Chocolate Ragi Brownies (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
Chocolate Ragi Brownies or Finger millet brownies are moist and decadent with rich chocolate flavor. These brownies are vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free. They are the best healthy alternative to normal chocolate brownies.
These Egg-Less, Butter-Less, Gluten-free Chocolate Ragi Brownies are one of the best edible gifts for your vegan or gluten-free friends. These brownies can even be enjoyed by toddlers and kids.
What is Ragi?
Ragi is a super grain, a millet. Also known as Finger Millet or Nachni in Hindi or Marathi. The grain actually originated in Africa and has been cultivated in Uganda and Ethiopia for many years. Ragi flour is prepared by either crushing dried grains or spouting, drying, and then grinding them. Believed to be a rich source of good carbohydrates, loaded with calcium, iron, protein, and fiber. Ragi helps to keep full for longer times and in turn, helps with weight loss (Source google).
Ragi Recipes
Finger millet or Ragi can be replaced in our daily diet in the form of chapatis (flatbread) or as porridge for breakfast. I love to make this Ragi Roti, Ragi Mudde, Ragi Kadhi, Ragi Pancakes, Fermented Ragi Idli, Instant Ragi Dosa, Ragi Banana, and Dates Smoothie, etc.
I make this Gluten-Free & Vegan Ragi Banana Cake, which is completely Sugar-free and Dairy-Free. Sugar here is in the form of Ripe bananas. So coming to today's recipe for a Vegan and Gluten-Free Chocolate Ragi Brownie.
What is a brownie?
A chocolate Brownie or a brownie is a square, baked chocolate dessert that can be chewy or cakey, depending on the density. They may include some nuts or chocolate chips or neither and can be enjoyed with warm milk/ a cup of coffee or as a dessert along with whipped cream or Ice Cream.
What does Chocolate Ragi Brownie taste like?
Ragi is an acquired taste and you might wonder will this brownie taste so. No, you cannot taste much of the ragi. In fact, it is bursting with chocolate flavor. My 6-year-old fussy eater loves these brownies and I love to make them for her.
The texture of Vegan and Gluten-Free Chocolate Ragi Brownies
These brownies have a nutty texture from the flour and are not dense. They are light and moist. Look at the texture of the slice in the pic below. The texture would be different from the brownies which we make using all-purpose or plain flour, but when you want a gluten-free treat, this is the one.
Ingredient Replacements
Coconut Oil in Brownie
When I first tried this recipe, I was worried about the smell of coconut oil. Similarly, a few of my followers asked me the same thing. You might feel the taste of coconut oil if you are not used to this. But it actually adds taste to the brownie. I would say try it once and you would love it. If you are still concerned, replace it with olive oil or any flavorless oil.
Flax egg
I am using flax egg here so that it is vegan. It is simply a gel made using flax powder and warm water. If you eat an egg and want to make it with an egg, simply use 1 egg instead of a flax egg.
Nuts
I have added nuts just as I like them. Have powdered and added it. If you want a nut-free version, simply skip the nuts.
Sweetener
One can replace dark brown sugar with granulated white sugar. One can replace the ¼ cup of brown sugar with honey or maple syrup. If honey is used it would not be vegan.
Ragi Flour
Ragi can be replaced with whole wheat flour. If whole wheat flour is used it would not be gluten-free.
Can Brownies be frozen?
Yes, all cakes, brownies, and cupcakes can be frozen. Let the brownies cool completely. Cut into squares or individual portion sizes. Arrange it on a baking or a flat tray and freeze it. Once frozen keep them in an air-tight container or a zip-lock bag. When required just warm them in a microwave.
How to enjoy these brownies
We enjoy this as is for a quick evening snack or as a sizzling brownie. Top it up with a dollop of whipped cream or Ice cream and some melted chocolate.
Updates
I first posted this recipe on 24 August 2018. Today I have updated this recipe a bit. Earlier I used to sweeten this with honey or maple syrup. Few did not want to use honey, so I tried it with dark brown sugar and replaced that with a sweetener. Rest the recipe remains the same.
