Vegan Coconut Protein Brownies
You only need 5 ingredients to make these easy, fudgy and delicious, vegan chocolate coconut protein brownies!
These healthier brownies are so good. You’ll love the yummy, chewy texture from the coconut, the rich, fudgy texture from the banana and the chocolatey goodness from sweet bites of chocolate chips.
They also feature a sneaky addition of vegan protein powder and are completely dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free and oil-free!
You’ll only 5 simple ingredients: banana, coconut, protein powder, chocolate and cocoa powder, and they take just a few minutes to prepare in a food processor.
They taste healthier when compared to a traditional brownie but they’re definitely delicious enough for dessert and with no added sugar, they make a yummy, sweet treat or snack anytime of day.
Why You’ll Love Them
- Dietary Features: These brownies are vegan (dairy-free, eggless), gluten-free, grain-free. They can be made sugar-free and oil-free too.
- Fudgy, chewy texture and rich dark chocolate coconut flavour.
- So simple! You’ll need just 5 ingredients, a food processor and a loaf pan.
- Have an added boost of plant-based protein powder.
- 200 calories per serving with 5 grams of fibre and 5 grams of protein.
Ingredients Needed
A complete list of ingredients with amounts and full instructions is located in the printable recipe card below. This section covers ingredient and substitution considerations.
- Banana: Spotty, slightly over ripe bananas are perfect, however, if your bananas aren’t that ripe yet, that’s ok, the brownies just won’t be as sweet.
- Unsweetened shredded coconut. Use fine to medium, unsweetened shredded coconut. You can use sweetened coconut if you like but note that it will add sugar to the recipe. Not a fan of coconut? Try this protein brownie recipe.
- Chocolate or vanilla vegan protein powder. You can use any vegan protein powder such as Vega Performance Protein, Outcast Mission, Nuzest, Aloha or Bob’s Red Mill. The sweeter the protein, the sweeter the brownies. I would not recommend using plain or unsweetened protein unless you’re adding an additional sweetener.
- Cocoa powder: Cocoa powder adds the dark chocolate, fudgy goodness. Raw cacao powder or dark cocoa powder both work.
- Chocolate: Use dairy-free chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate.
Optional ingredients include sea salt, vanilla and additional sweetener, if you feel they need it.
How to Make these Brownies
Scroll down to find the full written recipe. This section shows step-by-step photos for a quick, visual reference.
Before You Start: Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a standard size loaf pan with a strip of parchment paper (not totally necessary but makes them easy to remove after baking!).
Step One: Add all of the ingredients to a food processor and blend into a thick batter.
Step Two: Add the batter to the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle additional chocolate chips or dark chocolate on top, if desired (recommended, of course!).
Step Three: Bake the brownies for 15 minutes then let cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes.
Step Four: Lift the brownies out of the pan using the edges of the parchment paper, slice into 8 brownies and enjoy!
Notes & Tips
- It’s not totally necessary to use parchment paper. If you don’t have any, use a light coating of nonstick avocado, olive or coconut oil cooking spray. If you have a good nonstick pan, you may not need either.
- For best results, use a kitchen scale for measuring ingredients.
- Want more chocolate? Feel free to add up to 1/2 cup chocolate chips!
- You can swirl a bit of peanut butter, almond butter or tahini into the batter for a twist. They’re also amazing served spread with peanut butter.
- Walnuts or chopped pecans also make yummy add-ins.
- Banana: Spotty, slightly over ripe bananas work best in this recipe (not mushy, just a little more ripe than you’d enjoy for a snack). If you don’t have over ripe banana, that’s ok. Ripe banana works too, the brownies just won’t be as sweet.
FAQs
With a full cup of shredded coconut in the recipe, yes, they do have a coconut taste. It’s not super strong but it’s noticeable. If you don’t like coconut, try these black bean brownies or protein brownies instead.
I wouldn’t suggest it. Whey protein acts differently from pea protein powders in baking. I have not tested these with whey protein, so I can’t guarantee results if you use it.
Yes. For sugar-free brownies, use cacao nibs or sugar-free chocolate chips such as Lily’s brand. For lower sugar brownies, use a high cacao content dark chocolate.
Storing
The brownies become extra fudgy after chilled, so they’re best stored in the fridge. Store in a sealed container for up to 1 week.
Did you try this recipe?
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I’d love to hear about it! Click here to leave a review and be sure to tag me @runningonrealfood if you post it on social media.
