These fudgy no bake chocolate brownies are easy to mix up with 5 simple ingredients in one bowl. These delicious bars have a delicious chocolate texture, and are a flourless brownie made in less than half an hour.
These no bake brownies are a breeze to make with just 4 ingredients. Like all my brownie recipes, including my chocolate peanut butter brownies, this no bake chocolate brownie recipe is rich and chocolatey, as well as dairy free.
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Why You'll Love These
A melt-in-your-mouth brownie. These flourless chocolate brownies are the chocolate treat you are looking for. Fudgy and velvety smooth, one bite will make you swoon. If you haven't discovered dates yet, I recommend you do. Their natural caramel flavor makes recipes like my classic chocolate smoothie, these homemade fudge bars, and this no bake brownie, swoon worthy.
Unusually nutritious. With the protein from nut butter, and the iron and fiber from dates, these brownies will help you feel great. They are also dairy free, egg-free, vegan, and even gluten free, making them suitable for most everyone to enjoy. I have suggestions below if you need to make them nut-free as well.
Ingredients
- Nut butter. I use almond butter, cashew butter, peanut butter, and even tahini (sesame seed) butter.
- Medjool dates. You can find these packaged in the produce section of your grocer. Soak them for 5 minutes in just boiled water before you pit them. Use about 10-12 dates. I have options in the recipe notes to use date paste or no dates at all.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder. I use dutch processed because it's darker, has a milder flavor, and is less acidic. But any unsweetened cocoa works or even cacao powder.
- Chocolate chips. Melted, or melt your favorite chocolate bar. I use Enjoylife semi sweet mini chips because they melt smoothly and easily.
- Salt. Essential for flavor.
Optional Topping. I melted chocolate chips and coconut milk together for a fudgy chocolate top.
See the recipe card at the bottom for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
Here are general steps to make this recipe. For specific measurements and instructions, scroll down to the bottom of this post for the printable recipe card.
Preparation: Line a loaf pan with parchment paper so the sides hang over the sides. Soak the dates for 2-5 minutes in just boiled water. Then cut them open or pull open with your fingers, and remove the pit and the end knob if there is one. Toss into the blender.
Step 1: Melt ½ cup of chocolate chips in the microwave for 45 seconds. Stir until chips are melted.
Step 2: Add the melted chocolate to the dates in the blender. Then add the nut butter, cocoa powder, and salt. Process until crumbly.
Step 3: Press the batter into the lined pan and even off the surface by pressing with the bottom of a measuring cup.
Step 4: Melt ½ cup of chocolate chips in the microwave for 45 seconds. Stir in 2 tablespoon of warmed coconut milk, or your favorite milk.
Step 5: Pour the melted chocolate on top of the brownie batter and even off by tipping the pan.
Step 6: Set the pan in the freezer for 15 to 25 minutes to set. Then cut into 8 slices.
Recipe Tips
1. Soften the dates quickly by dropping them into a pot of just boiled water for five minutes. No measuring of water necessary. Then drain the dates, rinse and pit.
2. If your nut butter is unopened, the oil might be at the top. Open it and stir to combine the oil and nut butter fairly evenly. You can even microwave the jar, lid off, for 15 second intervals to help loosen it up to stir.
3. Be sure all ingredients are at room temperature when you add them to the blender. Uneven temperatures could lead to funky textures.
4. When cutting the chilled brownies, use a sharp knife, and run it under hot tap water to heat it, then dry it thoroughly and make a cut. Keep repeating between cuts to get even clean brownie sides.
Storage
Store your brownies in an air-tight container or storage bags. They can keep at room temperature for 2 days, refrigerated they can keep one week. And frozen these brownies keep for up to three months. You might want to freeze the brownies individually in freezer storage bags so you can thaw as needed.
Substitutions
Nut butter. You can use any nut butter, almond, cashew, or peanut butter. Choose the runny kind that have only nuts and oil as ingredients, no added sugar.
Using PB2 peanut butter powder. You can use a peanut butter you created by reconstituting peanut butter powder but the brownies won't be nearly as fudgy. They will be considerably lower in fat though. To use PB2, mix 8 tablespoons of PB2 with 6 tablespoons of water to produce the ½ cup of peanut butter needed for the recipe. This will reduce the fat by 8 grams per slice.