Feedback on this brownie
These Ragi brownies have been tried by a lot of my viewers and friends. I have received personal feedback on this and everyone loved it.
Few more cake recipes on my blog
- Lemon Cake (No Baking Powder, No Baking Soda)
- Zucchini Chocolate Wholewheat Cake/Bread
- Easy Eggless Rava Cake (Semolina Cake)
- Eggless Chocolate Cooker Cake (Whole Wheat and without Cocoa powder)
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Chocolate Ragi Brownie (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
Equipment
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 Cup Ragi Flour
- ½ Cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¾ Cup Brown Sugar
- 10 Cashew Nuts Optional
- 10 Almonds Optional
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Wet Ingredients
- ½ Cup Coconut Oil
- ½ Cup Warm Water
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Flax Egg
- 2 tablespoon Flax Seeds Powder -I powdered my flax seeds in a mixer/grinder
- 4 tablespoon Warm water
Topping (Optional)
- 1 tablespoon Ganache/Chocolate Sauce/Peanut Butter - Use dairy-free for intolerance or skip
- 1 tablespoon Chocolate Chips - Use dairy-free for intolerance or skip
- 1 tablespoon Chopped Nuts (Almonds/Walnuts/Pecans/Cashews)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 Deg C
- Prepare a square tin by greasing it and lining it with parchment paper.
- In the meantime, add the flax egg ingredients in a bowl and mix.2 tablespoon Flax Seeds Powder, 4 tablespoon Warm water
- Set it aside for 4-5 minutes until it forms a gel-like mixture.
- Powder the Cashews and the Almonds. I simply used my mortar and pestle. One can do it in a grinder.10 Cashew Nuts, 10 Almonds
- Sift the Ragi flour, along with the Cocoa Powder Baking powder, and salt.1 Cup Ragi Flour, ½ Cup Cocoa Powder, 1 teaspoon Baking Powder, ¼ teaspoon Salt
- In another bowl, add the Coconut oil and brown sugar.½ Cup Coconut Oil, ¾ Cup Brown Sugar
- Mix it and then add water, flax egg, and vanilla extract and mix everything well.½ Cup Warm Water, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Now slowly add the dry ingredients in batches and make a smooth batter.
- Add the Cashew and Almond powder and mix again once nicely.
- Top it up with chocolate chips, or chopped nuts1 tablespoon Chocolate Chips, 1 tablespoon Chopped Nuts (Almonds/Walnuts/Pecans/Cashews)
- Bake in a preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean but has a bit of crumb on it.
- My brownie was done in 20 minutes.
- Let it rest for 10 mins. After 10 min, lift the parchment paper or remove the brownie and let it cool on a wire rack.
- One can top it up with some melted chocolate or ganache or peanut butter.1 tablespoon Ganache/Chocolate Sauce/Peanut Butter
- Serve it warm or cold with a glass of milk/coffee or with some whipped cream/ Ice Cream.
Video
Notes
- Standard US Size cups and spoons were used.
- 1 cup = 237 ml, 1 teaspoon = 5 ml
- All ovens are different, please keep a close eye around 18-20 minutes.
- Changing the cake tin size will change the baking time.
- Coconut oil can be replaced with Vegetable Oil.
- Ragi can be replaced with whole wheat flour. If whole wheat flour is used it would not be gluten-free.
- One can replace the ¼ cup of brown sugar with honey or maple syrup. If honey is used it would not be vegan.
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I have never heard of Ragi. Thanks for the information. Your brownies look amazing.
Thank You
I have so many friends who would love this recipe! I'll definitely be passing it along!
Thank You :-), do pass it on ..much appreciated.
I've never heard of ragi flour. These look like a much healthier alternative for a sweet treat. Thanks for sharing.
Ragi flour is something I'll have to investigate. Your brownies looks delectable.
Looks delish. Thanks for baking with the group this month!
I never heard of ragi. Something new to me to try. Your brownies look so moist!
