Make these sugar-free brownies with just 3 ingredients and no refined sugar added. They are naturally sweet, rich, fudgy, and easy to make. These no-bake brownies are also gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and eggless!
Christmas is for sure that magical time of the year!
Many treats are given and received as edible gifts.
Those who have PCOS like me, diabetes, or have some dietary restrictions still want to have their piece of cake, cookies, or whatever else they crave or receive.
Well, these sugarless brownies are one of those treats you can eat without fear... and enjoy!
But this is not all! They require no baking! This means you'll have your oven free to bake other goodies for the holidays! 😉
Sugar-Free Brownies Recipe
There are several reasons to make these sugar-free brownies, among them:
- Easy: It requires just 3 simple ingredients! The 4th is optional!
- Quick: The prep time is about 10 minutes! Most of the time will be under refrigeration to set, about 4 hours.
- No bake: This means, you'll free your oven to bake other goodies but not these no-bake brownies!
- Not seasonal: You can make these goodies any time of the year.
- Simple ingredients: The recipe calls for bananas, dark chocolate, nuts (optional), and vanilla extract which are widely available. No special ingredients are required such as almond flour or all-purpose flour, baking powder, coconut oil, eggs, cocoa powder, brownies mixes, butter, or sugar.
- Healthy: It is sugar-free, dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, and eggless! Yes, it's perfect for diabetics and others with some dietary restrictions. They can be also considered low-carb because they contain about 16 g net carbs, but they are NOT keto because they contain bananas. Regular dark chocolate brownies usually contain 46 g net carbs (almost 3 times more).
- Low-Calorie: Each slice of our sugar-free brownies has about 166 calories which are less than regular dark chocolate brownies that contain more than 220 calories per slice.
Ingredients and Substitutions
To make these sugar-free brownies, you'll need:
- 7 ounces (200 g) sugar-free dark chocolate, chopped (use good-quality chocolate such as Lindt 100% cocoa. The 90% cocoa has only 3 g of sugar which is minimum). If you are not on a sugar-free diet, you can use semisweet chocolate but it must be DAIRY-FREE. Why? Chocolate that contains dairy won't make these brownies set in the fridge. I'd not recommend milk chocolate because it contains dairy and also would make these brownies overly sweet. Remember, the bananas are already naturally sweet).
- 10.5 ounces (300 g) ripe bananas, cut into chunks (The bananas should be ripe yet firm. This means, their peel will be yellow with some brown spots yet firm. I do NOT recommend to use ripen bananas like the ones used for banana bread, because these are no-bake brownies; otherwise, they will taste somewhat spoiled in my honest opinion. But there are people who used it and were fine with it! The bananas CANNOT be frozen or your brownies won't set).
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste for tastier brownies)
- ¼ cup slivered pistachios (unsalted), plus extra for serving (you can use any other nut of choice) -- OPTIONAL
To decorate (optional):
- Swerve Keto Confectioners sugar (to sieve on top of the sliced brownies). You can use powdered sugar if not on a sugar-free diet!
- Fresh raspberries
How to make sugar-free brownies
- MAKE THE BROWNIE BATTER: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-seconds intervals, stirring in between. It may take about 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Stir well until smooth and reserve it!
- Place the bananas in a food processor, processing them until it becomes smooth and creamy like a paste. Pour in the vanilla extract and blend a little more until homogeneous. PIC. 1
- Then add the melted chocolate and process until forming a homogeneous mixture. PIC. 2
- Fold in the pistachios using a rubber spatula. Do NOT process them in the food processor! PIC. 3
- Line an 8-inch square cake pan (or an 8-inch rectangular, deep pyrex) with parchment paper with the edges overlapping the pan. Pour the batter in and agitate to level evenly.
- REFRIGERATE: Cover it tightly with foil or a lid without touching the batter. Refrigerate for 4 or more hours or until set and firm. PIC. 4
- SLICE: Hold the edges of the parchment paper and lift to remove it from the pan. Make sure to flatten the edges of the paper and cut 9 even slices of brownies. PIC. 5 TIP: To get clean cuts, make sure to clean the knife with hot water and a clean towel before each cut.
- SERVE: If you want, sieve some confectioners sugar on top of the slices. PIC. 6 Serve these sugar-free brownies with some extra slivered pistachios on top and fresh raspberries. Enjoy!
Tips for Diabetic Brownies
- For clean cuts, run your knife under hot water and wipe it with a kitchen towel between cutting each slice.
- Make sure to process the bananas until becoming a paste; otherwise, your diabetic brownies won't have a smooth texture.
- The bananas must be ripe, but NOT ripen! Also, do NOT use frozen bananas which have a good amount of water, making the brownies hard to set.
- Use the best quality of sugar-free dark chocolate you can find. It will determine the taste of your sugarless brownies.
