Fudgy Date Brownies
By Carine Claudepierre
Published on 08/18/2024
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These Fudgy Date Brownies are simple, healthy brownies sweetened with dates for the best fudgy texture. They are vegan, paleo, and gluten-free with no refined ingredient or added sweetener.
I love making brownies, but the classic recipes are often not super healthy as they are loaded with sugar. I often make my Greek Yogurt Brownies, Black Bean Brownies, or Sweet Potato Brownies, but when I want the fudgiest of all, I make these date brownies.
These Date Brownies have a rich, fudgy texture and a decadent chocolate taste. They are delicious as a snack or dessert and because they are made with healthy, unrefined ingredients, they are good for your health!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Dates – Dates are a great natural sweetener full of nutrients and fibers. They add the most delicious fudgy texture to brownies. I used Tunisian Deglet Noor dates, but any date will work here. Some other varieties might require the dates to be soaked for a while to make them moister.
- Cocoa Powder – It’s better to use unsweetened cocoa powder to limit the amount of refined sugar, but grab what you can!
- Almond Flour – Almond flour is a simple, healthy flour. If you can’t find some or want a cheaper alternative, you can pick sunflower seed flour, or even regular wheat flour.
- Flaxseed Meal – You can make your own or buy ready-made flaxseed meal.
- Baking Powder – Make sure it’s fresh or it won’t be as efficient.
- Almond Milk – or any plant-based milk you like such as coconut milk, oat milk, or rice milk.
- Vanilla Essence – for flavor.
How To Make Date Brownies
This recipe is so easy that you don’t even need to drain the soaked dates, unless they are very dry. All the water stays in the food processor to create the fudgiest sugar-free brownies with dates.
- To make the batter, start by soaking the dates in boiling water directly into the food processor. This way, you don’t need to clean an extra bowl.
- After 10 minutes of soaking, process the dates and water to form a date paste. Don’t go crazy if there are pieces of dates left. It is fine!
- Then, add all the ingredients except the almond milk.
- Process the date brownie batter for just 30 seconds.
- You’ll get a thick sticky black brownie batter, slightly dry. That is the time to add the almond milk.
- Blend again for 10 seconds. It will form a shiny, creamy, fudgy brownie batter!
- Transfer the vegan date brownies mixture to a square baking pan lined with lightly oiled parchment paper.
- Use a silicone spatula to flatten the top. It’s not only to make it pretty but also to ensure it cooks evenly.
- Place the brownies in an oven preheated to 350°F (180°C) and let them bake for 18 to 20 minutes.
- When they are cooked, take them out of the oven and let them sit in the hot pan for another 20 minutes to let the bottom finish cooking.
- Then, take them out of the pan and transfer the date brownies to a cooling rack.
Decorating with Glazing
These brownies with dates wouldn’t be as delicious without their date frosting. While baking, prepare your quick 3-ingredient date frosting. Again, super easy. You need a blender and:
- Dates
- Water
- Cocoa Powder
- Add all the glazing ingredients to your food processor. You can add some vanilla essence if you like or salt for a salted caramel flavor. As for the brownie batter, you need to let the dates soak for 10 minutes.
- Once it’s done, add the cocoa powder and blend for about a minute.
- Spread the date glazing on top of the brownies for double chocolate date brownies!
Flavor and Texture Variations
To make date brownies with a different taste, you can add the following ingredients to the batter:
- Chocolate Chips – opt for dark chocolate chips for a better taste
- Maple Syrup – for a slightly sweeter taste
- Sea Salt – for sprinkling on top of the glazing.
You can also add a drizzle of peanut butter, cashew butter, or almond butter on top of the brownies.
Expert Tips
While you can make these brownies easily with the recipe further down, I’ve included just below a few more tips that didn’t fit in the recipe card!
- Date selection: Use soft, fresh dates for the best results. If your dates are dry, soak them in hot water for 30 minutes before using.
- Blending technique: For a smoother batter, blend the dates in batches if your food processor is not powerful enough.
- Natural sweetener boost: Add a teaspoon of maple syrup or agave nectar to enhance the natural sweetness without compromising the recipe’s healthiness.
- Texture variation: For a bit of crunch, add 1/4 cup of chopped nuts (like walnuts or pecans) to the batter before baking.
- Cocoa powder quality: Use high-quality, unsweetened cocoa powder for the best chocolate flavor. Dutch-processed cocoa can provide a richer taste.
- Salt enhancement: A pinch of sea salt in the batter can intensify the chocolate flavor.
- Even baking: Rotate the pan halfway through baking for more even results, especially if your oven has hot spots.
- Cooling method: For extra fudginess, cool the brownies completely in the refrigerator before cutting.
