Dark Chocolate Beet Brownies are incredibly moist and chocolatey! You would never know that they're loaded up with ½ pound of beets! These beet brownies are easy to make and will be a hit for any brownie lover.
It was my friend Shashi of Savory Spin who inspired these brownies. She posted Chocolate Beet Cookies and I couldn't stop thinking about them. I'd eaten (and loved) chocolate beet cake, but cookies? Then I wondered, what about brownies?
Beets and brownies are buddies.
It's fun to come up with recipes with unusual ingredients that taste unexpectedly delicious - I'm looking at you Cauliflower Fried Rice (surprise, there's no rice!). But if you're still skeptical about adding beets to a dessert, consider carrot cake. Imagine the prejudice it must have endured before that first bite, "hey, wait a minute..." Beets in chocolate desserts have the same magic. It's about the moisture and depth they add, not the beet flavor.
Did you see this post from The Kitchn - Brownie Philosophy: Chewy, Cakey or Fudgy? I like my brownies to be fudgy, but I also like them to rise and have a delicate texture, so somewhere between fudgy and cakey. These brownies are toward the fudgy class, but have a lightness too. They're entirely moist and, for me, are even more delicious from the fridge the next day than when they're warm. I had to try them both ways, R&D you understand. 😉
How to Make Beet Brownies Fudgy
There is a key to ensuring that these brownies keep their moist texture: don't overcook them. You want some moist crumbs to come out when testing with a knife; they'll look done around the edges but still slightly wet in the middle. If they cook longer, they'll still be moist and delicious, but will lean more toward a cakey texture.
More Must-Try Desserts
Dark Chocolate Beet Brownies Recipe Video
Dark Chocolate Beet Brownies
Ingredients
- 8 ounces boiled and peeled beets about 2 medium beets
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, plus more for buttering parchment paper
- 8 ounces dark chocolate chopped or chips
- 1¼ cups white whole wheat flour (150 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup golden brown sugar packed
Instructions
- Quarter beets and transfer to food processor; process until pureed, scraping the sides down twice. (You should end up with a scant one cup of beet puree.)
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180° C).
- Line a 9 x 9 x 2-inch (23 x 23 x 5 cm) brownie pan with parchment paper or grease pan generously.
- Cut sticks of butter into tablespoon size chunks and place in a heavy saucepan. Add chopped chocolate and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture melts and is smooth. Remove the pan from heat and set aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, gently mix the eggs for about 30 seconds. Add vanilla and brown sugar; mix on medium-high until light and airy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed and add beet puree and then slowly add chocolate mixture; mix just until combined. Add flour mixture and again, mix just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top with a rubber spatula.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Allow brownies to cool for 5 minutes then transfer with parchment to cooling rack.
- Cut and serve warm, at room temperature, or straight from the refrigerator (my favorite).
I made these for my sons track team. (Most of the kids do not like beets!) and no one could tell there were any veggies in there, at all. I have a digital scale so I measured exactly and it came out spot on. This recipe is sound! I would advise buying a some extra beets at the green grocers because remember you have to lop the nub or top off, you will lose some weight, and you really want 8 oz in total of beets. I cooked the beets in the oven, wrapped in foil, which I think is less messy than boiling. The brownies end up nice and chocolate-y, but not overly sweet, so they work for adults, too. Thanks Marissa, great recipe!
You made my day, Dimity! So glad everyone enjoyed these!!
Absolutely loved these! I added walnuts and chocolate chips and glad I did. Also - “red velvet” brownies sound sexier than “beet” brownies 😜
That's wonderful to hear, Maggie, thank you! And, you're right, Red Velvet does sound better. 😉
I plan on making these brownies tonight but can you tell me if I should double or triple the recipe to put in a 13 ×9 pan
Hi RaeLynn. The 13 x 9 is about 1/3 larger by volume than the 9 x 9, so I'd do 1.5x the recipe. If you double it, the brownies should turn out fine, but will take a bit longer to cook.
These were delicious!
So glad you enjoyed these, Kyra! Thank you for coming back to let me know!
Just made these and they are DELICIOUS! We made them in muffin tins and they only needed 20 minutes. Will definitely make again.
So glad you enjoyed them, Kiki! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
Is it okay to use plain flour instead of white whole wheat flour and can you advise on how much more should then be used? I gather that it is not a direct 1:1 ratio.
Thanks.
Hi there! Yes, you can use white flour, but I haven't tested the recipe with it to give you a precise amount. Because whole wheat flour weighs less than white flour, I'd try ~10% more white flour (about 2 tablespoons). I hope that helps!