Applesauce Brownies are ultra-fudgy and double chocolate, made without oil, butter, or refined flours. No weird ingredients, just rich, delicious flavor!
author’s note
How to Make Brownies That Don’t Taste “Healthy”!
I’m a huge brownie lover, and I’ve tried every version out there, healthy, not-so-healthy, even the ones with beans (yep, been there). The problem? Most of them don’t taste like real brownies. After testing batch after batch, I finally landed on this version. These brownies are soft, chocolatey, and just sweet enough. Honestly, they can give classic brownies a run for their money.
Funny enough, the first time I tested this recipe, my kids grabbed the whole pan before I could even take pictures. That’s when I knew I had something worth sharing!
Applesauce Brownies are rich, fudgy, and made with simple ingredients. No beans, no random hidden veggies, just a gooey, cake-like brownie with peanut butter-chocolate flavor that actually satisfies your sweet tooth.
Quick Tip
I also created a healthy brownie recipe without peanut butter for those who don’t love peanut butter.
Applesauce Brownie Ingredients
| Ingredient | Notes & Tips |
|---|---|
| Creamy peanut butter | Use smooth, not chunky. If natural, stir well so it’s not oily. |
| Honey | Helps sweeten the brownies. |
| Brown sugar | Not as much as most brownie recipes. Adjust as needed. |
| Unsweetened applesauce | Use one with no added ingredients. |
| Egg | Just one large egg needed. |
| Oat flour | See recipe notes for more details. |
| Cocoa powder | Use natural cocoa, not Dutch-process. |
| Baking soda, baking powder, salt | Make sure they’re fresh. |
| Dark chocolate chips | Use dark or your favorite kind. |
Quick Tip
Adjusting the brown sugar. Prefer sweeter applesauce brownies? Add more sugar. Okay with less? Use less. They’re great with 1/4 to 1/3 cup packed brown sugar.
Instead of white or whole wheat flour, these applesauce brownies use blended oats as flour. No need to buy oat flour—it takes seconds to make.
How to Make Oat Flour:
- Add old-fashioned or quick oats to a food processor or small blender.
- Blend until the oats look like flour.
- Stir to make sure no big pieces are left.
- Measure after blending, not before.
Quick Tip
Try more baked goods like Flourless Banana Muffins, Healthy Ice Cream, or Healthy Chocolate Cookies!
Applesauce Brownies Tips
- Line the pan with parchment, leaving extra hanging over the sides to easily lift out and cut the brownies.
- Check labels to make sure everything is gluten-free.
- Add some dark chocolate chips on top before baking so there’s chocolate in every bite!
Storage
Store leftover applesauce brownies in an airtight container at room temp for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
For longer storage, freeze them in a sealed container or bag for up to 3 months.
More Healthy Baked Goods:
Applesauce Brownies
Equipment
- 8 x 8-inch baking pan see note 1
- Small blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup oat flour old-fashioned oats that have been blended
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup brown sugar lightly packed, see note 2
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder not Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips divided, or semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Pulse oats in a food processor or small blender until ground into a flour consistency. Measure 1/4 cup after blending.
- In a large bowl, mix peanut butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, egg, and applesauce until smooth. Once smooth, stir in oat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 cup chocolate chips until combined.
- Transfer batter to the lined baking pan, smoothing it evenly. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips and gently press them in. Bake for 20–22 minutes or until lightly puffy. Check doneness by seeing if the batter pulls away from the edges slightly or a toothpick inserted in the center (not in a chip) comes out clean or with moist crumbs or clean.
- Remove and allow to cool in the pan on a cooling rack for about an hour before cutting and serving. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
OMG! These are amazing!!! I made them lastnight and I loveee them. I’m a chocolate/pb fanatic but I’m trying to watch my sugar so I only used 1tsp of brown sugar and 1 tbsp honey and they were perfect.
I keep them in the fridge and they’re even better the next day…with coffee.
🙂 Go to town on these, they’re worth it.
Thanks so much for your kind comment Carla! So glad to hear you enjoyed these (and with less sugar!) 🙂
Simply the best! I had to change peanut butter with sunbutter and since I didn’t have applesauce I used pumpkin! Oh my gosh they were so good! Thank you!
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I’m so glad you tried this recipe and loved it 🙂 Your substitutions sound awesome! 🙂
I’ve tried some of your other oat flour recipes ( pumpkin and chocolate and they were wonderful ) do you know if these can be frozen ? Thank you.
Thanks Sandy! I’m not sure since I’ve never tried freezing these, but I’ve had a few readers freeze muffins with great results so I don’t see why not!
Can you say “YUMMY”? Just made these tonight. Was a little short on peanut butter so I finished off the 1/2c with almond butter. Also added sliced almonds for crunch. They turned out so gooey and good we could have eaten the whole pan! I will be making these from now on as my “go-to” brownie recipe. Delicious!
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!! So glad you loved them – and I love all the additions/changes – definitely adding sliced almonds next time because that sounds awesome!
These look wonderful! Have you tried them using an egg substitute?
Sorry, I haven’t tried these with an egg substitute. If you do try them and they are a success, I would love to hear about it!
just made these brownies for breakfast – they were so good! thanks so much for the great recipe.
Made these using natural peanut butter and worked out great. Delicious! I loved them, kids loved them and I am sure if there are any left tonight, my husband will love them too!
These are amazing, made them tonight and they hit that chocolate craving.
These sound amazing! I love that they are so healthy. That means I can eat 4 and not feel guilty, right?! 😉
YOU ARE A COMPLETE AND UTTER GEEEENIUS!!!! Pinning and totally making these!