Looking for a healthy way to satisfy your chocolate craving? These Clean Eating No Bake Brownies will do the trick! Save This Recipe! Enter your email and I'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you'll get new recipes from me every week! By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Happy Healthy Mama.
Heads up! This recipe was first published in April 2013. I’m republishing in February 2018 with updated photos and a photo tutorial showing how to make these Clean Eating No Bake Brownies. Enjoy!
We hear the phrase “clean eating” a lot these days. It’s totally trendy and I’m not one to hop on the bandwagon when it comes to food trends. The truth is, I started on my journey of “eating clean” long before I knew that phrase existed.
I use this perhaps overused phrase today because I think it’s relevant for this recipe. Mostly because I’ve discovered something in the last year that I hadn’t noticed before when it comes to chocolate.
When I discovered Luke was soy protein intolerant, I found that one little ingredient was lurking in just about everything it seemed. Soy lecithin. I had no idea what it even was until I started seeing it pop up on every ingredient label I read. I’ll get to what it is in a minute.
Since I don’t eat a ton of processed food anyway, avoiding it isn’t terribly difficult. There’s one thing that it’s difficult to find without it, though. Chocolate. Even the healthiest of chocolate bars use soy lecithin.
At first I wanted to avoid soy lecithin simply because Luke was intolerant. After I read a little more about what it is, I realized it is an ingredient I should avoid even if there isn’t an intolerant baby to think about.
Soy lecithin is a byproduct of soybean oil. Harsh chemical solvents are used to extract it, and furthermore most soybean oil is is derived from genetically modified soybean plants. (source)
So this is why I call these brownie bites “clean eating.” I found a way to get my chocolate fix without the worry of shady ingredients.
These healthy brownie bites are made without any flour, oil, butter, or refined sugar. They have a rich taste and fudge-y texture that I adore.
I’ve learned a lot about the psychology involved in healthy eating, and I know that how a food looks plays a large role in if my husband is going to like something I’ve made. 
This is the only reason I sprinkled these with powdered sugar. Use a light hand or you’ll end up with snow-covered brownies, like this one. Or, just go for it. 😉
The tiny sprinkling makes them look just like “real” brownies, and having that authentic look means everything to my biased hubby. He quickly ate three of these Clean Eating No Bake Brownies without asking if they were a healthy treat, so I think it worked.
Definitely feel free to leave the powdered sugar off if you wish; they are perfectly delicious without it.
Update: Since I originally published this post, I started using Swerve Confectioners Sweetener, which is an all-natural (not an artificial sweetener) sugar replacement. It works great here to keep these without any added sugar!
Here’s a quick photo tutorial to show you how these are made!
How to Make Clean Eating No Bake Brownies
Gather your ingredients! You only need a few. 🙂
- walnuts
- dates
- almond butter (or peanut butter)
- cocoa powder
Step 1: Pulse walnuts in a food processor to a fine crumb.
Remove the walnuts from the food processor and set aside.
Step 2: Process the dates in a food processor until you get a paste.
Step 3: Pulse the walnuts, date paste, cocoa powder, and almond butter until they are well combined.
They will have a slightly crumbly appearance, but will hold together when you press the dough with your fingers.
Step 4: Form the dough into a rectangle on parchment paper.
Step 5: Cut the dough into 12-14 brownies.
While I don’t see myself ever giving up a good piece of dark chocolate, even if it does have soy lecithin, these Clean Eating No Bake Brownies will definitely help me eat less of it. A bonus is that they are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids thanks to the walnuts.
Oh, and did I mention these Clean Eating No Bake Brownies are healthy enough to eat for breakfast? Ask me how I know…
Print
Clean Eating No Bake Brownies
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 brownies 1x
Description
These Clean Eating No Bake Brownies are made with just four simple, wholesome ingredients and they will totally crush your chocolate cravings!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 3/4 cup pitted dates, packed
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons almond butter (peanut butter or other nut butter will work)
- powdered sugar or Swerve Confectioners, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Have a piece of parchment paper or wax paper ready. In a food processor, pulse the walnuts until they are broken down into a powder. Put them in a bowl and set aside. Put the dates in the food processor and process until they reach a paste consistency. Add the processed walnuts back to the food processor with the dates along with the cocoa powder and almond butter. Process until everything is well incorporated. The mixture will look a little crumbly, but when you press it between your fingers, it will stick together. Remove the blade from the food processor and use your hands to form the mixture into a ball.
