Gooey and fudgey chocolate brownies that don't require any baking. These No Bake Brownies are packed full of healthy fats, raw ingredients and sweetened with just dates, banana and a little honey. Even better is that they are stored in the freezer, making them a delicious cool treat on a hot day, and hidden out of sight as they are seriously tempting. All the ingredients are ones you would have for breakfast too, so that means brownies for breakfast!
If you make any recipe from our blog, it should be these. We make these No Bake Brownies every couple of weeks (as soon as we run out really) and they never fail to disappoint. We make them to take to dinner parties, as house warming gifts and even with a Christmas twist. These are for every occasion.
They require so little effort to make, just some blending up of ingredients, layering and putting in the freezer. No baking needed. I love that they are kept in the freezer. Not only does this keep them set and together (they melt quickly), but they are SO good that I would eat them all day long, so they are kept out of eyesight.
The base is a mixture of almonds, cocoa and dates with water to hold it together and then it is topped with a creamy sweet chocolate topping that is kind of a thick ice cream texture once frozen.
Jump to:
Why should you try it?
- Just 200 calories a brownie
- Raw - so no baking needed
- Stored in the freezer
- Full of healthy fats
- Gooey and fudgey
- Kids love eating AND making them.
What you will need
- Almonds - This is the main ingredient in the base and makes it nice and crunchy. You could use another nut, like pecans, walnuts or peanuts, or even a mixture.
- Cocoa - This is what makes them all chocolatey and delicious. Some goes in the crunchy base and some goes in the gooey topping. Try to use the best quality cocoa powder you can, as you really will be able to taste the difference.
- Water - This helps to loosen the base mixture up and helps it bind together. Desiccated coconut - It adds a little bit of extra texture to the base, as well as some coconut flavour.
- Dates - This is what sweetens the base and makes it nice and sticky too. For the softest, sweetest brownies, use Medjool dates.
- Bananas - You would never believe it, but the gooey fudgey topping is made with bananas as the base. They are sweet and creamy and when the other ingredients are mixed in, it doesn't have an overpowering banana flavour.
- Almond butter - This mixed in with the banana makes it super creamy. You could use peanut or cashew butter instead. We like to use a smooth nut nutter, so it gives a really smooth topping.
- Honey - This is what sweetens the top layer. You could swap it for maple syrup if you wanted to keep it vegan.
- Orange extract - Chocolate orange is just the best flavour combination isn't it. You could use peppermint extract if you prefer, or just leave it out.
Step by step
One: Put the almonds, 30g of cocoa, the desiccated coconut and dates in a food processor.
Two: Process until it forms a crumb like consistency. Mix in the water.
Three: Tip this mixture into a lined 10x8 inch brownie tray and press down with your hands so it is packed down and even.
Four: Put the rest of the cocoa powder, honey, orange essence, almond butter and bananas in a food processor.
Five: Blend until until smooth.
Six: Spread onto the pressed crumb mix and then put it in the freezer and freeze for 2-3 hours until the topping has hardened.
Seven: Freeze for 2 hours then slice into 12 squares.
Are they healthy?
As always, healthy is a subjective word. But the ingredients in these no bake brownies are kept to a minimum and all raw and natural. We sweetened them with just some dates, honey and banana.
They are pretty high in calories, due to the nuts and dried fruit, but you could lower the calories by cutting this batch in to smaller portions. The serving size of these brownies is pretty generous, but you could get 16 or even 20 smaller brownies out of this recipe and it would reduce the calories a lot.
This brownie recipe is bursting with healthy fats and no "weird" ingredients. You know, like chickpeas or black beans that you seem to see in a lot of healthy brownie recipes. All the ingredients are things that kids probably know and love already, making them very popular with kids - who also enjoy getting messy and making them too.
Flavour options
Why not add some flavour in to these brownies, so it isn't just all about the chocolate! We used orange extract, as chocolate and orange is such a delicious flavour combination. But you could use mint extract instead.
You can also change the flavour by swapping some or all of the dates for a different dried fruit. Dried cherries, cranberries or apricot work well and they all compliment chocolate well.
FAQs
I don't think these taste like banana - it gives it the sweetness rather than the flavour. But, I have heard from some people (who hate banana), that it does taste like it. So, is there an alternative?
