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!
Hi Chelsea…thank you this absolutely wonderful delicious recipe. I tried it out yesterday. The brownies came out gooey and everyone loved it at home. However, I did notice that they were oily so I was wondering if I should reduce the quantity of the oil increase the oat flour to one cup. Will that be ok? Thanks once again.
Hi, I really wanted to try these brownies, but my sister is allergic to coconut. Is there a substitute I can use for the coconut oil and the coconut sugar?
I can’t say these substitutes will work for sure without trying them myself, but I believe canola oil and brown sugar would work okay.
I don’t get why you would rate a recipe you haven’t tried. For other recipes (on other sites as well), some people rate after completely changing the recipe which also makes no sense to me
No kidding. My thoughts exactly!
I’ve never tried Turbinado sugar in this recipe, so I can’t say for sure, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work great. Enjoy!
I love these!!! I made them today and me and my family really enjoyed them. My dad isn’t a big fan of foods caked with sugar and carbs and same with my mom. we are a very healthy family and these made our non-guilty dessert day! I’m a kid and yet it was a very simple and easy recipe to follow! one again, love these!!!
I’m so happy to hear these brownies were a hit with the family! Thank you for the comment 🙂
I really want to try this recipe! 🙂 Would it be possible to substitute the coconut sugar with honey?
Thank you Janna! I wouldn’t recommend using honey instead of coconut sugar. Unfortunately I don’t think they would set up so well.
Hi Chelsea! I am a huge fan of yours. I have tried so many of your recipes and love each of them. Our family favorite is the Healthier Chocolate Greek Yogurt Banana Bread. Just wondering if we can replace some of the dark chocolate chips in the batter with milk chocolate chips? My children aren’t as big a fan of dark chocolate unfortunately!
Thank you so much Jas! I’m so happy you hear that you’ve been enjoying my recipes; it makes my day to hear that! 🙂 You can absolutely replace dark chocolate with milk chocolate chips in all of my recipes — they are very interchangeable 🙂 I hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas!
Hi Chelsea,
Thank you so much for this recipe. I love dark chocolate. I would have made these atleast 6 times now, every time it comes out just perfect. It melts in the mouth, my daughter and I enjoy every bite of it. It really lifts up the mood after a long day at work. PLUS its a guilt free treat!
Thank you sooo much!
Vijaya
I’m so thrilled you’ve enjoyed these brownies Vijaya! Thanks so much for your comment 🙂
Hi Chelsea,
Thank you for the recipe. My brownies kinda crumbly and didn’t hold together that much. Also the frosting couldn’t ‘dry’ up. I don’t know where did I go wrong. I’m now trying to put it in the fridge and will see if it got better tomorrow ??
You’re welcome Lys! Did you make any recipe substitutions? Also the frosting does take a bit to firm up, hopefully after a night in the fridge it should be good to go 🙂
I love this recipe but I was wondering if I can still use eggs instead of Greek yogurt ??
Thank you Sonia! Unfortunately using eggs in place of the yogurt won’t work in these.