These vegan peanut butter banana brownies are flourless, naturally gluten-free and protein-rich. Dates and banana not only sweeten them but also keep them fudgy and moist.
Quick preparation and easy recipe! I developed this peanut butter banana brownies recipe for those who can’t/don’t want to eat eggs, flour, refined sugar or gluten.
These gluten free vegan brownies are the right treat that will satisfy your sweet tooth as well as give you the much needed energy in between meals.
My other favorite treats that also happen to be vegan are Cocoa Roasted Almonds, Peanut Butter Stuffed Dates and Avocado Chocolate Mousse.
All of them are easy to make!
Tools/equipment needed to make peanut butter banana brownies
- Food processor (essential)
- Spatula (or a spoon)
- Brownie pan (or loaf tin)
- Baking parchment
How to make peanut butter brownies from scratch
Place soft dates (pitted) into a food processor. Add coconut oil and water and process until you get a paste like texture out of them. The time needed for this step might vary, depending on how powerful your food processor is.
Next, add cocoa powder, peanut butter and banana and process until smooth. Transfer the mixture into a loaf tin, press down and smoothen with spatula.
Bake these vegan peanut butter banana brownies at 356°F (180°C) for about 10 minutes.
When ready, take them out and let them cool before slicing them.
How to store peanut butter banana brownies?
Once completely cooled, place them in an air-tight container and keep them in the fridge. They will last for several days (up to 4 days – tested, but I am guessing they could last up to a week).
Useful tips when making peanut butter banana brownies
- When choosing dates for this recipe, bear in mind that the softer the better. I used Deglet Noor which is the typical variety of dates. They are sold worldwide and are cheaper than Medjool Dates. However, they can be hard sometimes. If this is the case, just soak them in hot water for a while.
- Now you can also use medjool dates but this peanut butter banana brownies recipe requires quite a good amount of them which could be pretty costly. However, the choice is yours so use whatever it is you like and/or can afford.
- No matter what dates you are using, make sure they have no stones inside. I’ve come across pitted dates that had one or two stones still inside. So double-check each one of them before placing them into the food processor.
- You can use more peanut butter, if you like. Just give the mixture a taste right before transferring it to the brownie pan. If you like it more peanut-y, then go ahead. The 1/3 cup I used were just enough for me. Also note, that if you increase the amount of peanut butter, your peanut butter banana brownies will contain more calories as well as protein.
- These peanut butter banana brownies are pretty sweet thanks to the dates and ripe banana so I highly recommend slicing them into smaller pieces as you will only need a little to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Brownies
Ingredients
- 2 cups Pitted Dates (280g), See note 1
- ¼ cup Coconut Oil , melted (60ml)
- 2 tbsp Water
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (30g)
- ⅓ cup Peanut Butter (80g)
- 1 Large Banana , ripe
- A pinch of Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 356°F (180°C).
- In a food processor, combine the dates, coconut oil and water. Process until you get a paste out of it (this should only take seconds, but you might need to stop the processor once or twice and scrape down the mixture from the sides of processor).
- When done, add cocoa powder, peanut butter, banana and salt. Process until smooth and well combined (again, scrape down the sides, if needed).
- Transfer the mixture into an 8 x 8 inch brownie pan lined with baking parchment, press down and smoothen with spatula.
- Bake at 356°F (180°C) for about 10 minutes.
- When ready, take them out and let them cool before slicing them.
Notes
- Make sure the dates you use are soft. If they are not, place them into a bowl, pour hot water over and let them sit until they get softer. I used Deglet Noor variety in this recipe.
- The processing time may vary depending on how powerful your processor is.
- Storage – let them cool down completely before placing them into an air-tight container. They will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- More peanut butter/banana can be added – I suggest tasting the mixture and adding more, if preferred.
- These brownies are not very high so they only need about 10 minutes in the oven.
- I got 12 brownies out of this, each about 1.5 x 2 inches (4 x 6 cm). Because these are rich in flavor/calories/protein I recommend cutting them into smaller pieces, like I did (or even smaller).
- A 9×9 inch (23×23-centimeter) pan can also be used but note that they will turn out flatter.
Terri says
I love how healthy this is, but you still get your sweet fix! And it sounds like the perfect post work-out snack!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
:) Definitely great option after work-out!
Claudia Lamascolo says
We have big sweet eaters in our house and I love that this is a healthy alternative to all that sugar and natural
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks Claudia!
Courtney says
Made these for my family – my daughter is IN LOVE with them, I love how healthy they are – win!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
That’s great to hear, Courtney!
Sharon Chen says
This dessert looks so lovely and yummy! Those are also my favorite fruits! :)
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thank you, Sharon!
Sophia says
These look so fudgy and delicious, it’s amazing they’re so healthy! Can’t wait to try!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Let me know how you liked them?
Geraldine says
Hi! I tried the recipe and really liked it! I have a question, can the brownies be cut and then frozen?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Geraldine. I am so happy to hear you like these. I have to admit they don’t last long in our household so I have never even tried freezing them. However, I think they should be fine. I freeze dates stuffed with peanut butter (recipe on the blog), so I would give it a go! If not sure, try freezing only a few as a test. Hope this helps!
Geraldine says
I ended up cutting them all up and freezing them so I can grab a few when I want dessert! They freeze perfectly and taste even better frozen! Thank you for the response, great recipe :)
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks for letting us know, Geraldine!
Vanessa Cushenbery says
Curious – Can you use Cacao Nibs instead of powder?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Vanessa, I have never worked with cacao nibs, so I am not sure. However, I think it could work. Please do let us know, if you give it a go.
Linda Bergevin says
Hi! Many of your great recipes like the Vegan PNB Banana Date brownies do not specify SIZE of pan to use – i.e. ‘spread batter into a Brownie pan!’ I have 3 sizes of brownie pans ranging from 8 x 8″, 9 x 9″ and 9 x 13″ that I use for various brownie recipes. So as a helpful improvement to all of us out here enjoying your recipes– that bit of information can make or break a successful attempt! Keep baking!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Linda! Thanks so much for your feedback. I will try to be more specific in the future and fix the old recipes asap. As for these brownies – an 8×8 pan is the best but a 9×9-inch pan will both work too.They will just be slightly flatter. Happy Baking!