fbpx
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram RSS Feed

Kale Brownies

If you love brownies, you’re going to love, love, love these kale brownies. That’s right – kale brownies. Some would hear that and ask “Why?!?!” And to that we would give the obvious answer,”Why not?”.

Kale brownies (really!) that kids will love.

Kale brownies (really!) that kids will love.

These brownies have enough butter, sugar, and chocolate in them that they don’t really taste like kale. But they are dense, fudgy, and super-moist, which is probably due at least in part to the kale that’s in there. Bonus: There are no green pieces to scare off small children.

kale brownies

If you’re into hiding veggies from kids (we’re not really), these might be a good way to pass off some greens without them knowing. But if you are honest with everyone, you might just give your family a new appreciation for the versatility of greens and veggies’ potential role in desserts. If you need any proof, ask these boys who went straight for the brownies when they saw them sitting on the kitchen table:

kale brownie hands

Here’s the recipe, adapted from a regular brownie recipe from the Brown-Eyed Baker.

Kale Brownie Recipe

5 from 2 votes
Print

Kale Brownies

Amazingly delicious and fudgy kale brownies - yes, kale! - that kids will happily eat.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword brownies, kale
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 10

Ingredients

  • 1 large bunch kale
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 3 ounces dark chocolate
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (8 ounces)
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 4 eggs at room temperature, beaten
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Wash the kale and pat it dry. Gently tear the leafy portion away from the thick stems. Place the kale leaves in a steamer and steam for 5 minutes or until wilted. Place the wilted kale in a food processor and puree the kale. Drain any excess liquid and set aside the kale. You should have about 1 cup of kale.

  2. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix until thoroughly combined.

  3. In the top of a large double boiler, melt the butter, the chocolate chips, and the dark chocolate together, stirring until evenly melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let it sit until it cools to room temperature. Add the eggs, kale, sugars, and vanilla and mix with the chocolate mixture until combined. Gently fold in the flour mixture until just barely combined, taking care not to over-mix.

  4. Prepare a 13″x 9″ pan by greasing it with butter and then lining it with parchment paper. Carefully pour the brownie batter into the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

So here’s the question we struggle with: Do you tell anyone there’s kale in there? On the one hand, you don’t really taste it, so who would know? If you mention it, you might turn someone off. On the other hand, it’s kind of a cool feature. Plus, you can feel proud of yourself for eating your daily kale. So which side do you fall on – to tell or not to tell?

Kale brownies

Kale brownies that kids will love – Really!

 

Now – back to more important brownie talk. If you like brownies, and we’re pretty sure you do if you’ve gotten this far, you’re going to want more brownies. So do yourself a favor and check out these delicious brownies:

Blogger disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase a product through these links, Jolly Tomato receives a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support of Jolly Tomato.


, , , , , , ,

66 Responses to Kale Brownies

  1. Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious October 5, 2016 at 6:11 pm #

    LOOOOOVE your take on brownies. I am not scared off in the slightest by a few green flecks!

    • Jeanne October 5, 2016 at 7:00 pm #

      Thanks, Dorothy! From one kale lover to another, that means a lot!

      • Brianne June 28, 2018 at 10:25 am #

        Excellent texture & very decadent! Rich chocolate flavour but a bit too sweet, so maybe experiment with the amount of sugar.

      • Jeanne June 28, 2018 at 4:41 pm #

        Thanks for the feedback, and thanks for stopping by, Brianne!

  2. Kelly May 16, 2017 at 2:32 pm #

    Made these yesterday and they are amazing! Truly amazing.

    • Jeanne May 19, 2017 at 2:29 pm #

      Great! Thank you so much for letting me know, Kelly! Cheers!

  3. Island Siren July 13, 2017 at 12:27 pm #

    What variety of kale works best?

    • Jeanne July 17, 2017 at 9:17 am #

      Thanks for the question! I made it with curly kale but I believe plain-leaf kale or lacinato kale would work just fine!