- Frosting consistency: If the frosting is too thick, add a tablespoon of plant-based milk at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
- Serving suggestion: Warm individual brownies slightly before serving and top with a scoop of dairy-free ice cream for an indulgent dessert.
Storage Instructions
I recommend storing these brownies in a square cake pan with a lid in the fridge. The cold will makes the brownies even fudgier and denser. Plus, it will set the frosting. Store them for up to 4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer. Reheat them in the oven for 10 minutes or in an air fryer.
Frequently Asked Questions
One of the substitutions you can make to replace the flaxseed is to use eggs, but the brownies won’t be vegan-friendly anymore
Date brownies are typically healthier because they use less refined ingredients. This particular fudgy date brownie recipe is even healthier by using only dairy-free and egg-free ingredients.
These date brownies can be stored for at least 4 days in the fridge. They don’t contain any dairy or eggs, so they store quite well.
Dates are the secret ingredient to making ridiculously fudgy brownies.
More Healthy Brownie Recipes
If you enjoy healthy brownie recipes, you’ll love these other brownies:
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Fudgy Date Brownies
Ingredients
Brownie With Dates
- 1 ½ cup Pitted Dates I used Deglet Noor dates (8.8 oz, 250 g)
- 1 cup Boiling Water
- ¾ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 cup Almond Flour
- 1 tablespoon Flaxseed Meal
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ⅓ cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
Date Chocolate Frosting
- 1 cup Pitted Dates
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- ½ cup Boiling Water
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract optional
- ¼ teaspoon Salt optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Cover an 8-inch x 8-inch brownie square pan with parchment paper. Grease the paper slightly with coconut oil. Set aside.
- In a food processor, add the pitted dates and cover them with boiling water. Make sure the water covers all the dates. Arrange the dates in a thin layer to ensure they soak properly. Close the food processor and let them soak in the water for 10-15 minutes or until the dates are soft.
- Process the dates until they form a paste—for about 1 minute on medium speed. You may have to stop the food processor every 20 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and repeat until a creamy, consistent date paste forms. It is okay if there are some tiny pieces of dates left in the batter. It will taste like caramel when baked.
- Add unsweetened cocoa powder, ground almond, flaxseed meal, vanilla essence, salt, and baking powder.
- Process for 20-30 seconds on medium speed. Open the food processor – you should obtain a dark, sticky chocolate brownie batter, slightly 'dry' and that is what you want.
- Add almond milk, process again for 20 seconds. Open the food processor, the batter should now be shiny and moist.
- Spread the brownie batter into the prepared 8 x 8-inch square pan.
- Bake the date brownies for 18-20 minutes at 350°F (180°C) until the top of the brownies is set.
- When the brownies are cooked, let them cool down in the pan for about 20 minutes at room temperature or near an open window.
- Pull the parchment paper to easily unmold your brownies without breaking them. Place the brownies on a square plate, place another plate on top, and flip them over. Peel the parchment paper and let the brownies fully cool down before adding the frosting.
- Spread the date chocolate frosting over the brownies using a spatula. The brownies will be moist at first. They get super fudgy when totally cooled down. I recommend storing your brownies for an hour in the fridge so they get super dense, fudgy, and the frosting sets.
- Cut the brownie into 16 squares – I found that using a cake plastic knife makes cutting easier.
Date Chocolate Frosting
- While the brownies are cooking, prepare the frosting. Add the pitted dates into a blender. Cover with boiling water. Set for 10-15 minutes or until the dates are soft.
- Blend until it forms a date paste. Stop the blender. Add the unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Blend again until it forms a thick creamy frosting. It is optional, but now you can add 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence or ¼ teaspoon of sea salt to add some extra flavors. Blend again for 10 seconds to combine these added ingredients if used.
- Spread over the brownies when cooled down. I used all my frosting but if you have leftovers, store them in the pantry and use the date chocolate frosting at breakfast on toast.
Notes
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Nutrition
About The Author
Hi, I'm Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, published author of a cookbook, and founder of Sweet As Honey.
I have an Accredited Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness obtained in 2014 from Well College Global (formerly Cadence Health). I'm passionate about sharing all my easy and tasty recipes that are both delicious and healthy. My expertise in the field comes from my background in chemistry and years of following a keto low-carb diet. But I'm also well versed in vegetarian and vegan cooking since my husband is vegan.
I now eat a more balanced diet where I alternate between keto and a Mediterranean Diet
Cooking and Baking is my true passion. In fact, I only share a small portion of my recipes on Sweet As Honey. Most of them are eaten by my husband and my two kids before I have time to take any pictures!
