Protein brownie bites are the perfect snack or dessert! Made with just a few ingredients, these fudgy brownie bites are high in protein, vegan, gluten free and dairy free! You won’t believe how easy these are to make!
Why you will love this recipe
- These protein brownie bites are perfect for those days when you just want a bite or two of something sweet! They are perfectly portioned for a quick afternoon or evening snack!
- Packed with protein and fiber, these protein brownie bites are a bit healthier than traditional brownies. They are not a replacement for those fudgy, sweet brownies, but instead a great alternative, especially for everyday snacking!
- Made with sunflower seed butter, these are not just vegan and gluten free but also allergy friendly and nut free! You can feel good about packing a few in your kids lunch box!
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Protein brownie bites ingredients
- Banana – this helps to naturally sweeten the brownie bites. The spottier the banana the sweeter!
- Chia seeds and dairy free milk – together these replace eggs in traditional brownie recipes. Chia seeds also add fiber.
- Vegan protein powder – the protein power is what adds protein and a bit of sweetness to the recipe. For this recipe, I recommend a vegan protein powder. If acts like flour and absorbs the liquid! If you are using an unsweetened protein powder, you may want to add some sweetener (coconut sugar, maple syrup, honey) to ensure the brownies are sweet and fudgy. See the recipe below if you need to omit the protein powder.
- Cacao powder – cacao powder is less acidic than cocoa powder and is a tad bit sweeter. If you are using cocoa powder, you may need to add just a teaspoon of coconut sugar or maple syrup to offset some of that bitterness.
- Baking powder – this helps the brownie rise when baking.
- Sunflower seed butter – this helps to make the brownies rich and fudgy! You can use whatever your favorite nut or seed butter is. Other options include tahini, peanut butter or almond butter.
- Chocolate chips – adding the chocolate chips to the batter helps to make the brownies even fudgier and richer in chocolate flavor.
How to make protein brownie bites
- Start by preheating the oven to 375F.
- Mash the bananas in a large bowl. Add the chia seeds and milk and stir well.
- To this mixture, add the protein powder, cacao powder, baking powder and stir well.
- Now add the sunflower seed butter and really stir well to ensure it’s mixed in well.
- Once the batter is thick and well mixed, add the chocolate chips and stir to incorporate.
- Add the silicone liners or wax paper liners to a mini muffin tin. Add 1 tablespoon of the batter at a time to each muffin cavity, making 24 mini brownies total.
- Bake in a 375F oven for 14 minutes.
- Take out of the oven and allow to cool completely before enjoying.
Top tips
- Be sure to use silicone liners, parchment paper liners or really spray your mini muffin tin well. I prefer to use silicone liners, they are reusable and naturally non-stick. You can also buy silicone muffin liners that will stand up on their own that you can bake on a baking sheet, eliminating the need for a mini-muffin tin.
- Use super ripe bananas for added sweetness: The bananas add a lot of natural sweetness to these protein brownie bites. If your bananas are not super ripe (they are mostly yellow and firm vs. spotty and soft), you can add 1-2 tbsp. of coconut sugar or maple syrup to make the brownies sweet.
- Vegan protein powder is best. This recipe has been tested for use with vegan protein powder and without protein at all. See the recipe for “no protein powder” below if you want to use collagen peptides instead of vegan protein powder. I do not recommend using whey protein, as whey protein tends to dry out when baking.
- Freeze them for later! These mini brownie bites are the perfect snack. You can freeze them for later too, so if you only want 1-2 a day, freeze half and keep the rest in the fridge for the week!
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Other mix in ingredients
These protein brownies are so easy to make and have chocolate chips mixed in for added fudgy texture. You could also add:
- Shredded coconut flakes
- Chopped nuts or seeds (walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, hemp hearts)
- Fresh or frozen strawberries, raspberries or cherries, finely chopped.
How to make these mini brownies without protein powder
Since I know not everyone loves using protein powder when baking, I wanted to be sure you had a recipe you could follow without protein powder as well. Here is what you will need:
- 2 bananas
- 2 tbsp. chia seeds
- ½ cup dairy free milk
- 2/3 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup cacao powder
- ¼ cup maple syrup or coconut sugar (maple syrup with make them fudgier)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 cup sunflower seed butter
- ¼-1/2 cup chocolate chips (dairy free)
Follow the directions below (bake at 375F for 14 minutes, allow to cool).