      • Jane February 28, 2019 at 7:48 pm #

        If I want to use kale powder, how much will I need? Thankyou

      • Jeanne March 3, 2019 at 12:49 pm #

        Hi Jane: I haven’t tried it with kale powder before. Since kale powder is dry, and the kale we’re using in this recipe is very moist (steamed and pureed) it might make a difference moisture-wise. That said, if I were to experiment with it, I’d use a scant quarter-cup of kale powder and add a quarter cup of applesauce. I’m really curious about this, though! If you try it, let me know! – Cheers, Jeanne

  4. Rachel July 22, 2017 at 1:39 pm #

    I’m so excited to try out this recipe, Jeanne. I’m always looking for ways to increase the amount of kale I eat (and the amount my picky family eats). But, I wondering how you’d define “a large bunch of kale”. I get my kale from a friend, so it’s not sectioned into bunches. How many leaves would you estimate this recipe calls for?

    • Jeanne July 24, 2017 at 11:04 am #

      Thanks, Rachel! I think you’ll like them! : )

    • Cheshire Cat August 9, 2018 at 2:23 pm #

      Would have been nice to get an answer to this question…

    • Jeanne August 9, 2018 at 3:17 pm #

      Oops – sorry – didn’t see the question at the end. Usually approx 7-8 leaves in a “bunch.” Hope that helps!

  5. Diane August 11, 2017 at 6:28 am #

    My granddaughter made these and they were absolutely delicious! I give these a 5+ star rating. The plus due to the wonderful kale!

    • Jeanne August 11, 2017 at 6:04 pm #

      Love it! Thanks so much for letting me know!

  6. Diane August 11, 2017 at 6:31 am #

    These are by far the most healthiest and delicious brownies I have ever had. Thank you granddaughter Berkeley!

    • Jeanne August 11, 2017 at 6:04 pm #

      Wow – That is wonderful to hear! Thanks for stopping in to report back! : )

  7. RANA HANNOSH September 18, 2017 at 9:40 am #

    CAN I REPLACE THE BUTTER WITH COCONUT OIL?

    • Jeanne September 18, 2017 at 12:39 pm #

      Hi Rana:
      Yes, you should be able to substitute it – the standard substitution is 1:1 for butter/coconut oil. I have not tried it; however, I’d love to hear how it works if you try it out! Thanks for stopping by!

  8. Gail Metz March 26, 2018 at 8:35 pm #

    These were surprisingly delicious. I never would have thought to add kale to brownies.

    • Jeanne March 26, 2018 at 9:23 pm #

      So glad to hear it! Thanks for stopping by, Gail!

  9. Erika April 11, 2018 at 7:02 am #

    Moist & chocolatey – these brownies were great! The only note I would like to make is that I wish I had pureed the kale longer. The little pieces of kale in my brownies were distracting as they were chewy and made for a weird texture. I will definitely make these again – though I will keep them in the food processor longer!

    • Jeanne April 11, 2018 at 8:30 am #

      Good tip! Thanks for stopping by, Erika!

  10. Juliana July 27, 2018 at 10:49 am #

    Can I substitute milk or semi-sweet chocolate for the dark chocolate in this recipe?

    • Jeanne July 27, 2018 at 12:50 pm #

      Hi Juliana: Thanks for stopping by! You can substitute semi sweet chocolate for the dark chocolate. If you want to use milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate, I suggest d creasing the sugar by about one teaspoon. Let me know how it turns out if you try it! Jeanne

      • Juliana July 27, 2018 at 6:30 pm #

        Thank you!!

  11. Susan August 9, 2018 at 8:21 am #

    After pureeing the wilted kale, the recipe says to drain the excess liquid. Doesn’t that remove many of the nutrients?

