brownies are a healthy and easy chocolate dessert recipe that bakes in just 20 minutes! There is no flour or eggs needed.
Love healthy chocolate desserts? Try my healthy chocolate cake, healthy mug cake, and healthy chocolate muffins next.
My 3 ingredient flourless brownies were developed by a complete accident. I was in the midst of making a smoothie and had put some banana, cocoa powder, and peanut butter into a blender. It was only then I realized that I had run out of milk.
Instead of throwing out the contents of my blender, I gave them a quick blend and was left with something that resembled batter. I decided to take a chance and transfer them to a baking pan and baked them as though they were brownies.
What resulted from this experiment was a fudgy, rich brownie-like treat, perfect to satisfy any chocolate fix or sweet tooth.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- No flour or grains. Tese don’t have any of the basics.
- Healthy. Bananas and peanut butter are two of the healthiest foods ever, and unsweetened cocoa powder is just perfection.
- Ready in 20 minutes. From prep to plate, my brownies bake in less than 20 minutes.
Ingredients needed
- Bananas. Ripe bananas add sweetness to the brownies and keep them super fudgy. Opt for riper bananas as are naturally sweeter.
- Peanut butter. Smooth and creamy peanut butter with no added sugar. If you love the sweet and salty combination, use salted peanut butter.
- Cocoa powder. 100% unsweetened and Dutch processed cocoa. I like to use dark or black cocoa powder for extra richness.
Ways to sweeten brownies
If you taste-test the batter and find it to be not sweet enough to your liking, you can add one of the sweetener options below-
- Liquid Stevia. Add 1 serving to your batter (5 drops) and give it a taste test. If it still isn’t sweet enough, add a few more drops.
- Maple Syrup. For a refined sugar-free brownie, add 1/4 cup pure maple syrup and an extra 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder. The brownies using maple syrup will be extra gooey.
- Agave nectar. Like maple syrup, add 1/4 cup and increase cocoa powder by 2 tablespoons.
- Coconut sugar. Add 2 tablespoons of coconut palm sugar to the batter. You won’t need to amend any of the other ingredients if you use this.
How to make 3 ingredient brownies
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: Mash. Add your bananas into a large mixing bowl and mash them completely.
Step 2: Combine. Add your peanut butter/almond butter and cocoa powder.
Step 3: Mix your ingredients until fully incorporated. If desired, add chocolate chips to it and fold them through.
Step 4: Bake. Transfer your brownie batter to the lined pan and bake dor 17-20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out just clean.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Do not over-bake the brownies. These will continue cooking as they cool down.
- Under-bake them. As there are no eggs or flour in them, you can undercook the brownies a little and still enjoy them as is.
- Use a blender! While you can make the batter by hand, I recommend using a blender or food processor. This ensures the banana is as smooth as it can be and there are no chunks throughout.
- Use a smaller pan. I recommend choosing a baking dish or pan that is typically smaller than what you’d use for traditional brownies. This way, you’ll be left with thicker and richer brownies that are just that much more satisfying to eat.
Variations
This brownie recipe is actually pretty easy to adapt to a plethora of diets or food preferences out there. Here is what we’ve personally tried (and can vouch for!).
- Add frosting. I love to add a thick layer of my 2 ingredient dairy free frosting or healthy frosting.
- Swap out the banana. If you aren’t a fan of bananas, you can use unsweetened applesauce or pumpkin puree. Be wary though, the brownies won’t be as sweet. To compensate, add 1/4 cup of sugar or a liquid sweetener, like maple syrup.
- Use another nut butter. Almond or cashew butter will work well.
- Make these nut free. Tahini or sunflower seed butter instead of the peanut butter.
Storage instructions
To store: Place cooled brownies in a sealable container and keep them in the fridge at all times. They will keep for at least 5 days.
To freeze: Wrap the cooled brownies in parchment paper and place them in individual ziplock bags. Frozen brownies will keep for 6 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight or at room temperature.
More easy brownies to try
- Flourless brownies
- 2 ingredient brownies
- Zucchini brownies
- Almond flour brownies
- Or any of my brownie recipes
3 Ingredient Brownies
Video
Ingredients
- 3 large bananas
- 1/2 cup almond butter can substitute for peanut butter or another nut/seed butter
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven the 180C/350F. Line a square pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your bananas and mash well. Alternatively, you can blend them. Add the rest of your ingredients and mix well.
- Pour the mixture into the lined pan and bake for 17-20 minutes, or until set on top.
- Allow brownies to cool in the pan completely, before slicing up.
Awesome recipe
Hi! Have you tried subbing nut butter with yogurt?
Tried this with the protein powder variant.. took an extra 10mins to bake through, but tastes absolutely delicious!
No I have not, feel free to experiment and see
Second time making these, make a great late night snack with a cup of tea! Yuuuum 😋 Thanks Arman!
We are brownie addicts. We have to cut back on our sugar intake, among other things. I will be making these for sure! I have only one question, how ripe should the bananas be? Some brown spots or full on banana bread ready all brown? MMMMMMMMMM brownies without guilt.
I prefer mostly brown because they are super sweet 🙂 But ripe are fine 🙂
I’ve made these several times. They are very good and satisfy our chocolate cravings.
Several people have commented that these brownies are ‘ugly’. My motto – always eat the ugliest piece (of any dish) first so there isn’t any evidence! 🙂
Flourless brownies? what a nice idea!
Haven’t yet tried these delicious looking brownies, but would love to! Hi Arman, I was wondering if there is another substitute instead of the nut/seed butters? I seem to have an intolerance to them. Would plain unsalted butter be fine?? Thanks!
Hi! Not for this recipe, unfortunately- It will be a greasy mess!
Hi! I wonder, is it 6 bananas? or 3? because it shows it is 3 in the video! just wanting to make sure.
Hi there, yes it is 6 the video didn’t show the whole process. 🙂
Hi!
I have digestive problems with bananas…is there any way I could replace with apple sauce or another fruit?
Thank you!
You can use applesauce- search ‘the big mans world applesauce brownies’
Mine didn’t cook all the way!! What’s your secret?
They are soft but continue to cook while cooling.
hello! may i know the purpose of the peanut butter in the recipe? i can’t taste it much so is it more for the texture/consistency? made these once and they were great but i’m also thinking of other potential substitutes including applesauce although it may enhance the fruitiness in the taste. thanks!
Yes, it holds the brownies together and adds a rich flavor. You can omit I suppose, but it will be very fruity.
recipe calls for 6 bananas but the video shows 3. so which is it?
It’s 6, the recipe video is cut in half.
Hi Arman, I tried your recipe and I just loved it….
🙂 That means so much- Cheers, Saranaya!
Hi!
I tried reading through the comments. What is the pan size for this recipe that you Prefer?
Is it correct at 18 servings from this recipe? Looks like the pan is cut into 9 servings?
Thank you! I cannot wait to try this but I need this info before I begin!
Hi! I love an 8-inch square pan, but they make super thick and fudgy brownies 🙂
18 is correct, but I halved the recipe for this photoshoot 🙂