Vegan Coconut Protein Brownies
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
You only need 5 simple ingredients to make these delicious, vegan chocolate coconut protein brownies. Enjoy as a snack, dessert or even for breakfast!
Ingredients
- 2 large spotty bananas (300 g, 2 large or 3 small, spotty is perfect!)
- 1 cup (120 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 scoop (30 g) chocolate vegan protein powder (or vanilla)
- 1/4 cup (30 g) cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (60 g, plus more for topping, if desired)
- 1/4 tsp salt, optional
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line a loaf pan with a strip of parchment paper.
- Add all of the ingredients to a food processor and blend into a thick batter.
- Add the batter to the prepared loaf pan and spread flat using a spatula. If desired, evenly sprinkle 2-3 tbsp chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate over top.
- Bake for 15 minutes then let cool in the pan for 10-20 minutes.
- Lift out of the pan using the parchment paper and cut into 8 squares. Best after chilled in the fridge.
Notes
Banana: Slightly over ripe, spotty bananas work best in this recipe (not totally mushy and brown, just a little more ripe than you’d enjoy for a snack). If you don’t have over ripe banana, that’s ok. Just ripe banana works too, the brownies just won’t be as sweet.
Measuring: I recommend using a digital food scale to measure your ingredients. Volume measurements can vary greatly, so for best results, use a scale for accuracy.
Parchment Paper: If you don’t have parchment paper, use a light coating of non-stick cooking spray. If you have a good non-stick pan, you may not need either.
Sweetening: The sweetness of the brownies will depend on the ripeness of the banana and the protein powder used. After blending the batter, taste and consider adding additional sweetener to your preference. You can use powdered stevia, liquid stevia or monk fruit sweetener to taste for sugar-free brownies, or 1-3 tbsp coconut sugar, cane sugar or maple syrup.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 brownie
- Calories: 202
- Fat: 13
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Carbohydrates: 19
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 5
Keywords: coconut protein brownies, 5 ingredient brownies
Originally published April 10, 2016.
Hello Deryn, I would like to know a substitute for protein powder and also if I can use dessicated coconut? I am eager to make this recipe, it looks yum!
Thank you.
Hi, you can use desiccated coconut, yes, but I’m not sure about a substitute for the protein powder because it’s a major part of the recipe that adds sweetness and texture. You could maybe increase the cocoa powder and add a sweetener like maple syrup but I haven’t tested it. Thanks!
This Brownie is so tasty! Super easy and quick to make. I had to leave it baking a bit longer in my oven. It came out perfect! Thank you for sharing the recipe!!
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YUM!! I’m not a huge banana fan but I couldn’t even taste them!! I used carob rather than chocolate chips and they turned out 10/10.
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Can I use something else instead of The shredded coconut as im not a fan ? Thanks
Not in these but you can try my other protein brownie recipe, it doesn’t have coconut.
Hi! Could we use coconut flour instead of shredded coconut ? Thanks 🙂
No, I would not recommend that. Sorry!
Super easy and yummy! I only had one banana so substituted unsweetened applesauce. Perfect snack for my teenage son when I picked him up after cross country practice. All gone before we got home!
★★★★★
The coconut in these is a great texture addition! I added a scoop of peanut butter and used peanut butter protein powder because I love PB. But it may have made them a little too gooey, after 15min in the oven and cooling off they still had a doughy texture. I kept them in the fridge overnight and they’re better cold for sure. Great ratio of C/F/P to make them appropriate for the middle of the day.
★★★★
Glad you enjoyed them!
These were a hit with my 5 and 8 year old kids. I made some substitutions with what I had on hand: NOW brand pea protein powder instead of Vega and a tablespoon or two of maple syrup instead of stevia. I’ll likely make them again for the family.
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Wonderful, so glad you enjoyed them. Any pea protein should work just fine 🙂 Maple syrup is always a great choice, too!
It looks delicious,
Do I have to add the vegan protein powder? is there nay substitute for that?
Not for this recipe, no. You might like my oat flour brownies or black bean brownies.
I never knew non-animal product brownies could look so good! I’ll definitely have to try making this in the next week or two…
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Thanks for sharing these were delicious! I used dark chocolate chips since that’s my favorite variety and nixed the stevia. Came out really good even my non-vegan husband loved it!
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Awesome! Glad you both enjoy them! Thanks for the comment.