Gooey Chocolate Beetroot Brownies
These gooey chocolate beetroot brownies are rich, intensely chocolatey and topped with a naturally pink beetroot drizzle made from fresh beetroot juice. An easy, fudgy brownie recipe everyone will love.
You get everything I love in a brownie – crisp around the edges, fudgy in the middle and packed with deep chocolate flavour.
Freshly grated beetroot softens into the mixture as it bakes, creating a moist texture without making the brownies taste of beetroot.
This blog post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please refer to Disclosure Page for further details.
Before adding the grated beetroot to the mixture, I squeeze it and reserve its ruby red juice for the naturally pink beetroot drizzle. It’s a simple finishing touch that looks lovely and makes these brownies just that little bit different.
If you’ve already made my Courgette Brownies, you’ll recognise this method. It’s the same whisking technique I’ve used for years because it produces brownies with a crisp, crackly top and a gooey middle. Instead of simply stirring the eggs and sugar into the melted butter and chocolate, I whisk them together until thick, pale and creamy. It takes a few extra minutes, but it’s well worth the effort.
Whisking plenty of air into the eggs helps give the brownies their shiny top and prevents them from sinking as they cool. It’s a small step that makes a big difference, and I use it every time I make brownies.
Whether you’ve grown more beetroot than you know what to do with or simply fancy trying something a little different, I think you’re going to love these.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Gooey, fudgy brownies
- Rich chocolate flavour
- Freshly grated beetroot keeps them moist
- No artificial food colouring
- Naturally pink beetroot drizzle
- Easy to make
- Perfect for freezing
What equipment do I need ?
- A stand mixer or electric hand mixer – I wouldn’t recommend whisking by hand. It takes too long and I’ve never achieved the same results. I use my KitchenAid because it makes light work of whisking.
- A non-stick brownie or traybake tin 27 x 20 x 3.5cm (11 x 8x 1½”)
- Enough baking parchment to line the tin with a 5 cm overhang for easy removal of brownies.
What ingredients do I need ?
You will need the usual basic ingredients for a brownie: butter, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, plain flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. See the recipe card for quantities.
- Beetroot – fresh, raw beetroot gives the best texture. Avoid cooked beetroot as it can make the mixture too wet and the brownies heavy.
- Use good quality dark chocolate chips. Milk chocolate doesn’t provide the same depth of flavour and can become lost among the other ingredients. I like to use Callebaut Belgian chocolate, which supports sustainably sourced cocoa through the Cocoa Horizons programme.
- Optional: Espresso coffee powder. I use espresso powder in all my chocolate cakes and chocolate brownies. It deepens the chocolate flavour without making the brownies taste of coffee.
Naturally pink beetroot drizzle ingredients
- Reserved beetroot juice
- Icing sugar
Why Use Raw Beetroot?
Many beetroot brownie recipes use cooked or puréed beetroot, but I prefer fresh raw beetroot.
When finely grated, the beetroot softens as the brownies bake, keeping them moist and gooey without making them heavy. Better still, squeezing the grated beetroot gives you a vivid ruby red juice that’s perfect for making a naturally coloured drizzle.
It means both the beetroot and its juice are put to good use.
How to make gooey Beetroot Brownies
Prepare the beetroot
Beetroot stains, so wear food safe gloves and use a tea towel you don’t mind marking.
- Peel and grate the beetroot.
- Place the grated beetroot in a clean tea towel or muslin cloth and squeeze firmly over a bowl. Reserve the beetroot juice for the icing.
Make the brownies
- Melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave on high in 30 second bursts, stirring after each one. Mine takes about 2 minutes in total. Using the microwave in bursts reduces the risk of burning your chocolate. Stir until smooth, mix in the vanilla extract and set aside to cool slightly.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar together until doubled in volume. This takes about 5 – 8 minutes, depending on your mixer. I use a stand mixer, but an electric hand mixer works well too.
- To check the eggs and sugar have enough volume, lift the whisk – if the mixture falling from it leaves a trail on the surface for a second or two, it’s done.
- Now it’s time to carefully fold in the cooled melted chocolate and butter by hand. Avoid beating at this stage, as this will knock out the air you’ve whisked in and make the mixture runny. A runnier mixture can take longer to bake and you’re likely to end up with denser brownies.
- Gently fold in the grated beetroot in a figure of eight motion. As before, take your time, you don’t want to knock the air out you’ve whisked in.
- Use a sieve to sift the dry ingredients over the chocolate mixture. Carefully fold in using a figure of eight motion.
- Pour your brownie mixture into the prepared baking tin and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin – if you can! Leaving your brownies to cool for at least an hour allows their fudgy texture to develop and makes them easier to cut.
How to tell when your brownies are done
Look for a thin, papery crust on top – the centre should still wobble slightly when you gently move the tin. A toothpick inserted into the centre should come out with a few moist crumbs attached. If there is still wet batter on it, pop the brownies back in the oven for another 5 minutes.
