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healthy two minute brownie

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This healthy two minute brownie is so fudgy, moist, and chocolatey that you’d never be able to tell it’s made without flour, butter, or oil. The perfect way to satisfy a chocolate craving in a vegan, gluten-free, and paleo treat that’s super quick and easy to make.

A healthy two minute brownie in a small ramekin with a spoonful laying on top.

Today seems like a good day for chocolate. And that holds true no matter what day you’re reading this post.

Because when is a brownie a bad idea? Especially one that’s on the healthier side. And made in two minutes. In a mug. Just for you.

Or I guess you could make two if you feel like sharing…

A top view of two healthy two minute brownies.

How To Make A Healthy Two Minute Brownie

  • Start by mixing the dry ingredients together in a small bowl. You could technically mix them right in whatever dish you’ll be tossing in the microwave, but I used an 8 oz. ramekin and those little guys don’t leave much room for enthusiastic mixing. I found that prepping the batter in a small bowl and then transferring it to my ramekin worked best.
  • Coconut flour is a must for this recipe. It’s just really unique in how it absorbs liquid, so there aren’t really any substitutes that will give the same result.
  • After you add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, spend a little bit of time mixing the batter so that the sugar granules have time to dissolve. It’s not a huge issue if you don’t, but it helps distribute the sweetness more evenly.
  • Because microwaves have different strengths and I don’t know what yours will be like in comparison to mine, the cooking time of 2 minutes is mostly a good guestimate. If you find that at 2 minutes your brownie isn’t done, nuke it for another 30 seconds. If 2 minutes makes it too tough, try 90 seconds.
  • To make this brownie nut-free, replace the almond milk with another non-dairy milk like rice or soy and the nut butter with a soy nut butter.
  • Feel free to play around with the amount of sugar you add. If you want more of a dark chocolate taste, only add 1 tsp of sugar or skip it all together, especially if you plan to add chocolate chips. You can also use 1 tsp of maple syrup to make this brownie refined sugar-free.
  • I don’t recommend adding the chocolate chips to the brownie before you cook it. I like to sprinkle them on top so they get all melty and produce a pseudo-frosting, and I found that doing so prior to cooking prevented the brownie from rising as much. The brownie will still be hot enough after cooking to melt any chocolate chips sprinkled on it.
  • OR get creative with your toppings! A drizzle of nut butter, a scoop of ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream. Anything goes!
A healthy two minute brownie with chocolate chips melted on top.

Okay, But What’s It Like?

There’s a good handful of reasons for why you need this healthy two minute brownie in your life.

Reason #1: it’s healthy… or as healthy as you can make a brownie without sacrificing on texture and taste. I’ve seen a bunch of brownie in-a-mug recipes that call for a few tablespoons of oil and 1/4 cup of sugar for one serving. I try not to get too hung up about stuff like that, but that’s kind of a lot if you want to eat it on a regular basis.

This brownie, on the other hand? This incredibly fudgy, dense, and chocolatey little gem that’s made with NO flour, butter, or oil, and can be made without refined sugar as well? You can happily enjoy it every.single.day.

Reason #2: it’s super quick and easy to make, and you don’t have to worry about having any pesky leftovers lying around. All it takes is two minutes and a handful of simple ingredients to make one perfectly sized treat that’ll knock those chocolate cravings out of the park. And the fact that it’s gluten-free, vegan, and easily made nut-free and refined sugar-free means anyone can enjoy it.

Reason #3: it’s fudgy, moist, chocolatey, and 100% guaranteed to induce inappropriate noises.

Happy eating!

A healthy two minute brownie with a bit scooped out of the ramekin.

I’d love to know if you make this recipe! Leave a comment and rating down below to let me know what you think, and subscribe to our mailing list to receive new recipes in your inbox!

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Healthy Two Minute Brownies

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4.5 from 76 reviews

  • Author: Amanda @ Running with Spoons
  • Total Time: 7 mins
  • Yield: 1 serving 1x
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Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Add the coconut flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder to a small bowl, mixing until well combined.
  2. Add the milk and mashed banana, stirring until no clumps remain. Add the nut butter, sugar, and vanilla, mixing well to ensure that everything is fully incorporated. Transfer the batter to an 8 oz. ramekin or a small microwave safe mug.
  3. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. If brownie has not set by then, continue to microwave in 30 sec intervals until desired consistency is reached.
  4. Carefully remove from microwave (mug will be hot!), sprinkle with chocolate chips, grab a spoon, and enjoy!

Notes

* You could also sub this with brown sugar or granulated sugar. OR use 1 tsp. of maple syrup or agave to make this refined sugar free.

** To make this nut-free, replace the almond milk with another non-dairy milk like rice or soy, and the nut butter with a soy nut butter.

  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 2 mins

Post originally published in January 2016. Text and photos were updated but recipe remained unchanged.

A healthy two minute brownie collage for Pinterest.

Looking for more healthy 2-minute dessert recipes? Try one of these!

