I have posted many brownie recipes around here. In fact, I even had a Brownie Week last summer with 5 brownie recipes back-to-back. But those were all raw brownies. This is the first baked brownie recipe, and it is delectably different! Different because of the plantains. Delectable because of the chocolate.
Why plantains? They are unexpected in a brownie recipe. They are underutilized. They add moisture and binding power. They don’t affect the flavor very much. They are fiber-filled. They are cheap. Have I convinced you yet?
The plantains must be ripe. Very ripe. Squishy, mushy, almost-black ripe.
And because I know someone is bound to ask, yes you can substitute bananas for the plantains. You will need to use about 3 bananas to take the place of the 2 plantains. I also suggest reducing the amount of non-dairy milk to 1/4 cup. The brownies will taste a little banana-y though.
These little chocolate squares are somewhere in between cakey and fudgey. Moist but not too dense or gooey. Rich but not too chocolatey (because that’s nearly impossible). With a a light texture and a fine crumb. Delicious to nibble warm from the oven. Or perfect under a scoop of frosty ice cream.
Vegan Plantain Brownies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 9 1x
Ingredients
- 2 squishy ripe plantains (they should be almost black)
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1/2 cup cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Puree the plantains in a food processor.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Process until everything is combined.
- Spread the batter into a 8×8″ square pan lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for about 25 minutes at 350F.
- Let them cool before cutting into squares.
YES!!! Jumping in strong on the plantain bandwagon! Keep em’ comein’! Plantains are my second love child <3
Yup! I thought of you when I bought them 😉
That begs the question what’s your first love child? PSP?
Yum! Now I definitely NEED to get on that bandwagon too. Scouting out plantains tomorrow! 🙂
And, I don’t think one can EVER have too many brownies, Natalie. Keep ’em coming!
I hope you find some, because I want to see what plantain-filled things you come up with!!
And I’m with you on the brownie thing, plus there’s always mix-ins and toppings to experiment with 😉
I’m drooling!! These look amazing! I was totally going to ask if I could sub bananas lol!
Vegans love bananas, it’s a fact 😀
Hi Natalie, very original and again simple enough for me to try! I’ve never tried baking with plantain so I’m really excited to test this out! You have totally convinced me! Great Idea!
xxx
I’ve never tried baking with them either until now! I thought it was time to expand my fruity horizons a little and try something new 😀
Oh wow, Natalie, this recipe is awesome! 6 Ingredients and it sounds super easy. The photos are ah-mazing! Now I need to go get some plantains.
Thanks Bianca! They shouldn’t be too hard to find. They’re one of those things that I’ve overlooked for years in the produce section, but now that I actually use them they seem to pop up everywhere!
These were very tasty, I couldn’t stop eating the batter and they were equally as good after baking 🙂 Thanks for the simple recipe, I think plantains might become a new obsession for me too (if I can just have to figure out an easier way to peel them…) and I will definitely be making these again!!
Whoa you already made them!?! You are awesome, I’m so glad you enjoyed them!! I think batter is always the best part, I have to stop myself from eating it all just so I’ll have some brownies left for pictures 😉
It’s interesting that you had trouble peeling them, because mine peeled without a problem. Were they super duper ripe? That’s the only reason I could think of.
I love hearing when someone else gives a recipe a try, so thanks and happy baking!
Yes and they were all gone the same day so I’d say they were a hit 🙂 The plantains were about like the ones in your picture but they were still firm. I searched online and saw that you can soak them in warm water prior to peeling and that will help loosen it up so I may try that next time. Thanks again Natalie, keep up the good work!
Hi Natalie, I’ve made these about four times now so I thought it would be good to come back and leave a feedback! These were so easy to whip up and they always come out the same so basically anyone can make these (im no baker and like things easy and quick) And they taste so good the next day as well.. I had them with nicecream and yum! Aaaaand I dont have to use up all my spotty bananas as ripe plantains are so easy to find here in London… xxx
Wow 4 times!! I’ve only made them 3 times, you’ve got me beat! Thank you so much Petra, I’m so glad you love them <3 I've seen your cookies and crackers and bread, you are a baker, but I still love easy things too. I'm more likely to make them on a regular basis 🙂 I've kind of been on a cupcake kick lately so I haven't made brownies recently, but every time I walk by the plantains at the store and they happen to be really dark already I consider it! Bananas are a precious resource, save them for nicecream to put on top 😉 Although that does make me wonder what frozen plantain nicecream would taste like...???
You should try baking the plantains first. They will end up caramelized and mush squishier, as well as SUPER SWEET! I will be trying this out. 🙂
★★★★★
Such a good idea! I’m new to plantains, so I appreciate the help! Although I hope they aren’t TOO squishy and make the brownies mushy :/ Let me know if you try it.
hi!! they look super good! we don’t have plantains in italy though (well I’m pretty sure i could find them but i don’t know where and they would be super expensive…). could i use bananas? how many?
thanks a lot!
Hi Anna! Yes you can certainly use banana instead! I would suggest 3 medium sized really ripe bananas. Happy baking 🙂
Yay I’m so glad they turned out deliciously chocolatey for you!! Thickness can vary with the ripeness of your plantains, the brand/quality of baking powder, or especially the size of your pan. But thinner sometimes means less cakey more fudgey, so not necessarily a bad thing 🙂
Natalie…. *happines sigh*… i can officially declare you not only my favourite, but my ‘blogger whose recipes I try the most’ (or something like that, but the idea is that now you are by far the food blogger from which I’ve made so many, but many recipes!)
Once again, you knocked me off!
Usually, plantains do not keep so long in my house to turn black and so mushy, but, surprisingly, yesterday I found one in store which was SO mushy, i knew i had to make something with it right away. After searching the web, I stopped at this recipe.
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting much simply because I had made a plantain brownie before and it turned out dry. So I gave up the idea of plantain brownies. But boy, was I wrong to doubt you!
F***ing good!!! Sorry for my language. But it basically melted in my mouth. The texture is the best, honestly. And i swear to God, i plan to always put aside a plantain for this recipe and let it ripe for days&weeeks until it’s perfect for this recipe.
Again, thank you!!! This was tremendously good and i’m so HAPPY i have a brownie recipe option does not involve any nut or seed butter, but still has a very fudgy texture. Next time I plan to add a Ganache Layer, mm. 🙂
★★★★★
Ioana! Ugh your kind words and loyalty means so much to me, always so so happy to see a comment from you come through my inbox and see which one you’ve tried now🤗❤️ I haven’t thought about these brownies in FOREVER, but aren’t they delish?! Plantains don’t get a lot of love in the baking world, but they work so well for fudgy recipes like this. And I adore the sound of your ganache addition next time!
I can’t have choclate. Can you suggest another ingredient to replace it?
Carob powder would be the closest substitute!
I was surprised at how good these were as they’re gluten free and with so few ingredients Quick and easy to make. I baked for 20 minutes and they were perfect. Perhaps some chocolate chips added would make them even more delicious. I’ll make these again.
★★★★★
I’m so happy you enjoyed them!! And yes, I think some chocolate chips on the mix is a great plan😋😋