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Plantain Brownies (Paleo, Vegan)

Jul 9, 2019 · 10 Comments

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If you like sweet plantains, then you're in for a treat.  These plantain brownies are a great, healthy brownie recipe; sweetened with ripe plantains and dates, moist, decadent and healthy enough for breakfast.

In addition, this easy plantain brownie recipe is paleo, vegan and free of the top allergens.  These simple brownies are made with just 8 ingredients, grain free, egg free and sweetened with dates.

side view of plantain brownie on cutting board

I've been experimenting with quite a few plantain recipes as of late and these plantain brownies are my newest obsession. 

Plantains are great for baking because they add moisture to baked goods and work well as a binding agent.  They're great for making egg free recipes, even without the use of egg substitutes.  In addition, they're relatively inexpensive and high in fiber.

Are you convinced yet?! 😉 

But in all seriousness, plantains are great for paleo baking, so long as you enjoy their flavor.

These paleo plantain brownies have a lot of qualities to be admired...

Recipe Highlights

  • paleo: grain free, gluten free, dairy free, no refined sugar, no vegetable oils
  • vegan friendly: made without animal products
  • allergy friendly: free of top allergens
  • refined sugar free: these plantain brownies are only sweetened with plantains and dates
  • flourless: no flour is used in this plantain brownie recipe
  • easy to make: the batter is blended in a food processor (or high powered blender)
cut brownies on cutting board

Ingredients in Paleo Plantain Brownies

  • 2 large ripe plantains
  • dates
  • avocado oil
  • plant based milk
  • vanilla extract
  • cocoa powder
  • baking soda
  • salt

Substitutions

Plantains of any ripeness should work for this recipe, but I recommend ones that are yellow with a lot of brown and black spots. Ripe plantains are sweeter and give these brownies a better texture than unripe plantains.

For this recipe, I used homemade almond milk.  However, any plant based milk will work. To make these brownies allergy free (nut free), then use coconut milk or a seed milk such as hemp milk.

photo showing plantain brownie texture

How to Make Plantain Brownies

These vegan plantain brownies are super easy to make! The batter is blended in a food processor (or high powered blender), spread into a lined baking dish and then baked for 25-30 minutes in the oven. Here's what you need to do:

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8" x 8" glass baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.

Next, peel and cut plantain into about ½ inch slices.

How to Peel a Plantain

The riper the plantain, the easier it is to peel. Which, makes sense because riper plantains have thinner, softer skin. However, no matter the ripeness, these are the steps I take when peeling plantains:

  1. Using a sharp knife, cut off both ends of plantain.
  2. Cut plantain in half (so you have two small plantains).
  3. Use your knife to slice the plantain skin lengthwise (tip to tip).
  4. Peel off skin.
how-to-cut-a-plantain

Make the Batter

Add the chopped plantains and pitted dates to the food processor.  Blend.

Next, add the remaining ingredients to mixture.  Stir with a spatula, then blend until smooth.

plantain brownie batter

Spread batter into the lined baking dish and place the brownies in the oven.

Bake the Brownies

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Lastly, remove brownies from the oven and cool to room temperature in the pan.  This step is important!  You need to let the brownies cool in the glass pan because they continue to bake.

Frost the Brownies

Frosting is optional, but highly recommended. I made a coconut cream frosting for these plantain brownies and decorated them with miniature dark chocolate chips, dried edible flowers and bee pollen.

frosting-the-brownies

Storage

These brownies need to be stored in the fridge. Place them in a sealed, air-tight container in the fridge for up to one week.

Frequently Asked Questions

How ripe should the plantains be?

These plantain brownies are best made with ripe plantains. Ripe meaning yellow with many brown and black spots. Green plantains will make these brownies less sweet and slightly change the texture.

Do I have to use avocado oil?

The avocado oil helps make these brownies fudgy and moist. It may be replaced with plant based milk, but I prefer the outcome with a bit of oil.

