Vegan Protein Brownies
Easy vegan protein brownies made with only 6 ingredients and are incredibly easy to make! They are flourless, healthy yet fudgy and decadent.
These brownies are also refined sugar-free, gluten-free, naturally eggless, keto and grain-free!
6 ingredients you’ll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
Banana puree is our main sweetener and binder. I used banana puree instead of mashed banana because I didn’t want chunks of banana throughout my chocolate treats! The banana puree gives the brownies a slight banana taste which helps balance out the taste of the protein powder.
Smooth natural peanut butter, as a source of protein and fat. This helps make the brownies rich, fudgy and oh so delicious.
Cocoa powder or raw cacao powder. I prefer using cocoa powder as it gives brownies a classic ‘chocolatey’ flavour whereas cacao powder can make baked goods a little bitter. You can read about the difference between cocoa and cacao powder at Taste of Home.
Vegan chocolate protein powder which is already sweetened. If your protein powder isn’t sweetened, I’d recommend adding maple syrup.
Maple syrup (optional) for flavour and some sweetness. The banana adds a lot of sweetness but with a strong banana flavour. Instead of adding more bananas, I compensated with a little maple syrup. However, if you find your brownies sweet enough, you don’t have to add maple syrup.
Baking soda helps the brownies rise a TINY amount so they don’t have the texture of pure fudge. Many vegan protein brownie recipes don’t have raising agents creating overly dense brownies (fudge in the shape of brownies). By adding a little baking soda, these brownies are closer to traditional brownies.
How to prepare the protein brownies
These vegan protein brownies are awesome because you only need one bowl to make them. AND the raw batter is edible!
First, if you haven’t pureed your banana, add them to your large mixing bowl and use a stick blender to puree them.
Simply add ALL your ingredients and mix until you have a smooth fudgy batter. The batter should be thick and slightly sticky. However, it shouldn’t be too thick that it’s hard to mix.
In this case, a thick brownie batter leads to more dense brownies. Conversely, a thinner brownie batter creates slightly cakier brownies. We want somewhere in between!
Decorating and baking the brownies
Simply pour the batter into a square baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula. You can bake the vegan protein brownies undecorated OR top them with sliced berries for a pop of colour and freshness!
The brownies took around 20 minutes to bake (give or take) every time I tested them. For fudgier and moist brownies, bake them for a little less time. Or for sturdier brownies, bake them for a little longer.
The brownies may puff up a little in the oven. They are ready when you can poke a skewer in the middle and there are some wet crumbs or a tiny smudge of batter. Unless you want to be eating unbaked batter with your brownies (I won’t judge, it’s delicious), make sure your skewer isn’t coated in wet batter.
Customising this recipe
Yes, you can use apple sauce instead! Pumpkin puree or sweet potato puree will work but your brownies won’t be as sweet.
Any other smooth nut butter (such as almond butter) or sunflower seed butter will also work. I haven’t tried tahini, though I predict it’d have a very strong aftertaste!
I tested these brownies with a vegan protein powder blend which is mostly pea protein and was sweetened with stevia. It worked well without the additional maple syrup.
I also tested these brownies with unflavoured protein powder (brown rice protein powder) and found the brownies needed a little extra sweetness. However, you can taste the raw batter and adjust as needed!
Yes! All of these will take this high protein vegan dessert to the next level :).
I haven’t tested this recipe so can’t vouch for results!
Yes, these brownies are sturdy enough to be divided into mini bites!
After 1-2 days, the strawberries tend to soak in the colour of the cocoa powder and lose their natural colour. This is only natural! However, they still taste delicious.
More wholesome vegan brownies
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Vegan protein brownies
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cups (375g) overripe banana puree, equivalent of ~3 medium/large bananas or apple sauce (note 1)
- 1 cup (250g) smooth natural peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons (40g) maple syrup, optional to taste
- ⅓ cup (35g) cocoa or raw cacao powder
- ⅓ cup or 1 scoop (35g) vegan protein powder, (note 2)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
To decorate (optional)
- ¼ cup (30g) strawberries, or berries of choice, sliced thinly
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) square baking tray.
- Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
- Pour the brownie batter into your lined baking tray and smooth the surface with a spoon or spatula.
- If desired, scatter some strawberries (or berries of choice) on top and lightly press them into the surface.
- Bake the brownies for 18-23 minutes (shorter for fudgier brownies, longer for denser brownies). If you insert a skewer into the middle, there should only be a tiny amount of crumbs but no wet batter.
- Allow the brownies to completely cool down. Cut into 16 small pieces, 9 large pieces or as desired. Enjoy!
- Leftover brownies can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer up to 1 month.
Video
Notes
- To puree the bananas, add them to your mixing bowl and puree using stick blender. I haven’t tried mashed bananas for this recipe but I imagine it will make the brownie batter thicker with chunks of bananas.
- I used a lightly sweetened chocolate vegan protein powder and found the brownies needed a very small amount of maple syrup. However feel free to omit or add more maple syrup, to taste.
This recipe was originally published in 2018 and updated in 2021.
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Hi
Can I add more protein powder to the above recipe.
You can certainly try, though the texture will be more cakey!
Made these last night! They’re good! I just mashed the bananas and you’re right: some bites have more banana flavor than others. I like that so it’s all good. I used unflavored/unsweetened pea protein and all the maple syrup. Also added some vegan chocolate chips and chunks – great addition. Only change I’d make is maybe using almond or sun butter next time, as the peanut butter flavor is quite prominent. Either that or lean more into the PB flavor, maybe adding crushed peanuts to the batter and on the top.
Thanks for the recipe! Very happy with it.
So glad you enjoyed these Nela! And that’s a good point about the PB flavor. Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
Hey ! What is the tray size u used ? And the protein what flavor ? Vanilla it chocolate?
I used a 20x20cm baking tin and plain protein powder. I’ve just updated the recipe to say this!
I made these and the batter tasted amazing. It seemed a little watery so I added another cup of almond flour. They still came out underdone (left them in for 45 min) and I can’t seem to get three to bake through. Suggestions? Does it need more flour? Thanks!
I actually added an additional 1/4 c of almond flour —not a cup LOL.
Hey! Oh 1/4 c sounds much better than 1 cup haha. Just checking your oven is 160 celcius rather than farenheit? It should be 320 farenheit if so. Also, sometimes ovens are cooler than what they say. I’d turn up the oven a little and cover it the brownies with a heatproof tray. Also Almond flour acts differently from almond meal so the skewer might not come out 100% clean and it’ll allow the insides to remain fudgy. I hope that helps?
I am allergic to bananas and very much appreciate your alertnatives for this recipe! Banana allergies are more common than most think and is a cross reactor for those with latex allergies. These are beautiful they look so much like a regular brownie! I steer clear of most vegan protein powders because I am allergic to soy and peas, and pea protein is usually in those blends but the rice one I could try! I use whey in my smoothies, and you re right it s awful in baked goods!
These brownies taste great!
I can’t wait to try this!! I’ve been looking for a good vegan, nut-free, protein brownie recipe that doesn’t call for too much. im definitely going to try these girl
Aw! Glad you like the look of them! Let me know how you go if you try them!
Hi! How long do these keep?
Hey! They keep for up to 5 days in your fridge in an airtight container or in the freezer for up to a month 🙂
These look absolutely delicious and such a simple recipe also! I have put these on my list to make this weekend 🙂
Thanks alot!!
I’m so glad to hear that. Let me know if you ever make them 🙂
that looks amazing! would love to make it tonight!
just wondering if i can swap protein powder with other kinds of powder? say, cake flour?
thanks! Your recipe always inspires me :)!
Thanks Lulu! Yes, I don’t see why you can’t replace protein powder with another powder! Let me know how you go xo
Oh my goodness….. these sound incredible.So beautiful too! x