Chocoholics rejoice! These vegan peanut butter brownies are the best. They're oh so fudgy, stain-your-teeth-brown chocolatey, and swirled with thick and creamy peanut butter. What more could we want from a dessert?
Except to serve them with a scoop of ice cream. Now THAT would be divine.
These brownies may be vegan-friendly, but there are no root vegetables, legumes or weird ingredients in sight! Well, except a banana, but banana + chocolate + pb is a party I want to be at.
We've also got chocolate in not one, not two, but THREE different forms. You're welcome.
By the way, if you love brownies, you'll love these fudgy vegan brownie cookies too. You're welcome.
How to make peanut butter brownies:
Mash the banana in a bowl then mix with the sunflower oil and sugar. You can also puree the banana if you wish. Stir in the melted chocolate (photo 1).
Sift in the dry ingredients in 3-4 increments, then fold in the chopped dark chocolate (photo 2). Pour this mixture into a lined baking tray and swirl through the peanut butter using toothpick or fork.
Bake at 180 degrees/ 350 F for 20-25 minutes, then leave to cool COMPLETELY before cutting into squares. I know the wait is hard, but it must be done.
Psst - If you're as obsessed with brownies as I am, you'll fall head over heels for my vegan oreo brownies!
Notes on this recipe:
- Make sure to use ripe and spotty bananas for extra sweet flavour.
- These banana peanut butter brownies are not super sweet like most brownie recipes - if you have a sweet tooth, feel free to add an extra 2-3 tablespoons of sugar during step 3.
- Feel free to swap the dark chocolate for dairy-free milk or white chocolate!
- You can also make this recipe with any nut butter! Use sunflower seed butter to make them nut-free or pistachio almond butter for a *fancy* twist.
FAQ
The cocoa butter content of the melted chocolate that is added to the batter is extremely important. If you use a chocolate which is high in cocoa solids (say 90%), it will be lower in cocoa butter and your batter will be too thick. I suggest using a chocolate with 40-60% cocoa solid content.
As much as I hate to wash up seives as well, it is necessary to sift in the dry ingredients to ensure the cocoa powder is lump-free. If you're in a pinch, you can skip sifting the other ingredients but ALWAYS sift your cocoa powder!
Yes, you can enjoy these brownies hot from the oven, but they won't slice as evenly. If you're looking for clean cut brownies like in these photos, leave them to cool to room temperature then for at least 2 hours in the fridge, or preferably overnight.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you make it, please leave a rating + review below and share your photos on Instagram tagging #shivanilovesfood!
Vegan Peanut Butter Brownies
LEAVE A REVIEW PRINT RECIPEIngredients
For the batter:
- 1 Banana the riper, the better
- 4oz/ 115 grams Dark Chocolate
- ½ cup/ 115ml Sunflower Oil
- â…“ cup/ 115 grams Caster Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 pinch Instant espresso powder optional, to bring out the flavours
Dry ingredients:
- ½ cup/ 90 grams Self Raising Flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ÂĽ cup/ 40 grams Cocoa Powder
Mix-ins:
- 2.5 oz/ 85 grams Dark Chocolate roughly chopped
- 2.5 tbsp/ 50 grams Peanut Butter smooth or crunchy
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees/ 350 F. Grease a 20cm square baking tray with a little oil, and line with greaseproof paper.
- Break up the 4oz/ 115 grams chocolate and melt until smooth (I like to do this in the microwave, by carefully heating on the medium setting in 30 second bursts and stirring after each interval, but you can use a double boiler if you wish). Set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the banana until no large lumps remain (you can puree the banana in a blender if you wish). Add the sunflower oil and sugar, and whisk until well combined.Â
- Pour in the cooled melted chocolate and whisk together to combine. Stir in the vanilla extract and espresso powder, if using.
- Measure out the dry ingredients into a separate bowl. Gradually sift them in, folding the batter after each addition (I would do this in 3-4 increments).
- Add the chopped chocolate to the batter and mix to combine. Pour into the baking tray and swirl through the peanut butter.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, then remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before cutting into squares. Enjoy!
Notes
- The brownies will be much easier to slice cleanly if you leave them to cool completely in the fridge.Â
- These brownies can be stored in the fridge, in a covered container, for up to 4 days.
- If you wish to reheat the brownies, you can do so by heating in the microwave for a few seconds. For an extra decadent treat, top with a scoop of vegan ice cream!Â
- If you are allergic to nuts or wish to make plain chocolate brownies, you can omit the peanut butter. To compensate for the lack of salt in this case, I add a generous pinch of salt to the batter during step 4.
Kelly Anthony
I haven't ever used bananas as the eggs before but that is a great idea. I agree with you on the chocolate, banana and peanut butter is a match made in heaven. YUM!
Shivani Raja
Hi Kelly! Yes. bananas work particularly great as egg replacements, especially for dense and fudgy brownies. And of course, chocolate, banana and peanut butter were just meant to be!
Natalie
I love peanut butter and chocolate together! These brownies look so delicious!
Shivani Raja
It's like, only the BEST combo right?! Thank you so much for the kind words Natalie! x
Lizet Flores de Bowen
yummy! I love brownies. This is such a great vegan brownie recipe. Keeping it forever! 🙂
Shivani Raja
Aww thank you so much Lizet! I've already made them twice this week oops - they're just too good!
ali randall
I love that there are bananas in these brownies because it makes anything so much more moist. I prefer dark chocolate over semi and these look wonderful with the topped peanuts.
Shivani Raja
Thank you! Moist and rich brownies > all other brownies right?!
Helen of Fuss Free Flavours
Happy Birthday for yesterday! These brownies are the perfect bake for a birthday treat. A great combination, chocolate and peanut butter were made to go together.
Shivani Raja
Thank you so much for the birthday wishes Helen! And I couldn't agree more with you - sometimes I wish I could thank the person who put the two together in the first place!
Umama
So chocolatey, and so gooey!
Shivani Raja
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like them 🙂