- Put the “dough” on your parchment paper and form it into a rectangle about 8-9 inches by 2-3 inches (see photo above). Cut into 12-14 squares. (A pizza cutter works well)
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar if you are using it. These can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
Nutrition
- Calories: 83
- Sugar: 7.5 grams
- Fat: 4.8 grams
- Carbohydrates: 10.6 grams
- Protein: 1.8 grams
Another healthy dessert idea? Brownie Batter Hummus! Need diabetic friendly? Try these Keto Brownies!
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How about some more healthy chocolate recipes? YES?!
Homemade Mounds Bar
Healthy 4-Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Chocolate Covered Cherry Shake
Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
Can I make these without the crushed nuts or are important to the mix? Im not allergic I just don’t like nuts in my brownies.
The nuts are unfortunately essential to this recipe.
I just made these! I didn’t have any walnuts so I subbed them for almonds. I also only had peanut butter in the cupboard but my little one is allergic so I skipped the nut butter altogether. I blitzed it all up as per recipe and just added around 1 and a half teaspoons of boiling water to get the consistency right. I also added a further 1/4 C of cocoa as it didn’t quite have the hit I wanted. It turned out delicious. If my little one enjoys them I will buy the ingredients as per recipe and try again! Very versatile and yummy!!
I’m glad these worked out for you! They are a favorite at our house, too. 🙂
They are delicious!
So simple, so tasty. New favorite sweet treat.
Trying to make better choices, especially at work. I brought these in and everyone from the healthy eating and very fit doctor to the McD eating RN looooved these!! My daughter who eats vegan said they were better than any vegan brownie she had tried. I did feel they needed a little crunch so when they were almost to the rolled out shape, I sprinkled them with chopped walnuts. Lots of praise on these!!
Yay! Thanks so much for letting me know, Aleaha! 🙂
I jus found this & am going to make! Trying to get clean with all foods, and know sometimes a gal just needs chocolate! How do you think a Vitamix would work? I somehow lost my processor in my cross country move. 🙁
I think a vita-mix would work here. Let me know if you try it!
I wouldn’t use your vitamix for this. It’s too hard on it with solid things and no Liquid. A simple knife and chopping block works for the dates and nuts. Nut butter may be hard to mix in but these brownies are delish without nut butter. You can add a touch of maple syrup or melted coconut oil for moisture and flavor.
Just made these. I’ve been eating clean for 5 days and these are a godsend. Totally delicious. Mine only made 11 so they were 90 calories each with 2 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat, 11 carbs, & 8 grams of sugar. Super super delicious and a beautiful example of clean eating. Thank you for the recipe:)
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed these.
Found this recipe through the real rd blog and these look so good so I’m glad I did 🙂
Perfect gluten-dairy free recipe to try ASAP! Thanks!!
You’re welcome!
I am allergic to Walnuts, is there a substitute I can use for this? They look Delish and I want to try them badly. What about Cashews?? Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I think most nuts or even a combination of nuts would work. Almonds+peanuts would be great! Let me know how they turn out. 🙂
I just made these and I am seriously obsessed! I can’t get over how truly brownie-like they taste! I loved that they don’t have that healthy taste. Even thought I love larabars, I’m so glad these taste more like brownies than typical date and nut bars. I’ll be making these often!
Aren’t they great!? I just love how a few healthy ingredients can equal a delicious treat. 🙂
I love the idea of a sprinkle of powdered sugar. My husband is the exact same way! Oh and I loooooove raw brownies 😀
I’ve been enjoying a raw brownie recipe from VegNews but yours looks really good too. I love these types of snacks for post-gym food.
I like how you use psychology to get your husband to eat healthy. I do the same. Sneaky wives unite! 🙂
Once one starts reading labels and getting to the bottom of what the ingredients actually are, it’s hard going back. I can’t live without my chocolate fixes either but am looking forward to satisfying my cravings with a bunch of these bites instead. They sound divine!
There’s something so magical about walnuts, dates and cocoa powder. It’s crazy how they ca come together to form a little raw ball of heaven that tastes so much like authentic brownies! Can’t wait to try them. I love how clean they are!
Thanks for this post. I’ve seen soy lecithin on labels before but didn’t really know what to think about it and never felt concerned enough to find out. I’m glad to know now.
And I completely agree about dates and cocoa powder and how together they can easily satisfy a chocolate craving… good stuff!
These look so delicious! I can’t wait to try them.
Yummy! I have zero energy for baking at the moment but I am going to try these if I have a burst of energy before baby comes!