Cocoa powder. You need to use cocoa powder but it can be regular unsweetened or dutch processed, or even cacao powder.
You can use whole dates or date paste. You can make date paste ahead and store it frozen for occasions as this. Here is my date paste recipe. To use date paste instead of dates in this recipe use ¾ cup of date paste.
Variations
Make nut-free brownies. Instead of nut butter, use tahini (sesame seed butter), or sunflower seed butter. And use a nut-free milk such as oat milk.
To make these flourless brownies without dates, replace the 1 cup of dates with ½ cup walnuts and ¼ cup maple syrup. Make sure the mixture is processed well in a blender or food processor to break down the walnuts. Or try this recipe for chocolate peanut butter brownies which uses maple syrup and almond flour instead of dates.
FAQS
These no bake brownies are flourless brownies and do not contain any flour. They rely on dates and nut butter for their fudgy texture. For no bake brownies that use flour, you can try my no bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies which use almond flour for a more-cakey texture.
As is, this recipe contains no liquid sweeteners such as maple syrup to swap with honey, unless you make them without dates then you can use honey instead of maple syrup. See my recipe notes for instructions.
You can although you'll have to reconstitute it first with water and the texture probably won't be as fudgy as it would with peanut butter which contains more fat. Use a 1:2 ratio to reconstitute with water. (1 water to 2 PB2).
No, there is no flour or baking agent to help it raise. For baked brownies, try my gluten-free brownies or my oreo brownies.
Yes, no bake brownies such as these are considered raw and healthier than baked because of the whole some ingredients and absence of processed additives often found in baking ingredients. (I still love baked brownies too though)
More Brownie Recipes
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
No Bake Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup Medjool dates 10-12 dates or date paste*
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup peanut butter or almond butter or cashew butter
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips, melted
Chocolate top
- ½ cup chocolate chips, melted
- 2 tablespoon coconut milk, canned and full fat or your favorite milk
Instructions
Prep
- Soak the dates in just-boiled water for 2-5 minutes. Then cut them open or pull open with your fingers, and remove the pit and the end knob if there is one. Toss into the blender.
- Melt the ½ cup of chocolate chips in the microwave for 45 seconds. Stir until all chips are melted. Microwave another 15 seconds if needed to melt all the chips.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper, 8x12 inch, so the sides hang over.
Make brownies
- Blend all ingredients into a combined batter. It will be somewhat sticky and pressable. You can also use a food processor though the texture may not be as smooth.1 cup Medjool dates, ¼ cup cocoa powder, ¼ teaspoon of salt, ½ cup chocolate chips, melted, ½ cup peanut butter
- Press the mixture into the lined loaf pan and put another sheet of parchment over the top to protect the batter as you flatten the top to make it uniform and level. I use the bottom of a 1 cup measuring cup to slide around to even off the top.
- Melt the ½ cup of chocolate chips for the top in the microwave at 45 seconds. Stir until all chips are melted. Heat 2 tablespoon of milk and stir that in. Coconut milk will make the fudgiest texture, but regular milk is acceptable.½ cup chocolate chips, melted, 2 tablespoon coconut milk, canned and full fat
- Pour that on top of the brownie batter. Tap the pan to even off the chocolate.
- Set the pan in the freezer for 15 to 25 minutes, then remove and cut into 8 pieces.
Storage
- Store your brownies in an air-tight container or storage bags. They can keep at room temperature for 2 days, refrigerated they can keep one week. And frozen they keep for up to three months.
Sharon
Fudgy delicousness! My husband and I love them. Thank you for sharing.
Dee Dine
So glad you enjoyed them!
Xiomara
Thank you for the clarification. This recipe is incredible. Made it two days in a row it’s that good.
Dee Dine
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Donna
What size loaf pan did you use??
Dee Dine
I used 8-inch by 4-inch!
Bobby
What about using figs in place of dates?
Dee Dine
I think dried figs are too hard to blend, and fresh figs are too moist to create the structure that dates create. But I haven't tried them!