More Paleo Recipes using Plantains

plantain waffles

Plantain Waffles

plantain-fries-in-the-air-fryer

Air Fryer Plantain Fries

Dehydrated-Plantain-Chips

Dehydrated Plantain Chips

Print
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side view of plantain brownie on cutting board

Plantain Brownies (Paleo, Vegan)

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Katie
  • Prep Time: 5 min
  • Cook Time: 25 min
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 16 bite sized brownies 1x
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Description

Healthy plantain brownies made with ripe plantains, dates and cocoa powder.  Paleo, vegan, gluten free and nut free!


Ingredients

Scale

Plantain Brownies

  • 2 large, ripe plantains (300g peeled)*
  • ½ cup packed pitted dates (100g)
  • 2 Tbsp avocado oil
  • 2 Tbsp plant based milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup cocoa powder (32g)
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt

Frosting

  • 1 cup coconut cream**
  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Plantain Brownies

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8" x 8" glass baking dish with parchment paper.
  2. Peel and cut plantain into about ½ inch slices.
  3. Add plantain and pitted dates to food processor.  Blend until well combined.
  4. Add remaining ingredients.  Stir with a spatula, then blend until smooth.
  5. Spread batter into the lined baking dish.
  6. Place brownies in the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes.
  7. Remove brownies from oven and cool to room temperature in pan.

Frosting

  1. In a small bowl, combine coconut cream, maple syrup and vanilla.  Whisk until smooth.
  2. Spread frosting over cooled brownies.

Notes

*ripe plantain meaning: yellow with many black/brown spots

**use just the cream from a can of full fat coconut milk or canned coconut cream

Keywords: plantain brownies, paleo plantain brownies, vegan plantain brownies, paleo brownie recipe, no added sugar brownies, date brownies, allergy friendly brownies, nut free brownies, healthy brownie recipe

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pinterest image for plantain brownies
« Plantain Fries Recipe (Paleo, Vegan, Whole30)
Healthy Blueberry Banana Bread (Paleo, No Added Sugar) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ash says

    April 26, 2021 at 2:18 pm

    Yumm! I want to try this! I usually buy oat milk. I presume it's cool to use it in place of almond?

    Reply
    • Katie says

      April 27, 2021 at 7:37 am

      Yes, any type of milk should work in place of the almond milk 🙂

      Reply
  2. Katie says

    December 15, 2021 at 2:10 pm

    My kids and I love these paleo vegan plantain brownies and we hope you do too!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Emily B. says

    December 29, 2021 at 10:29 am

    Would you recommend a quick hot soak for the dates prior to blending?

    Reply
    • Katie says

      December 29, 2021 at 1:01 pm

      Yes, if the dates are firm or seem dry.

      Reply
  4. Maria says

    January 22, 2022 at 3:27 pm

    I’m about to make it now and realize that I don’t have baking soda. Can I use baking powder instead?

    Reply
    • Katie says

      January 23, 2022 at 12:47 pm

      Baking powder should work. It may change the texture slightly, but not by much.

      Reply
      • Keren says

        July 05, 2022 at 8:45 pm

        Great recipe, came out amazing! I used oat milk and olive oil because that's what I had. Also added some salt on top. Thank you!

  5. Maria says

    January 25, 2022 at 1:22 pm

    Thank you so much for responding so quickly.😊. I made these brownies and omg, I’m in brownie heaven, so delicious and moist. I followed your exact directions and nothing went wrong. I am a fan now. I’ll check to see what other delicious recipes you’ve made. Thank you. Oh I didn’t use the baking powder. I went and bought the recommended baking soda. I’m munching on a piece as I’m typing this…😌😳🤤🤤

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Katie says

      January 26, 2022 at 1:28 pm

      Ah, so happy that you liked this recipe! Thank you for the review 🙂

      Reply

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Hi there! I’m Katie and I have a passion for baking healthy treats using real, Paleo-friendly ingredients. My mission is to make baking nutritious, delicious, simple and family friendly; because you CAN eat dessert every day and still live a healthy life!

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