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Dark Chocolate Beet Brownies are incredibly moist and chocolatey! You would never know that they’re loaded up with 1/2 pound of beets! These beet brownies are easy to make and will be a hit for any brownie lover.
It was my friend Shashi 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.
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
- Chocolate Panna Cotta
- Almond Flour Brownies
- Homemade Almond Joy
- Affogato
- Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Dark Chocolate Beet Brownies
Video
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).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can u freeze them?
Hi, Cheryl! Yes, absolutely.
Can I make these with Gluten Free flour and Xanthan Gum? Any other changes to the recipe needed to make them Gluten Free?
Hi there, Selena! I haven’t made these brownies with gluten free ingredients. My guess is that it would work just fine, but without testing it, I can’t say for sure.
Hi Marissa,
How long do you boil the beets for?
Thanks, Christine
Hi, Christine. 🙂 You’ll want to boil the beets in their skins until they’re very tender. The boiling time depends on the size of your beets – it’s best to have beets of similar size. Start them in cold water as you would potatoes and bring to boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until tender, 30 to 60 minutes. Transfer to an ice bath. Once they’re cool enough to handle, the skin should slide off easily.
Hi, I started out several years back tossing ground cooked beets in to my zucchini brownies. What zucchini called for, use half and then other half beets. Hot recipe shared many times.
That’s great, Joyce. 🙂
These look delicious!! I was surprised to see that it calls for 4 eggs in addition to a cup of beet puree– seems like a lot of eggs for a 9×9″ pan. Can I swap some of the eggs for more beets or do you think the beet flavor would be too intense?
Hi, Chelsea! I think that swapping out eggs will have some affect on the flavor / texture, but you absolutely can substitute some fruit puree along with a little extra leavening – 1/4 cup of beet puree and 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder for each egg that you leave out (I wouldn’t leave out more than two). And here’s an article for other egg substitution ideas you might find interesting. Hope you love these!
Wow! I used your recipe for my beetroot brownies(used coco powder instead of Chocolate) and they up really gorgeous. Have tagged your post in my blog. Thanks for the inspiration.
So glad you enjoyed them!
I made these in a 9′ x 13′ pan and sprinkled choc chips on top. Even a non-beet lover said he loved them! Beets? he said, These have beets in them”? He said, “They don’t taste like dirt”.
I love that they are not so sweet as most brownies but still satisfying.
Ha! I love it, Ciel!! I’m so glad that you both enjoyed them! Thank you for coming back to let me know!
Hi Marissa, from the other side of the pond, I am wondering if by dark chocolate you mean what we call ‘unsweetened’ chocolate? If yours is sweetened and I use the unsweetened I would think I’d have to adjust the sugar, no? I’m making these for Valentine’s day and plan to cut them into small hearts and use them in a parfait with raspberries and whipped cream layered in pretty glasses.
Hi, Roxy! The dessert you dreamed up sounds SO delicious! On the dark chocolate, I typically use 70% dark. So, as you said, you’ll need to add sugar to taste if using unsweetened. Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
Loved the brownies! how can I make these into cookies?
So glad you loved the brownies! I’m sorry, I haven’t tried making these into cookies, but I love the idea!
Hi can I use honey instead of sugar?
Sure! The general rule is for every 1 cup of sugar, substitute 1/2 to 2/3 cup honey.
We made these brownies using previously roasted, peeled and sliced beets (that I had frozen, thawed & then finely pureed for this recipe). OMG these were incredible!! I did bake mine a bit for longer for a ‘cakey’ texture, and I swear the beets lend a ‘velvety’ texture to the brownies! We couldn’t stop eating them! Plus the fact that the beets lend a sort of red-velvet like hue to the brownies was a big hit in my house full of girls!!! Thank you for this fabulous recipe, will definitely be making again!
You made my day, Momma Palooza! 😉 SO glad you enjoyed them!! I completely agree about that velvety texture – so good!
can you use regular flour?
Absolutely!
These are absolutely delicious! Super moist and chocolatey. I know that beets are so good for you, but I am NOT a fan of that earthy taste, so I just love that you can’t even taste them in this recipe and yet you get all the health benefits! Bravo!!
Totally made my day, Danielle! 🙂
I’m wondering if u can make this with semi-sweet chocolate?
Hi, Tanya, Absolutely! They’ll just be a bit sweeter.
Who doesn’t love a good brownie recipe, Marissa! Yours is simply mouth-watering. It’s great you decided to use beets. It would be my first time using beets in a dessert!
Thanks so much, Agness! I know it’s a little bit off beat, but so good! 🙂