These healthier brownies taste just like regular brownies and have a texture like brownies made with flour even though they don’t contain any flour. The brownies need just 4 ingredients and don’t contain any flour, refined sugar, dairy, butter or oil. They are fudgy, chewy and can be made ahead of time.
This is my favorite brownie to make right now. Every person I’ve made them for is surprised that the brownies are made with healthier ingredients because they taste just like regular brownies. They also have a crumb just like brownies made with flour even though they don’t contain any flour. Most healthy brownie recipes don’t have the same texture as regular brownies, but these ones do.
Ingredients
- Cashew butter
- Honey
- Eggs
- Cocoa Powder
Cashew butter: This recipe uses natural cashew butter with no added oils. Cashew butter helps give the brownies their chewy texture and their crumb-like texture.
Honey: Honey is used to sweeten the brownies. In addition, when the honey interacts with the cashew butter and eggs, it creates air pockets in the batter, helping the batter rise and expand, without the need for a leavening agent.
Eggs: Eggs are used to provide the structure for these brownies.
Cocoa powder: This recipe uses unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder to give the brownies their chocolate flavor.
How to Make Healthier Brownies
- Add the eggs and honey to a stand mixer and beat at highest speed for about 6 minutes.
- Fold the cashew butter in with a spatula.
- Sift in half of the cocoa powder and fold it in. Then sift in the remaining cocoa powder and fold it in.
- Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan and bake the brownies until done.
- Allow the brownies to fully cool before cutting and serving. You can also add frosting before serving.
Brownie Texture
These brownies have a cake-like crumb to them but they are also chewy and a little bit fudgy. The brownies are sweet but not super sweet.
Expert Tips
- This recipe relies on the chemical reaction between the eggs, honey and cashew butter.
- The cocoa powder is sifted through a fine mesh strainer before folding it into the batter so that the cocoa powder can be easily mixed in. Otherwise, you will have little lumps of cocoa powder in the batter.
More Healthier Brownie Recipes
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Healthier Brownies
- 4 Ingredient Yogurt Brownies
- 3 Ingredient Healthier Date Brownies
4 Ingredient Healthier Brownies
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (4 fl oz/118 ml) raw unfiltered honey
- 1/2 cup (128 g) unsweetened natural cashew butter
- 1/4 cup (24 g) unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the sides for easy removal later. Grease the bottom parchment paper with cooking oil spray (I find this helps the brownies from sticking because even with the parchment, they tend to stick a little).
- Add eggs and honey to a mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Using the wire whisk attachment, beat on highest speed for about 6 minutes. The egg mixture should be about double in volume right before you turn off the mixer. They will deflate a little after you turn off the mixer.
- Add in cashew butter. Use a silicone spatula to fold in the cashew butter, doing your best not to deflate the egg mixture too much. As you fold in the cashew butter, you will notice that the batter will get a little bubbly and expand. This is the cashew butter reacting with the honey and eggs and creating air pockets. Mix until all the cashew butter is evenly folded in.
- Sift in half of the cocoa powder through a fine mesh strainer. Fold it into the batter evenly with a silicone spatula. Then sift in the remaining cocoa powder and fold it in until the cocoa powder is evenly and completely incorporated.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Use a spatula to spread it evenly across. Bake brownies for about 25-30 minutes or until done. When the brownies are done, a toothpick inserted should come out mostly clean and the edges of the brownies should be set. It's okay if the center is still a little bit dark and more fudgy. Allow brownies to fully cool before removing them from the baking pan.
- Cut brownies with a large sharp knife. If desired, you can also add frosting to the brownies before cutting and serving. Uneaten brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days and longer in the fridge and freezer. If you are making a fresh frosting for the brownies like the ganache frosting I made, then you will want to store the brownies in the fridge or freezer right away.
Notes
- Make sure to use cashew butter with no added oils. The recipe relies on the chemical reaction when the cashew butter interacts with the honey and eggs.
- Use a good quality Dutch process cocoa powder.
- I used Octonuts pure cashew butter,* Rodelle Dutch process cocoa powder* and Kirkland Signature Raw Unfiltered Honey* to make this recipe.
- *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- Optional dairy-free ganache frosting:
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup canned full fat coconut milk
- Add chocolate chips to a microwave-safe mixing bowl. Heat coconut milk until almost simmering and pour over chocolate. Let it sit for about 30 seconds. Stir with spatula until chocolate is fully melted and smooth. If your chocolate is not completely melting, you can put the mixture in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds and stir again until smooth and melted. Frost surface of brownies with ganache. You do not need to use all of the frosting.
- Estimated nutrition does not include optional frosting.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
The brownies are incredible! I used natural chunky peanut butter since that’s what I had in the pantry and it worked just fine. I was worried the peanut butter would overpower the chocolate but it didn’t and for those of us who love peanut butter and chocolate, they were perfect The brownies are fudgy and chewy just like full ingredient brownies.
Thank you for sharing! We weren’t able to achieve the same results when we tested with pb but so glad they came out well for you with peanut butter!
Have you tried these with natural no sugar peanut butter?
We did and it didn’t work the same. This recipe relies on the chemical reaction when the cashew butter interacts with the honey and eggs. We haven’t yet found a substitute for cashew butter.