Healthy Pumpkin Brownies

These healthy pumpkin brownies are rich, fudgy, and made in one bowl with pumpkin puree, natural peanut butter, and cocoa powder, with no flour and no oil in the batter. Maple syrup sweetens them, chocolate chips melt into every square, and a two ingredient chocolate drizzle finishes them off. The batter comes together in 10 minutes and bakes in about 25, so a pan of fall brownies can be cooling on your counter well before dinner.

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My Fall Brownie Without the Flour

Pumpkin in dessert was never strange to me. Growing up in Brazil, doce de abóbora, a slow cooked pumpkin sweet, was always part of our family celebrations. When I moved to Canada and found canned pumpkin puree on every grocery shelf each fall, I started folding it into everything, and brownies were the experiment that stuck.

What makes this version different is that there is no flour and no oil to lean on. Natural peanut butter gives the brownies their fat and structure, and the pumpkin puree keeps them moist the way oil normally would. I’ll be honest about the flavor, too. These taste like a rich chocolate peanut butter brownie with a soft, warm pumpkin background, not like pumpkin pie. If you have made my flourless chocolate chip brownies, think of this as their fall version.

I bake a pan almost every week once October arrives. They are the dessert I bring to Canadian Thanksgiving, and they sit nicely next to my pecan pie brownies when I want two very different brownies on the same table. This recipe uses less than half a can of pumpkin, so I usually bake my pumpkin chocolate chip bread the same afternoon to use up the rest.

Key Ingredients

All ingredients and their amounts are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Pumpkin Puree: You need ¾ cup, which is a little less than half of a standard 15 ounce can. Make sure the label says 100% pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling, which already has sugar and spices and will make the brownies sweet and gummy. I’ve made this recipe with canned pumpkin and with my homemade pumpkin puree, and both work. Homemade is usually wetter, so if yours looks loose, spread it on a few paper towels for 10 minutes before measuring. Watery puree is the most common reason pumpkin brownies stay gummy in the middle.

Pro Tip: Freeze any leftover canned pumpkin in ¾ cup portions. Your next batch of brownies is then already measured.

Natural Peanut Butter: This is the ingredient doing the most work here, since it replaces both the flour and the oil. I recommend a natural peanut butter made with just peanuts and salt, and I like to stir it really well before measuring. The oil that separates on top makes brownies greasy, and the dry paste at the bottom of the jar makes them crumbly. I’ve tested this with almond butter too. It works well, the brownies are just a little milder and slightly less rich. For a nut free version, sunflower seed butter works, but it can turn the inside of the brownies slightly green as they cool. That’s a harmless reaction between the sunflower seeds and the baking soda, and cutting the baking soda to ¼ teaspoon helps.

Cocoa Powder: I use regular unsweetened cocoa powder, also called natural cocoa. Its natural acidity reacts with the baking soda and gives these brownies their small lift. Dutch process cocoa will still work and gives a darker color, but expect a denser, flatter brownie.

Maple Syrup: Pure maple syrup is my first choice. It sweetens the batter and adds moisture at the same time, and its flavor goes beautifully with pumpkin. Honey works as a 1 to 1 swap, but it browns faster, so I start checking the brownies a few minutes early. I don’t recommend replacing it with granulated sugar because the batter depends on a liquid sweetener to stay soft.

Chocolate Chips: I use semi sweet or dark chocolate chips, both in the batter and for the drizzle on top. They are where most of the sweetness in these brownies comes from, so choose a chocolate you love eating on its own. One reader made this recipe with monk fruit sweetened chocolate chips and date syrup instead of maple, and loved the result.

Eggs: Two large eggs, at room temperature. Without flour, the eggs are what hold these brownies together, so I don’t recommend replacing them. Cold eggs can also make the peanut butter seize slightly, which is why I take them out of the fridge while the oven preheats.

How To Make Pumpkin Brownies

Before you start: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some paper hanging over two sides so you can lift the brownies out in one piece later.

1. Mix the pumpkin and peanut butter. In a large mixing bowl, I whisk the peanut butter and pumpkin puree together until completely smooth. Peanut butter is thick, and getting it fully blended with the pumpkin now means you won’t find streaks of it in the finished brownies.

2. Add the eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla. I whisk in the eggs first, one at a time, then stir in the maple syrup and vanilla extract. The batter should turn glossy and loose. That shine tells you the eggs are fully mixed in and will bind the brownies properly.

3. Add the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, I stir the cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together before adding them. This breaks up little clumps of baking soda, which otherwise leave bitter pockets in the brownies. I mix only until no dry cocoa remains. The batter will be very thick, almost like frosting, and overmixing at this point makes the brownies tough.

4. Fold in the chocolate chips and spread. I gently fold in the chocolate chips, then spread the batter into the prepared pan. Because it is so thick, a spatula dipped in a little water makes spreading it into the corners much easier. I sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips over the top so you get melted chocolate in every bite.

5. Bake. I bake the brownies for 22 to 25 minutes. They are ready when the edges pull away slightly from the pan and the center looks set but still has a little give when you gently press it. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter. Melted chocolate from a chip doesn’t count, so test a second spot if you hit one.

6. Cool completely before cutting. This step matters more than in a regular brownie. Without flour, these brownies are very soft right out of the oven and only firm up as they cool. I let them cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes, then lift them out with the parchment and cut them into 9 squares.

7. Make the chocolate drizzle. I melt the chocolate chips with the butter in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between, until smooth. Then I drizzle it over the brownies with a spoon. Going in short bursts keeps the chocolate from scorching.

Make Ahead and Storage

These pumpkin brownies are one of my favorite make ahead desserts because they actually taste better on day two, once the chocolate and pumpkin have had time to settle together.

For Thanksgiving, I bake them the day before, keep them covered in the fridge, and add the chocolate drizzle the morning I serve them. If you plan to freeze them, freeze them without the drizzle and add it after they thaw in the fridge overnight.

More Brownie Recipes

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Pumpkin Brownies Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Author: Olivia Ribas

ServingsServings: 9 squares

Prep TimePrep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Custom TimeResting time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook TimeCook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total TimeTotal Time: 42 minutes minutes

These healthy pumpkin brownies are made in one bowl with pumpkin puree, peanut butter, and cocoa powder, with no flour and no oil. Fudgy, chocolatey, and baked in 25 minutes.

Equipment

• 1 Silicone Square Cake Pan

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Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 3/4 cup natural peanut butter
• ▢ 3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
• ▢ 1.5 tsp vanilla
• ▢ 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp baking soda
• ▢ Pinch of salt
• ▢ ¾ cup chocolate chips

Topping

• ▢ ½ cup chocolate chips
• ▢ 1 tbsp butter

Instructions 

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• Set the oven to 350°F and grease or line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter and pumpkin until smooth.
• Whisk in the eggs, then stir in the maple syrup and vanilla extract.
• Add the cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix until well combined.
• Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top, if desired. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Adjust baking time if using a different-sized pan.
• Let the dessert cool before serving. For an optional topping, melt chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon of butter in the microwave and drizzle over the top.

Notes

To store: You can tightly wrap the brownies, once cooled, and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To reheat: Reheat in the oven until warmed through. You can also reheat them in the microwave.

To freeze: Tightly wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/9, Calories: 249kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 15g, Cholesterol: 46mg, Sodium: 158mg, Potassium: 175mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 21g, Calcium: 7mg, Iron: 8mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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