Beets in dessert? I totally get the skepticism.
I was in my late thirties before I willingly ate a beet. Childhood borscht left me convinced they tasted like dirt - and honestly, I wasn't wrong. Beets do have that deep, earthy quality. But one evening, my chef friend David Keener came for dinner and prepared "beets three ways," and something clicked. Once you taste beets treated right, there's no going back.
Fast forward to this recipe: chocolate beet brownies sweetened with Bee Inspired Honey. Dense, fudgy, and honestly? You'd never guess there are beets - or a banana and cashews, for that matter - in every single square.
What Makes These Beet Brownies Different?
A lot of beet brownie recipes lean on beet puree - roasted or canned, blended smooth, folded into the batter. This recipe takes a different approach. You're blending raw beets directly into the batter along with soaked cashews, a ripe banana, honey, and butter, all in the blender at once.
The result? An incredibly moist, dense brownie with a fudgy interior that holds together beautifully. The cashews add a subtle richness. The banana lends natural sweetness. And the beets - you won't taste them, but you'll feel the difference in texture.
This recipe is also naturally gluten-free, using oat flour and arrowroot powder in place of all-purpose flour.
Making These Brownies Gluten-Free
Good news if you're gluten free: this recipe is already written for you. Instead of all-purpose flour, these brownies are made with gluten-free oat flour and arrowroot powder, which together create that dense, fudgy texture without any wheat in sight.
Oat flour is one of our favorite gluten-free baking staples because it's mild, slightly sweet, and blends beautifully into brownie batter. It also happens to play really well with the other ingredients here - the cashews, banana, and beets all contribute moisture and body, so the oat flour doesn't have to carry the whole load the way it would in a more traditional recipe.
If you want to experiment with other gluten-free flour options, almond flour, coconut flour, and rice flour can all work - though each will change the texture slightly. Almond flour tends to give a richer, denser result; coconut flour is very absorbent and may require adjusting the liquid; rice flour gives a lighter crumb.
And if you want a tried-and-true GF flour blend that takes the guesswork out of gluten-free baking entirely, our friend GF Jules has developed some excellent blends worth checking out. Jules is a trusted name in the gluten-free baking world, and her flour blends are formulated to perform like all-purpose flour in most recipes.
One note: if you only have whole wheat flour on hand, you can use it - but the brownies will no longer be gluten-free.
Why Honey Is the Right Sweetener Here
These brownies use our Bee Inspired raw honey instead of refined sugar, and it makes a real difference in the final result.
Honey is a natural humectant - it holds onto moisture, which is exactly what keeps these brownies from drying out after a day or two in the fridge. It also brings a gentle floral depth that complements the cocoa beautifully, without overpowering it.
Want to understand more about swapping honey into your baking? Our complete guide to baking with honey covers ratios, temperature adjustments, and everything you need to know.
For this recipe, any of our Eastern Shore varietals will work well. We especially love Wildflower for its mild, versatile sweetness, and Coffee Blossom for a subtle depth that pairs wonderfully with chocolate.
Our Honey Royale Set contains our most popular types of honey
How to Make Chocolate Beet Brownies
Ingredients
- Raw cashews (soaked in water for 4 hours, drained)
- Bee Inspired Honey
- Sea salt
- Vanilla Extract
- Organic butter or coconut oil, softened
- Ripe banana, mashed
- Raw beets, peeled and cut into cubes
- Filtered water
- Large eggs
- Cocoa powder
- Gluten-free oat flour
- Baking soda
- Arrowroot powder
- Gluten-free chocolate chips
You can make a bunch of different healthy honey recipes
Directions
Step 1: Prep Your Cashews
Soak raw cashews in water for 4 hours, then drain. This softens them so they blend smoothly into the batter. If you're short on time, a 30-minute hot water soak works in a pinch, though longer is better.
Step 2: Preheat and Prep Your Pan
Set your convection oven to 325°F. Generously grease a 9-inch square baking pan with butter or coconut oil. Don't skimp - these brownies are worth it.
