These healthy brownies require no baking and are so rich, fudgy and packed full of chocolate flavor, and only need just four ingredients! These 4 ingredient no bake brownies have no beans, eggs, butter, oil, grain flour or sugar but you’d never tell- They are naturally gluten free, paleo, vegan, refined sugar free and dairy free!
I would like to preface today’s post that similar to this recipe (ironic, a brownie too), today’s offering is visually unfortunate.
Thank you.
I would also like to add that I am a goose. I forgot to include cocoa powder in the ingredients……so it’s actually 5 ingredients. Blame my grain brain.
***
Can we take a minute to talk about dates? Not the romantic kind (unless you crush on the dried variety…), but the dried kind.
Growing up, dates were rarely eaten in recipes, except for sticky date pudding. In the Persian culture, dates are a natural sweetener often enjoyed with mugs of freshly brewed tea, in place of sugar. Amongst many food bloggers (especially the healthy kind!), dates are a delicious inclusion in bites, bars, granola bars and my personal favorite- used as a ‘caramel’.
If we’re being honest here, I’m not the biggest fan of them.
When it comes to recipes on here, I shy away from dates and most dried fruits. I think it stems from me only sharing recipes and using ingredients I use very consistently- Sure, I could start using dates on here, but it kind of goes against my beliefs and those on the blog. Why use ingredients that I don’t personally enjoy or have no real interest in consuming? So there you go. No dates on here just yet…..but perhaps one day!
It’s no secret that I DO love brownies, especially those which need three ingredients or four, if we go the protein route. I was keen to try a no bake version of this, which had a delicious, gooey and fudgy texture. Most ‘no bake’ brownies I’d seen were similar to a ‘Larabar’- A combination of blended nuts, dates and dried fruit. Because the concept of dates and dried fruits are so foreign here, I clearly had to omit those and come up with my own version which needed none of those. I stuck to my tried and tested basics (including my beloved coconut flour) and voila- Healthy 4 Ingredient No Bake Brownies!
These healthy no bake brownies literally take five minutes to make and the hard part is waiting for them to firm up slightly in the fridge (or if you’re being impatient, the freezer)! They only require four ingredients and the best part? You can totally snack on the mix as it is because there is no butter, eggs, oil, grain flour or sugar in the entire recipe-Like I did when I made these flourless sweet potato brownies! These brownies are so rich, moist and gooey, you’d seriously be in disbelief that they are good for you, but they are! They are also totally acceptable for those who follow a vegan, gluten free, paleo and dairy free lifestyle!
HACK! I tried it with both canned pumpkin and mashed sweet potato and while both worked well, I preferred the pumpkin- It wasn’t as ‘sweet’ and brought out the rich cocoa flavor better However, the option is totally there for you!
Make these healthy 4 ingredient no bake brownies and let’s leave the dates to the tea.
Just kidding, but kind of not.
- 1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
- 1/2 cup nut butter of choice (I used smooth almond)
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup (can sub for honey, agave or brown rice syrup)
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree OR mashed sweet potato
- Line a deep baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your coconut flour and cocoa and set aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl or stovetop, melt your nut butter with your maple syrup until combined. Pour mixture into the coconut flour and mix well. Stir through the pumpkin puree until fully incorporated and batter is even.
- Pour batter into the lined baking dish and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
- Brownies taste better the longer they sit- Keep in the fridge or even better, the freezer.
- Add chocolate chips for an added boost of chocolate.
Healthy No Bake Giant Cookie For One
Healthy No Bake Chocolate Cake Batter Bites
Healthy Edible Breakfast Cookie Dough for One
Are you a fan of dried fruits and/or dates?
Do you drink tea with something other than sugar? Seriously, mum. Why dates?!
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And just today I said I have 2 cans of organic pumpkin that I forgot about! Perfect
😀 YES! Meredith, you’ll love these!
These look delicious – I love the idea of freezing for best flavor. Is there any way you can provide the baking dish size for these? ‘A baking dish’ is a rather vague instruction. Thank you!
Of course! sorry, Jill! I tend to change it up based on how thick or thin I want them- In fact, a loaf pan works really well for thick brownies “:)
I’m not huge on dates either but that might be because they require my food processor. I noticed as life got busier I used less dates and more coconut sugar! if something has dates in it I’m less likely to try it honestly.
Really? Glad we’re on the same team! 😀
Omg, I thought I was the only that didn’t like dates in recipes! My reason is that they are kind of pricey, so for pricier items I’d rather enjoy them in their natural form.If I’m really desperate I’ll try to sub in raisins.
Pumpkin on the other hand, I love!! I always keep 6 or so cans on hand!
YES!!! We’d better stock up before they go in hiding before the warm weather hits!
I don’t love dates. Dried fruit I like. Give me some dried apples or strawberries any day! And these brownies.
ohhh dried apples are SO good! 😀 a whole pack totally counts as a serving of fruit.
I’ve actually never ever put sugar, or anything for that matter, in tea. I’ve never thought about it! I occasionally do with coffee but most often I drink it black. And super strong!
YES. Seriously, BEST way to drink coffee.
I like using dates occasionally as a sweetener for brownies or just to snack on. I usually use them if I forget to buy sugar hahaha. I think my favorite dried fruit is a raisin. People don’t give those suckers enough credit.
They are pretty good!
i am now imagining eating two of these brownies sandwiched together with peanut butter and dipped in chocolate as I am on my way to gymnastics practice and I can’t get that image out of my mind. My coach may or may not yell at me for a lack of focus today, all thanks to you and your magic brownie powers!
