These 'Healthy' Vegetable-Spiked Brownies Are Actually Delicious (And These Aren't)

In a bid to enable ourselves to eat more brownies, and to not feel too guilty about doing so, we've been following the trend of vegetable-spiked brownies rather intensely. Initially it seemed hard to believe that a brownie which contained a single ingredient that could be deemed healthy would ever taste any good, but after a bit of experimenting, and a lot of tasting, we've realized that there are some vegetables which slot into those brownies in the most subtle way. Although they may not be as perfect as the butter-filled classic, they really can be delicious. So if you want to treat yourself to a daily brownie, and not feel guilty about it, here are the vegetables to add, and also the ones you should definitely avoid:

Vegetables to Add:

Avocado

The vegan bakers amongst you will be well aware of the benefits to be gained from making brownies with avocado. It makes a great replacement for eggs and milk, and results in a brownie with a wonderfully fudgy texture, without impacting the chocolate flavor.

Beets

Adding puréed beets to your brownies means you can cut back on the quantity of sugar you use, thanks to the natural sweetness of this pretty vegetable.

For the Fudgy Beet Brownie recipe, click here.

Pumpkin

Adding pumpkin to desserts obviously isn't unusual, so you may not be surprised to learn that you can also add pumpkin purée to your brownies for a healthier and wonderfully autumnal take on your favorite chocolate treat.

For the Pumpkin Brownies recipe, click here.

Sweet Potato

Since sweet potatoes are so naturally, well, sweet, they are a great healthy addition to every homemade cake. Adding them to your brownies will make you feel better about what you're eating, and will mean you don't miss out on that rich, satisfying flavor.

Zucchini

Sneak some extra vegetables into your day by making a batch of these zucchini brownies. The zucchini makes these brownies wonderfully moist and light, and you won't even be able to taste the zucchini once they're baked.

For the Zucchini Brownies recipe, click here.

Vegetables to Avoid:

Broccoli

There are several zucchini brownie recipes which state that you could swap this vegetable for a much more pungent alternative: Broccoli. We don't recommend that you ever try this, as you can both see and taste the broccoli.

Cauliflower

Cauliflower is hugely popular as a low-carb alternative for so many things such as rice, pizza crust, and mashed potatoes. But it doesn't work as an alternative to flour in brownies. Many people have recommended it, and while it does lead to a low-carb brownie, it also leads to a brownie that you don't want to eat.

Leafy Greens

The health-conscious cooks out there have been adding all sorts of greens, such as kale and spinach, to their brownies. However, we'd rather skip eating a brownie altogether than have to try and swallow one of these leaf-filled brownies: Getting the flavor combination of chocolate and kale out of your mouth is more challenging than we had hoped.