These Healthy Greek Yogurt Brownies with Chocolate Ganache are so fudgy and delicious that no one ever suspects they’re healthy!
I know I have shared so {SO} many healthy brownie recipes with you all…but what can I say?! Brownies are my absolute favorite dessert ever! Serve them to me warm with a scoop of dairy-free chocolate peanut butter ice cream melting on top and you will win my heart. No matter what dietary restrictions you may have…I promise there is a delicious healthy brownie recipe on my site for you! (more on this later).
If these Heathy Greek Yogurt Brownies had a slogan it would be…”healthier brownies for not-so-healthy eaters.” Every single person I have made these for has done nothing but rave about their fudgy, chocolatey goodness! No one suspected even for a millisecond that they were remotely good for them.
We entertain people a lot because of my husband’s job. On top of that, every Friday night we have a group of friends over to eat dinner and study the bible together! I love making friends feel welcome in my home! Seriously, it warms my heart when someone goes into the fridge to get a drink, grabs a serving spoon from the utensil drawer, or digs through my pantry to find the cheerios for their picky toddler without asking for permission.
Ritch and I call these our “fridge friends.” You know the ones I’m talking about…and our Friday night group totally falls into this category. We’re like one giant family eating together having an amazing time. I love Fridays!
These Healthy Greek Yogurt Brownies are my go-to dessert recipe when I’m short on time but still want to make a delicious treat for guests! They are easy to whip up…which is perfect for nights when you’re entertaining and have many other dishes to prepare!
These healthy brownies are gluten-free & grain-free and are high in protein…but you would never know it by tasting them!
Healthy Greek Yogurt Brownies: Substitutions
There are two flour options you can use in this recipe:
- Almond flour is what I recommend using! I found that using almond flour yields a denser, fudgier, chewier brownie! However, I know some people have nut allergies.
- Oat Flour. Oat flour is an acceptable substitution that still yields an irresistibly fudgy and chocolatey brownie that’s gluten-free! I have also used plain-old regular all-purpose flour AND gluten-free all-purpose flour with great results.
Other Substitutions
- Butter: to make these dairy free substitute coconut oil!
- Vanilla Greek Yogurt: I know Greek yogurt isn’t dairy free. Trust me. But if dairy is something you try to avoid, there are many wonderful dairy-free Greek yogurt varieties on the market! I highly recommend this Vanilla Greek Yogurt from So Delicious, which is made with coconut milk! Important note: I usually use this vanilla honey Greek yogurt, which has a touch of sweetness to it. If you use plain Greek yogurt you will likely need to increase the amount of coconut sugar in this recipe to keep it from being tangy.
- Coconut sugar. Any granulated sugar works well in this recipe!
- Feel free to omit the ganache all together, these brownies hold up perfectly on their own. However, if you want an extra layer of fudgy goodness, then the ganache won’t disappoint.
- Heavy Cream. in order for the ganache to set up a rich and creamy dairy product needs to be used. I have had great success with heavy cream and half & half. For a dairy-free version use full-fat coconut cream or dairy-free creamer.
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Healthy Greek Yogurt Brownies
These Healthy Greek Yogurt Brownies are lightened up but still irresistibly fudgy and decadent!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup almond flour or oat four*
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ½ cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped (4 oz)
- 2 TBS butter or coconut oil, melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup Vanilla Greek yogurt**
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ to ½ cup chocolate chips to mix in
Chocolate Ganache:
- ½ cup 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- ½ cup heavy cream or coconut cream, or half & half
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees grease a 9x9” baking pan and set aside.
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Mix almond flour, cocoa powder and sea salt in a small bowl; set aside.
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Melt chocolate & coconut oil/butter together in the microwave. Mix until completely melted.
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Mix in sugar, Greek yogurt and vanilla.
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Mix in eggs, one at a time until the batter is completely smooth.
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Add dry ingredients, whisk until just incorporated.
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Add chocolate chips!
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Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the top is just barely set and the edges are slightly pulling away from the sides of the pan. (20 = gooier brownies)
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When brownies are finished baking, place the pan on a wire rack and cool.
Make the Ganache:
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While the brownies are baking, make the ganache.
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Add heavy cream to a small saucepan and warm over medium-high heat until it just begins to bubble. Do NOT let it boil.
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Turn off heat and whisk in chopped chocolate and vanilla until the mixture is dark and smooth.
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Remove from warm burner and let cool slightly. The ganache thickens as it cools.
Putting it together:
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Once the ganache is slightly cooled, pour it over your cooling brownies.
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Let the ganache firm up at room temperature or place in the refrigerator to speed up the process.
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Remove from refrigerator, cut and serve at room temperature, or serve cold!
Recipe Notes
*I prefer almond flour because it yields an even fudgier brownie. I have used both flours with great success! **Please do not try using regular yogurt. The thickness of Greek yogurt makes these brownies fudgy and chewy. I tried regular yogurt and was not happy with the results. Store in the refrigerator and warm in the microwave for 15 seconds to restore the fresh-from-the-oven taste!
*Notes: Nutrition information is calculated for 16 brownies without ganache.
Ok…now lets talk brownies! I have more brownie recipes in my arsenal than I can count. Here are brownie recipes for the different folks in your life:
Other Healthy Brownie Recipes
Black Bean Brownies for your friends who enjoy healthy, gluten-free desserts that are low in calories. These are super fudgy and delicious with zero guilt! (They’re also nut-free)! However, someone who is wise to your cunning healthy ways might recognize that these are not normal brownies and turn up their {stubborn} nose at them. Everyone in my family loves these!
