These delicious and easy veggie brownies are a healthy dessert option full of vegetables, including carrots and spinach. The recipe leans on shredded carrots for moisture and natural sweetness, which reduces the amount of added sugar you need. The whole family — toddlers, older kids, and adults alike — will love this treat, even knowing they have some hidden veggies!
Ok, so I know what some of you may be thinking. Veggie brownies…what’s the point? If the added vegetables are just stirred into a sugary batter, do they really even count? I believe they do, actually! Hear me out…
Overall, I’m not really big on the whole “hidden veggies” thing. I’d rather people, kids included, know there are vegetables in something before they eat it. That way, no one feels duped and a healthy relationship with food is preserved.
However, I totally get that sometimes the only way someone is going to eat veggies may be if they’re in a muffin, brownie, or other familiar, comfortable sweet food. Or, maybe you’re struggling with a picky eater who doesn’t have much variety in their diet and you want to use foods they like as a vehicle for vegetables. On the other hand, you may just like to add veggies to everything like me!
There are so many reasons why these brownies might be appealing. For these situations, I wanted to provide an option — something that drew on the strengths of vegetables, like moisture content and natural sweetness, all while having a healthier nutritional profile than a classic brownie. The final result has a cake texture, the perfect level of sweetness, and great flavor.
I hope you love what I created! If you do, don’t miss the Carrot and White Bean Vegan Blondies and Easy Vegan Sweet Potato Brownies while you’re here!
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- All purpose flour: I have not tried this with other flours, but I imagine a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour substitute would work.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Melted coconut oil: I like to use refined coconut oil, since it has a more neutral (less coconut-y) taste than virgin coconut oil, but you can use either. You can also substitute melted butter or extra virgin olive oil.
- Granulated sugar: I have not tried making veggie brownies with another type of sweetener. Please report back if you try it!
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Carrots: You’ll need 1 cup of grated carrots. I like to use a hand grater to get finely shredded carrots that melt into the batter and distribute moisture evenly throughout the brownies.
- Baby spinach: Chop it up into tiny pieces. I imagine you could substitute kale here, but it would contribute a stronger, earthier taste.
Instructions
The full recipe card for veggie brownies, including ingredient quantities, is at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the steps with photos to guide you.
Grate the carrot, using a hand grater. If you have a hand grater with tiny holes, use that to get finely shredded carrots. Otherwise, a regular hand grater with bigger holes will still work just fine! Chop the spinach into tiny pieces.
Whisk the wet ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Stir in the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula. The batter may seem dry at this point.
Fold in the grated carrots and chopped spinach. The batter will get moister with these additions.
Pour the batter into a greased, 8×8 baking pan.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Storage and Freezing
Keep veggie brownies in an airtight container on the counter, away from sunlight, or in the fridge for up to a week. They also freeze beautifully. Frozen brownies are a great addition to lunchboxes, since they will usually thaw by lunchtime. They taste delicious straight from the freezer though too.
To freeze, let the brownies cool completely. Cut them into squares. Wrap each square tightly in plastic wrap. Transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. Seal tightly, label, and keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.
More Veggie Treats
If you love these veggie brownies, you may enjoy some of these delicious treats that use vegetables and other plant foods, especially the Spinach Chocolate Muffins!
I’d love to hear how you like this recipe! Rate/review using the stars on the recipe card or in the comments, and follow the Veg World on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Looking for something totally different? Browse the recipe library.
📖 Recipe
Veggie Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup grated carrots - about 1 large carrot
- 1 cup finely chopped spinach
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil - measured after you melt it
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs - beaten; preferably at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/177 degrees C. Grease an 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray, coconut oil, or butter and set aside. Alternatively, you can line the dish with parchment paper.
- Grate the carrots and chop the spinach. If you have a hand grater with small holes, use that to grate the carrots. Finely grated carrots work very well in this recipe, since they seemingly melt into the batter and distribute their moisture in every bite. Carrots grated on a hand grater with larger holes will still work well though.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl or measuring cup, mix together the flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to stir until everything is just combined. It may seem a little dry at this point.
- Fold in the grated carrots and chopped spinach. Stir with the spatula until they are well-incorporated. The batter will be moister now.
- Pour the batter into the greased or lined baking dish. Spread it out into an even layer.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies comes out clean.
- Let them cool for a few minutes before slicing into squares. Enjoy!
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- Store brownies in an airtight container on the counter or in the fridge for up to a week.
- These freeze beautifully. Let them cool completely, slice into squares, then wrap each square tightly in plastic wrap. Put the wrapped brownies in a freezer-safe bag or container. Seal tightly, label, and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. They’re great to pop in a lunchbox still frozen, so they’re thawed by lunch, but also taste delicious straight from the freezer.
Jojo
August 15th, 2024
Hi Lizzy, I’m wondering if these brownies can be made with Whole Wheat flour. Thanks.
~Jojo
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Jojo, yes I think that would work fine! I’d love to hear how it works if you try it with whole wheat flour.
Debbie
Brownies came out excellent. I could smell the cocoa and the coconut, as well a bit of the “veggie” smell, but not so much that it took away the “appeal”. The brownies had a nice dark brown “crust”, were cake like and moist without being spongy, and had good chocolate and coconut flavor. I think the recipe would lend itself well to add-ins like orange flavoring, raisins, or chocolate chips.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Debbie, thanks so much for your detailed review! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe, and your suggested additions sound delicious!
Ana
Really good! I added half a mashed avocado to the recipe and sprinkled so chocolate chips on top. Delicious and feel better about letting my toddler eat brownies!
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Ana, I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe! Great to know that adding some mashed avocado worked. Thanks for your review!
GMS
These brownies were great. I did not have coconut oil so I used butter and cut the sugar to a half cup, added a little more cocoa. Husband liked them. Next time, I will add walnuts. They will be my favorite brownie to make every time I want something chocolate.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed these! Thanks so much for leaving a review with your modifications too!
Susan Dayle Murillo
Wow! These were so good. I couldn’t detect any of the veggies in there. You could use zucchini too. Added nuts and sugar free chocolate chips and used Stevia for the sweetener along with a little sour cream as I thought they were a tad dry, but other than that, they’re a keeper. I would have never thought to use carrots and spinach.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Susan, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!