Banana is pretty much what makes up the majority of the topping, so it's fairly important. But, you can swap it for avocado which will give it the same creamy texture, but not the sweetness.
You can make a vegan version of these no bake brownies by using maple syrup instead of honey. All the other ingredients are naturally gluten free.
There is only one way to store these, and that is in the freezer. You could keep them in the fridge, but they would get pretty melty. Keeping them in the freezer holds them together. Although, you want to leave each slice out of the freezer for 5 minutes before eating it for the perfect texture.
Extra tips
- We used just almonds in the base of these brownies, but you could use a mixture of almonds, pecans and walnuts.
- Make these brownies a different flavours each time. Orange or mint extract are good because they go well with chocolate.
- We used almond butter, but any nut or seed butter would work in this recipe.
- If you aren't a fan of banana, you can swap it for avocado in the topping.
- You can make these no bake brownies a little bit more indulgent by stirring some melted dark chocolate in to the topping.
- Make sure to keep these brownies in the freezer. They melt very quickly (especially in the warmer months), so just cut off the piece you want and put the rest in the freezer until you want another piece. The batch will keep in the freezer for 1-2 weeks.
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DON’T FORGET TO RATE THE RECIPE ↓
Recipe
No Bake Brownies
Ingredients
- 150 g almonds
- 90 g cocoa powder
- 6 tablespoon water
- 4 tablespoon desiccated coconut
- 150 g pitted dates chopped
- 4 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 4 tablespoon almond butter
- 2 bananas
Instructions
- Put the almonds, 30g of cocoa, the desiccated coconut and dates in a food processor and process until it forms a crumb like consistency. Mix in the water.
- Tip this mixture into a lined 10x8 inch brownie tray and press down with your hands so it is packed down and even.
- Put the rest of the cocoa powder, honey, orange essence, almond butter and bananas in a food processor until smooth.
- Spread onto the pressed crumb mix and then put it in the freezer and freeze for 2-3 hours until the topping has hardened.
- Freeze for 2 hours then slice into 12 squares.
Notes
- We used just almonds in the base of these brownies, but you could use a mixture of almonds, pecans and walnuts.
- Make these brownies a different flavours each time. Orange or mint extract are good because they go well with chocolate.
- We used almond butter, but any nut or seed butter would work in this recipe.
- If you aren't a fan of banana, you can swap it for avocado in the topping.
- Make sure to keep these brownies in the freezer. They melt very quickly (especially in the warmer months), so just cut off the piece you want and put the rest in the freezer until you want another piece. The batch will keep in the freezer for 1-2 weeks.
Danielle
Wow, these look too delicious to also be healthy! Such an easy and yummy recipe!
Alison
These are SO good! I'm always skeptical of "healthy" brownies. I've tried making others in the past and they just didn't turn out. These however are amazing! They're our new staple brownie recipe. You've made this brownie lover very happy!!
maria napoli
i love your site !! i am making these tonight..hubby buying bananas at the store as i type this lol
my wish is that you find a button widget thing so that i can print out the recipe easier !! i keep a binder with all my yummy recipes in it that i use ! keep p the great work !!! i just went more vegetarian and i am super excited to try this one !! sending you lotsa love and light from North carolina!!
Marri
These are amazing! I even cut the honey in half and they are still sweet enough. Love your recipes! Keep them coming.
Michele @ Two Raspberries
oh these look just wonderful! ;-) I love that they are raw!
Matt @ Runner Savvy
Yummmm
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter
What decadent and lovely looking brownies! Love that they are healthier and perfect for curing my chocolate craving :)
Fiver Feeds
You really have amazing chocolate recipe :)
David @ Spiced
These sound delicious...and super chocolatey! I chuckled at your comment about "great, so I can 10 of them?" So true! Thanks for sharing this awesome sweet treat!
Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes
These look so rich and decadent that it's so hard to believe that they're healthy.
Kari @ bite-sized thoughts
Yum! I have made raw chocolate brownies before, but mine did have avocado. I'm keen to try yours!
Ali
These look & sound, I am practically causing a fire hazard with my laptop from the drooling! So glad I have found your blog the other day it was a tweet from the lovely @HonestMummy that caught my eye and led me here to all this yummyness!