The most delicious fudgy flourless brownies made with canned pumpkin and almond butter are a healthier way to enjoy a sweet, fall-inspired treat. These fudgy brownies have a subtle pumpkin flavor and will satisfy any sweet tooth. Plus they are paleo, gluten-free, and dairy-free.
Whether you absolutely love pumpkin spice or can't wait for the season to be over, you'll want to add these pumpkin brownies to your fall dessert list. They come out super fudgy with just a hint of pumpkin flavor. They are the perfect solution when you are craving a sweet treat as a mid-day pick-me-up or dessert. In fact, you could even eat these for breakfast. They would be delicious with a cup of coffee.
For those who aren't huge pumpkin fans, these are more chocolatey than pumpkin-flavored. The pumpkin adds moisture and nutrition, but the flavor is very subtle. just swap in cinnamon for the pumpkin pie spice, since those flavors dial up the pumpkin flavors. To make them even more chocolately, I recommend adding some chocolate chips to the batter or drizzling chocolate on top.
Craving more pumpkin flavor? Make sure to try this Pumpkin Pie Smoothie and Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oatmeal.
What You'll Need for Pumpkin Brownies
- Canned pumpkin: The easiest option for this recipe is store-bought canned pumpkin. You can also make your own by roasting and mashing pumpkin. Make sure to choose canned pumpkin where the only ingredient is pumpkin, you don't want a pumpkin pie filling with added sugar and spices.
- Almond butter: Almond butter is my preferred nut butter for this recipe since the flavor is subtle and doesn't overpower the pumpkin. However, any nut butter including peanut butter or sunflower butter (for an allergy-safe option) also works great. Just look for sugar-free, natural nut butter.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: The delicious rich chocolate flavor comes from the cocoa powder in this recipe. Look for a high-quality cocoa powder to get the best flavor and make sure it is unsweetened.
- Pure maple syrup: Since this recipe focuses on fall flavors, I like to use pure maple syrup. However, you could also use honey or a sugar-free liquid sweetener.
- Pumpkin pie spices: This delicious combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger cloves, and allspice gives this pumpkin dish all that traditional pumpkin spice flavor. If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, you can make your own at home or just use cinnamon. If you aren't someone who loves pumpkin flavor, leave this out.
Recipe Ideas and Fun Additions
There are so many ways to customize this recipe and make it your own. Here are some you'll want to try:
- Try making these as a pan of brownies in an 8 X 8 baking dish instead of the muffin tin. When they come out and are still warm, sprinkle some mini chocolate chips on top. As they melt from the warmth of the brownies, use a spatula to create a thin layer of chocolate on top. It will harden as the brownies cool.
- For even more chocolate flavor, add 1/4-1/3 cup of chocolate chips to the pumpkin brownie batter. For a lower sugar option, use sugar-free chocolate chips.
- If you are out of the canned pumpkin, you can substitute mashed banana instead. You could also look for canned butternut squash or make your own homemade butternut squash puree.
- Switch up the flavor with another nut butter. Sunflower butter, cashew butter, peanut butter, and hazelnut butter are all delicious.
- Kick up the nutrition by adding a tablespoon of ground flaxseeds or chia seeds.
- For a sugar-free option, you can swap in a sugar-free liquid sweetener for maple syrup.
Storage and Freezing
When making a flourless, fudgy brownie, I find they are best stored in the fridge. Let them fully cool and then place them in a container and store them in the fridge. As they continue to cool in the fridge, they will actually get even fudgier - something I love.
If you prefer them at room temperature, they can be stored out of the fridge for about 3 days.
If you are lucky enough to have extras, these freeze well. Just wrap the cooled brownie bites in plastic wrap and store them in the freezer. Then defrost in the fridge overnight or pack them up for lunch and they will be defrosted by the time you're ready to eat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the questions we hear most often from readers.
Can these be made as traditional brownies?
Absolutely! Just pour the brownie batter into an 8 X 8 baking dish lined with parchment paper or sprayed with cooking spray. They will take about 23-27 minutes to bake. Then let cool for at least 15 minutes before removing them from the pan.
Would these pumpkin brownies work in a mini muffin tin?
For bite-sized pumpkin brownies, cook these in a mini-muffin tin. Just watch the baking time since they will cook more quickly.
What's the difference between canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie filling?
To keep this recipe light and healthy, make sure to choose canned pumpkin puree. The only ingredient should be pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling, also normally found in a can, contains pumpkin combined with sugar and spices. Always check the ingredient label to be sure.
Also note, store-bought canned pumpkin may actually contain a variety of winter squash including butternut squash and different varieties of pumpkin and orange squash.
What if I don't have any pumpkin?
If you don't have pumpkin, you can swap in mashed bananas or another mashed winter squash like butternut squash. It will also likely work with mashed sweet potato, but I haven't tested it yet. Please let us know in the comments if you do.
Can I use different nut butter?
You can use any nut butter in this recipe including peanut butter, cashew butter, and sunflower seed butter. If you are making these for school, sunflower seed butter works well for nut-free classrooms.
How to make flourless pumpkin brownies sugar-free?
To make a sugar-free flourless pumpkin brownie, swap in a sugar-free liquid sweetener that has a 1:1 replacement for maple syrup or honey. Do not replace the maple syrup with straight liquid Stevia since it is much sweeter than maple syrup.
More Tasty Pumpkin Recipes
- Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- Microwave Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dip
- Four Ingredient Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes
- Baked Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal