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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.
A friend has told me she’s like gas for cake but it’s is the flour thing. So she misses out.
Having cancer is enough to put up with don’t you think?
Quite by chance I have come across this and am so grateful, I am seeing her at the end of the week and I am so happy to present this recipe to her.
She will have her cake and eat it!
Thank you so much, thank you.
🙁 I’m so sorry to hear that- I really hope she enjoys it, and thank YOU for sharing it with her 🙂
HEAVEY ON COCO IS A MUST! I only put 4 tablespoons of coco and you cant really taste it.
😀 That is what I like to hear! 🙂
Made these today, they are amazing! Especially refrigerated. Almost like banana chocolate fudge. Yum!
🙂 Thanks, Nicole!
Thanks!!!!! I used 1/3 cup of cocoa powder and since I didn’t use super ripened bananas I added like a tablespoon of honey. Yum!!! Next time I was thinking of making two layers separated by st Davor s jelly (it’s refined sugar free) and topping with marshmallows for a dairy free tree nut free and egg free and low in refined sugar perfect for kids birthday cake!!!! Thank you!!!
😀 Aww, you are so welcome, Clara!
Tried this out, used peanut butter instead of almond..mum loved it but I found it bitter and fruity. Depends on your tastebuds with this recipe; if you like dark chocolate and a fruity taste you’ll love this.
Thanks, Emma- It definitely is based on which you prefer. Glad mum enjoyed it 🙂
This recipe is fantastic ! I modified it slightly by adding a bit of cinnamon and a pinch of salt, as well as a teaspoon of baking powder. I baked mine in a small loaf pan and it took about 32 minutes to cook through. It came out moist and dense, like a cross between banana bread and a brownie.
🙂 That sounds fantastic- Thanks, Gaby!
can you use coconut oil as an alternative to nut butter? or even regular dairy butter?
I haven’t tried either of those- You could use sunflower seed or soy nut butter 🙂
Fabulous! I added a little less cocoa powder though as I wanted it to be less chocolatey. I was actually pretty surprised at how good they tasted. They could totally replace the real thing for me. A much healthier version.
thanks Arman, this is my new fave/easy to make treat!
Zeenat!!!! This makes me so happy, so glad you enjoyed it!
These were so delicious! I used a blender to mix the ingredients and loved the smooth consistency. Thank you for a great recipe. I will make this again for sure.
🙂 You are so welcome, Christine- Thanks so much for the feedback!
I would definitely add a few walnuts to these just need the crunch. These look so yummy!