All my recipes are at least triple tested to make sure they work and I take pride in keeping them as accurate as possible.
Browse all my recipes with my Recipe Index.
I hope that you too find the recipes you love on Sweet As Honey!
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I like this recipe very well, but find that at 350, even on convection setting in my oven, 20 minutes not nearly enough time to get it solid enough to cut after cooling. I confess, I baked mine for about 40 minutes, and they came out great.
That is probably because you are using convection setting, I don’t, but also each oven is very different so the best is always to check the cooking after 20 minutes and keep baking the brownies until baked to your taste. Thanks for your comment! XOXO Carine.
Thank you for the recipe, it was absolutely delicious!! It was very popular too. 🙂 I will make it often.
I am so glad to read that! Enjoy all the different healthy brownies recipe on the blog and thanks again for trying my recipes! XOXO Carine
Hello! Can I replace the flax seed with eggs? if yes, how many?
There is no ‘flax egg’ in this recipe. I used 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal indeed but I don’t soak it with 3 tablespoons of water. If you are using an egg instead of the tablespoon of flaxmeal it maybe slightly too liquid and you may need to adjust the amount of almond meal. Don’t you have flaxmeal ? Let me know if you try ! Carine.
Thank You 🙂
Une autre question :
I have mazafati Dates, its very fudgy ans Sweet , its ok ?
Can i Taste the beownie very cold or warm ?
Bien sur ! Any sorts of dates will work well in this recipe. The brownie is delicious hot or cold. I personally love to store my brownies in the fridge for extra fudgy texture – up to you ! Enjoy the blog. Merci et a bientot! Carine.
moreover, what are the proportions in grams ? or liter ?
Sorry I don’t bake in ml or grams so I don’t provide those measurement on the blog. You can use google to convert them easily. Enjoy the blog! A bentot, Carine.
hello 🙂
I’m French and I’m very happy to discover this recipe,
there are nothing in France ,
can I use tiggernut flour instead almond flour ?
and coconut milk instead almond milk ?
I can eat chocolate so I use carob 🙂
thank you
Bonjour! Je suis francaise aussi! Very happy to have you on the blog. I won’t substitute the flour as tiggernut don’t contains the same amount of fibre it will change the texture of the brownie quite much. Any plant based milk are ok though. So yes, coconut milk or almond milk will works. Enjoy the healthy desserts on the blog. XOXO Carine.
Hi.
I’m in the UK and not sure what almond meal is.
Is it ground almonds?
And is flax meal ground flax seeds?
Many thanks and they look absolutely lush! X
Hello from New Zealand ! So yes almond meal is the same as ground almonds or almonds flour. Flax meal is ground flax seeds. Enjoy the brownies my friend. XOXO Carine.
All of your sugar-less recipes look amazing! I love using dates to sweeten things up. I’m going to be trying this one very, very soon!
Can I use cassava flour instead of almond flour? Or half cassava and half almond?
Hi ! I never used cassava flour in my life – I am missing out on something I guess 🙂 I am not sure how it goe sin baking but I am pretty sure it will work as I read it works as a good 1:1 ratio substitute to almond meal. Let me know if you give it a go! I am always happy to learn new things and test them later ! Have a great baking time. XOXO Carine.
Hey, could you freeze these for eating later?
I must confess, I did not try to freeze those, we eat them all within 3 days 🙂 It stores very well in the fridge and even gets fudgier after few hours in the fridge. I am pretty sure it will freeze well as any other brownies. Let me know if you give it a go! I am always happy to learn from you ! XOXO Carine.
Hi Carinne these look deliciou!! Can I use regular all purpose flour instead of the almond meal? Thanks!
Hi Ashley, I guess it will work but it may be less fluffy as almond meal is a lighter flour. I am not using white flour as almond meal is more nutrient dense and gluten free. Let me know how it goes if you give it a try ! XOXO Carine.
These look delicious. Can the flax be omitted or substituted with something else?
Hi, I would recommend chia seed instead. It really helps the brownie to hold well together – act as an egg replacement. Enjoy ! XOXO Carine.
Hi,can I Add coconut flower ?thenks
Hi, I guess you mean coconut flour and not flower? If yes, I won’t recommend to use coconut flour in this recipe. Coconut flour is much more absorbent due to the amount of fibre it contains – about 43% It will dry up the brownie and it won’t work. If you like coconut flour brownie and can eat eggs try my sugar free coconut flour brownie recipe! You will love it. Have a lovely day, Carine.
Wow, those brownies look super fudgy! I want one right now 🙂
Thank you ! yes they are super fudgy and so delicious ! Enjoy the recipe 🙂 xoxo Carine.