Dude, if you did that, you’d do a quadruple twisting yurchenko.
I drink my tea with honey and lemon 🙂 Such a good brownie treat for my Galentine’s Day celebration!
😀 You said it!
I love dates. They’re a great source of potassium, fiber, and vitamins. So much better than sugar. The brownies look great! I’ve been craving chocolate like crazy lately. It must be because of all of the delicious Valentine’s Day treats that are everywhere. 🙂
Haha they sing to me in the supermarket!
I don’t eat dates very often, but they are super sweet! I like to use them as a caramel sauce by blending one with some almond milk and cacao. It’s delicious! Thank you for making these brownies super easy and hassle free!
ohhh wow…that caramel sounds divine!
One of my favorite snacks is dried out Medjool dates and almond butter. I hate them when they’re squishy and soft, but let them dry out or pop them in the oven to caramelize them I can’t stop slathering them in almond butter and eating them. MMMM.
Also, these brownies look tight.
Um….that sounds delicious!
I mean, everyone should have cocoa powder lying around, so basically 4 ingredients, right? Also, send me some.
Right? It’s totally salt and pepper equivilant.
These look awesome! Love how healthy they are with just a few ingredients and the fact that they are super simple to make. 🙂
🙂 right? thanks so much!
This is speaking to meeee I love a good no-bake and these look soo frickin good!!!
🙂 Thanks so much, Christina!
Please put the dish dimension needed for your recipes. For example 8×8 or 9×12, etc.
Hi Jen! Will do, although I always change it up, especially for no bake recipes- you can adapt them as thin/thick as you want.
Ah I am a date lover… I crave them, dream about them, and honestly think they would have to be a part of my last meal. Hardly a day goes by when I don’t have one. I was in absolute heaven when I was in the Middle East – everywhere we went “would you like some coffee and dates?” – “uh yes please!!” 😀
Other dried fruit I can take or leave… Unless you could those glacé cherries as dried fruit – they are the bomb!
I would literally order ice cream sundaes for those glace cherries!
I like dates in smoothies or desserts or no bake stuff but not on its own. The sweetness is almost sickening to me.
I have a feeling that the last remains of my cocoa powder might be brilliantly invested in these brownies. They look sooooooo fudgy! Fingers crossed I have some pumpkin puree left in the freezer!
PLEASE!!!! You will love these!
Mmmh, brownies. Like you I’m not creating recipes using foods I don’t even like myself. Dried fruit? Well, I’m likely one of the few bloggers – if not the only one – who doesn’t enjoy homemade balls, errr, bites 😉 in all variations. I consider this fact partly childhood “trauma” though I do like dried fruit every now and then. Date caramel is a wholly different and delicious issue.
Date caramel is so good!
I hated dates until about a year ago, and now I love them. Maybe it’s just a sign of my old age/my tastebuds dying.
hahhaha oh no!!
can you make a nut butter/fat free/vegan one pleasssse? ahahah also whats your date tea recipe? i love medjools!
Ooooo…I think that would be tricky! Date tea is literally Persian tea with dates in between sips
I know this is supposed to be a no-grain recipe, but I only have standard grade flour in my pantry, and arrowroot powder and cornflour if that helps. How would I substitute the coconut flour in this recipe?
Hi Sandi! To be honest, I haven’t tried it with any of those flours- If you do try it out, let me know! 🙂
I will have you know that I went out & bought coconut flour Specifically so I could try THIS recipe……
And it did NOT disappoint! 😀
I used peanut butter. And I was 3 tablespoons shy of a 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, so I just used 3 tablespoons of Special Dark cocoa powder I had in my pantry. Oh my soul. It’s like a super chocolatey peanut butter bomb. Yum!
🙂 This is the best- How GOOD is dark cocoa powder?! It’s my favorite! 🙂
I’m allergic to peanuts and nuts so is there any other kind of butter I could use to make these?
Hi Stephanie! For sure, you can totally replace it with sunflower seed butter or soy nut butter!
Hi Arman, I’ve saved your recipe for a long time. I’m now ready to try it out! Do you think I can replace pumpkin puree / sweet potato by a mashed banana? And regarding cocoa powder, did you use 100% cocoa? Thanks for your reply!!
By the way, I love your writing style 🙂
Hi Diane! Absolutely- I love using mashed banana instead 🙂 As for the cocoa, any kind would work- I never use the sweetened kind though!
Thank you Arman for your kind reply, I’ve used this recipe twice already and it was amazing! 🙂 I got my hands on some pumpkin puree in the end. I used agave for the first time then maple syrup, and I also put crunchy peanut butter. It’s in the fridge right now, can’t wait for it to firm up! The only thing is that you can’t deliver these beautiful brownies to someone that lives far away, it gets quite runny very fast! Anyway, best recipe for people with no oven, cheers 😉
Hey There! I check in to your site every now and then for your great recipe ideas. Just want to share- I made a version of your brownies, but used prunes for the pumpkin. The fudginess was totally there, along with the added chocolate chips in the “dough”. I did add about three tbsp coconut oil in order to mix everything, and cut back on the maple syrup because of the added sweet of the prunes. Thanks for doing what you do and keep on keepin’ on.
Oh wow- Thanks so much for the feedback and your changes to it! Prunes are a new one- I’ll have to try it out with it! 🙂 Did you use the same amounts? I’m really intrigued, I want to try it out now! 🙂