How to best store protein brownie bites
These must be refrigerated or frozen and should not be left out on the counter. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Freeze in a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. Let sit out room temperature for 15-20 minutes before enjoying when frozen.
Substitutions
- Bananas: You can also use about 1 cup of mashed sweet potatoes, applesauce or pumpkin puree in place of the bananas. These options will not be as sweet as bananas so you may need to add some coconut sugar or maple syrup to add sweetness.
- Chia seeds: You could also use ground flax seeds in place of chia seeds. I have not tested this recipe with eggs, but 1 whole egg could likely replace the chia seeds + 1/3 cup of dairy free milk.
- Dairy free milk: If you are not dairy free, you could use regular milk in place of dairy free. If you are out of milk, you could use water as well.
- Protein powder: See recipe “without protein powder” above.
- Cacao powder: you could also use cocoa powder in place of cacao powder. Be sure it’s unsweetened.
- Sunflower seed butter: this helps make the brownies rich and fudgy. Use whatever your favorite nut or seed butter is. Almond butter, tahini (made from sesame seeds), peanut butter, cashew butter, pumpkin seed butter. Whatever you love.
- Chocolate chips: I have been digging the dairy free chocolate chips from Trader Joe’s (they are 72% dark chocolate and have some added sugar) but they also make a 100% unsweetened chocolate chip that would be equally as wonderful here. You can use chopped up chocolate (from a bar), cacao nibs or omit the chocolate chips completely. See the list above of other add-in ideas.
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Protein Brownie Bites
$6.86 Recipe/$0.29 Each BrownieProtein brownie bites are the perfect afternoon snack or dessert! Packed with flavor and so easy to make, these brownies are gluten free, dairy free and vegan friendly.
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Servings: 24
Guided Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 2 banana mashed - $0.38
- 2 tbsp. chia seeds - $0.22
- 1/2 cup dairy free milk - $0.29
- 2 serving vegan chocolate protein powder - $3.82
- 1/4 cup cacao powder - $0.35
- 1 tsp baking powder - $0.06
- 1/2 cup sunbutter - $1.43
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips - $0.31
- Sprinkle coarse sea salt - optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Mash the bananas in a bowl.
- Add the chia seeds cup of milk to the bananas and stir well.
- Add protein powder, cacao powder, and baking powder and stir until well combined.
- Stir in the sunflower seed butter, making sure it's well incorporated.
- Add the chocolate chips to the batter and mix to incorporate.
- Spoon 1 tablespoon of the brownie batter into each muffin liner.
- Sprinkle with coarse sea salt (optional)
- Bake for 14-15 minutes at 375. Let cool before enjoying
Notes
Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
This recipe calls for vegan protein powder. I do not advise using whey protein in place of the vegan protein, as whey often dries out when baking. You can follow the recipe below and omit the protein powder completely if needed:
- 2 bananas
- 2 tbsp. chia seeds
- ½ cup dairy free milk
- 2/3 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup cacao powder
- ¼ cup maple syrup or coconut sugar (maple syrup with make them fudgier)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 cup sunflower seed butter
- ¼-1/2 cup chocolate chips (dairy free)
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
57
Fat
3
g
Carbohydrates
5
g
Fiber
1
g
Sugar
1
g
Protein
3
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?Let others know by rating and leaving a comment below!
kinsey
Tuesday 28th of November 2017
Is 1/4 tbsp nut butter right or is it 1/4 cup? Thanks ;)
Samantha
Tuesday 28th of November 2017
1/4 cup! Thanks for catching that Kinsey. You're the best! Updated!
Kristy from Southern In Law
Thursday 18th of August 2016
These look delicious!
I tend to like brownies either room temp (if they have crunchy crackly tops) or in the fridge (if they're dense and fudgy) and when it comes to satisfying chocolate cravings... umm.. I just eat chocolate ;)
Beverley @ Born to Sweat
Thursday 18th of August 2016
i am exactly the same. i almost NEVER bake anymore, except to create a blog recipe because it's gone within a day. so much guilt!! maybe i need to try these little portion control bites. pinning!
Rachel (LittleChefBigAppetite)
Wednesday 17th of August 2016
Yum! These sound SO good! And they would totally help with my after lunch chocolate cravings!
rachel @ athletic avocado
Wednesday 17th of August 2016
Brownies that I can eat after a workout!? Yes please!