- You can replace pistachios with your preferred nuts, or simply omit them for a nut-free dessert!
- These no-bake brownies only work with dairy-free chocolate. Why? Chocolate that contains milk/dairy will not be set. Look at the label and see whether your chocolate contains milk.
- These are not keto brownies because the recipe calls for bananas which are not keto-friendly! But they contain fewer carbs than other recipes out there!
- BANANA SUBSTITUTE: You can replace bananas with pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) but these no-bake brownies won't be as sweet. You may have to stir about ½ cup of Swerve Keto Confectioners sugar with the pumpkin puree. You may have to melt about an extra ¼ cup of chocolate to make these brownies set. Why? Because the confectioner's sugar will add moisture to the pumpkin puree and the brownies may take longer to set or become softer. It will decrease the number of carbs in this recipe! NOTE: Applesauce won't work in this recipe. Like pumpkin puree, avocado may work but I have not tested it! If you have made it with avocado, please let us know the results in the comments. This would make these brownies keto or low-carb!
No-Bake Brownies Texture
The texture of these sugarless brownies is smooth, similar to fudge, yet softer. Still, they are rich, fudgy, and chocolatey, like a brownie. They have no crumbs because they are not baked!
Can diabetics eat bananas?
According to Healthline, " Fruits like bananas are healthy foods that contain fiber, vitamins, and minerals. You can include bananas in your diet even if you have diabetes."
But be aware bananas contain a higher amount of natural sugar which can spike insulin. The consumption of bananas by diabetics must be, in general, limited to one or two medium-sized bananas per day, but still keeping in mind what other foods they are consuming as well.
Can the type of chocolate affect the texture of these no-bake brownies?
Yes! Chocolate that contains dairy listed as one of its ingredients will prevent these brownies to set when refrigerated.
Is sugar-free dark chocolate good for you?
Sugar-free dark chocolate is rich in vitamins, proteins, fiber, antioxidants, and other mood-enhancing nutrients that are good for your health.
Are these Healthy Brownies?
Yes, they are! They contain no refined sugar and are rich in vitamins and fiber from bananas and antioxidants from dark chocolate. They also have fewer calories than regular brownies.
How to Store
Store leftovers of our no-bake brownies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Do NOT freeze them!
Other brownie recipes
PIN & ENJOY!
Sugar-Free Brownies (No Bake)
Equipment
- 1 Microwave-safe bowl
- 1 8-inch square cake pan
- 1 knife
Ingredients
- 7 ounces sugar-free dark chocolate, chopped (Use good-quality chocolate such as Lindt 100% cocoa. The 90% cocoa has only 3 g of sugar which is minimum). If you are not on a sugar-free diet, you can use semisweet chocolate but it must be DAIRY-FREE. Why? Chocolate that contains dairy won't make these brownies set in the fridge. I'd not recommend milk chocolate because it contains dairy and also would make these brownies overly sweet. Remember, the bananas are already naturally sweet).
- 10.5 ounces ripe bananas, cut into chunks (The bananas should be ripe yet firm. This means, their peel will be yellow with some brown spots yet firm. I do NOT recommend to use ripen bananas like the ones used for banana bread, because these are no-bake brownies; otherwise, they will taste somewhat spoiled in my honest opinion. But there are people who used it and were fine with it! The bananas CANNOT be frozen or your brownies won't set).
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste for tastier brownies
- ¼ cup slivered pistachios unsalted, plus extra for serving (you can use any other nut of choice) -- OPTIONAL
To decorate (OPTIONAL):
- Swerve Keto Confectioners sugar to sieve on top of the sliced brownies, You can use powdered sugar if not on a sugar-free diet!
- Fresh raspberries
Instructions
- MAKE THE BROWNIE BATTER: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-seconds intervals, stirring in between. It may take about 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Stir well until smooth and reserve it!
- Place the bananas in a food processor, processing them until it becomes smooth and creamy like a paste. Pour in the vanilla extract and blend a little more until homogeneous.
- Then add the melted chocolate and process until forming a homogeneous mixture.
- Fold in the pistachios using a rubber spatula. Do NOT process them in the food processor!
- Line an 8-inch square cake pan (or an 8-inch rectangular, deep pyrex) with parchment paper with the edges
- overlapping the pan. Pour the batter in and agitate to level evenly.
- REFRIGERATE: Cover it tightly with foil or a lid without touching the batter. Refrigerate for 4 or more hours or until set
- and firm.
- SLICE: Hold the edges of the parchment paper and lift to remove it from the pan. Make sure to flatten the
- edges of the paper and cut 9 even slices of brownies. TIP: To get clean cuts, make sure to clean the knife with hot water and a clean towel before each cut.
- SERVE: If you want, sieve some confectioners sugar on top of the slices and serve with some extra slivered pistachios on top and fresh raspberries. Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.
Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.
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