These healthier oat flour brownies are vegan, sweetened with dates and naturally gluten-free.

Stack of 3 vegan oat flour brownies on a grey surface with some chocolate chips scattered around.

If you’re looking for a healthyish wholesome gluten-free brownie, oat flour makes a great choice! It’s budget-friendly, you can make it at home and it works perfectly in these oat flour brownies.

These brownies are naturally sweetened with dates, use applesauce and tahini instead of oil and are also vegan! This is also a small-batch recipe made in a loaf pan yielding 6-8 brownies so it’s perfect if you only want to make a few servings.

You’ll love how rich and fudgy these are despite being completely oil-free, egg-free and made without butter! Enjoy these brownies for a healthier dessert or snack anytime of day.

These are definitely on the healthy side and are not super sweet or decadent but if you’re after a health-conscious treat, these definitely fit the bill. They are made with dairy-free chocolate chips, are nut-free and naturally gluten-free so everyone can enjoy them.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

  • Allergy-Friendly! These brownies are gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free, dairy-free and oil-free.
  • Whole grain and high in fiber.
  • Easy to make with just a few simple pantry ingredients.
  • Rich and fudgy texture.
  • Healthy enough for snacking but decadent enough for dessert.
  • Small-batch recipe made in a loaf pan.
  • They’re amazing served warm with ice cream or whipped cream for a special treat.

Ingredients & Substitutions

oat flour, applesauce, cocoa powder and tahini in a food processor.

This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.

  • Oat Flour: You can use store-bought oat flour or make your own adding rolled oats to a blender. Quick and easy!
  • Cocoa Powder: You can use raw cacao powder or regular cocoa powder for the chocolate element. Dark cocoa powder will add the richest flavour.
  • Dates: These brownies are sweetened naturally with dates. We’ll be soaking them in water first to ensure they help help create the perfect gooey brownie texture. You can use any variety of date such as medjool, sayer dates or deglect noor.
  • Applesauce: Unsweetened applesauce replaces oil and helps add moisture to the brownies. You could use sweetened applesauce just note that will add sugar to the recipe.
  • Nut or Seed Butter: I used tahini to keep the recipe nut-free but any nut or seed butter such as peanut butter or almond butter works. Sunflower seed butter would be another nut-free option.
  • Chocolate Chips: Without chocolate chips these are pretty plain, so I would definitely recommend adding them. I like Camino or Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips for a dairy-free option. You could use also use finely chopped dark chocolate.

How to Make Oat Flour Brownies

Step 1. Soak the dates.

To soften up the dates, you’ll want to soak them in hot water for 20 minutes. This will help add extra gooey and delicious texture to the brownies.

Place the pitted dates in a glass bowl, pour boiled water over them and let them soak. After they’ve soaked, drain them using a colander and proceed with the recipe.

Quick Note: It is ok if the dates are wet when you add them to the recipe but just make sure you’ve drained off any excess water. I like to press them into the side of strainer a bit to squeeze out excess water.

Dates soaking in water in a small glass bowl.

Step 2. Make the Oat flour.

To make the oat flour for this recipe, measure out 1 cup, or 100 grams of rolled oats and then blend until you have a fine flour.

I used my Vitamix for this but any blender or even an immersion blender or food processor with sharm blades will work.

Can I use store-bought oat flour? Yes. You’ll need 100 g if using store-bought oat flour.

Metal measuring cup with oat flour in it.

Step 3. Blend the brownie batter.

Once you’ve soaked and drained the dates and made the oat flour, add everything except the chocolate chips to a food processor and mix until you have a thick, sticky batter.

Note: As you can see below, the tahini I used was quite drippy so make sure whatever nut or seed butter you use isn’t too dry.

Oat flour, applesauce and tahini in a food processor container.
Add everything but the chocolate chips to a food processor.

Once you’ve blended up the batter, add the chocolate chips and pulse a few times to combine.

Quick Tip: If you’d like to add any other add-ins, such as pretzels, walnuts or pecans, add them now as well.

Thick chocolate batter with chocolate chips in a food processor.
Add the chocolate chips and pulse a few times to mix them in.

Step 4. Bake the brownies.

Once you’ve prepared the batter, spread it into a loaf pan, sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top and bake in the oven for 24 minutes.

