Coconut Oil Dark Chocolate Brownies are made with coconut oil instead of butter. Only 6 simple ingredients in these “from scratch” brownies – give them a shot!
Coconut Oil Brownies
Guess what’s really hard to take a picture of? Hot, gooey, dark chocolate brownies. They just look like a mess. But they taste good, and that is what is important.
I made Coconut Oil Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies awhile back and they were really good. And they’ve been a really popular post on my lil blog.
Did you know you can swap out butter for coconut oil in most recipes? It’s a 1:1 substitution.
The coconut oil leaves these dark chocolate brownies super moist. Perfectly topped with vanilla ice cream.
Helpful Tools
- 8×8 Baking Dish – I love that this one has a lid for storing leftovers…if there are leftovers.
- Mixing Bowls – Glass are microwave safe & so pretty.
- Spatulas – I love one piece, silicone spatulas because they’re so easy to clean.
- Brownie Spatula – Do you have a brownie spatula? Did you know that’s a thing?
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
Jump- Coconut Oil – Coconut oil comes in many different “grades”/qualities. Try to pick one that is virgin/unrefined so that it is made with real coconuts and has been minimally processed.
- Sugar – Granulated white sugar here.
- Flour – All purpose flour.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – I used dark chocolate (Hershey’s Special Dark, specifically) because I love dark chocolate, but use your favorite.
- Eggs – You’ll use three, large whole eggs.
- Chocolate Chips – Again, I like dark chocolate so I (always) use Ghirardelli baking chips. Again, use your favorite chocolate chip (or other mix-in).
How to make Coconut Oil Brownies
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
JumpEasy!
First, melt your coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl.
Then, in a large bowl, add the melted coconut oil, sugar, flour, cocoa, and eggs. Stir until well combined.
Next, stir in the chocolate chips or any other mix-ins.
Finally, pour into a parchment paper lined 8×8 baking dish and bake for approximately 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
That’s it! Cool them, slice them, enjoy them!
Can I use coconut oil in brownies?
YES. That’s what we’re doing here! In most cases, you can substitute coconut oil for butter in nearly any recipe on a 1:1 ratio. In some cases, you will get varying results, but it works in these brownies.
Is butter better than coconut oil?
Well. That’s slightly subjective. Both coconut oil and butter are saturated fats, but they’re not equal.
Both are high caloric foods but coconut oil has a negligible amount of cholesterol while butter is high in cholesterol.
Depending on how much the butter is processed, it could be full of preservatives. BUT grass-fed butter has more nutrients (Vitamin A & calcium) than coconut oil.
Bottom line – they both have pros and cons, depending on which quality you choose, and both should be used in moderation.
- Use a high quality coconut oil in your brownies. I like to use Trader Joe’s Organic Virgin Coconut Oil. You can get it on Amazon, but I think it’s much cheaper in store.
- Line your baking dish with parchment paper. This helps for removal from the pan and clean-up! No need to grease the pan, the oil will take care of that for you.
- If chocolate chips aren’t your thing, feel free to mix in your favorite candy or chip (mint chocolate chips, toffee, M&M’s, etc.)
- Top with some vanilla ice cream & Sanders hot fudge to make a brownie sundae!
More brownies you might like
- Better than Box Mix Brownies – This recipe makes a “family size” pan of delicious, from-scratch brownies.
- Zucchini Brownies – You’d never guess the secret ingredient.
- Halloween Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies – If it’s not Halloween time, leave out the orange coloring & you’ve got delicious swirled brownies.
- Saucepan Brownies – easy, small batch. No mixer needed!
- Coffee Brownies – for the coffee lovers.
Other ways to use coconut oil in the kitchen? Try this Coconut Oil Popcorn or these Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Coconut Oil Dark Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup coconut oil melted & cooled
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup dark chocolate unsweetened cocoa powder I used Hershey’s Special Dark
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips I used Ghirardelli baking chips, per usual
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 x 8 square baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the coconut oil (about 20 seconds was all mine took).3/4 cup coconut oil
- Add the sugar, flour, cocoa, and eggs. Stir until well combined.1 1/2 cup sugar, 3/4 cup all purpose flour, 3/4 cup dark chocolate unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 eggs
- Add the chocolate chips and stir.1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
- Pour the batter into your prepared baking dish and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes (less time if you’re using a 9″ pan).
