• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Green Smoothie Gourmet
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Summer Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Summer Recipes
  • Cookbooks
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipe Index
    • Summer Recipes
    • Cookbooks
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home / Recipes / Brownies & Bars

    No Bake Chocolate Brownies

    Jun 12, 2020 · Updated: May 18, 2023 by Dee Dine · Affliate links disclosure.

    • Share
    • Twitter
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video
    stack of brownies with a yellow flower

    These easy no bake chocolate brownies are made with 5 simple ingredients, and can be put together in under half an hour. A delicious, chocolate energizing treat.

    stack of brownies with a yellow flower
    These no bake chocolate brownies are a breeze to make with just 5 ingredients. Like all my brownie recipes,  including my chocolate peanut butter brownies, this no bake brownie recipe is rich and chocolatey, as well as dairy free.

    Table of Contents
    • Why You'll Love These
    • Ingredients
    • Step by Step Instructions
    • Recipe Tips
    • Storage
    • Substitutions
    • Variations
    • More Brownie Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    Why You'll Love These

    A melt-in-your-mouth brownie. These no bake 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 caramel flavor makes recipes like my classic chocolate smoothie, these chocolate-dipped 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, vegan, and even gluten free, making them suitable for most everyone to enjoy.

    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.
    • Unsweetened cocoa powder. I use dutch processed because it's darker and it has a milder flavor, less acidic. But any unsweetened cocoa works.
    • 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.

    no bake brownie ingredients in bowl

    Step by Step Instructions

    Step 1: Line a loaf pan with parchment paper so the sides hang over the sides. Soak the dates for 5 minutes in just boiled water. Then cut them open, remove the pit and the end knob if there is one, and toss into the blender.

    Step 2: Melt ½ cup of chocolate chips in the microwave for 45 seconds. Stir until chips are melted.

    Step 3: Add the melted chocolate to the dates in the blender. Then add the nut butter, cocoa powder, and salt.

    Step 4: Press the batter into the lined pan and even off the surface by pressing with the bottom of a measuring cup.

    Step 5: 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 6: Pour the chocolate on top of the brownie batter and even off by tipping the pan.

    Step 7: Set the pan in the freezer for 25 minutes to set. Then cut into 8 slices.

    steps for no bake brownies

    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 in an air-tight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or put each brownie in a storage bag and freeze for up to three months.

    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.

    Cocoa powder. You need the cocoa powder but it can be regular unsweetened or dutch processed.

    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.

    Make no bake brownies without dates. To ditch the dates, try this recipe for chocolate peanut butter brownies which uses maple syrup instead.

    More Brownie Recipes

    Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
    Cauliflower Brownies
    Oreo Brownies
    Sweet Potato Brownies

    If you try my recipes, please leave a comment and rating below and tag me on your Instagram post with @greensmoothiegourmet so I can see and share your remakes!!

    Follow me on social media where I post daily healthy eating and lifestyle inspiration:
    Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter |
    Youtube

    Subscribe HERE to get recipes delivered to your inbox

    📖 Recipe

    stack of brownies with a yellow flower

    No Bake Chocolate Brownies

    Created by Dee Dine
    These easy no bake chocolate brownies are made with 5 simple ingredients, and can be put together in under half an hour. A delicious, chocolate energizing treat.
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved! Rate Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 25 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8
    Calories 233 kcal

    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
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    Prep

    • Soak the dates in just-boiled water for 5 minutes.
    • 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.
      1 cup Medjool dates, ¼ cup cocoa powder, ¼ teaspoon of salt, ½ cup chocolate chips, melted
    • Press it 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 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
    • Pour that on top of the brownie batter. Tap the pan to even off the chocolate.
    • Set the pan in the freezer for 25 minutes, then remove and cut into 8 pieces.

    Storage

    • Store at room temperature sealed for 2 days. After that refrigerate for one week. After that freeze.

    Video

    Notes

    * To use date paste instead of dates in this recipe use ¾ cup of date paste.
    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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 233kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 4gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.02gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 210mgFiber: 5gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 27IUCalcium: 63mgIron: 3mg
    Keyword no bake brownies, no bake chocolate brownies
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Brownies & Bars

    • a row of baked oatmeal cups
      Baked Oatmeal Brownie Cups
    • two protein bars stacked and leaning
      No Bake Chocolate Protein Bars
    • fudge bars
      Homemade Fudge Bars
    • a spoonful taken out of a bar with white ribbon
      Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
    • Share
    • Twitter

    Detox Juices to Feel Great in 2023

    1. Apple Cider Vinegar Drink
    2. Ginger Shots
    3. Ginger Juice
    4. Celery Juice
    5. Turmeric Shots
    6. How to Make Ginger Tea

    Buy My Two Cookbooks

    My 4-Ingredient Healthy Dessert Cookbook My 4-Ingredient Detox Drink CookBook

    About GSG

    Welcome to GSG, a healthy food blog sharing plant based recipes for healthy desserts and recipes, making clean eating easy!

