These healthy chocolate beetroot brownies are super fudgy and have a decadent dark chocolate flavor. They're made with cooked beets, dark chocolate and almond flour and sweetened with dates. In addition, this beetroot brownie recipe is gluten free, dairy free, paleo and vegan friendly.
I made the mistake of purchasing a giant Costco-sized container of cooked beets, with the intention of updating a bunch of my beet recipes, as well as creating new content. But, all I've gotten around to is making a recipe video for these chocolate beet brownies.
Whatever, it was all worth it, because this is my favorite brownie recipe ever! I've made these SO many times over the years, as they're the best way to use cooked beets 😉
These brownies are super fudgy (the way all brownies should be), sweetened with dates (no added sugar) and kid approved (always a win). No one will guess they're made with beets - trust me!
Why You'll Love these Chocolate Beetroot Brownies
- paleo and vegan friendly: made with simple, minimally processed ingredients
- gluten free and grain free: made with almond flour and cocoa powder
- egg free
- dairy free
- no added sugar: only sweetened from the beets, dates and dark chocolate
- hidden veggies: the beets are undetectable, perfect for any palate
Ingredients
The full recipe for these vegan beetroot brownies can be found in the recipe card below, but here's an overview of what you'll need:
- cooked beets - I used Love Beets pre-cooked beets, but have also peeled and steamed my own beets. Both work great.
- pitted dates - I used organic Medjool dates, but any variety will work. You'll need to soak the dates in hot water to soften, making them blend better into the batter.
- avocado oil - I like Chosen Foods avocado oil. You could swap it with light olive oil if you prefer.
- vanilla extract - for flavor
- blanched almond flour - to keep these brownies gluten free and paleo friendly.
- cocoa powder - since these are chocolate beet brownies
- salt - enhances the flavors
- dark chocolate - this makes the brownies richer and helps with the fudgy texture. I recommend using a chocolate with a 65-75% cocoa content.
How to Make Chocolate Beetroot Brownies
To make these paleo beet brownies, you'll need a food processor or high powered blender, as the beets and dates need to be blended. After blending most of the ingredients, the batter is poured into a mixing bowl and combined with the melted dark chocolate. And lastly, it's placed in a lined baking dish and baked in the oven. Here are the steps:
- First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8" x 8" glass baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. If you are using a larger pan, then double the recipe.
Prep the Dates
- Remove the pits from the dates and place them in a small bowl or large cup. Then, boil water and pour it over the dates, covering them completely. Let the dates sit for 5 minutes. This step softens the dates, making them perfect for blending.
Make the Batter
- Drain the water from the dates and place them in a food processor or high powered blender, along with the cooked beets. Blend the mixture until it's nicely pureed and looking a bit like baby food.
- Then, add in the avocado oil, vanilla, almond flour, cocoa powder and salt. Blend the mixture until smooth, stopping every so often to scrape the sides.
- Grab the dark chocolate and place it in a small sauce pan. Melt the chocolate on the stove top, over low heat.
- Once fully melted, combine the chocolate and the rest of the brownie mixture in a large mixing bowl. Mix with a spatula until well combined.
- Pour the brownie batter into the lined baking dish.
Bake the Brownies
- Place the beet brownies in your preheated oven. Bake them at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Cool the Brownies
- After baking, cool the brownies to room temperature in the baking dish. This allows them to further set.
- After cooling, you can eat them at room temperature or store them in the fridge overnight and eat the next day. Personally, I like these brownies best after a night in the fridge.
Beet Brownie Brownie Toppings
These brownies taste great as-is, but you may top them with a dark chocolate drizzle (like I did) or your favorite frosting.
You can even go "extra" and add some sprinkles or flaked sea salt too. I topped these with some dried edible flowers and pinch of beet root powder for a pop of color.
Frequently Asked Questions
Beets are extremely nutritious! They are packed with vitamins, minerals and plant compounds, some of which have medicinal properties. Here are a few fun facts:
- Beets contain the compound betaine which helps with liver function.
- The phytosterols, or plant sterols, present in beets, are structurally similar to cholesterol and can help to lower LDL cholesterol.
- They work as a "blood builder", which can be helpful for people who suffer from anemia and fatigue.
- They contain potassium and nitrates, which can help to lower blood pressure
Yes! You do not have to use pre-cooked beets like I did. Instead, you may steam the beets or roast them in the oven if you prefer.
Since these beet brownies are made with almond flour, they are not nut free. BUT, you should be able to swap the almond flour for tigernut flour and get similar results.
More Healthy Recipes Using Beets
Healthy Chocolate Beetroot Brownies (Paleo, Vegan)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8" x 8" pan 1x
Description
These healthy chocolate beetroot brownies are made with cooked beets and sweetened with dates. They're gluten free, vegan and paleo friendly.
Ingredients
- 1 cup pitted dates (155g)
- 1 cup chopped cooked beets (170g)*
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup blanched almond flour (50g)
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (25g)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 5 oz dark chocolate (65-75%)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8" x 8" glass baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Soften the dates: remove the pits from the dates and place the dates in a small bowl or large cup. Heat a pot of water (it needs to be hot, not boiling) and pour it over the dates, covering them completely. Let the dates sit for 5 minutes.
- Drain the water from the dates and place them in a food processor or high powered blender, along with the cooked beets. Blend the mixture, stopping every so often to scrape the sides.
- Add in the avocado oil, vanilla, almond flour, cocoa powder and salt. Blend the mixture until smooth, stopping every so often to scrape the sides.
- Place the dark chocolate in a small sauce pan and melt on the stove top, over low heat.
- Once fully melted, combine the chocolate and the rest of the brownie mixture in a large mixing bowl. Mix with a spatula until well combined.
- Pour the brownie batter into a the lined baking dish and place in the oven.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
- After baking, cool the brownies to room temperature in the baking dish.
- Store in fridge up to two weeks.
Notes
*I used pre-cooked beets, but you may steam or roast your own.
Katie
These beet brownies are incredible! Super fudgy, easy to make and you can't taste the beets. Hope you all love the recipe as much as I do!
Bethany H
I have these beet brownies in the oven now!! I know I'm going to be obsessed with these especially if they taste as good cooked as the raw batter!! Thanks for this easy delicious recipe!!
Katie
Yay! Thank you 🙂
Cheryljean
Can, or is there a way. To make these or somewhat like these with no chocolate no cocoa?
Katie
The texture will be way off without the chocolate. So I wouldn't suggest leaving that out. You could probably get away without the cocoa powder though.