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Beet-free?! YES, because beets DO kale my vibe 😛
A healthy version of a classic dessert– or in other words, that GOOD GOOD. Not only are these to die for (but seriously), they are free of gluten, oil AND refined sugar.
Perfect for you to impress that shugah shugah in your life, because nothing means I love you more than these fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth fudgey goodness, right?
Growing up, I used to LOVE red velvet cupcakes, but as I got older, I began to notice just how unnaturally red they were.
Did you know that seemingly vegan red food colorants (cochineal and carmine) are not vegan at all? I would have assumed it was a manmade chemical ingredient, but in reality, are actually made of crushed bugs >> Cochineal insects produce a bitter, crimson-colored pigment called carminic acid, and to create the dye, the bugs are dried and ground into a powder. If you don’t believe this atrocity, I promise you I ain’t lyin’!
This dessert won’t have the same red tint as generic store bought red food dye filled versions, but keep in mind that I use whole food ingredients that are actually good for you and free of nasty AF bugs 🙂
And yes, no beets were harmed in the making of these Red Velvet Brownies 😉
A majority of naturally-dyed red velvet include beets. Yes this definitely gives the dessert a beautiful red ting, but it also brings along an earthy flavor that I just can’t seem to like. My mom has always told me not to use the term hate, so I should just say I really really REALLY don’t like beets…
If you do like beets, well that is wonderful — beets are very high in dietary nitrates, which may enhance athletic performance and increase blood flow, may improve blood flow through the brain, particularly the frontal lobes, which may protect against age-associated dementia, are a good source of antioxidants, and are one of the few vegetables that do not lose any antioxidant power through a variety of cooking methods!
And if you’re with me in Team No Beets, well I’ve got something for ya, PITAYA! Pitaya (dragon fruit) is jam-packed with flavonoids, vitamin C, fiber, prebiotics + powerful antioxidants, among so many other amazing benefits! So don’t think you’re missing out on anything by swapping out the beet, I promise.
I also want to share with you all that I partnered up with Thrive Market (it’s basically a Costco meets Whole Foods at wholesale prices up to 50% below retail how dope is that!) — and I’m excited to share that Thrive Market is offering the SSV community a FREE bag of cacao powder + a 30 Day Trial + only $1.95 shipping! <3
Make sure you tag me on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan or twitter @sweetsimpleveg and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you recreate any of my recipes, I love to see your photos!
Beet-Free Red Velvet Brownies w/ 3-Ingredient Frosting {vegan + gluten- oil- & refined sugar-free}
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 12
Ingredients
Brownies
- 1 1/4 cup medjool dates, pitted and packed*
- 1 cup mashed orange sweet potatoes
- 2 packets (200g) frozen pitaya, thawed
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon almond milk
- 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup oat flour*
- 1/2 cup cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Chocolate Frosting:
- 1/3 cup medjool dates, pitted and packed
- 1/4 cup cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
- 1/4 cup frozen pitaya, thawed (or almond milk)
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon organic vanilla extract + 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Brownies
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking pan with parchment paper.*
- Blend the dates, almond milk, pitaya, chia seeds, sweet potato, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar on high until smooth.
- In a large bowl, sift together the oat flour, cacao powder, and baking soda. Add in the wet ingredients, and stir until smooth and uniform.
- Spread batter evenly into the pan, and bake for 45-50 mins.
- In the meantime, make the frosting by blending all ingredients together until smooth.
- Remove from oven and cool completely, then add frosting.
- Once frosted, cut the brownies into squares and top with toppings of choice, such as raspberries and hemp hearts.
Notes
Soak your dates in warm water for 15-20 minutes to soften if needed.
You can also simply grind oats in a high speed blender until a fine flour is formed.
The pan I used was approximately 4.5″x9x9″.
You can adjust the thickness of the frosting by adding more or less almond milk.
If you do not have pitaya or wish to do without it, simply swap it out for 1 cup almond milk.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Vegan
Last year, My boyfriend Chris and I collaborated and put together a healthy, oil-free and easy peasy Vegan Valentine’s Day Menu for you to enjoy. Even if you are stumbling across this page far our from the month of February, all of the recipes we included are must try’s!
To all of you lovebirds who need a cute Valentine’s Day date idea, why not do a relaxed night in, making a healthy homemade dinner with your sweetie?
Our full Vegan Valentine’s Day Menu {oil-free} includes recipes from both my blog and ConsciousChris.net. All of these are perfect for a night in with you and your {vegan} honeee, I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: This post is NOT sponsored, but may contain affiliate links, which simply means that I earn a commission if you purchase through those links, but your price remains the same. Thank you for supporting Sweet Simple Vegan!
It’s nice to see a red velvet cake made without beets! Nice job! Looks perfectly moist!
Thank you so much Nicole 🙂
Wow this looks so amazing.. yummy
I hope you get to try them! <3
These look so yummy!!! I need to try them out asap ❤
I hope you love them as much as I do! 🙂
These look excellent!!
Thanks Karmon!
I can’t wait to make this! I love all your recipes and am so appreciative you take the time to share as many as you do!! You’re a kitchen genius! 🙂
Ahhhh I am so flattered Kristen ? I love being able to share my work and passion with all of you, and I am grateful for the support!
Thank you so much for this lovely recipe! I am really interested to try it!
I hope you get to Nataliya 🙂
I’m with you on he beets! WAY too earthy for me. This recipe sounds perfect 🙂
HIGH FIVE ON that one haha, thanks Laurel 🙂
Yum!!! These look so good! I really need to try them!!
I hope you get to try these babies! 🙂
these look delicious!! can’t wait to try them! ❤
Let me know what you think <3
wow!! i love this recipe!???
Thanks Stine!
Cant wait to try them!<3
Let me know what you think 🙂
I’m so glad these are beet free, I’m not sure I’m a fan either! Can’t wait to try these ?
YASS team no beet Devyn! Haha 🙂
I’m so glad you shared this recipe. I absolutely hate beets so much and I can’t wait to try this. I’m going to make it this weekend.
Yay I am so excited for you to try this out! 🙂
A vegan version of my favorite dessert I need to try it asap!!
I hope you love it! 🙂
Hi! Can I use beet instead? Will it taste weird?
Hello! I personally think the beet flavor is strong, but others have told me it is not, so I think it is all personal preference! I would use in 1 cup almond milk instead of the pitaya, then use 1/2-1 small beet, peeled (about 1 inch diameter) which is what I used when I was recipe testing this. If you try this out, let me know how it goes!
Thank you so much 🙂
I am in love with your page! And this recipe looks amazing. However- I’ve tried to find frozen pitaya to make smoothies and I simply cannot find it anywhere near me. Any chance that I could make it without the pitaya or would that totally ruin the recipe?
Thank you for your amazing page!
Love,
Carolina
Hi Carolina! Thank you so much 🙂 You can totally make it without pitaya, it will just not be red if that is okay with you! The flavor will still be great 🙂 you can simply replace the pitaya with 1 cup + 1 tablespoon almond milk <3
What a brilliant way to get some natural pink color! And these look ridiculously fudgy…
I hope you get to try them! 🙂
They are delicious!!
I am glad you like them! 🙂