Vegan Beetroot Brownies are fudgy, slightly nutty, and super chocolatey. Indulgent yet slightly healthier thanks to the addition of humble beetroot (and no you can't taste it). Gluten, dairy and egg-free chocolate beetroot brownies you won't be able to resist!
Beetroot brownies are one of those delicious veggie bakes that make people open their mouth in amazement, and even though they're still quite far away from being health food, they are so worth occasional indulgence.
Gluten-free, egg-free and vegan, these chocolate beetroot brownies cater for most and are loved even by those who are not that keen on beetroot. That's right, you cannot taste beetroot in these brownies at all!
If you are a fan of brownies make sure to try my recipes for Mini Egg Brownies, Strawberry Chocolate Brownies 🍓 and Gingerbread Brownies.
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✔️ Why should you make them?
- They're the most fudgy and delicious chocolate beetroot brownies out there.
- Vegan, gluten, egg & dairy free.
- Healthy(ish), they do include vegetable after all (but do eat in moderation).
- Easy to adapt.
- Simple to make.
- Perfect for making ahead if you need an impressive dessert.
- Perfect way of incorporating beetroot into the sweet recipe (and no you cannot taste beetroot).
🥘 Ingredients & substitutes
Flour - Use plain (all-purpose) flour or your favourite gluten-free flour for gluten-free version of beetroot brownies. I had a great success with supermarket own version of very basic gluten-free flour as these brownies are very forgiving.
You could also use mixture of plain and wholemeal flours here if you prefer and would like to increase the amount of fibre.
Ground Almonds - I do love how they add extra texture and nuttiness to these brownies but you could easily keep these nut-free and use extra flour instead.
Plain (all-purpose) flour will be good but you could also use wholegrain for that extra texture (spelt flour would work well).
Raw Cacao or Cocoa Powder - I'm a huge fan of raw and unprocessed cacao powder but you can use unsweetened cocoa here instead.
Cooked beetroot - You can either cook your own beetroot (read my guide on "How to cook beetroot") or use vacuum packed, shop bought one, although do make sure it's not the pickled version!
Brown Sugar - Either light or dark brown sugars work best here due to their sticky consistency but feel free to try other sugars like demerara or coconut if you wish.
Vegan Butter - I use vegan block butter in most of my baking as it's got higher fat to water ratio than that in spreadable versions. My favourite ones are Flora Plant and Naturli (both unsalted) but you could also use Stork (block only as tub is not vegan).
These brownies will work as well if you substitute butter with coconut oil.
Vegan Dark Chocolate - Any vegan dark chocolate will work well although I wouldn't use milk chocolate alternative here but something with minimum of 54% coco solids.
Ground flaxseed/linseeds - Full of goodness and of course with some added water it makes for great egg replacement!
Salt - If you haven't been adding salt to your chocolate bakes then you're missing a trick as it does bring out its flavour so well. Make sure to use good quality sea salt or Himalayan Rose Pink salt (my favourite) and not table salt please!
Vanilla Extract - Optional but definitely recommended.
🍽 Equipment
Large Mixing Bowl - An essential item for making most cakes, good mixing bowl!
Square Brownie Tin - The one I use is approximately 20cm/8inches square. Make sure to grease it lightly and line it with baking paper too.
Baking Paper - Baking essential and if it's within your means try and use unbleached, chlorine-free and home compostable type. Every little helps.
Medium Saucepan - For melting your chocolate mixture.
Hand/Stick/Immersion Blender - Inexpensive piece of kit that every kitchen needs. It works really well when it comes to pureeing cooked beetroot for the recipe. However, if you don't have one, you can also use food processor or any other type of blender.
💭 Top tips
- Think ahead and cook your beetroot in advance or use shop bought, vacuum packed one to make these brownies in no time.
- Stay away from pickled beetroot (the type packed in vinegar).
- Don't be tempted to bake your brownies for too long. 25-30 minutes should be enough. They will still have that "could do with another few minutes" look to them and skewer inserted into centre of the brownie should have few wet crumbs on it but no raw brownie batter as such. If it does then pop the brownies back into the oven and check after 2-3 minutes.
- Let your brownies cool at least a bit (although a lot would be preferable if you can wait that long) before cutting them into portions. They will be much easier to cut and you will get much neater portions too.
- Feel free to throw in a handful of your favourite nuts to brownie batter for a bit of crunch (walnuts and pecans work really well).
🥡 Storing and freezing beetroot brownies
Beetroot brownies can be kept in the airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
If it's really hot I would recommend putting them in the fridge where they should last up to 5 days.
When storing them in the fridge make sure to keep them well covered to protect them from drying out.
It's also best to take your brownies out of the fridge at least half an hour before consuming to get them back to room temperature. Alternatively, you could always give them few seconds in a microwave.
As any other brownies, beetroot brownies are freezer friendly for up to 3 months.
Make sure they're completely cold before freezing and ensure you wrap them well to prevent freezer burn and keep them separate to prevent them from sticking to one another.
I like to freeze them in portions in freezer safe container separated with layers of baking paper.
They will defrost on the kitchen counter in couple of hours.
🍴 Serving suggestions
I must say I am quite a purist when it comes to brownies so I tend to enjoy them as they are although when I'm feeling extra indulgent I love to serve them warm with a scoop of simple vegan vanilla ice cream or plain version of my banana nice cream.
Other ways of enjoying these vegan beetroot brownies would include:
- Drizzling over some melted chocolate or chocolate sauce.
