Fudgy Dairy Free Brownies | Healthy Recipe

These fudgy dairy free brownies are an indulgent treat that is secretly full of nutrients. Honestly, they're so good that no one will suspect the base is mashed sweet potato!

Fall is upon us once again, and I find myself liking to bake more than I did throughout the summer (wonder why? haha). I'm ready for the warm pancakes, the hearty pot pie and the pumpkin seeds, pie, sauce and bars. That is all.

So anyways, back to baking.

I'm all over making any treat that is as delicious as it is healthy! These fudgy brownies are that, plus it's a super easy recipe.

They aren't exactly the same as the traditional brownies I grew up on, but I enjoy them just as much. They're fudgy, just sweet enough and fulfill my chocolate needs. The perfect brownie.

Plus they meet my more recent requirement of being full of healthy ingredients. Sweet potato, almond butter, cocoa, maple syrup. Just good stuff! I was so impressed the first time I made them and they've been a favorite ever since.

These would make a fabulous homemade gift for a chocolate lover in your life!

Are Dairy Free Brownies Healthy?

This chewy brownie recipe is made with wholesome simple ingredients that you can feel good about eating! Most brownies are made with refined sugar, vegetable oil and refined flour. Nothing beneficial!

Sweet potato - Sweet potatoes are the main ingredient in this brownie recipe. So just from that, you can conclude that these are much more nutrient-dense brownies than all purpose flour based ones! Sweet potatoes are high in fibre, which will help keep your blood sugar levels steadier, even as you eat this sweet treat. They are also high in beta carotene (which the body converts to vitamin A), vitamin C, potassium, manganese, Vitamin 6 and more!

Almond butter - Almonds are high in healthy fats, protein, vitamin E, magnesium and manganese. They are also a decent source of fibre. Be sure to use PURE almond butter- the kind with no additives! If you substitute it with another nut butter, the nutrient profile will be somewhat similar. The healthiest option would be to use homemade almond butter from soaked nuts.

Maple syrup - Probably my favorite sweetener. Contains some minerals and antioxidants, and of course, is high in sugar. My aim is to create recipes using the least amount of natural sweetener possible that will still yield a sweet and delicious treat. Just please make sure you use real maple syrup, not Aunt Jemima! (or whatever it's called now...)

Cocoa - Natural cocoa powder is rich in polyphenols- antioxidants that are also found in some fruits and vegetables! These polyphenols may improve heart health and blood flow to the brain and reduce blood pressure and inflammation generally.

Dark chocolate chips - Dark chocolate is the healthiest type of chocolate, as it has the least amount of sugar and is, therefore, higher in cocoa. It does contain sugar, but what treat doesn't! If it's a small amount, I'm happy. We use 70% cocoa dark chocolate chips.

Vanilla - Adds some more depth of flavor. A little bit goes a long way! For the best flavor and healthiest option, use pure vanilla instead of imitation vanilla extract.

Sea salt - Helps bring out the flavors in all the other ingredients! Use pure sea salt instead of table salt.

What is Dairy Free?

A dairy product is anything containing animal milk or milk products, such as cheese, yogurt or ice cream. Dairy free means there aren't any animal milk products in the recipe. This recipe is dairy free, as long as you ensure you use dairy-free chocolate chips!

Are These Brownies Gluten Free?

Bonus! These brownies aren't just dairy-free, they're gluten free as well. This means that anyone on a gluten free diet (with a gluten sensitivity or celiac disease) can eat them worry free!

Many people are sensitive to gluten and don't even know it, so these are a great healthy option for everybody! Unless you have a nut allergy, but even so, you could substitute the nut butter for a seed butter of some kind.

Many gluten free brownie recipes require almond flour, coconut flour or a gluten free flour blend, but this one doesn't require any special ingredients like that!

Do Brownies Contain Dairy?

Most brownie recipes do contain some form of dairy, whether that's milk or butter.

Dairy Free Brownie Variations

• You can use strained (thick) pumpkin puree or mashed butternut squash in place of the sweet potato. The flavor will be slightly different and I would add another 2 tablespoon of maple syrup if you make that substitution.
• Any kind of nut or seed butter can be used in place of almond butter. I use almond butter because it has a very neutral flavor.
• Use any liquid sweetener in place of maple syrup, but again the flavor will differ slightly. Honey or date syrup are good options! I wouldn't use a granulated sugar like white sugar, brown sugar or coconut sugar, because it will change the consistency of the brownie.
• If you're feeling ready for extra rich chocolate flavor, use dark cocoa powder!
• Any type of chocolate chip will do! Most people use semi-sweet chocolate chips. I prefer dark chocolate because it's the lowest in sugar. You could also use chopped mini eggs for Easter, candy corns for Halloween or red and green M&Ms for Christmas!
• Drizzle with some melted chocolate for extra chocolatey goodness.

Tips for Making Dairy Free Brownies

Blend the sweet potatoes well before adding the rest of the ingredients. Otherwise, you may end up with sweet potato chunks in your brownies!

You can transfer the batter to a large mixing bowl to mix in the chocolate chips, or just kind of mash them in with a spoon in the food processor. Don't process them or they'll get chopped up!

You'll start to smell the brownies about 25 minutes into baking, but don't be tempted to pull them out early! They need the full 40 minutes to bake through.

Allow the brownies to cool fully before cutting into them so they can fully set.

You can half the recipe and bake in a loaf pan, or double it to bake in a 9x13.

Tools You May Need

Food processor

Medium saucepan, double boiler or vegetable steamer

9x9 baking pan

How to Make Dairy Free Brownies

Ingredients:

• 3½ cups sweet potato, peeled and diced (approx 1 medium sweet potato)
• 1 cup almond butter
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• ½ cup cocoa
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips (dairy-free if desired), divided

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9x9 baking dish with parchment paper (or grease it).

Steam or boil diced sweet potatoes over medium-high heat until soft, about 15 minutes. Make sure they're soft enough to easily smash.

Strain the water off and roughly mash with a potato masher. Measure out 2 cups of mashed sweet potato (a little more or less is totally okay) and add to a food processor. Blend until the sweet potato is smooth.

Add the almond butter, maple syrup, cocoa, salt and vanilla. Blend again until smooth.

Stir in ¼ cup of the chocolate chips.

Pour brownie batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out.

Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of chocolate chips over the brownies.

Bake for 40 minutes and allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan at room temperature before serving.

How to Store Dairy Free Brownies

These brownies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer.

Did you try this recipe? If so, I would really appreciate a 5-star rating and your comments below! Thanks!

MORE GUILT-FREE DESSERTS

• HEALTHY NANAIMO BARS
• VANILLA CUPCAKES
• CHOCOLATE CAKE POPS
• CRANBERRY CAKE
• MAPLE NO BAKE COOKIES

MORE DAIRY-FREE RECIPES

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• GARLIC OLIVE OIL MASHED POTATOES
• SPROUTED WHEAT CRACKERS
• DAIRY-FREE HOT CHOCOLATE
• GLUTEN-FREE PUMPKIN BARS