These sound delightful Renu and actually pretty healthy as brownies go. I have never heard of ragi before but it's great to learn about new ingredient especially when it is so good for you. I do love the addition of all the nuts and would be so happy to devour a square or two 🙂 Thank you for sharing with #BakingCrumbs 🙂 x
I must confess that Chocolate Brownies are one of my weaknesses - they're so yummy and your egg-less and butter-less version looks just as yummy and I'm sure at our house they would disappear long before the thought of freezing them entered our heads lol 😀 . I've not come across ragi before was it's been really interesting to learn all about it. Thankyou for sharing with #Bakingcrumbs,
Angela x
Loved your healthy and delicious brownie. Ragi brownie sounds super yummy. Awesome share.
Looks so healthy and yummy!! Totally guilt-free chocolate delight!
So healthy and yummy!! A good guilt-free alternative to regular chocolate brownies!
Healthy Baking is always welcome in my kitchen and these ragi brownies certainly I want to try!
Ragi is wonderful and healthy to use in various recipes. Brownie from this would be cherry on the cake.
superb eggless butterless chocolate ragi brownie looks absolutely tempting and delicious. A great recipe must say.
Whoa!!! You got me at brownie!! With ragi, vegan and eggless; I am sold! Love the fudgy texture...awesome share!
That is one brownie I wouldn't feel guilty after eating. Looks so yummy and fudgy 🙂
I'm yet to bake with ragi and your recipe is so well explained. Thank you for the step by step photos! I make gluten-free brownies using only almond meal but ragi would be such a great addition to the mix. Marking it for making soon 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Was good.. not light n fluffy like whole wheat or refined wheat flour.. but tasted great. My only concern is we have added honey to this recipe.. can honey be heated.. ain’t it harmful??
Thank you for your feedback. I am glad you liked it. Brownies are generally a bit dense then a cake and secondly the texture of whole wheat or plain flour would always be light and soft. With respect to honey, if you follow a particular food style like Ayurveda, yes it is not good. However there are many traditional cuisines using up honey by warming and hence I have used too. If you do not like to use honey you can replace it with brown sugar or jaggery.
Ragi brownies look so good and healthier. It is so nice you tried making with ragi, will give a try to this version. The recipe is easy to follow, thankyou.
what a wonderful GF + vegan treat these brownies are - perfect for the chocoholics back home, Renu. Bookmarked to try these at the earliest !
Hope you like it. Thank You
Tried this recipe. Just used butter as I didn't have coconut oil. Turned out to be the best healthy brownie ever. Thanks a lot ❤
Thank you Glad you liked it. Request to rate the recipe as well as it helps others as well as my blog.
Hi Renu,
I've been looking to bake with Ragi, and am excited to try this recipe.
Just one change that I'm looking to make - i don't want to use flax egg and would be ok to use regular egg instead. How many eggs should I use?
Thank you for the response in advance!
Hi Sneha, Yes you can replace it with egg. Use 2 eggs in this. Hope you like it, do leave your feedback with comments and ratings. Thank You, Renu
I think oil is little more bcz last time when I prepared 2 cups ragi flour ,3 tbsp cocoa powder I used 1/2 cup oil... when I touched the cake it was so much oily and dry
At times flours texture varies. For me the oil is perfect and I have made this multiple times. If you find it more oil, try reducing oil by 2 tablespoon. Also as you say it is dry, looks like your flour has not absorbed liquid too and that might the reason you might feel more oil. Try increasing the water by 2 -3 tablespoon and reduce oil and test it again. Also are you using fresh flour? Millet flours are best to be used fresh and consumed within a short time.
Outstanding! I found your website and this recipe when searching for a Chocolate-Ragi treat. This recipe is absolutely simple and tastes great. I used coconut sugar (to use up my stock) and regular vegetable oil, no nuts. You may want to mention the temperature of the warm water. It can mean different things to different people. Very good work. Keep it up!
Thank You Dear Nidhi. Got your point. I will update it when I can.