    About Dee

    Chocolate and ginger enthusiast. Animal lover, a nutritional juicing aficionado, and probably chopping chocolate in my Washington DC kitchen right now. Read about Dee → »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Xiomara

      January 31, 2023 at 4:11 am

      One more question it says two tablespoons flaxseed eggs, does that mean I should make the flaxseed egg and use two tablespoons of the mixture or make two flaxseed eggs and use it all ? I want to be clear so I don’t mess it up. Thanks.

      Reply
      • Dee Dine

        January 31, 2023 at 9:19 am

        Of course, no problem. The only flaxseed mixture to use it this: 2 tbsp ground flaxseeds + 6 tbsp water

        Reply
    2. Xiomara

      January 31, 2023 at 3:05 am

      Step four in the prep says “Fold in ½ the melted chocolate. Mix again until creamy.” What do you do with the other half of the melted chocolate?

      Reply
      • Dee Dine

        January 31, 2023 at 9:17 am

        Thank you, I updated the recipe. Use the remaining melted chocolate chips after bars are cooled.

        Reply
    3. Ela

      July 15, 2019 at 1:02 pm

      5 stars
      Wow! Looks absolutely amazing, Dee! The texture is fantastic. Love that you added flaxseed eggs. 🙂

      Reply
      • Dee Dine

        July 17, 2019 at 5:56 am

        Thank you Ela! Flaxseeds are awesome! Thanks for stopping by, Dee xx

        Reply
    4. Klara

      July 13, 2019 at 3:27 pm

      5 stars
      OMG! I made these today and they came out perfect! I even doubled the recipe and used a loaf pan. Thank you for that option.

      Reply
      • Dee Dine

        July 13, 2019 at 3:28 pm

        That's great news Klara! Thanks for your feedback! Dee xx

        Reply
      • V

        January 19, 2021 at 1:34 pm

        Hello
        Could I use oil instead of butter ?

        Reply
        • Dee Dine

          January 20, 2021 at 12:39 pm

          I don't think so, although if you try, let us know how it worked out.

    5. Alli

      July 12, 2019 at 2:08 pm

      5 stars
      Just want to point out that the recipe says 1/3 cup butter but the instructions say 2/3 cup.

      Reply
      • Dee Dine

        July 12, 2019 at 5:39 pm

        Thank you Alli, I fixed it. The ingredient list is correct for a 4-inch by 4-inch pan. Many thanks for notifying me! Dee xx

        Reply
    Newer Comments »

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    dee dine

    I'm Dee! Welcome to GSG! Eating healthier and lighter, with plenty of fruits and veggies, can be fun, especially when chocolate and desserts are involved. Here you'll find plant-based recipes that everyone will love. About Dee →

    Fun Summer Recipes

    • a glass of watermelon juice with lime leaf
      How to Make Watermelon Juice
    • Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bar
      Healthy Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars
    • fresh dragon fruit with a dragon fruit sliced
      Dragon Fruit: How to Cut & Eat
    • overnight oats with zucchini and other veggies on top
      Overnight Breakfast Oats (7 flavors)
    • Vanilla vegan cake sliced with cake in background.ound.
      Fluffy Vegan Vanilla Cake
    • stack of brownies with a yellow flower
      No Bake Chocolate Brownies

    Trending Recipes

    • a vegan vanilla cupcake on a white table with white frosting
      Soft Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
    • chocolate frosted donuts on marble board.
      Healthy Chocolate Baked Donuts
    • a cup of ginger tea with lemon slices and ginger slices
      How to Make Ginger Tea (Powder & Fresh Root)
    • a slice of dairy free chocolate cake with chocolate icing and sprinkles
      Healthy Dairy Free Chocolate Cake
    logos of publications that shared green smoothie gourmet content

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About the Author
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Newsletter
    • Cookbooks

    Follow

    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • Youtube

    an amazon associate member

    Copyright © 2023