These gluten-free quinoa brownies are delicious healthy flourless brownies made in one bowl using high plant-based protein quinoa. Plus, these are vegan brownies made with no eggs or dairy.
I’m a huge fan of healthier brownies that turn the classic recipe into healthier ones, like my Applesauce Brownies, Healthy Brownies, or Butternut Squash Brownies.
These healthy brownies with quinoa are a vegan, gluten-free brownie recipe, super easy to make in less than 30 minutes. It’s naturally:
- Dairy-free
- Oil-free
- Egg-free
- Gluten-free
- Vegan
- Nut-free option provided
Why You’ll Love Quinoa Brownies
Quinoa brownies are healthy vegan, gluten-free brownies made from soaked quinoa to had protein to your dessert.
If you’re looking for a more classic recipe, try my vegan brownies, my Yogurt Brownies, or my Black Bean Brownies.
They are fudgy, flourless, and easy to make in one bowl of the food processor.
Ingredients and Substitutions
All you need to make quinoa chocolate brownies that taste amazing are:
- Soaked Uncooked Quinoa – you can use white quinoa or other colors, they all work pretty well in the recipe
- Cocoa Powder – make sure your cocoa powder is unsweetened.
- Maple Syrup – you can also use other vegan liquid sweeteners such as brown rice syrup or coconut nectar.
- Almond Butter – or any other nut butter like peanut butter, cashew butter, or even seed butter like tahini or sunflower seed butter for nut-free options.
- Banana – or 1/2 cup of applesauce.
- Unsweetened Almond Milk – or any non-dairy milk you like.
- Baking Powder – to give the brownies a slight puff.
- Vanilla Extract – for flavor.
How To Make Quinoa Brownies
Making these brownies only takes 25 minutes, it’s really easy!
Quinoa is a delicious grain full of plant-based protein but, if you don’t soak it in cold water it can be bitter. To avoid bitterness in your brownies, you must soak the quinoa for at least 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- Place the quinoa in a glass bowl and cover it with cold tap water. Set aside at room temperature.
- Drain the quinoa just before using, over a sieve and rinse again under cold water to remove any impurities.
- Next, add the soaked, drained quinoa to the jug of a high-speed blender and top up with the remaining ingredients: mashed banana, almond milk, baking powder, unsweetened cocoa powder, maple syrup, and almond butter.
- Blend on the high-speed setting for about 30 seconds until all the quinoa is pulsed into a creamy smooth brownie batter. The batter should be pretty liquid not overly thick. You may have to use the blender attachment to push the batter from the side of the jug to the center. Otherwise, stop the blender and scrape down the side of the jug and repeat until the batter is smooth.
- Open the lid and stir in dark chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, or pecans into the brownie batter. This adds a delicious crunchy texture to the vegan gluten-free brownies.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9-inch x 9-inch square baking dish. Slightly oil some parchment paper with coconut oil and place it in the brownie pan. Set it aside.
- Pour the flourless brownie batter into the pan and sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top if desired.
- Bake the quinoa brownies for 17 to 19 minutes at 350°F (180°C) until a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies comes out with almost no crumbs on it. This guarantees moist brownies that are not dry or overbaked.
- As soon as you removed the pan from the oven, pull out the brownie from the pan and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
Decoration
Cut the vegan quinoa brownies into 16 squares and serve them plain with an extra drizzle of:
- Melted dark chocolate
- Peanut butter or almond butter
- Coconut frosting
- Protein frosting
Taste And Texture
These quinoa brownies taste like chocolate banana brownies if you use the banana instead of applesauce.
For no fruit flavor, try unsweetened apple sauce as a swap or sweet potato puree.
Allergy Swaps
Below I listed some options to make these brownies if you have food intolerances or allergies:
- Nut-Free – swap the almond butter for sunflower seed butter. Also swap the almond milk for soy milk, coconut milk, oat milk, or any nut-free milk you love.
- Banana Allergy – use the same amount of unsweetened apple sauce or mashed pumpkin puree.
- Sugar-Free – you can swap maple syrup for a sugar-free syrup like monk fruit syrup. Pumpkin puree is a lower sugar option than mashed bananas.
Instruction Video
If you’d rather watch a video to make these brownies, watch it on our YouTube Channel!
Frequently Asked Questions
Soaking quinoa has many benefits. First, it removes the bitterness of the grain, which makes quinoa much blander in flavor.
Next, soaking quinoa makes it easier to digest as it removes the natural phytic acid present in the grain. Finally, it also activates enzymes that also improve digestion.
Absolutely. You can swap the mashed banana with the same quantity of cooked pumpkin puree, unsweetened apple sauce, or sweet potato puree.
Yes, you can use the same amount of quinoa flour if you like its flavor.
It can be bitter, so I suggest roasting the flour before using it in baked goods to avoid bitterness.
No, you must use uncooked, soaked quinoa for the best flavors.
Quinoa has an earthy flavor, slightly bitter if you don’t soak the grain before cooking or using it as flour in baking.
Yes, quinoa is a 100% gluten-free grain perfect for making quinoa salad as well as baked goods.
These brownies can be stored very well in the fridge for up to 4 days in a sealed container.
The texture of the brownies gets even fudgier in the fridge.
More Vegan Brownie Recipes
If you like brownies, I have many more recipes for you!
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Quinoa Brownies
Ingredients
- ½ cup Uncooked Quinoa - soaked in cold water
- ½ cup Unsweetened Cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup Maple Syrup - or liquid sweetener of choice
- ¼ cup Almond Butter - or peanut butter
- 2 medium Banana - ripe
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Optional
- ⅓ cup Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate Chips - or chopped pecan or chopped walnuts
Instructions
- In a bowl, place quinoa, cover with cold tap water, and soak for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- Drain the quinoa in a sieve and rinse to remove any impurities.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a square pan with parchment paper lightly oiled with coconut oil
- Transfer the quinoa to the jug of a food processor with the remaining ingredients: unsweetened cocoa powder, maple syrup, almond butter, banana, unsweetened milk, baking powder, and vanilla extract.
- Blend for 30 seconds on the high-speed setting. Use the tamper attachment or the blender to push the batter from side to center. Blend until the batter is smooth and no pieces of quinoa show.
- Stop the blender, and stir in the chocolate chips or chopped nuts if desired.
- Pour the batter into the prepared square pan and sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top if desired.
- Bake for 17-19 minutes in the center rack of the oven or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a little crumb on it – meaning the brownie is still moist but cooked.
- Cool down immediately on a wire rack for 30 minutes before cutting into squares.
Storage
- Store in an airtight box in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
How much applesauce do you use to substitute for 2 bananas?
about 1/2 cup apple sauce would work well
Great idea to use quinoa. Would love to try it, so I was wondering whether you baked the cake on 180 degree circulating air or above bottom heat. Asking because we have the same Bosch oven. Many thanks Andrea
All my recipes works on regular mode, center rack but I often bake on circulating air mode to bake my food faster and decrease temp by 10C