Epic Fudgy Date Brownies with Date Chocolate Sauce

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There’s something so comforting about biting into a dense, fudgy brownie — especially when it’s made with nourishing, real-food ingredients. These brownies are a celebration of everything wholesome: no refined sugar, no flour, no butter or oil — and yet, they’re satisfyingly rich and deeply chocolatey.

Welcome to my Brownie Bliss series. As a home baker and mom, I love creating desserts that feel indulgent but are built with ingredients I feel good about sharing with my family. This brownie recipe is vegan and gluten free, sweetened naturally with dates, packed with the goodness of nuts and seeds, and finished with a smooth, creamy chocolate sauce — made entirely from plants.

Let’s look at the main ingredients for this Brownie!

Dates

Dates are nature’s candy — rich in natural sugars, and also considered high in fiber, potassium, magnesium, and antioxidants. In this recipe, they do triple duty: acting as the natural sweetener, providing moisture, and helping bind the batter together. We will use them in both the brownie and the chocolate sauce.

Mixed Nuts & Seeds

Instead of flour, we use a mix of nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, melon seeds or pumpkin seeds. These add healthy fats, plant-based protein, and are considered a good source of minerals like zinc and magnesium. Once ground, they give the brownies structure and a delicious nutty flavour.

Cocoa Powder or Raw Cacao

This recipe does not use any chocolate. Unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao powder provide the rich chocolatey flavour that we all crave in a good brownie. Using a good quality cocoa powder with around 20% cocoa butter will work great here. Raw cacao powder is slightly acidic but works really well in this recipe too. Either way, it balances the sweetness of the dates beautifully.

Flaxseeds

Ground flaxseeds are a fantastic egg substitute, offering omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and a bit of bulk to hold the batter together. They also add a mild nutty flavour.

Salt & Baking Soda

Just a little bit of salt enhances the chocolate flavour and provides are more round flavour. While baking soda gives the brownies a slight lift — important since we’re not using eggs for leavening in this recipe.

Vanilla Extract & Vinegar

Vanilla adds warmth and depth, while vinegar activates the baking soda and lightens the texture just enough. It’s a small but essential step!

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Chocolate Sauce

This sauce is creamy, glossy, and naturally sweet — with no dairy or added sugar.

Cashews

Soaked cashews blend into a velvety, creamy base. They’re considered to be rich in healthy fats, iron, and magnesium, and they give the sauce a silky, creamy finish without needing any oil or cream.

Dates

For natural sweetness and consistency — no syrups, no additives. The dates thicken the sauce and make it lusciously spreadable once cooked.

Cocoa Powder, Vanilla, Salt

The same trio that gives the brownies their chocolatey edge brings the sauce to life too — bold, slightly salty, with a rich chocolatey flavour.

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Why You’ll Love These Brownies

• Made with 100% whole-food, plant-based ingredients
• Naturally sweetened — no added sugar, syrups, or sweeteners
• Flourless and gluten-free, using nuts and seeds
• No added oils or butter — just the natural fats from nuts and seeds
• Freezer-friendly, kid-friendly, and deeply chocolatey

This recipe is inspired by a recipe by Megan Gilmore.

If you like baking healthier brownies, you may like these recipes:

Eggless Gluten-free Crinkle Top Millet Brownies

Eggless Wholewheat Walnut Brownies with Chocolate Caramel

Eggless Gluten free Sweet Potato Brownies

Let’s get to the recipe!

Vegan & Gluten free Date Brownie with Date Chocolate Sauce

Serves: 9 Prep Time: 20 mins Cooking Time: 30 mins 30 mins

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

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Ingredients

For Brownie

• 120g - Deseeded Dates
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) -1/2 cup (125 ml) - Water
• 1 cup (120 g) - Mixed nuts and seeds
• 1 tbsp - Ground Flax seeds
• 1/3 cup (25 g) - Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 tsp - Baking Soda
• 1 tsp (5 ml) - Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp (5 ml) - Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 - 1/8 tsp - Salt

For Sauce:

• 1 cup (250 ml) - 1.5 cup (375 ml) - Water
• 50g - Deseeded Dates
• 1 tbsp (5 g) - 1.5 tbsp (7.5 g) - Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 cup (30 g) - Soaked Cashews

Instructions

  For Brownies -

1. Preheat oven to 170°C (340°F). Line an 8x8 inch square pan with parchment paper.

2. Blend dates and water into a smooth paste.

3. In a grinder, blend nuts, seeds, cocoa powder, flaxseeds, salt, and baking soda into a fine powder.

4. To the date paste add vanilla and vinegar. Give it a mix.

5. Now add the powdered dry ingredients and mix until a thick, sticky batter forms.

6. Transfer to the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for 25–30 minutes.

7. Let the brownies cool completely before slicing.

For Chocolate Sauce -

1. Blend all ingredients into a smooth mixture.

2. Pour into a pan and cook over low heat, stirring continuously, for 5–7 minutes until it thickens.

3. Let it cool slightly and drizzle over your brownies before serving.

4. Slice the cooled brownies into 9 or 16 equal squares.
5. Serve them with a generous drizzle of the chocolate date sauce.
6. Store any leftover brownies and sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for upto 1 week.

Notes

1. You can use any variety of soft dates for this recipe.
2. Use any combination of nuts and/or seeds of your choice here. You can use just one kind of nut or one kind of seed or a combination of a few.
3. Grind the dry ingredients into a very fine powder. Cocoa powder will absorb the oils from the nuts/seeds and will let you grind them finer.
4. The amount of water that the batter absorbs will vary slightly depending on what nuts/seeds you have used. So if your batter looks slightly more sticky or thick, its okay.
5. If spreading the batter in the baking pan becomes difficult, dip your finger tips in some water and gently press down to smoothen the top.
6. If you want to make thicker brownies, you can use a 6x6 pan and bake the brownies for 10-15 more minutes depending on your oven.
7. For the chocolate sauce, you can use date syrup as well.
8. You can use 1 cup to 1.5 cups water for the sauce depending on the consistency you prefer.
9. If the sauce look too thick after cooling down, you can warm it or cook it for a few more minutes with 1-2 tbsp of water.

Did You Make This Recipe?

Have you made this recipe? Tag me on Instagram at @VanillaTrails and use the hashtag #MadeWithVanillaTrails.