Chocolate Beetroot Brownies

A moist flourless chocolate beetroot brownie recipe that begs the question as to whether a food can be healthy and damn delicious.

I’m a little lost for words as to how to introduce you to this deliciously moist chocolate brownie recipe. It delivers a delectable chocolate hit while being moist and not too sweet.

I’ve always been a sucker for moist cakes. So, that was a must for me!

Why brownies with beetroot?

What is great about combining beetroot into a brownie recipe is the moistness and richness of colour that it provides.

Beetroots are high in fibre, folate, iron and vitamin C. They have also been associated with health benefits such as improved blood pressure and athletic performance.

However, I don’t recommend these brownies or devour them myself for their health benefits. I enjoy them and share the recipe here because they are damn delicious.

Is this a healthy chocolate brownie recipe?

What challenges me is that some may declare that this chocolate brownie recipe is healthy because it is free of sugar, dairy and gluten and is flourless.

The thing is, omitting those ingredients does not make a recipe healthy per se. This is for two reasons.

The first is that none of those ingredients are inherently bad. Yes, some people have allergies and intolerances to dairy and gluten, and we continually hear messages that we ought to reduce our sugar intake. However, that doesn’t mean that omitting these foods from our diet is necessary for good health for most people.

If you’re unsure whether you should omit sugar from your diet, you may find this previous blog helpful: Sweet relief from sugar detoxing.

No food is healthy or unhealthy

Secondly, no food is healthy or unhealthy in its own right.

Food can provide nutrition that supports good health, be devoid of health-promoting nutrients, or be correlated to illness when eaten in excess. However, this does not make a food inherently healthy or unhealthy.

Labelling food in this way can cause us to attach our self-worth to the food we eat or entice blame or shame should we eat unhealthily. Therefore, I find it more helpful and less stress-provoking to consider food based on the nutritional value it provides.

Although I choose foods to nourish my body, enjoyment of the foods I eat is an equally important consideration.

Fortunately, these flourless chocolate brownies meet both these requirements!

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Do these brownies taste like beetroot?

Surprisingly, these brownies have only a mild earthy taste. No one would know they contain beetroot unless you tell them!

You could grate the beetroot before combining it into the mixture. However, I blend it to a smooth consistency in a food processor, so that there is no beetroot texture evident in the final brownie.

The texture is moist and almost fudgy, and the colour is definitely a chocolatey brown.

So, although you couldn’t pass them off as standard chocolate brownies, no one will know the secret ingredient.

Ingredients for these gluten-free beetroot brownies

To make these beetroot brownies, which are gluten-free and dairy-free, you will require:

• raw beetroot
• dates
• almond meal
• cacao, carob or cocoa powder
• honey or maple syrup
• eggs
• olive oil
• vanilla extract
• cinnamon
• baking powder
• salt

It’s just a matter of combining the ingredients and baking them in a brownie baking tray. However, the mixture can also be used to make mini chocolate beetroot muffins.

Frosting for beetroot brownies

The recipe for beetroot brownies is tasty on its own.

However, without frosting, it has a more obvious red colouring. So, to serve, you may like to dust it with cacao powder.

The frosting just sends the brownie over the edge for delectability. I highly recommend it!

Not only can you top your brownies with the sweet potato chocolate frosting, it is also delicious with cream cheese and Greek yogurt frosting. The Greek yogurt frosting is best spread over the brownie immediately before eating, as it can become stained pink. Another option would be to mix in a few drops of beetroot juice to give it a consent pink colour.

Looking for other chocolatey recipes?

You may like my chocolatey recipes for:

• Chocolate Avocado Mousse
• Vegan ‘Muesli’ Slice
• Vegan Dark Chocolate Recipe

Did you try this brownie recipe?

Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear how they turned out.

Print Recipe

4.50 from 2 votes

Chocolate Beetroot Brownies

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Desserts & Sweet Snacks

Keyword: gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free

Author: Tansy Boggon

Ingredients

Ingredients – Wet

• 260 g raw beetroot, cut into chunks ~ 1 large beet
• 1 cup (150 g) pitted dates soaked in hot water for 15 minutes
• ¼ cup (70 mL) runny honey or maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons (45 mL) olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients – Dry

• 150 g (1 ½ cups) almond meal (blanched or unblanched)
• 3 tablespoons (15 g) cacao, carob or cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (or ¼ teaspoon baking soda)
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 160°C.
• Line a brownie baking tray with baking paper.
• Combine beetroot, dates, liquid sweetener, eggs, oil and vanilla in food processor or blender on high speed for one minute, until smooth.
• Then add dry ingredients and mix through, either in mixing bowl or using food processor.
• Pour mixture into baking tray (or spoon into paper-lined muffin tins).
• Bake for 45 minutes or until a fork comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and cool completely in tray.
• Top with sweet potato chocolate frosting or serve topped with raspberries, yogurt or ice cream and shaved chocolate.

Notes

Don’t have access to a blender or food processor?

You can grate the beetroot before combining it with the other wet ingredients. The dates could be substituted for date paste.