For an easier and more accurate way to check, use a digital thermometer. Insert the thermometer into the centre of the brownies without touching the base of the tin. For this recipe, it should read around 90°C. I use a Thermapen because it gives an accurate reading very quickly.
Naturally Pink Beetroot Drizzle
The beetroot juice gives the icing its natural pink colour, making every slice look as good as it tastes without the need for artificial colouring.
- Once the brownies have cooled completely, whisk the icing sugar with the reserved beetroot juice until smooth.
- Drizzle generously over the brownies and leave to set for around 20 minutes before slicing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the beetroot icing taste like beetroot?
Not strongly. The icing sugar keeps it sweet, while the beetroot juice adds only a subtle earthy note.
Why are my brownies dense?
These brownies should be rich and fudgy, but not heavy. A dense texture usually means that too much air was knocked out of the whisked eggs and sugar. Fold in the chocolate, beetroot and dry ingredients gently, stopping as soon as everything is combined. Over baking can also make the brownies firmer, so remove them once the centre reaches around 90°C.
How long do they keep ?
Layer the beetroot brownies between sheets of baking parchment in an airtight container. They will keep this way for up to five days.
Can I freeze them ?
Yes, you can! Cut the brownies into portions and place them on a tray in the freezer for a couple of hours. Once firm, transfer them to a freezer safe bag.
They will keep in the freezer for up to three months.
More Vegetable Baking Recipes
If you’ve discovered just how brilliant vegetables can be in baking, here are a few more recipes to try next:
- Chocolate Courgette Muffins – soft chocolate muffins that stay moist for days.
- Lemon Courgette Cake – light, fresh and topped with a tangy lemon glaze.
- Courgette and Red Pepper Muffins – savoury muffins packed with Mediterranean flavours, perfect for picnics and lunchboxes.
- Savoury Courgette and Smoked Salmon Loaf – an easy no yeast loaf with smoked salmon and chives.
- Courgette Bhajis – crisp outside, soft and lightly spiced inside, with no need for deep frying.
Let’s Keep In Touch! You can Find Me On Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter
Gooey Chocolate Beetroot Brownies with Pink Drizzle
Equipment
- 1 non-stick 27 × 20 × 3.5cm (11 × 8 × 1½in) brownie or traybake tin, lined with baking parchment and leaving a 5cm overhang
Ingredients
Brownies
- 300 g raw beetroot peeled, coarsely grated and squeezed, reserving approximately 2 – 3 tablespoons of juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 200 g dark chocolate chips
- 150 g butter
- 3 eggs
- 200 g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 140 g plain flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder optional
Beetroot Drizzle Icing
- 125 g icing sugar
- 2 – 3 tablespoons reserved beetroot juice
Instructions
Brownies
- Preheat oven: 180°C / 160°C fan / 350 °F / Gas Mark 4
- Peel and coarsely grate or shred your beetroot.
- Place the grated beetroot in a clean tea towel or muslin cloth and squeeze firmly over a bowl. Reserve 2 – 3 tablespoons of beetroot juice for the drizzle and set the squeezed beetroot aside.
- Place the chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 – 2 minutes in 30 second bursts, stirring after each one, until melted.
- Stir in the vanilla extract until smooth, then set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together with an electric mixer until thick, pale and doubled in volume. This takes approximately 5 – 8 minutes, depending on your mixer. When you lift the whisk, the mixture falling from it should leave a trail on the surface for a second or two.
- Pour the cooled chocolate mixture into the whisked eggs and sugar. Gently fold together with a silicone spatula, taking care not to knock out the air.
- Fold in the grated beetroot in a figure of 8 motion. Take your time, you don’t want to knock the air out.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and optional espresso powder over the mixture. Fold gently until just combined.
- Pour mixture into the prepared tin, gently easing the mixture into the corners of the tin and levelling with a spatula.
- Bake for 25 minutes. The brownies should have a thin, papery crust on top and the centre should still wobble slightly when you gently move the tin.
- A toothpick inserted into the centre should come out with a smear of brownie and a few moist crumbs attached. If there is still wet batter on it, return the brownies to the oven for another five minutes.
- Once baked, leave in the tin until completely cold – if you can! Then use the overhanging parchment paper to lift them out.
Beetroot Drizzle
- Whisk the icing sugar with the reserved beetroot juice until smooth. Add more juice a teaspoon at a time if needed to achieve a drizzling consistency.
- Drizzle generously over the brownies and leave to set for around 20 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Instead of using a toothpick to check the brownies are baked, use a digital thermometer. Take the temperature from the centre of the brownies without touching the base of the tin. It should read around 90°C.
- Store the beetroot brownies between sheets of baking parchment in an airtight container for up to five days.
- To freeze, cut the brownies into portions and place them on a tray in the freezer for a couple of hours. Once firm, transfer them to a freezer safe bag. Freeze for up to three months and defrost at room temperature.
- Nutrition information is approximate and intended as a guide only.