Step 3: Blend the Base
Add the first eight ingredients to your blender in this order: soaked cashews, honey, sea salt, vanilla extract, butter or coconut oil, mashed banana, raw beet cubes, and filtered water. Blend until the beets and cashews are well chopped and the mixture is fairly smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
Step 4: Add Eggs and Cocoa
Add the eggs and cocoa powder directly to the blender and pulse a few more times until fully incorporated.
Step 5: Add Dry Ingredients
Add the oat flour, baking soda, arrowroot, and chocolate chops. Blend on medium until everything is well combined. The batter will be thick and glossy.
Step 6: Bake
Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Start checking at 23 minutes - you want the center just set, not over-baked.
Step 7: Cool Completely Before Cutting
This is the step most people skip and then regret. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before slicing. They need time to set up, and cutting too early will give you a crumbly mess instead of clean squares.
Tips for Perfect Beet Brownies
- Use ripe bananas. The riper the banana, the sweeter and smoother it blends. Speckled bananas are ideal
- Peel your beets raw. You don't need to roast or cook the beets first - raw beets go straight into the blender. Peel them, cube them, and in they go. This is one of the things that makes this recipe genuinely fast.
- Don't overbake. These brownies firm up as they cool. A toothpick that comes out with a few moist crumbs (not wet batter) is perfect.
- Sub cashew butter if needed. No time to soak cashews? You can substitute 1/2 cup of cashew butter or almond butter and skip the soak step entirely.
- Make your own oat flour. Place rolled oats in a blender or food processor and pulse on high until they reach a fine, flour-like consistency. Done.
- Try them as muffins. Pour the batter into a greased muffin tin instead of a square pan. Start checking at 18-20 minutes.
Honey is a great alternative for sugar in many recipes
How to Store Chocolate Beet Brownies
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. They actually get better on day two - the flavors meld and the texture gets even fudgier.
To freeze, wrap individual squares in plastic wrap and store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for about an hour.
Creative Variations to Try
Once you've made the base recipe, it's fun to experiment:
- Add walnuts or pecans - roughly chopped and folded in before baking for crunch and flavor contrast.
- Dried cranberries - a 1/4 cup stirred into the batter adds a tart sweetness that plays beautifully against the cocoa. Our Cranberry Honey takes this pairing even further.
- Extra chocolate chunks - press a handful of chocolate chips into the top of the batter right before baking so they melt into little pools on top.
- Spice it up - a pinch of cinnamon or cardamom stirred into the dry ingredients gives these brownies a warm, complex edge.
Do you know when National Chocolate Day is?
Frequently Asked Questions About Beet Brownies
Can you taste the beets in beet brownies?
Nope. The cocoa powder completely dominates the flavor. The beets contribute moisture and a fudgy texture, but their earthy flavor disappears into the chocolate. Most people are genuinely surprised when they find out.
Do I have to roast the beets first?
Not for this recipe. The raw beets go straight into the blender with the other wet ingredients - no roasting, boiling, or steaming required. It's one of the shortcuts that makes this recipe so approachable.
Are these brownies vegan?
The recipe as written uses eggs, butter, and honey. For a vegan version, try flax eggs (1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons water per egg, rested for 5 minutes) and swap in coconut oil and maple syrup for the butter and honey. The texture will be slightly different but still delicious.
What honey works best for chocolate baked goods?
For chocolate recipes, we love Coffee Blossom Honey for its subtle depth or Wildflower for all-purpose versatility. Learn more in our guide to substituting honey for sugar.
Can I use canned beets?
Yes! If you'd rather not deal with raw beets, canned or pre-cooked beets work. Just drain them well and skip the water in the recipe, since canned beets carry extra moisture.
More Chocolate & Honey Recipes
If you loved these brownies, you might also enjoy:
- Vegan Chocolate Pudding - another "secret ingredient" dessert nobody will guess
- Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding - rich, creamy, and surprisingly filling
- Healthy Honey Desserts - our roundup of naturally sweetened treats
Ready to bake? Grab a jar of Eastern Shore Honey and let's get started. We'd love to see your results!