Banana Bread Mug Cake
Oatmeal Cookie Dough Mug Cake
S’Mores Mug Cake
Fudgy Double Chocolate Mug Cake
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Mug Cake

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ellie

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMANDA!!! Did you ever find when you were little you got less presents on your birthday because Christmas was just before? Some of my friends who had birthdays around Christmas said that happened sometimes 🙁
    My birthday is in November and my mom made me a carrot cake! I love frosting though, so I would have taken a piece of bread as long as there was frosting haha

    Reply

    • Amanda @ .running with spoons.

      Thanks Ellie! And yeah… sometimes my birthday presents definitely got overlooked with all the holiday stuff going on. And the cream cheese frosting on carrot cake is actually one of the few frostings that I love. I’d definitely eat that on bread 😉

      Reply

  4. Brittany

    YAAASS. I love how versatile this is, and how simple! It looks SO good too. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAUTYYY, my birthday is next month and OMGGG I can’t believe it.

    Reply

  8. Valerie Arvidson

    Hi Amanda .Wishing you a very happy birthday ! !!
    I’m going to make this yummy brownie and enjoy every bite ?
    I won’t put mine in the microwave as i don’t trust them .in the oven for me .

    Reply

  10. Sarah @ SarahRuns26

    Happy Birthday!! I love birthdays, so I hope you are doing something fun for yours!

    I’m so excited to go home and try this recipe! Brownies are my absolute favorite dessert, but I can absolutely finish a pan of them in a day, which isn’t exactly the best thing for me. And egg free!? I’m so excited to make one for my niece!

    Reply

  12. Paula

    Bon anniversaire! Having a birthday right when everyone’s in holiday-burnout mode must’ve been especially disappointing when you were younger. Glad to see you are treating yo’self (and the rest of us) in celebration!

    Reply

  13. Erin @ Erin's Inside Job

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You know, usually I pin recipes for later and sometimes make them, but this time I actually think I will make this ASAP because I need chocolate in my life even though I have this photoshoot thing coming up at the end of the month. I think these brownies are an acceptable way for me to eat delicious dessert without going crazy!

    Reply

  17. Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! I think this brownie was the perfect choice for us on your birthday! 😉
    It looks like an incredibly delicious way to satisfy a last minute chocolate craving and I love the ingredient list too. Pinned! I hope you have an amazing day, gorgeous!! <3

    Reply

  21. Shashi at RunninSrilankan

    Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Amanda – Happy birthday to you!
    This is one phenomenal recipe to share with us on YOUR birthday! Thank you so much for it – I’ve tried some of your mugcakes but have never managed to take a picture because they have been inhaliciously good! And inhalicious means they are inhaled before they are photographed as they are so delicious!
    Hope 2016 is filled with all that makes your heart happy!

    Reply

  23. Kat

    First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU BEAUTIFUL CREATURE!!
    Second off, where the heck was this recipe when I needed it last night? I all but attacked my pantry in search of some chocolatey goodness. I ended with a spoonful of White Chocolate Wonderful and a handful of dark chocolate chips, which isn’t bad, but this definietly is more what I was searching for!!
    Hope you have a beautiful day my friend!! <3

    Reply

  24. Kelly @ Kelly Runs For Food

    Yay, Happy Birthday Gorgeous! Hope you have a wonderful day.

    Brownies are a perfect way to celebrate. I’d take brownies or cookies over cake any day. I don’t think I had cake on my birthday last year, but I’m sure I had something sweet.

    Reply

  25. AnneL

    Happy Birthday to you! I hope you enjoy your day. I’m definitely going to make this! YUM! (But now I have the song stuck in my brain… 🙂



    Reply

  26. Alyssa @ renaissancerunnergirl

    First of all, happy birthday to you! Second of all, this is happening tonight for me. I’m eating on my own after a weekend (and the whole week before!) of being out with friends and loved ones, and don’t want to fuss for something sweet to end the day 🙂

    Reply

  28. Hilary

    Ahh I have been making mug cake brownies every night for a month! I just can’t help myself when brownies are around! I love adding some melted nut butter on top too 🙂

    Reply

  31. meg

    Happy Birthday!

    Do you have any idea if I could replace the banana with applesauce? I can’t stand the taste of banana (I know, very weird)

    Reply

  34. lindsay

    happy bday!!!!! and it’s our 8 year anniversary, so now this day is extra LOVELY! I’m gonna take 2 minutes to eat this, celebrate you, and our all things amazing! <3 mwah

    Reply

  35. Barbara

    Hi, happy birthday!!!
    This looks delicious!
    But I don’t have a microwave (and I don’t want to use one) so do you think it’s possible to bake it in the oven?

    Reply

  37. Miss Polkadot

    Happy, happy birthday, fellow January girl! It’s an exciting month for me this year not because of my birthday but that of a yet-to-be-born new family member :).
    I’m with you on prefering brownies over cake though my perfect cake would be ice cream. Not exactly suitable for the cold months – your brownie sounds like a way better and delicious fit. I hope you’re having an amazing day (still on the slopes?)!

    Reply

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