These healthy Vegan Peanut Butter Brownies are gooey, decadent, and perfectly sweet–made with only one bowl and seven ingredients. They’re gluten-free, too!
The best recipes come to me when I’m out of all the ingredients.
Raise your hand if you remember my Almond Butter Zucchini Bars from three million years ago. CRICKETS. Thank God I redid the photos.
Over three years ago, I was out of flour and thus made said bars out of almond butter. It was quite the life-changing day. So what’s a food blogger to do when she’s out not only of flour, but also of almond butter?
She uses peanut butter. Mainly because it was 10 for $10 at Kroger, but that’s besides the point.
We’re talking the drippy kind, my friends. The kind where you open in at there’s a pool of occurring oil at the top that either nauseates you or excited you.
If you’re thinking more the former, than know this. Commence the tirade!
Why Does Natural Peanut Butter Have Oil at the Top?
If it’s not natural peanut butter and the company wants to get rid of this separation, they’ll blast oil with hydrogen (hence the word “hydrogenated”) to make the oil solid. This forms trans fats, AKA partially hydrogenated oil. Not the most fabulous thing now is it?
I like to buy drippy peanut butter. I store it upside down and then I mix in the oil with a knife once I open it and store it in the refrigerator. I store nuts and seeds in the refrigerator long term but let’s be real, a jar of nut butter isn’t lasting too long in this girl’s pantry.
The good news is that peanut butter with just peanuts and salt as the ingredients is often very similar in price to regular peanut butter, like Kroger’s natural peanut butter which is $1.86. I buy Costco’s Kirkland peanut butter because it’s my favorite.
How to Make Vegan Peanut Butter Brownies
Guess what? You’re only seven ingredients away from these flourless peanut butter zucchini brownies! They may be vegan and free but the best part is how EASY they are. One bowl. ONE BOWL. At this point it’s like who even cares how they taste? I kid.
Jeff made them yesterday all by himself. This post was originally published three years ago and I wanted to give it a little refresh. You can make them in a loaf pan or an 8×8 inch pan but note that they have different cooking times.
Now lettuce chat about are what you need to whip up these wholesome brownies:
- natural peanut butter (the drippy kind)
- pure maple syrup (I imagine honey or agave would also work)
- ground flax (you could replace with an egg or two)
- shredded zucchini
- cocoa powder (I use cacao, a more nutrient-dense version of cocoa powder, but any 100% cocoa is fine)
- baking soda
- chocolate chips (Costco and Trader Joe’s have my favorite affordable chocolate chips)
Watch How to Make Vegan Peanut Butter Brownies (VIDEO!):
How to Store These Vegan Peanut Butter Brownies:
Let the brownies cool completely on a wire rack. I like to place the pan in the fridge once it’s cool as this makes slicing foolproof. From there, store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Microwave for a few seconds before eating for those melty chocolate chips!
Please let me know how this flourless peanut butter zucchini brownies recipe turns out for you by leaving a star rating and/or comment! Your house is about to smell soooooo good.
CRAVING MORE CHOCOLATEY GOODNESS? DON’T MISS MY OTHER GO-TO BAKING RECIPES:
- One Bowl Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread
- The Best Vegan Brownies Recipe
- Fudgy Vegan Raspberry Almond Butter Brownies
- Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Dark Chocolate Raspberry Black Bean Brownies
Flourless Peanut Butter Zucchini Brownies
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These healthy Flourless Peanut Butter Zucchini Brownies are gooey, decadent, and perfectly sweet–made with 1 bowl and 7 ingredients! They’re free of refined sugar, flour, butter, and oil.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup natural peanut butter (I used salted)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 cup shredded zucchini (don’t squeeze out water)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I like mini), plus more for sprinkling
- Optional: splash vanilla extract, pinch of salt if using unsalted peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8inch baking dish or loaf pan with cooking spray.
- Place all ingredients except chocolate chips in a large bowl. Stir until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Dump mixture into loaf pan and use a spatula to spread evenly in pan (you can also wet your hands and pat it down). Sprinkle top with a handful of chocolate chips, if desired. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Allow brownies to completely cool (I like to refrigerate mine overnight in the pan once cool) before slicing.
Notes
- I find that natural drippy peanut butter works best, not the hard kind. Look for the kind where the only ingredients are peanuts and salt. Can sub almond butter and omit sweetener for a paleo version.
- Feel free to replace flax with an egg instead if you’re not vegan.
- Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Microwave for a few seconds before eating for those melty chocolate chips!
the hardest part of making these was not eating them right away and putting them in the fridge overnight! i can’t wait to have one later today!
on a snapchat note…I’m following you but haven’t seen anything! and I doing something wrong? or just nothing there yet?
Me too! I keep waiting to see something and I haven’t gotten anything yet 🙁
so glad it’s not just me! 🙂 / 🙁
Hmmm so strange! Did you spell it right? I’ve been posting! Maybe try searching Alexis Joseph?
I re-searched, checking spelling 🙂 and it shows Hummusapien with your full name under it, so I unfollowed and then refollowed. I can click on it and see your profile pic thing? but nothing shows up in my stories from you. maybe you have it set so only your friends can see snaps?
now I feel like I’m just sounding like a crazy person, but all I want is yummy noms in my stories 🙂
Hmmm so strange! Did you spell it right? I’ve been posting! Maybe try searching Alexis Joseph?
Oh wow these really look so good
Beauty Candy Loves
chocolate chips are DEFINITELY healthy. trust me, i read it on the interwebs somewhere….
well whatever. even if they aren’t the zucchini is good enough 😉
mmmm, so moist. i’m drooling, and hungry for chocolate and nut butter!
Making TODAYYY for my mommas birthday!
★★★★★
Hope you love them, Caitlyn!
Holy craaaaaap, Alexis. These look AMAZING!! Definitely going to be making these this weekend! I have some zucchini just waiting in the fridge to be used up, and I’ve been craving brownies lately!
★★★★★
So birthday party this weekend… I usually make black bean brownies in a cake pan so lots of people can enjoy them… Help me with proportions I make that big of a batch, pretty please? I need to make these instead!!!
I’d say maybe triple or quadruple in a 9×13 pan?
Thank you for your “rant” on natural peanut butter! ?? These look fabulous! I will be making them soon!
This ingredient list is amazing! And the texture looks out-of-this-world!! Seriously going to have to try this recipe soon!
I need these in my life!! These look incredible, Alexis. Well done, my friend.
Haha thanks, deary!
These look delish- pinning for the upcoming zucchini surplus this summer!
These look great for when I’m on the go, can’t wait to try them!
Still drooling after seeing these on snapchat yesterday. You’re amazing <3
You’re amazing!!! XOXO
Oh my goodness these look insane. I literally drooling at the laptop and wishing I had one of these to dip into my honey rooibos, yum.
Totally adding these bars to my to make list. I love that you have whacked in some sneaky veggies too… and drippy peanut butter… I have found this Ozzie brand that is the crunchiest and drippiest with salt – so good!
Crunchy AND drippy WITH salt? Drool!!
OMG these are amazing, I can’t believe the zucchini has the texture of flour and they are so delicious! Thank you from Kylie from New Zealand
YAY! So happy they turned out great for you 🙂 Sending love to New Zealand
These look divine…but my husband absolutely HATES maple syrup, real or otherwise, is there a substitute i could use for this?? Maybe honey??
★★★★★
Thanks! They don’t taste at all like maple syrup–it’s just used as a sweetener. I haven’t tried them with honey but I’m assuming that or agave or your liquid sweetener or choice should work. Thanks!
Can I use unsweetened applesauce instead of maple Syrup? I make my own apple sauce and would like to avoid the sugar if they will still taste ok?
They wouldn’t be sweet so I would not recommend it! Sugar is what makes them taste good, I’ consider them a treat and a healthy treat at that, enjoy 🙂
it frustrates me how companies are so sneaky about trans fat…that needs to GO like yesterday.
since this has zucchini, its like eating veggies right?? and im a firm believer that chocolate chips are healthy and should always be applied liberally 😛