Healthy Brownies with all the richness and fudginess you love. No flour, refined sugar, butter, or eggs needed.
Or check out my popular Applesauce Brownies or Gluten-Free Brownies!
Author’s Notes
Hide the Pan, I’m Weak.
Brownies are one of my favorite desserts. The richer and fudgier, the better! BUT. If I don’t have a plan to share the batch with friends, family, or neighbors, I’ll end up eating every. single. piece. I wish I were exaggerating, but I’m not.
So, I came up with these healthy brownies. They still give me that same rich, chocolate fix, but if I eat a few too many, I don’t get the sugar crash afterward.
What to Expect
This is one of my all-time favorite recipes. These brownies are rich, fudgy, and made with simple, feel-good ingredients.
- Texture: Best cold. After a few hours in the fridge, they turn into dense, chocolatey fudge-like dessert. Warmed, they’re softer and more cake-like.
- Flavor: Strong dark chocolate flavor.
Ingredients In Healthy Brownies
| Ingredient | Notes |
|---|---|
| Dark chocolate | I use Nestle’s 53% cacao dark chocolate chips. Anything darker can taste bitter. |
| Greek yogurt | Key ingredient. Honey vanilla Greek yogurt works best. |
| Coconut oil | I use LouAna and find it doesn’t leave a noticeable coconut flavor. |
| Vanilla, salt, baking soda | Add flavor and help with structure. |
| Coconut sugar | Can swap with light brown sugar 1:1. |
Quick Tip
These brownies use old-fashioned oats instead of flour. Blend the oats into a fine powder before adding them to the batter.
The Frosting (Optional)
The frosting is optional. It’s made with just four ingredients and is much lighter than most, but it does include powdered sugar. If you’re avoiding refined sugar, skip it.
It uses more dark chocolate and Greek yogurt, plus milk and powdered sugar.
The frosting is thick and ganache-like. It firms up when chilled but softens in warm temps, so keep these healthy brownies cold.
Tips For Making Healthy Brownies
- Stick to the recipe: Swapping ingredients can change the texture and flavor.
- Line the pan: Use parchment and leave an overhang to lift them out easily.
- Chill before slicing: A few hours in the fridge makes them easier to cut.
- Use a sharp knife: Run it under warm water and wipe between cuts for clean slices.
Featured Comment
These brownies were delicious! I’ve been looking for a recipe that actually tastes good AND is healthy! SO SO SO GOOD!
-Rachel
More Desserts Made Lighter:
Healthy Brownies
Video
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups dark chocolate chips 53% cacao, divided, see note 1
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut oil see note 2
- 1 cup honey vanilla Greek yogurt see note 3
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar or light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup oat flour just blend regular oats in a blender
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened vanilla almond milk or whatever milk you have on hand
- 2 tablespoons vanilla Greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F (176°C). Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang. Lightly spray with cooking spray.
- Add 1 cup of chocolate chips to a large bowl. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the coconut oil. Pour the hot oil over the chocolate chips and stir until melted. If needed, microwave in 10–15 second bursts, stirring between each, until smooth. Let cool slightly.
- Whisk the Greek yogurt into the melted chocolate. Add vanilla, salt, baking soda, and sugar; whisk until completely smooth.
- Blend oats into a fine powder. Measure out 3/4 cup after blending. Stir into the batter along with the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
- Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan (it will be thick). Bake for 28–32 minutes or until a fork inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overbake; slightly underbaking gives a fudgier result. Let brownies cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
- Optional Frosting: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and milk. Microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring between each, until smooth. Stir in Greek yogurt, then whisk in powdered sugar. Briskly whisk until completely smooth. Let sit at room temp for 10 minutes to thicken before spreading over cooled brownies.
- Cover the pan and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight. These brownies are best cold. Once chilled, lift out using the parchment and cut into squares.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Storage
Keep brownies in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–5 days. For longer storage, freeze individually wrapped pieces for up to 2 months.
Healthy Brownies FAQS
Not for the melted base, but they’re fine to use as the add-in chips.
Yes! Chopped nuts or toffee bits can be folded in before baking.
Other oils haven’t worked well in testing. Coconut oil is recommended for best results.
Some readers have tried dairy-free yogurts, but results may vary since the texture is different from Greek yogurt.
Make sure to blend the oats into a fine powder and measure after blending. Also, don’t skip the chill time.
Reader’s Notes & Tips
Tips & Variations from Chelsea’s Messy Apron’s Community
- No Frosting: Kelsey added extra chocolate chips on top instead.
- Yogurt Swaps: Tricia used plain, Tina used salted caramel, Anna used applesauce and sour cream.
