Beetroot Brownies (Vegan + Gluten-Free) - Rhian's Recipes (2024)

3.92 from 61 votes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beetroot brownies, gluten-free brownies, vegan brownies

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Author: Rhian Williams

For the beetroot:

• ▢ 2 small beetroot (around 300g/10.5oz in total)

For the brownies:

• ▢ 350 g (2 cups) pitted dates soaked overnight in cold water or for 10 minutes in boiling water
• ▢ 60 g (¼ cup) smooth almond butter (or sub any other nut or seed butter)
• ▢ 120 ml (½ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or sub any other plant-based milk)
• ▢ 360 g (3 cups) ground almonds (almond meal)
• ▢ 75 g (¾ cups) cocoa powder
• ▢ Pinch salt to taste
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)

To decorate (optional):

• ▢ Dark chocolate chips * (ensure vegan/gluten-free if necessary)

For the beetroot:

• Cut both ends off and dice the beetroot.

• Place in a pan and cover with water.

• Bring to the boil and turn down and simmer on a low heat for around 30 minutes, until soft enough to gently pierce with a fork.

• Drain and leave to cool slightly before peeling off the skins - they should come off very easily.

For the brownies:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).

• Drain the dates and place in a food processor or blender with the cooked beetroot, almond butter and almond milk.

• Blend until completely smooth, mixing it around a couple of times if necessary.

• Transfer into a large mixing bowl along with the ground almonds, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder.

• Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry.

• Transfer the mixture into a square or rectangular baking tin lined with greased baking paper –I used a 23cm/9inch square baking tin.

• Sprinkle over chocolate chips to decorate, if desired.

• Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. They should be slightly cracked at the top and slightly firm inside but still quite gooey – be careful not to overcook!

• Leave to cool completely (and ensure the frosting firmed up) before cutting into squares
.

• Keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

*For a refined sugar free version, use refined sugar free chocolate chips.

• You can use any type of nut or seed butter – almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, tahini etc.
• You can replace the ground almonds with ground hazelnuts, ground walnutsor ground sunflower seeds.
• You can make them nut-free by using ground sunflower seeds instead of ground almonds, sunflower seed butter or tahini instead of almond butter and nut-free plant-based milk.

Tips for baking with beetroot

• Make sure your beetroot is cooked until very soft, which will make it easier to blend up.
• Make sure to blend up the cooked beetroot until completely smooth - nobody wants chunks of beetroot in their brownies!
• Don't use pickled beetroot!

Nutrition Facts

Beetroot Brownies (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 228Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Fat 14g22%

Saturated Fat 1g5%

Sodium 20mg1%

Potassium 327mg9%

Carbohydrates 26g9%

Fiber 6g24%

Sugar 16g18%

Protein 7g14%

Vitamin A 3IU0%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 107mg11%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.