- Let them cool then cut & enjoy. You can top with powdered sugar, if that floats your boat.
Notes
- Use a quality coconut oil—Trader Joe’s Organic Virgin Coconut Oil is a great choice (more affordable in-store than online).
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper for easy removal and minimal cleanup—no greasing needed.
- Not a fan of chocolate chips? Swap them out with your favorite mix-ins like mint chips, toffee bits, or M&M’s.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag me on Instagram @melissa_pplates so I can see!Originally published May 8, 2013
Did You Make This?
If you made this recipe, I’d love to know how it went in the comments section below.
You can also tag me on Instagram – @melissa_ppplates or share a pic in the Persnickety Plates Community Facebook group. I love seeing what you’ve tried!
Can i replace the eggs with anything? I want to make this for my sister on her bday but she’s allergic to dairies. Thank u for sharing this recipe. Looks super delish ❤️
Hi Aya – I haven’t tested it so I can’t say for sure but…usually 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce can replace 1 egg. Or there are vegan egg replacement products you can buy. Sorry I’m not more help!
These are one of our fave brownies!
Love hearing that!
Hi Anya, just wanted to let you know eggs are not a dairy product.
Hi, Melissa! I just wanted to let you know how my brownies turned out because I saw a few other comments saying the same thing. I followed the recipe exactly as written, but the batter became extremely hard to mix and once I added the sugar, almost crumbly. It looked like a bowl full of pebbles. I’m not sure what happened here since your pictures look amazing! What I ended up doing was adding a splash of oat milk and a teaspoon of vanilla with my chocolate chips and then the batter looked like perfect ooey-gooey brownie mix. I baked them for forty minutes or so and they just never baked, they were liquid in the middle, not just fudgy. This could have been due to my adding some milk, but I agree with Marcela and Lauren, there is definitely something off about the flour ratio.
Many people are also saying that these turned out great no problem, so I don’t really know where I or you went wrong. I’m not trying to leave a mean comment, I’m just looking for clarification. Please let me know 🙂
Hi Samantha –
It’s so hard to know what went wrong & troubleshoot when I’m not in your kitchen. Like I said, every time I make these, they turn out perfectly so I don’t think the ratios are off. Your coconut oil was fully melted? Then cooled? I’m wondering if you scrambled the eggs with hot coconut oil…?
Dang, these are so good!! I followed the recipe to a T, baked for 30 minutes. They were gooey out of the oven, fudgey and gooey when cooled, and chewy and fudgey after refrigeration (totally worth the wait). I also tried the recipe with homemade cannabutter (coconut oil version) and subbed 1/2 cup brown sugar for some of the regular granulated sugar, which made them a little chewier, whivh was awesome. In both cases, they were absolutely delightful.
Thanks for an awesome recipe! (◔‿◔)
Happy to hear that – thanks for reporting back! I’ve never tried cannabutter
These taste delicious. I did change the recipe a little Bc I didn’t have AP flour or common sugar so I subbed white whole wheat flour and coconut sugar. I had some of the same issues people indicated such as a very thick dough, felt a bit rocky. It felt like an epic fail as I tried to spread it out, (Oh and I used a 1/4 sheet pan) but then they cooked smooth and beautiful, light crinkle on top. They were delicious straight out of oven, although easier to handle when they cooled and chewier refrigerated. Mine are a darker color and so rich and not too sweet at all. Bc I used a sheet pan I have thinner brownies I’m going to buy some ice cream and make little sandwiches. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m glad you kept going! 🙂
Love your brownie recipes! I sometimes add a bit of coffee or espresso to the mix.
Just FYI regarding LDL(low-density lipoprotein)
HDL(high-density lipoprotein) is actually the good type. LDL is the “bad type” we want to keep the HDL high, and LDL low
Thank you for your wonderful blog! Can’t wait to try more recipes.
Whoops, thanks! I reworded 🙂
I tried this recipe and I followed everything except I used a 11 by 7 inch pan and it seems no matter how long I cook it the bottom just won’t cook and is still gooey.
I haven’t tested in that size pan but if anything, it should have baked quicker. It is a gooey brownie, but it should set. Do you have an oven thermometer to check for accuracy?
Could you post it with it all in grams instead of cups please
I haven’t converted this one yet, hopefully soon!
These have been baking for over an hour and are still completely uncooked.
They don’t take that long. Did you make any changes? Have you checked your oven temp?