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.
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.
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:
Here’s the recipe, adapted from a regular brownie recipe from the Brown-Eyed Baker.
Kale Brownie Recipe
Kale Brownies
Amazingly delicious and fudgy kale brownies - yes, kale! - that kids will happily eat.
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
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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.
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Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix until thoroughly combined.
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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.
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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 that kids will love – Really!
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Hi! I'm Jeanne Fratello - a writer, reporter, and food enthusiast who is on a mission to write great stories about food and where your food comes from.
LOOOOOVE your take on brownies. I am not scared off in the slightest by a few green flecks!
Thanks, Dorothy! From one kale lover to another, that means a lot!
Excellent texture & very decadent! Rich chocolate flavour but a bit too sweet, so maybe experiment with the amount of sugar.
Thanks for the feedback, and thanks for stopping by, Brianne!
Made these yesterday and they are amazing! Truly amazing.
Great! Thank you so much for letting me know, Kelly! Cheers!
What variety of kale works best?
Thanks for the question! I made it with curly kale but I believe plain-leaf kale or lacinato kale would work just fine!
If I want to use kale powder, how much will I need? Thankyou
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
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?
Thanks, Rachel! I think you’ll like them! : )
Would have been nice to get an answer to this question…
Oops – sorry – didn’t see the question at the end. Usually approx 7-8 leaves in a “bunch.” Hope that helps!
My granddaughter made these and they were absolutely delicious! I give these a 5+ star rating. The plus due to the wonderful kale!
Love it! Thanks so much for letting me know!
These are by far the most healthiest and delicious brownies I have ever had. Thank you granddaughter Berkeley!
Wow – That is wonderful to hear! Thanks for stopping in to report back! : )
CAN I REPLACE THE BUTTER WITH COCONUT OIL?
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!
These were surprisingly delicious. I never would have thought to add kale to brownies.
So glad to hear it! Thanks for stopping by, Gail!
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!
Good tip! Thanks for stopping by, Erika!
Can I substitute milk or semi-sweet chocolate for the dark chocolate in this recipe?
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
Thank you!!
After pureeing the wilted kale, the recipe says to drain the excess liquid. Doesn’t that remove many of the nutrients?
Hi Susan! Thanks for stopping by! Yes, that’s probably true, but let’s remember that these are brownies… ; )
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!!!
Glad to hear! Thanks for letting me know!
why the need to steam it if you are pureeing it anyway.
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
Self rising or plain flour?
Hi Kriss! Just plain flour.
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.
Wow! I am so happy to hear this! Thanks for stopping by!
What is a large lunch of kale for the brownie recipe? I need a cup measurement.
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!
Does this recipe need to be modified for high altitude¿ About 5,200 feet.
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! : )
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 (-:
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 (-:
I’m so glad to hear it! Thanks so much for checking back in and letting me know! Glad you enjoyed them. : )
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!!!!!!!
Fantastic! I’m so glad to hear this – Thanks so much for letting me know! : )
Love the new take on Brownies, I have two boxes of Brownie Mix, can I use one of them instead
Hi Calline: Thanks for stopping by! It sounds like that should work, although I have not tried it. Please let me know if you do!