- Sugar Swaps: Several used brown or white sugar instead of coconut sugar.
- Vegan Ideas: Asma suggested almond or coconut yogurt.
- Pan Options: Heather baked in a muffin tin, Tessa’s came out thin in a larger pan.
- Chill Time: Kelsey and others said they’re best cold after chilling.
- Sharing Wins: Many, like Stephanie and Faith, shared with friends and family—everyone loved them!
Made these little monsters for work and they were 100% success! (I haven’t tried them yet but everyone in my office has so rumor hast it^^)
The texture is intense especially using the greek yogurt and it all depends on the chocolate you use (75%).
I made alterations though and instead of using coconut sugar I opted for dessicated coconut (40g, 10g stavia and 10g brown sugar). I also only used 3/4 cups of icing sugar – you really dont need more than that, probably even less. Also opted out of chocolate chips as they are usually worse in cocoa content.
Will make this again next week for sure x
Yay!! So thrilled to hear these were a huge success! I’m so happy they were enjoyed throughout the office 🙂 Thanks for the comment Natalie!
I made these last night with whole wheat flour and they turned out delicious but more crumbly and very very soft like a sponge cake almost. I was really hoping they’d be nice and chewy ? Did I do something wrong?
Yes, they shouldn’t be crumbly or soft. I believe that is because you used the whole wheat flour. The oat flour works very differently in these than whole wheat flour. Also if you chill them they really get quite dense and fudgy like a brownie. Hope you give these another try with the oats instead of the flour!
I am prepping to start The Zone Diet, and I was wondering if you have the nutritional values for the brownies. I need the protein, carbs and fats to figure it out. I’d love to try these…..even just to have when I’m craving chocolate.
Made these brownies but the taste wasn’t what I hoped for. It was a bit salty, and I’m not sure what I did wrong because I followed the recipe exactly. I will try making them again.
Oh I’m sorry to hear these aren’t what you were looking for. Did you try them chilled? I’ve never thought them to have any salty taste so is it possible you mis-measured the salt? If not, maybe just omit the salt next time 🙂
Hello your brownies look delicious I would like to know are any diabetic friendly?
Any other healthy substitutes for the oat flour? Like how is wheat flour?
I’m not sure; I haven’t tried wheat flour in these. If you do try it be aware that the oat flour absorbs a lot more liquid than wheat flour so the measurements wouldn’t be an exact substitution.
Hi! I’m making a “clean” white cake with chocolate frosting for a Fitness instructor friends’ birthday. It will be a 2-layer 8″ cake.I plan on using the frosting from your brownies, because it was love at first bite! Will this be an easy recipe to double, even maybe triple?? And do you think it is too heavy for a plain white layer cake. Aaaand, can I whip it to make it lighter and more spreadable or do I need to add more liquid? Sorry for all the ??? but I really want this to work!!!! Thanks!!!
How nice of you!! And I’m so happy you enjoyed the frosting 🙂 I think it would be fine to double, but triple might get a little tricky just with melting the chocolate evenly. I also don’t think it would be too heavy on a plain white cake, but I love thick and dense frostings which this definitely is 🙂 As far as whipping it, I’m not sure. I would recommend letting it sit for a few hours and then beating it with hand mixers for a few minutes and see if that whips it lighter. I don’t think you want to add more liquid. I hope this helps, sorry I don’t have any definitive answers for you since I haven’t tried using this on a cake… yet 🙂
Thank you! That was very helpful!!! And I agree, The thicker the frosting, the more decadent IMO 🙂 (BTW, I just finished the last brownie and will be making another batch!!! Can’t tell you how much we enjoyed them.)
I made these for my husband the other day, and they didn’t last very long. For the frosting I used sour cream instead of milk because I forgot to pick some up, and it worked a treat! I love the crunchy, nutty texture of these! Will no doubt make these again and again????
Awesome!! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed these so much! Thanks for the kind comment 🙂
Hi Chelsea!! These brownies were delicious, thanks for posting this awesome recipe!! As I bake almost exclusively paleo, this recipe was fun for me to experiment with! Just FYI, I substituted almond flour for the oat flour, and agave for the coconut sugar (only because there was no more in my pantry!). So those substitutions work great for anyone curious. Thanks again for this great recipe!
Hey Liz! So glad you enjoyed these brownies! 🙂 Thanks for sharing your substitutions as they are so helpful for others 🙂
Chelsea,
I have a kid who reacts to coconut oil. Is it ok to substitute vegetable oil in your recipes which calls for melted coconut oil?
I’ve actually not tried that substitute in most of my recipes. I know it doesn’t work in my cookies recipes, but I’m really not sure about the breads and brownies. Sorry Alice, I wish I could be of more help!