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Fudgy Date Brownies

4.95 from 692 votes
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These Fudgy Date Brownies are simple healthy brownies sweetened with dates for the best fudgy texture.

They are 100% vegan, paleo, and gluten-free with no refined ingredient or added sweetener.

Sugar free brownies with dates. The best fudgy date brownie recipe, 100% vegan, paleo and gluten free with no refined ingredient or added sweetener. Clean eating brownie.

Why You’ll Love 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!

Sugar free brownies with dates. The best fudgy date brownie recipe, 100% vegan, paleo and gluten free with no refined ingredient or added sweetener. Clean eating brownie.

How To Make Date Brownies

Dates are a great natural sweetener full of nutrients and fibers. They add the most delicious fudgy texture to brownies.

All you need to make them is a good food processor to pulse the dates into a smooth puree.

This recipe is so easy that you don’t even need to drain the soaked dates. All the water stays in the food processor to create the fudgiest sugar-free brownies with dates.

Ingredients

  • Dates – I used Tunisian Deglor dates, but any date will work here.
  • 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
  • Baking Powder
  • Almond Milk – or any plant-based milk you like such as coconut milk, oat milk, or rice milk.
  • Salt
  • Vanilla Essence
Sugar free brownies with dates. The best fudgy date brownie recipe, 100% vegan, paleo and gluten free with no refined ingredient or added sweetener. Clean eating brownie.

Making The Brownie Batter

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!

Tip: Eat It Raw

If you use the base ingredients, you can even eat this batter raw!

Sugar free brownies with dates. The best fudgy date brownie recipe, 100% vegan, paleo and gluten free with no refined ingredient or added sweetener. Clean eating brownie.

Baking The Brownies

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.

Making The 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

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!

Sugar free brownies with dates. The best fudgy date brownie recipe, 100% vegan, paleo and gluten free with no refined ingredient or added sweetener. Clean eating brownie.

Brownie Toppings

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.

Storage

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

Can I Replace The Flaxseed?

One of the substitutions you can make to replace the flaxseed is to use eggs, but the brownies won’t be vegan-friendly anymore

Are Date Brownies Healthy?

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.

How Long Do Date Brownies Last?

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.

How Do I Make My Brownies Fudgy?

Dates are the secret ingredient to making ridiculously fudgy brownies.

Sugar free brownies with dates. The best fudgy date brownie recipe, 100% vegan, paleo and gluten free with no refined ingredient or added sweetener. Clean eating brownie.

Enjoy the recipe

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Sugar free brownies with dates. The best fudgy date brownie recipe, 100% vegan, paleo and gluten free with no refined ingredient or added sweetener. Clean eating brownie.

Fudgy Date Brownies

These Fudgy Date Brownies are simple healthy brownies sweetened with dates for the best fudgy texture. They are 100% vegan, paleo, and gluten-free with no refined ingredient or added sweetener.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Yield: 16 brownie squares
Serving Size: 1 slice
4.95 from 692 votes

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
  • 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
This recipe may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

  • Preheat 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. If needed, 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 it forms a date 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 ok 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, 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 18-20 minutes or until the top of the brownie is set. 
  • When the brownies are cooked, cool them down in the pan for about 20 minutes at room temperature or near an opened 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

  • Store for up to 4 days in a square cake pan with a lid. 
  • 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

Milk: any milk will work in this recipe. I used almond milk, but you can use soy milk, oat milk, rice milk, or regular milk if not vegan.
Boiling water: the recipe used very hot boiling water straight from the saucepan, not cold water that has been boiled before.
Storage: I recommend storing these brownies in a square cake pan with a lid in the fridge. The cold will make the brownies even fudgier and denser. Plus, it will set the frosting. Store for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Cutting: I recommend using a plastic cake knife to cut the brownie easily. This brownie recipe makes 16 brownie squares.
Serving size: nutrition panel is for one brownie square with frosting. This recipe makes 16 brownie squares.
Tried this recipe?Mention @sweetashoneyrecipes
Serving Size: 1 slice
Yield: 16 brownie squares
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 121.9kcal (6%)Carbohydrates: 22.1g (7%)Fiber: 4.7g (20%)Net Carbs: 17.4gProtein: 3.2g (6%)Fat: 4.5g (7%)Saturated Fat: 0.7g (4%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.3gSodium: 95.6mg (4%)Potassium: 237.1mg (7%)Sugar: 15g (17%)Vitamin A: 2.3IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 46mg (5%)Iron: 1.3mg (7%)Magnesium: 38.8mg (10%)Zinc: 0.5mg (3%)
Carine Claudepierre

About The Author

Carine Claudepierre

Hi, I'm Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, published author of a cookbook and many ebooks, 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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    95 Thoughts On Fudgy Date Brownies
    1 2 3
  1. Hey! Can’t wait to get to this recipe! What can I use instead of almond flour? Will coconut flour work? Or normal flour? If yes, how do I substitute?
    Thanks!