- Serving them with strawberry coulis and sprinkling over some freeze dried strawberries.
- Light drizzle of plant based double cream ( I like Elmlea Plant).
❓ FAQ
They will last in the fridge for up to 5 days. Make sure to keep them in the airtight container to prevent them from drying out.
Yes they do! Make sure they're completely cold before cutting them into portions (if you wish) and carefully wrapping them in baking paper to prevent freezer burn.
The best way to achieve this is to let them cool down before cutting. If you're not in a hurry, pop them in a fridge for about an hour once they've cooled down to room temperature on the counter). This way you will get really neat portions. Using sharp and cold knife also helps.
The key is not to overbake them. 25-30 minutes should be about right to get that lovely fudgy middle. Make sure you test the brownies with a skewer and if it comes out with few wet crumbs still on it, the time is up. However, if it comes out with wet batter on it, give it another 2-3 minutes and check again. Completely dry skewer will mean you baked your brownies for too long and they will most likely be a tad dry.
🔪 How to make vegan beetroot brownies?
Ingredient quantities & detailed instructions to be found in recipe card at the bottom of the post.
One: Preheat the oven to 160C/320F/Gas Mark 3. I use fan oven.
Two: Prepare flax egg by mixing together ground flaxseed and water. Set aside.
Three: Puree cooked beetroot until it resembles pulp, add flax egg and blend a bit more.
Four: To the medium saucepan add cubed butter or coconut oil, sugar and chocolate and heat them up on a low heat stirring constantly until butter/oil and chocolate have melted, sugar has dissolved and you get a nice and smooth mixture.
Five: Take the pan off the heat, add beetroot/flax egg puree and mix it in until combined.
Six: Add vanila extract (if using) and stir it in too. Set aside.
Seven: In a large bowl mix together flour, ground almonds, cocoa/cacao powder and salt (if using) until well combined.
Eight: Add chocolate/beetroot mixture and mix until combined using gentle, folding motion and until you can no longer see any dry crumbs.
Nine: Pour brownie batter into baking tin that's been lightly greased and lined with baking paper overlapping on two sides. This will help with brownie removal later.
Ten: Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until the skewer inserted into centre comes out with few wet crumbs still attached to it.
Eleven: Take the brownies out onto cooling rack but leave them in the tin to cool completely before taking them out and cutting into portions.
Twelve: Enjoy!
Have you made my Vegan Beetroot Brownies?
Please consider giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in recipe card below and share your views or tips in the comments.
😋 More delicious chocolate recipes!
Chocolate Courgette Cake
No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
Chocolate Fork Biscuits (Vegan)
Vegan Chocolate Banana Cake
📋 Recipe
Vegan Beetroot Brownies (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 100 g plain (all-purpose) flour Use gluten-free flour for gluten-free version
- 50 g ground almonds see notes
- 30 g cocoa or cacao powder see notes
- 200 g cooked beetroot peeled and pureed, not pickled variety
- 150 g brown sugar
- 150 g vegan block butter or coconut oil see notes
- 150 g vegan dark chocolate or chocolate chips see notes
- 3 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 60 ml water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- pinch of salt optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C/320F/Gas Mark 3. I use fan oven.
- Prepare flax egg by mixing together ground flaxseed and water. Set aside.
- Puree cooked beetroot until it resembles pulp, add flax egg and blend a bit more.
- To the medium saucepan add cubed butter or coconut oil, sugar and chocolate and heat them up on a low heat stirring constantly until butter/oil and chocolate have melted, sugar has dissolved and you get a nice and smooth mixture.
- Take the pan off the heat, add beetroot/flax egg puree and mix it in until combined.
- Add vanila extract (if using) and stirr it in too. Set aside.
- In a large bowl mix together flour, ground almonds, cocoa/cacao powder and salt (if using) until well combined.
- Add chocolate/beetroot mixture and mix until combined using gentle, folding motion and until you can no longer see any dry crumbs.
- Pour brownie batter into baking tin that's been lightly greased and lined with baking paper overlapping on two sides. This will help with brownie removal later.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until the skewer inserted into centre comes out with few wet crumbs still attached to it. If there is a lot of raw batter on the skewer put your brownies back into the oven for another 2-3 minutes and check again.
- When ready, take brownies out onto cooling rack but leave them in the tin to cool completely before taking them out of the tin and cutting into portions.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (based on 16 servings) and should be treated as a rough guideline only.
- You can make beetroot brownies nut-free by substituting ground almonds with equal amount of flour - see Ingredients and substitutions.
- Raw cacao powder can be substituted by unsweetened cocoa powder.
- I would recommend using vegan block butter instead of tub varieties as unlike in non-vegan bakes that include eggs, it produces better results due to higher fat to water ratio.
- Don't be tempted to use vegan milk chocolate alternative here, vegan dark chocolate (at least 54% coco solids or higher) works the best.
- Brownies can be kept in the airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freezer friendly - see Storing and freezing beetroot brownies.
- Think ahead and cook your beetroot in advance or use shop bought, vacuum packed beetroot to make these brownies in no time.
- Stay away from pickled beetroot (the type packed in vinegar).
- Don't be tempted to bake your brownies for too long. 25-30 minutes should be enough.
- Let your brownies cool a bit before cutting them into portions. They will be much neater this way because they firm up as they cool down.
- Feel free to throw in a handful of your favourite nuts for a bit of crunch (walnuts and pecans work really well).
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