    • Jeanne August 9, 2018 at 9:56 am #

      Hi Susan! Thanks for stopping by! Yes, that’s probably true, but let’s remember that these are brownies… ; )

    • Victoria Merlo February 25, 2019 at 11:03 am #

      After Pinteresting for Kale recipes I ran into this blog article. I learned something new today too ; ) I do raw Kale in my meals too… I may begin steaming it for more recipes and learning the reasoning behind it.
      Thought I’d pass it along to you as well.
      I will be making these brownies this weekend for sure!!!

      • Jeanne February 25, 2019 at 12:02 pm #

        Glad to hear! Thanks for letting me know!

      • Lavonne McCrray June 26, 2019 at 8:14 pm #

        why the need to steam it if you are pureeing it anyway.

      • Jeanne June 27, 2019 at 11:03 am #

        Hi Lavonne! Thanks for stopping by! I find that steaming it gives it a smoother texture when pureed. Without steaming you tend to have little green flecks. Just a matter of taste – you could certainly do it without steaming it too. Hope you enjoy it! xo Jeanne

  12. Criss August 28, 2018 at 6:45 am #

    Self rising or plain flour?

    • Jeanne September 13, 2018 at 2:22 pm #

      Hi Kriss! Just plain flour.

  13. Liz Rafique November 21, 2018 at 5:36 am #

    OMG. I have officially deleted all other pins for brownies. I no longer need anything but this! These were amazing! Thank you for your genius and generosity for sharing such an amazing recipe.

    • Jeanne November 21, 2018 at 8:22 am #

      Wow! I am so happy to hear this! Thanks for stopping by!

  14. Barbara January 31, 2020 at 12:16 pm #

    What is a large lunch of kale for the brownie recipe? I need a cup measurement.

    • Jeanne February 2, 2020 at 11:19 pm #

      Hi Barbara! About two ounces, which if you packed it up in a cup measure, would be about 1 1/2 cups. Hope that helps! Thanks for stopping by!

  15. Elise February 22, 2020 at 3:36 pm #

    Does this recipe need to be modified for high altitude¿ About 5,200 feet.

    • Jeanne February 22, 2020 at 3:49 pm #

      Hi Elise: Thanks for stopping by! Yes, I would adjust it for high altitude. I have not tested it at high altitude but what I would do is reduce the granulated sugar by two teaspoons, add two teaspoons of water, bake them at 375 degrees F and check after 20 minutes. Hope that works out well – let me know if you try it! : )

  16. Schorty July 7, 2020 at 12:40 pm #

    5 stars
    Just awesome… very chocolatey with only a hint of kale. A lot of work by my standards (double-boiler, steamer, food processor, etc) but I think it was well worth it. I followed it exactly and did not find it too sweet at all. Thanks for sharing with us (-:

  17. Schorty July 7, 2020 at 12:40 pm #

    5 stars
    Just awesome… very chocolatey with only a hint of kale. A lot of work by my standards (double-boiler, steamer, food processor, etc) but I think it was well worth it. I followed it exactly and did not find it too sweet at all. Thanks for sharing with us (-:

    • Jeanne July 7, 2020 at 6:21 pm #

      I’m so glad to hear it! Thanks so much for checking back in and letting me know! Glad you enjoyed them. : )

  18. Katy August 15, 2020 at 7:16 am #

    I made these last night and they were a HUGE hit!!! I made them vegan so added a couple changes. I added a 4oz unsweetened apples sauce pouch to my blended kale, used vegan semi sweet choc chips melted with coconut oil, used 3/4 c oat flour and 1/2 c all purpose flour, only used the 1 1/2 c cane sugar ( no brown) and lastly, used 12 Tblsp aquafaba to replace the 4 eggs. We love at 78000 altitude and baked at 375 for 30 min. Omg……. soooooooooo good and thank you!!!!!!!

    • Jeanne August 15, 2020 at 5:04 pm #

      Fantastic! I’m so glad to hear this – Thanks so much for letting me know! : )

Leave a Reply

Recipe Rating