Fudgy Paleo Brownies are a winner all around. They are unbelievably gooey, insanely fudgy, and crazy healthy! They are paleo AND vegan so you could make these for just about anyone and you’d have an absolute winner on your hands. This makes a small batch too…so you can enjoy a little without worrying about over-indulging…or you can double the recipe to share with friends!
Vegan Black Bean Brownies are for chocolate peanut butter veggie lovers everywhere. So delicious!
Don’t forget to serve your brownies with some Paleo Vanilla Ice cream, or loaded with this Vegan Peanut Butter Frosting (my favorite thing ever)!
What is your favorite dessert ever?
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Jenny MacKenzie
May 13, 2019 at 9:01 amThese look AMAZING! My daughter loves to bake with me. I can’t wait to try these with her!
Chris
May 1, 2019 at 11:36 pmMade these with plain (not vanilla) Greek yogurt because that’s what I had. I added an additional 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. I also cut the sugar in half – most desserts much too sweet, and it’s healthier – and they tasted delicious! Wife says that I can definitely make these again! Finally, I’m thinking about adding walnuts!
Janelle
January 3, 2019 at 7:21 pmHi, these look great. Do you have to use full fat Greek yogurt or is low fat or fat free okay?
Laura
January 3, 2019 at 8:06 pmYou can use fat free!
Cami
November 18, 2018 at 8:00 pmI’ve made these brownies 3 times now and love the way they taste. I’ve substituted sugar for coconut sugar to try and make a healthier option. The only problem I’m having is they fall apart when I try to remove them from the pan. I’ve tried 3 different pans and they still fall apart. Any suggestions? Is it because of the coconut sugar?
Priya
December 14, 2018 at 11:37 pmI just made them now and I had the same issue
Priya
January 10, 2019 at 1:06 amI had the same issue . Take it out of the oven and let itcool then put it in the fridge for a couple hours and then take it out and cut it. 🙂
Laura
January 10, 2019 at 7:24 amThank you for your tips Priya! <3
Afri
November 8, 2018 at 8:16 amHey there!
I came across this recipe months back and have been making them ever since. Just wanted to let you know that these brownies are so fudgy and amazing! And the fact that they are healthier is an added bonus!
One question though. I usually use honey to sweeten things. Is it alright to substitute honey for sugar?
Laura
November 10, 2018 at 1:03 pmThank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoy them! My only concern about replacing the sugar with honey would be that they might be a little “too fudgy” (if that is even a thing)! If you try it let me know how they turn out please!
Katie
September 27, 2018 at 7:23 pmCan I use honey or maple syrup instead of sugar?
Jessica
September 14, 2018 at 8:17 pmI user regular greek yogurt because that isn’t all I ever buy and cut the amount of sugar because I always do . . I didn’t make them ganache because i was tired!
My family absolutely loved them! They thought it tasted like a chocolate cheesecake. I had to make them twice in a row because they were gone so quick!
Definitely a keeper will never make any other kind!
Carolina
September 2, 2018 at 1:51 pmThese came out amazing!! My husband is the brownie lover but I literally ate almost all of them myself. Soooo delish! I made them without the ganache and they were perfection all by themselves.
Laura
September 6, 2018 at 7:22 amYAY! So glad you loved them Carolina!
Barb Kelly
April 8, 2018 at 2:35 pmMy house smells so good right now…made these brownies but substituted the sugar with Stevie and added more bittersweet choco chips.They are cooling now so I really can’t wait to dive in with some coffee for a late night treat.
Elysia
March 1, 2018 at 8:36 pmThese turned out so yummy. I subbed agave for the sugar.
Emma
January 4, 2018 at 9:34 amMade these the other day—halved the recipe, used regular flour and plain greek yogurt because that’s all I had and they were DELICIOUS!! We could not believe how fudgy and rich they were with such little butter. Thank you for such a great and adaptable recipe!
Candace
December 18, 2017 at 2:15 pmHi, do you mean 1/2 cup plus 4 oz of chocolate?
Laura
December 18, 2017 at 3:14 pmHey Candace! I mean 1/2 cup chopped chocolate…which is equivalent to 4 oz! I am sorry I recently changed the way my recipes are displayed and I am working through all of them to be sure there are no errors due to the switch like that! I fixed the recipe!
Candace
December 18, 2017 at 3:32 pmThanks for getting back to me! I’m making them right now 🙂
Whitney @ To Live & Diet in L.A.
September 29, 2017 at 4:14 pmOh my, these look SO fudgy and delicious! Those teeth marks are absolutely enticing – adding this to my must make list!
Rachel
September 29, 2017 at 8:52 amI’m a SUCKER for chocolate ganache. YUM!!!
Liz
September 29, 2017 at 6:31 amSeriously drooling over here! These look just FABULOUS. And that chocolate ganache— I am such a sucker for that. Can’t wait to try!
Emily Swanson
September 29, 2017 at 1:08 amIt makes my heart SOOO happy to entertain people too, and I could imagine the experience at your home being sooo warm and inviting. All the delicious brownies, sweet children, and warm joyful atmosphere; I can definitely imagine it.