Name: Single-Serve Paleo Prebiotic Brownie
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp. green banana flour; 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 tbsp. granulated monk fruit; 1/2 tsp. baking powder; 1/8 tsp sea salt; 1 egg; 2 tbsp. pumpkin puree; 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract; 1 tbsp paleo. dark chocolate chips

A rich, decadent chocolate brownie recipe made with green banana flour (aka a prebiotic POWERHOUSE). This paleo brownie recipe is the perfect quick & easy single-serve dessert…

A Single-Serve Brownie!

A grad student’s dream at the end of a long day: a whole dessert to myself. With a warm mug of tea. Preferably in bed.

A healthier grain-free brownie recipe made with green banana flour

Hopefully I’m not alone in my little dream world scenario because I’m way too excited to share this brownie recipe with y’all! This single-serve recipe is the perfect solution to not worry about leftovers or wasting any extras if you live alone like I do during the semesters. I also find this brownie to be the perfect size to satisfy my chocolate cravings without making me feel sick!

My apartment fridge and storage situation is also VERY limited so this is the perfect way to avoid extra Tupperware containers on the counter. Desserts are also sooo much better when they’re fresh out of the oven. Especially when it comes to gooey, melty chocolate brownies, they’re just never quite as good the next day. Since this single-serve brownie recipe only takes 15 minutes to whip up, it’s definitely worth it to make a fresh brownie for yourself.

Gut healthy dessert recipe for the paleo diet

Even if I know I have some friends coming over, I still like to make several of these single-serve brownies. Not only is it more fun to serve them like this, but it’s also much easier cleanup!

Baking with Green Banana Flour

Green banana flour is one of the best food sources of prebiotic fiber out there! Specifically, it’s rich in resistant starch, which is used by healthy bacteria in our gut as a food source. The bacteria that can use resistant starch produce short chain fatty acids (such as butyrate) which can lead to many health benefits!

Pumpkin pulp (aka pumpkin puree) also adds some resistant starch to this recipe. This 2011 study by Aziah and others found that about 5.5% of cooked and cooled (canned) pumpkin pulp has about 5.5% resistant starch by weight. PLUS you can’t even taste it in this recipe, I promise!

Prebiotic brownie recipe made with green banana flour

To list a few health outcomes of increasing butyrate production in your gut:

Reduces inflammation (Link to study)
Strengthens gut lining (Link to study)
Promotes satiety to reduce overeating (Link to study)
Suppresses onset/severity of autoimmune diseases (Link to study)
Helps manage blood glucose & insulin sensitivity (Link to study)
Protects against colon cancer (Link to study)
Helps manage weight in obese individuals (Link to study)

Green banana flour is also a super easy grain-free flour alternative to traditional wheat flour for baking! On it’s own, it’s slightly bitter and “earthy” in flavor because of its low sugar content. But when it’s paired with other flavors like chocolate or cinnamon, the subtle bitterness is easily disguised. Green banana flour is also super fine in texture to create a light cakey texture.

Green banana flour tends to absorb more liquid than traditional wheat flour due to it’s higher resistant starch content. As resistant starch gets heated, the granules swell up by absorbing water. When I bake with green banana flour, I always end up adding about 25% more of a liquid ingredient (water, almond milk, melted coconut oil, etc) than I normally would.

What You’ll Need:

How to Make a Prebiotic Brownie:

Step 1: Combine the “dry” ingredients together in a small mixing bowl.

Step 2: Add the egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla and stir well until a brownie batter forms. Fold in the paleo dark chocolate chips.

Step 3: Transfer the brownie batter to a small oven-safe ramekin lightly greased with coconut oil. Bake for 10 minutes.

I always like to top the brownie with full-fat coconut cream, melted unsweetened dark chocolate, and a sprinkle of hemp hearts for more healthy fats! This brownie is best (in my opinion) warm out of the oven, but its also great to made ahead of time and covered for up to 3 days.

More of My Favorite Single-Serve Desserts: