These Avocado Brownies are an easy gluten-free dessert, using avocado instead of oil or butter. As a result, you’ll get an extra dose of fiber and nutrients in each bite. My Chocolate Avocado Pudding and Chocolate Avocado Smoothie are such a hit, I just know that you’ll love these brownies, too!
Benefits of Avocados
Why add avocado to a perfectly good dessert? Most recipes use plenty of butter or oil to give brownies a fudgy texture, but avocado can do the same thing while also adding extra fiber to the mix.
Here’s more to love about avocados:
- They have more potassium than bananas.
- They are a good source of monounsaturated fatty acids. (Specifically, they contain oleic acid, which has been linked to reducing inflammation.)
- They may help to lower total cholesterol levels. (source)
Adding avocado to your food may help to increase nutrient absorption, specifically with vitamins A, D, E, and K, which are fat soluble. (source)
If you don’t want to worry about having a ripe avocado on hand, try freezing it when you have one, so you can use it later. Frozen avocado thaws well for guacamole, is the perfect addition to smoothies (like my Kale Smoothie), and you can also use it thawed to make this brownie recipe.
How to Make Avocado Brownies
I always turn to Alton Brown for a classic take on recipes, so I started with his cocoa brownie recipe when wanting to make this one. His version calls for plenty of butter and sugar, but very little flour, which I think is key to make a rich and fudgy brownie.
In this case, I’ve swapped the sugar for low-glycemic coconut sugar, replaced the butter with a ripe avocado, and omitted the flour in favor of fiber-rich almond butter. The result is a flourless brownie that is ultra-rich and fudgy! (And naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, to boot.)
Can You Taste the Avocado?
Avocado has a relatively mild flavor that works well in baking, but if you are super-sensitive to the flavor (like I am) I think it does come through slightly on your first bite.
If you take a second bite, I find that the flavor goes almost unnoticed! (My husband says he can’t taste it at all in this recipe.)
I’ve tried to keep the sugar as low as possible in this recipe, but if you’d like to hide the avocado flavor even more, you can add 1/4 cup of maple syrup to this recipe for a sweeter-tasting result.
For a keto avocado brownie, I imagine you can use a granulated sugar substitute to replace the coconut sugar. I haven’t tested that myself, since my body doesn’t seem to agree with zero calorie sweeteners, but please leave a comment below if you give it a try so that other readers can benefit from your experience!
Avocado Brownies (Flourless & Fudgy!)
Ingredients
- 1 ripe avocado (about 6 ounces; 1/2 cup mashed)
- 1/2 cup cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (use a dairy-free brand, if needed)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. (Grease the pan first, so the parchment paper will stay in place.) In a food processor, combine the avocado (peel and pit removed), cacao powder, eggs, coconut sugar, almond butter, baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Fold in the chocolate chips, then pour the batter into the prepared pan. (Decorate the top with a few extra chocolate chips, if desired.)
- Bake at 325ºF for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the center of the brownies looks cooked-through. (You don't want it to jiggle when you shake the pan.) Allow the brownies to cool completely. The avocado flavor is MUCH more pronounced if you try these warm, so please don't be tempted to taste them until they have come to room temperature. You can place them in the fridge if you want to speed up the cooling process, or you'll have to wait at least 2 hours for them to cool on the counter.
- Slice the brownies into small squares and serve. It's normal for this brownie to stick to the knife a bit with you cut them, since they are flourless and very fudgy. Leftovers can be stored on the counter for up to 48 hours, or in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
Video
Notes
Don't have a food processor? You can make these brownies in a single bowl, mashing the avocado with a fork until relatively smooth. I prefer using a food processor, but I've had good results with both methods.
- If you need a nut-free recipe, try replacing the almond butter with 1/4 cup of your favorite flour. (I'd try oat flour or a gluten-free mix, or you could use 1/2 cup of almond flour instead.)
- If you dislike the flavor of avocado, you can replace half of it with butter or oil instead to ease yourself into the idea. I'd try 3 to 4 tablespoons of coconut oil or butter to replace half of an avocado.
- For a keto avocado brownie, try using a granulated sugar-free sweetener to replace the coconut sugar. (And let me know how it goes, please!)
- For a vegan avocado brownie, omit the eggs and replace them with 1/4 cup of all-purpose gluten-free flour, and increase the almond butter to a 1/2 cup total.
Nutrition
More Avocado Desserts
If you’re feeling inspired, try these popular recipes, too!
- Chocolate Avocado Smoothie
- Cherry Chocolate Avocado Pudding
- Avocado Ice Cream
- Dark Chocolate Avocado Truffles
- Avocado Fudgsicles
If you try these Avocado Brownies, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like them! And if you make a modification or substitution, please let me know how that works out for you, too. We can all benefit from hearing about your experience.
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Reader Feedback: Have you ever tried adding avocado to a dessert?
Hello, can we replace the butter with virgin coconut oil?
I have been on a diet and been craving something sweet, but trying to keep it on healthier side without overdoing added sugar. Can’t believe how good this is! It has a very fudgy but light texture to it. I used 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup stevia and it was plenty sweet. I will actually reduce brown sugar more next time. I used 45g Ghirardelli 72% cacao chips. I tried warm, and cooled brownies and both were good. My avocado was 4oz after peeled and pitted, and I could not taste avocado at all. Love this and recommend this recipe, but will reduce sweetness even more next time! Kids and husband loved them too.
These are so delicious and easy to make! We love them but I wanted to ask if you can freezer some of them or not? Thanks so much.
I made those brownies tonight, the only thing I changed was using a nut butter over the just almond, it was 3 different kinds of nuts. These are absolutely the best!
These are amazing!!! I added half the brown sugar, the 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, and my confetti cake pop almond butter (from American Dream Nut Butter) because that’s what I had. I checked it 35 minutes in and it was done! So so good, I can’t taste the avocados AND my husband loves them which is also a plus!
I’ve made these several times and my entire house really enjoys them!
Unbelievably tasty and fudgy brownies. I used peanut butter instead of almond butter and added some crushed walnuts too. Hardly any taste of avocado. Thank you for this wonderful recipe
They’re just in the oven, but the batter looks great and TASTES great too!
I added lots of chopped dates (softened in warm water) as I didn’t have much good avocado, I swapped tahiini for the nut butter (that’s what I had!) and used flax eggs.
Thanks for the recipe!!
I haven’t made these yet. I will. But I would just like to add that avocados are great for regulating sugars as well so this is great to put in a desert recipe.
I made these yesterday and WOW!! Amazing! No one could tell there was avocado in them!
These are such a hit! My husband loves them. they even taste better the second or third day after being in the fridge. 😀
thank you!
I substituted the sugar with 4/5 dates and it’s just amazing !
I used peanut butter instead of of almond butter and with brown sugar. used my mini cupcake tin (24 cupcakes and they were done in 20 minutes) Delicious!!
So good! Kid approved!!
I’ve made them as is and another time but added less sugar and they still tasted great! I used the food processor. So easy.
I freeze them and have something sweet ready for those cravings!
We have several food allergies in my house so this recipe was perfect. I did make the substitution for the eggs and was worried if they would no longer be fudgy because of the flour but they were perfectly fudgy!
WERE OU GOING TO GIVE US ANOTHER BROWNIE RECIPE THAT YOU LIKED BETTER??
You can find all of my brownie recipes here: https://detoxinista.com/?s=brownie
So good and fudgy! I’ve made these several times and turned out great every time. I do reduce the sugar down to 3/4 c and it’s still plenty sweet. I also tried this as a microwaveable mug brownie and turned out great too (only took 45 seconds for mine to cook).
These were amazing!! I only baked for 35 minutes as a commenter said. Any more time and they would be hard/dry. Also, as someone suggested, I only used 2/3 cup regular sugar instead of a cup and it was perfect! You can’t taste the avocado at all and they were so fudgey!
These are good, not the best brownies I’ve ever baked, but good. My super picky texture toddler asked for seconds. You do taste the avocado a bit. I used swerve in place of the sugar and they still came out just fine.
These brownies are SO good! Made them in my air fryer on the bake setting for 25 minutes and they came out perfect! Really glad i found this healthy version that taste great.
Just tried these out of the oven and I can’t taste the avocado at all! Rich, fudgy and chocolatey. I’m a believer! So easy to throw together. I made this in an 8×8 and they came out great.
I almost never review recipes but these were amazing!!! They were some of the best brownies I’ve ever made, as well as being incredibly easy. The avocado taste is there only if you look for it; if you didn’t tell someone that the brownies contained avocado, they’d never know. I used peanut butter instead of almond butter and it worked very well. I also took them out after around 40 minutes which was perfect, so be sure to check them early.
Have made these multiple times! They’re very good. I cut the sugar down to a 1/2 cup and they’re perfectly sweet.
Just took them out of the oven and they smell heavenly!!! Tasted the batter and couldn’t taste the avocado at all, so that’s a huge win! Thank you again for another wonderful recipe!! Love all of them.
I’ve made these twice now and I will never go back to regular brownies! They are so delicious and a big hit for whoever I make them for. 😊
Best brownies ever! I even made them in my multipurpose steamer from epicure in the microwave since I was in a hurry and they turned out fantastic. Only took 5.5 minutes to boot! Thank you for a great recipe!!
Can these be made with flax eggs instead of regular eggs?
I made this recipe today and it is a winner! I used only half the sugar ( I used monkfruit) and it was sweet enough. I didn’t have almond butter so I subbed natural peanut butter. I liked the texture and deep chocolate flavor!
These brownies are perfection!! I think the key is to measure out the avocado so you have exactly 6oz. I will be making these again and again, thank you!!
How did you guys get this recipe to blend? It was SO thick. It was impossible to blend and stuck to everything. I think only two thirds of the recipe actually ended up in the pan…
Hi! I would love to know if the recipe can use the fake egg recipe with chia seeds instead of eggs! thanks!!
hi, thanks for your recipe.
It’s a very nice and tasty brownie.
I use brown sugar and reduce further 20% and it’s still fantastic cake.
These are wonderful! I made them the original way and also subbed pb and swerve brown sugar when I ran out of the other ingredients. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to “regular” brownies again!
So yummy! It definitely tasted like avocado when it came out warm, but it’s so delicious cooler now and even the batter was delicious – like pudding! Tastes so moist, more like a moist brownie in flavor and a gooey brownie in texture. I subbed the 1/4 almond butter for 1/4 all purpose flour and used normal salt. Can’t wait to make again!
Amazing!
I never follow recipes exactly, but this was great inspiration.
I made the following changes, and it turned out superb:
-dates for sweetener, in place of most of the sugar
-tahini in place of the almond butter
-carob instead of the cocoa powder
I baked it a shorter amount of time to keep them a bit gooey. They were fantastic warm, can’t wait to try them cold after they’ve cooled in the fridge.
Thank you!
I made with maple syrup, takes more baking time, turned out great
These are so good!! Used light brown sugar as suggested instead of coconut sugar. I was a little concerned about the almond butter flavor but it was very light before cooking and undetectable after cooking. We couldn’t taste the avocado after cooking either, even when they were still warm! Texture is so fudgey and creamy, we will definitely make these again.
Easy to make with a few simple ingredients. Excellent brownies both in texture and taste.
Love these! Imake them on a regular. Could we substitute chocolate protein powder in place of the cacao powder?
Great recipe! Even better the next day. I’ve already made them twice this week!
Amazing brownies! Came out delicious!
They are so tasty! I added just about 2 tablespoons to lessen the avocado flavor. These, taste decadent! Will make again.
I need to make this with a sugar alternative like monkfruit or Swerve. Has anyone tried that and does it work? These look so good but i can’t have sugar!!
These were awesome! I made a few of the recommended substitutions due to what i had on hand. I substituted flour for the almond butter, brown sugar for the coconut suger, and used vegan chocolate chips. You absolutely could not taste the avacado. I brought them to work and everyone was stunned when I told them they were avacado brownies. A double batch gone within an hour lol guess I’m making another batch tonight.
I love these! I love brownies but needed a healthier option. I used monk fruit, cut the chocolate chips to 1/4 cup. And used course sea salt. I sprinkled course sea salt on top also. A-maz-ing!! My husband was in shock they were not my regular sugar laden brownies. Thanks
Not to be dramatic, but you just saved my bikini contest prep ready body and im five days out from a show. I eat one of these every night to satisfy my cravings!!
These are so delicious and you can’t even taste the avocado. Thank you for this awesome recipe.😍
Can I substitute almond butter for peanut butter?
Sure, I think that would be fine! Peanut butter sometimes makes baked goods slightly more dry, but I think the flavor will help hide the avocado taste even more.
I just tried this recipe and these brownies are delicious. They remind me of the brownies that my Mom made when I was a kid. I’m not sure if I baked them too long, but they have a slightly crispy top – which her brownies had, and they are soft in the middle. Adding this to my favorites. I will never let an avocado go bad again 😉
I have mad these before and love them! I started a batch today and realized I didn’t have all the ingredients. I do use swerve instead of brown sugar. I used peanut butter because I didn’t have almond butter. I also half the sugar and add maple syrup. I also sprinkle in some cinnamon and nutmeg. They are still delicious!