    • Coconut flour won’t work it’s way to high in fiber and it will make the brownie dense. I didn’t try all-purpose flour yet, I would recommend sesame seed flour, maybe oat flour would do well too.

  2. 5 stars
    Super good! I left it in the oven a little longer than it said and still came out fugdy.Adding the frosting is a must in my opinion.

    I honestly didn’t have super high hopes b/c the last “healthy” dessert I made (NOT from Sweetashoney)was not good. But this one was delicious! The perfect amount of sweetness! Definitely making it again 🙂

  3. 5 stars
    I have tried so many “compliant” brownie recipes that have been less than zero. This recipe is STELLAR. Thank you for sharing. I did however, have to cook it longer than what you suggested but probably because my oven is different than others. This recipe is a keeper and a share.

  4. 5 stars
    I followed the recipe. As written, but added baking soda for lift. Forgot to do frosting and it was still very good. It wasn’t overly sweet, but I had cut out refined sugar so didn’t miss it.

  5. I made these brownies today for my family since we all have a sweet tooth. They came out great! I substituted flaxseed for chia seed since I didn’t have flaxseed on hand just doubled the amount. It came out great!

  6. 5 stars
    I followed the recipe as a loose guide as I made a 3rd of the batch with what I had in the cupboard so I could get it all on one plate 😉 Super fudgy gooey yumminess! Thank you!!

  7. The flavor of these wasn’t bad, but they never set up well. Even after cooking them longer and setting in the fridge for an hour they were like pudding in the middle. They were also perfectly sweet on their own without the frosting.

  8. 4 stars
    I made these & the consistency was perfect. But my flavor was off, almost a spicy bitter aftertaste. I used medjool dates, but everything else was the same. Any ideas?

  9. 5 stars
    DEEEEEELICIOUS!!! Rich, fudgy, healthy brownies. Quick and easy to make. Thank you for sharing your love of baking!

  10. 5 stars
    The flavor is amazing. I baked mine for 20 minutes and the texture seemed kind of mousse like, but firmer. Should I bake longer or is that how they should be?

  11. Dear Carine,looking very much forward to trying your recipe for the first time in my German home, just a quick question: is your mentioned almond meal the same as almond flour? Or is the meal rather similar to ground almonds? I’ve learned that almond flour is different from ground almonds and can not be substituted 1:1. Thanks! Cheers, Claudia

  12. 5 stars
    Super great recipe. I’m always on the hunt for vegan desserts that are only sweetened with fruit. Definitely will make again! Thanks for the recipe!

    • No you can never swap one by the other. Coconut flour has 4 times more fiber and its really liquid absorbent, it’s a new recipe to create with different wet/dry ratio. Enjoy, XOXO Carine

    • It should work but I am not sure how much you will need. It will have to match the amount of dates that I pulse into a paste with the cup of boiling water. I didn’t measure that amount so I can’t help much but making your own date paste as explain in the recipe is way easier and cheaper! Enjoy the brownie, XOXO Carine

  13. 4 stars
    Every thing about this tastes amazing! I ended up serving with a raspberry coulis drizzled on top and it was fantastic. A couple of procedural notes I had difficulty with: First, I used the wrong size Cuisinart bowl for my brownie mix. If I would have used the medium bowl, I think it would have blended easier with less interaction from me. Then, tried making the frosting in the same size…fail. Moved to smallest size…fail. So I pulled out my stick blender and did it in the mixing cylindar for that, which was challenging but worked best of all the options I tried. The frosting took as long as almost everything else did, including cooling. Not sure what I was doing wrong. Salvaged it, added frosting to the cooled brownie, drizzled raspberry coulis over it and it had amazing accolades!! I just don’t think I used the right size of anything and it was difficult. I’ll know better for next time. Awesome recipe!

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