Quick tip: prepare the loaf pan with a spritz of non-stick cooking spray, rub it with a little oil or line it with parchment paper for easy removal after baking.

Brownie batter topped with chocolate chips spread in a loaf pan.

Once they’re baked, let them cool for 15 minutes in the pan then slice and enjoy!

Overhead shot of 6 vegan oat flour brownies on a grey surface scattered with chocolate chips.

Variations

  • Peanut Butter Brownies: Use peanut butter instead of chocolate chips.
  • Sweeter brownies: Add 2 tbsp maple syrup or coconut sugar, or sweeten to taste with a sugar-free sweetener such as stevia or monk fruit sweetened.
  • Walnut Brownies: Add up to 1/4 cup chopped walnuts when you add the chocolate chips. Pecans would also work.
  • Pretzel Brownies: Sprinkle crushed pretzels on top before baking or add up to 1/4 cup crushed pretzels when you add the chocolate chips.
  • Nutella Brownies: Swirl a chocolate hazelnut spread of choice (Nutella is not vegan) into the batter before baking.
  • Peppermint Brownies: Add a few drops of peppermint extract and some crushed candy canes to the batter. Or try these no-bake peppermint brownies.

FAQs

Do these taste like dates?

These brownies definitely have a hint of date-flavour but I wouldn’t say it’s overpowering. I think they’re delicious but if you really don’t like dates, it might not be the recipe for you

Can I make these sugar-free?

To make these brownies sugar-free, use sugar-free chocolate chips such as Lily’s or for a low-sugar option, chopped dark chocolate with a high cacao content.

Are oat flour brownies gluten-free?

Yes, oat flour brownies are gluten-free, however, if needed, make sure you use gluten-free certified oats to avoid cross-contamination.

Do I have to use tahini?

No. You can use peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower seed butter or cashew butter instead of tahini. Just make sure whatever you use is not overly dry.

Stack of 2 vegan oat flour brownies sitting on a cooling rack.

Storing the Brownies

  • Let cool completely before transferring to a storage container.
  • Room Temperature: Store in a sealed container for 2-3 days.
  • Fridge: Store in a sealed container for up to 1 week. They get nice and fudgy when chilled, so storing them in the fridge is recommended.
  • Freezer: Store for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe bag or container.

Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Stack of 3 vegan oat flour brownies on a grey surface with some chocolate chips scattered around.

Vegan Oat Flour Brownies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.6 from 15 reviews
  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 8
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

These small-batch oat flour brownies are easy to make with healthy, wholesome ingredients making them the perfect health-conscious sweet, chocolate treat. 


Ingredients

  • 1 cup rolled oats (100 g), blended into oat flour
  • 3 tbsp cocoa powder (21 g)
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla, optional
  • 1 cup packed, pitted dates (225 g)
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (120 g)
  • 1/4 cup tahini (60 g, or other nut or seed butter)
  • 1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips, plus a few more to sprinkle on top (45 g)

Instructions

  1. Soak Dates: Place the dates in a large bowl and cover in hot water. Soak for 20 minutes then drain well.
  2. Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  3. Make Oat Flour: Measure out 1 cup of rolled oats then process them in a blender until you have a fine flour.
  4. Blend Batter: Add the oat flour and everything except the chocolate chips to a food processor and process into a thick batter.
  5. Add Chocolate Chips: Add the chocolate chips and pulse a few times to combine.
  6. Add Batter to Pan: Spray a loaf pan with a bit of non-stick cooking spray, or line with parchment paper, then scoop the batter into the pan and spread with a spatula until smooth. The batter will quite thick.
  7. Sprinkle with Chocolate Chips: Sprinkle a few more chocolate chips evenly across the top.
  8. Bake Brownies: Bake the brownies for 24 minutes.
  9. Cool & Serve:Remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for at least 15 minutes before carefully slicing and lifting from the pan. 

Notes

Store in the fridge for up to 7 days or freezer for up to 3 months.

If you’d like the brownies to have a little bit of lift to them, add 1/2 tsp baking soda. I tested these every which way and they work fine with and without baking soda.

These are not super sweet brownies as they have no added sugar except for the chocolate chips. I don’t recommend leaving the chocolate chips out as they add a nice sweetness and decadence to the recipe. Feel free to increase them to 1/2 cup if you want!