Chocolate SPINACH BROWNIES with Peanut Butter Frosting recipe. This is a EASY way to get kids or adults to eat their vegetables. You won’t believe how delicious these brownies are! They’re also made with the best peanut butter frosting recipe ever!
The color green. What do you think of?
In many people’s minds, the color green isn’t something you usually think of when you think of sweet desserts. I hear that little kids fear their green vegetables so sneaky parents have to find ways to incorporate it into their meals. Well I don’t have a little kid, but I still like being sneaky, even if it means just being sneaky to myself.
Spinach Brownies.
Best Spinach Recipes
As soon as I picked the spinach in the garden I knew I wanted to bake with it! From past recipes I love adding vegetables to sweet treats! (see: avocado brownies, pumpkin brownies). So I decided to keep it simple and keep the brownie tradition alive. The brownie tradition should never end. Can you imagine a world without brownies? I surely cannot!
I have to admit I was unsure about how these spinach brownies were going to turn out. I was worried because of the amount of spinach that are in these brownies, 1 whole cup pureed, which equals about 4-5 cups raw. That is a large amount of spinach. But as soon as I poured the spinach puree, gave it a few twirls with my spoon then tasted it, worries were erased. 100%.
Can you taste the spinach? The short answer is sort of. The long answer is not really. I like spinach, I know what it tastes like, so I can pick up a slight spinach taste. But for those who are unaware there is spinach in them, or don’t often eat spinach, they will pass it off as “dark chocolate” tasting. I think that’s the best way to describe them, dark.
I decided to make my favorite peanut butter frosting to go on top of these spinach brownies! I’m in love with this decadent frosting! It’s the perfect sweet frosting to go with these dark brownies.
Spinach Brownies Recipe
Pretty Pretty Spinach. You are so pretty. How are you so pretty?
Into the food processor it goes. I did 2 batches. Add a tablespoon or 2 of water in with the spinach so it gets pureed.
You will need 1 full cup of spinach. This is about 4-5 cups raw. Whole lotta spinach going on…
But when you add it to the chocolate mixture, you can’t even tell. Magic!
The peanut butter frosting. It deserves “the” in front of it because it is amazing. I ate so many spoonfuls, don’t even ask.
Pat it down with a spatula and put it in the refrigerator for 1 hour to set..
Then cut those brownies up! Look at these gorgeous brownies!
Enjoy a healthy spinach salad, but don’t forget that spinach makes a great sweet treat too! Enjoy these chocolate spinach brownies!
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Chocolate Spinach Brownies
PrintIngredients
Spinach Brownies
- 1 cup pureed spinach
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup salted butter - melted
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips - melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter - melted
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 1/2 cup confectioners powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Spinach Brownies
- Preheat oven to 350 and spray 8x8 pan with nonstick spray.
- Take your spinach leaves and put them in the food processor with 1-2 tablespoons of water and pulse until it turns into a puree. Keep doing this until you get 1 full cup of spinach puree. This usually equals about 4-5 cups raw spinach leaves.
- Mix melted butter, brown sugar and sugar together in a bowl. Stir in melted chocolate chips, spinach puree and vanilla.
- In another bowl mix your flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together.
- A little at a time, add your dry flour mixture to your chocolate spinach mixture, stirring continuously until it's all smooth.
- Pour batter in 8x8 pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until your toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool.
Peanut Butter Frosting
- Put butter and peanut butter in a bowl and mix with electric mixer.
- Slowly pour in your powdered sugar a little at a time. When it starts to thicken, add your 2 tablespoons milk in and continue to mix. You should keep mixing for about 2-3 minutes until your frosting is fluffy. If it's still thick, add a additional tablespoon of milk if needed.
Chocolate Spinach Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting
- Once brownies are cool, spread your peanut butter frosting across them.
- Pat the frosting down with a spatula so it becomes a smooth layer.
- Put in refrigerator for one hour to let the frosting set.
- Cut brownies into squares, enjoy!
Hannah Lindert says
This is DELICIOUS. My kids and grand-kids are snacking store-bought junk with chemicals and artificial additives and colorants. When I have a day off, I make either bread, or some other staple in a healthy way. This recipe rocks, and I’m sharing! I didn’t have the time to make the frosting. They love it as is. Thank you for creating and sharing this! Oh–I adjusted the recipe to use dark cocoa and 1/2 dark chocolate chips and 1/2 milk chocolate chips.
Karen says
I veganized this with vegan butter and oat milk–so delicious!! I recommend eating it at room temperature, straight out of the fridge makes it taste almost too sweet (which I guess actually helps keep me from eating too much! 😝)
Amy says
There are a lot of comments here but, most are just remarking about how good of an idea this is, only a couple are from people who have made it. Well, I made this recipe this weekend – and it turned out well. But there are some things I would change if I make it again- decrease total sugar from 1C to 1/2C (the sugar from the brownies plus frosting was a lot of sweet), add way less water to the spinach (i added too much to make it puree smoothly and it made the brownie too wet, fell apart, didn’t hold together well), increase flour from 1/2C to 3/4C (the fudge texture was to the point that it sticks to your teeth while chewing, would like it to be slightly more airy)……….it’s a good recipe as-is though. And a good way to use up substantial amount of spinach.
Cheryl T says
My grandson is on a special diet & he can’t have white or brown sugar but he can have honey, maple syrup or molasses. The spinach would be great for him & I don’t think he’d notice the taste. Is there a way to sub any of these in for the sugar? Btw, my father-in-law isn’t a spinach fan & I gave him one of these & he couldn’t tell the spinach was in it! Yay!!
Pamela says
Hey Cheryl, I would try substituting the white and brown sugar with 1/2 cup honey (total). You might need to play around with the honey amount and add a little bit more if you want it more sweet, but I’d start with 1/2 cup. Enjoy the brownies!
Cheryl T. says
Great, I’ll give it a whirl & let you know how it turns out. Thank you!
JP says
This recipe is delicious. I added 1 egg to help with binding. Thank you for sharing!
Pamela says
Thanks for commenting! I’m so happy to hear you liked these brownies!
Debra says
Pamela
I have a very picky 4 yr old grandson. If he even thinks it has spinach in it it’s all over! I have been teaching him to cook. The first thing he does is to try and figure out by taste what is in it. So I am going to be sneaky and make it ahead of time and then I will have him make it! What can he say when he tastes his own. Lol😈
Pamela says
Hey Debra, that’s so fun that you’re cooking your grandson how to bake! Hope he enjoys these sneaky brownies!
Jen says
I have a teenager who has never eaten a vegetable in his entire life. I mean never! He even rejected them as a toddler. He is extremely picky and can pick up in any “hidden” taste or texture. UNTIL NOW. A favourite in my house – I just have to do the spinach part when no one is looking. If my kids hear the blender, they think I’m making a smoothie for myself 😂. This secret recipe is going with me to the grave. Thank you thank you thank you!
JP says
I’ve made these several times. Everyone loves them. Genius. Thanks very much for developing this recipe!!
Pamela says
So happy you like them JP, thanks for letting me know!