This sweet & decadent oat flour brownies is healthy yet incredibly yummy ! Easy to make and also happens to be vegan too. Ready in 30 minutes and is gluten-free, oil-free and healthy.
Brownies made from oats?? Yes, you heard that right! This healthier version of brownies uses oat flour in place of traditional all-purpose flour, and also lower in sugar, oil-free and vegan.
Just a heads up that these oat flour brownies will have the texture somewhere between fudgy and cakey, so if that sounds good to you, read on! But if you do like yours to be super fudgy, I do recommend checking out my black bean brownies or sweet potato brownies.
💚Why you will love this recipe
- Decadent, sweet and moist - These oat flour brownies are one of my favorite desserts of all times! It is bold and rich in flavor without being sickly sweet.
- One bowl and easy to make - This recipe only calls for easily accessible pantry ingredients, and is beginner-friendly and fuss-free. Plus, it only takes 30 minutes to make!
- Secretly healthy and allergen-friendly - These brownies are gluten-free, lower in sugar and only wholesome plant based ingredients are used.
- Stores well and freezable - I really love keeping a batch in the freezer so I will have some healthy treat ready to go whenever the sweet craving hits!
🌾Making homemade oat flour
It is actually really easy to make your own homemade oat flour at home! All you need is some quick or rolled oats and a high speed blender.
Place oats into high speed blender and blend on high until oats are finely ground, about 30-60 seconds.
Transfer flour into an airtight container and it can be stored for 3 months. You will have oat flour ready to go whenever you need it!
🍰What you will need
📓Notes / Substitutions
- Gluten-free - Make this gluten-free by using gluten-free oat flour, or make your own from gluten-free oats.
- Cashew butter - can be substituted with other kinds of nut butter like peanut or hazelnut. You can even make this nut-free by using tahini, pumpkin seed butter or sunflower seed butter instead.
- Coconut sugar - can be substituted with other granulated sweeteners like brown and white sugar or sugar-free substitutes.
- Milk - Any kinds of plant milk will work in this recipe. Some of my favorites includes soy, oat and almond milk. You can even use regular dairy milk if not vegan.
🔪How to make
Preheat oven to 180C / 350F . In a large mixing bowl, mix together oat flour, sugar, cocoa powder and instant coffee powder. Mix until everything is well incorporated.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Pour batter into an oiled 8x8 baking pan. You can also line pan with parchment paper instead.
Bake for 18-23 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out fairly clean from the center. It is okay to have a few crumbs left on it as brownies will continue to cook out of the oven.
Let it cool completely, before slicing and serving.
✔Other helpful tips
- If you prefer your brownies to be fudgy, bake them for 15-18 minutes or until the center is just set.
- As this recipe uses baking powder as rising agent, both Dutch or natural cocoa powder can be used. Do check out this blog post by Sally's baking addiction if you are interested to know more about the difference between Dutch and regular cocoa powder.
- It is really important to let your oat flour brownies cool down to room temperature before slicing! It allows times for it to develop its flavors and also prevent them from crumbling. Slice them with a plastic knife instead of bread knife or other serrated knifes for a clean cut.
- Ensure that your oven is hot enough before placing the brownies in. Hence, the baking powder will work its magic and the brownies will start rising immediately.
❔Commonly asked questions
These vegan brownies are naturally gluten-free as oat flour is used in place of traditional wheat flour. As cross-contamination might occur during processing, do be sure to use certified gluten-free oat flour if your are sensitive to gluten.
Brownies will stay good at room temperature for 3-4 days, depending on the climate. To prevent them from drying out, it is recommended to leave them uncut before serving.
Brownie slices can also be stored in the fridge for up to a week, either in an airtight container or wrapped with plastic wrap. Simple let them come down to room temperature, or microwave them for a few seconds to warm them up.
These oat flour brownies are also freezable too ! You can either freeze it whole or slices of it. Wrap them in a layer of plastic wrap and they can now be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat frozen brownies, let them defrost in the fridge overnight or on countertop for a few hours. Or, you can heat them up in the microwave to speed up the process !
It is best to let brownies cool for a solid few hours before slicing into them. This will allow time for the flavors to really develop and will make for a cleaner cut ! If you are short on time, I do recommend to let them cool for at least 30 minutes.
You can tell that oat flour brownies are done baking when a toothpick comes out fairly clean, with a few moist crumb left behind from the center.
Do not wait until the toothpick comes out totally clean, as they are most likely overcooked. Do remember that they will continue to cook out of the oven.
🍽More healthy vegan desserts
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📖 Recipe
Oat Flour Brownies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat flour ( use gluten-free if needed )
- ½ cup coconut sugar ( or other granulated sweetener )*
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee ( optional )
- ½ cup plant milk
- ½ cup applesauce
- ¼ cup cashew butter **
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ( optional )
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C / 350F . In a large mixing bowl, mix together oat flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and instant coffee powder. Mix until everything is well incorporated.
- Add in the plant milk, applesauce, cashew butter and vanilla extract. Mix well. Pour batter into an oiled 8x8 baking pan. You can also line pan with parchment paper instead.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out fairly clean from the center. It is okay to have a few crumbs left on it as brownies will continue to cook out of the oven.
- Let it cool completely, before slicing and serving.
Notes
- If you prefer your brownies to be fudgy, bake them for 15-18 minutes or until the center is just set.
- It is really important to let your oat flour brownies cool down to room temperature before slicing! It allows times for it to develop its flavors and also prevent them from crumbling. Slice them with a plastic knife instead of bread knife or other serrated knifes for a cleaner cut.
Brownie slices can also be stored in the fridge for up to a week, either in an airtight container or wrapped with plastic wrap. They are also freezable too, and you can either freeze it whole or slices of it. Wrap them in a layer of plastic wrap and they can now be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating - To reheat frozen brownies, let them defrost in the fridge overnight or on countertop for a few hours. Or, you can heat them up in the microwave to speed up the process!
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
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