Fudgy Almond Flour Brownies are an easy, one bowl recipe for thick, gooey homemade brownies. Once you sink your teeth into through the crackly chocolate crust into a moist, chewy interior, you won’t believe they are also grain free and gluten free brownies!
Gluten-Free and Grain-Free Brownies from Scratch
If you have not jumped on the almond flour bandwagon yet, it’s time to get on board with this ultra fudgy, chocolatey, grain free brownie recipe!
Using almond flour over gluten free flour blends has some health and taste benefits. Almond flour is lower in carbs and has a higher amount of protein. Plus, it has a slightly sweet, nutty taste that pairs perfectly in baked goods, such as almond flour brownies, chocolate chip cookies, muffins, and peanut butter cookies.
Where some gluten free recipes leave a slightly grainy taste and texture, a good almond flour recipe masks any detectable difference from a traditional brownie. Made from scratch almond flour brownies have the same crackly top, chewy edges, and soft fudgy interior as my other go-to brownie recipe.
Give this easy, one bowl recipe a try and it will be love at first bite!
How to Make Homemade Almond Flour Brownies
With only 10 minutes of prep time, these chocolate brownies are the perfect sweet treat to make when you want to serve something yummy, yet don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. If you love the ease of this brownie recipe, be sure to try oat brownies as well!
- Begin by greasing an 8×8 pan, then set aside.
- Next, in a large saucepan, melt one stick of room temperature butter with one cup of the chocolate chips. (The rest of the chocolate chips will be used later.) Stir the melted butter and chocolate chips together until the consistency is nice and smooth.
- To the chocolate and butter add sugar and cocoa powder. Mix well and set aside to cool slightly. While cooling, be sure to stir occasionally.
- Next, lightly beat the eggs and add them to the cocoa mixture, along with the vanilla. Stir vigorously and then add the dry ingredients – almond flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well.
- For an extra touch of chocolate goodness, add the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and give it a stir.
- Last but not least, pour the batter into your prepared baking pan and spread evenly. The baking time is 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan, or on wire rack, before serving. Enjoy!
Ingredients Needed
- Unsalted butter – I have not tested the recipe using coconut oil, but I don’t foresee there being an issue with substituting it.
- Semisweet chocolate chips
- Sugar – For an unrefined sweetener, use equal amount of coconut sugar.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – Use dutch-processed cocoa powder for a deeper, less acidic chocolate taste.
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Almond flour – For the best price on almond flour look at Costco or buy on Amazon.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, these aren’t only delicious, but also completely gluten free and grain free. There is no sacrifice on taste, however. Homemade almond flour brownies will disappear equally as fast as traditional brownies.
Because it is made simply of ground almonds, baking with almond flour has more predictable results than gluten free flour blends. Store bought gluten free flours contain a huge variance of flour combinations, so they don’t all perform equally.
No. Unfortunately, if you are looking for a low carb or keto brownie recipe, this may not be the one for you. With keto and low carb diets, most of your calories come from protein and fat instead of carbohydrates.
The good news is, while this isn’t officially a keto recipe, there are ways to decrease the amount of carbohydrates. Consider using a sugar free sweetener, monk fruit, or sugar blend to lower the carb count.
I personally haven’t tested recipe using sugar free substitutes, but if you are wanting a sugar free almond flour brownie, you can give your preferred sugar free sweetener a try.
Since the sweetener will contain less bulk than sugar, you will have to replace it with something else. Try adding a couple additional tablespoons of almond flour. Here are some additional baking tips for using sugar-free sweeteners.
Swapping out almond flour in any brownie recipe will not have predictable results. Therefore, I would stick with a tested almond flour recipe.
Almond flour weighs less than traditional flour, so a one to one conversion isn’t always possible. It also contains more moisture, which changes the chemistry of baked goods.
Considering almond flour is grain free, gluten free and low carb, it’s tempting to replace regular flour with almond flour in recipes. If you’d like to experiment on your own, keep some of the these tips in mind. Alternative, find more of my favorite almond flour recipes here!
1. Increase the amount of almond flour by 25%, so for every 1 cup flour, use 1 1/4 cup almond flour.
2. Add extra leavening to offset the density of almond flour. 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, baking soda, or combination of both will help.
3. Use less liquid in the recipe since almond flour adds more moisture. Using an egg yolk instead of the whole add egg or cutting back on moisture containing ingredients, such as milk, bananas, applesauce, or sour cream.
Using Almond Flour versus Almond Meal in Baking
You may be wondering what the difference is between almond flour and almond meal. Both almond flour and almond meal are made from ground almonds, so they can be used interchangeably in most almond flour recipes.
However, there are some differences to consider. For one, almond flour is more finely ground than almond meal with a uniform consistency. Because of this, it works better in more delicate baked goods, such as cookies, brownies, and pancakes.
Almond meal is typically either blanched (ground with skins removed) or unblanched (ground with skins on), so there might be a difference in color with a slightly more granular texture. Almond meal is good for more rustic recipes, such as breads or breading meats.
Storing / Freezing
If you have the willpower to not eat every last bite, then I would most definitely freeze what is remaining. Who wants to let any of these tasty morsels go to waste? Not me!
Once the brownies are completely cooled, wrap each individual servings in plastic wrap. Store in a ziplock freezer bag or airtight container.
If you aren’t freezing individual brownies, but have an entire pan to freeze – you can go that route, too. First, make sure the cooked brownies have cooled completely and then wrap the pan in plastic wrap. Wrap it all the way around, like a present, to get a good airtight seal.
Then cover the top with a layer of foil. Pull out the pan to thaw on the counter a few hours before serving.
Make these Gluten-Free Brownies More Amazing!
If you feel like taking a walk on the wild side and making these mouth-watering brownies even more amazing, try one of these fun additions:
- Top with caramel, pecans, and peanut butter using Buckeye Turtle Brownies recipe
- Make Cookie Dough Brownies, using an edible no bake cookie dough and chocolate for a topping.
- Spread on a thick layer of fluffy buttercream frosting. Sprinkle with dark chocolate chips or sprinkles for texture and flavor.
- M&M Brownies -Add 1 cup M&Ms to the batter for a colorful and yummy surprise.
- Chocolate Candy Bar Brownies – Chop up chunks of your favorite chocolate candy bar and add it to the batter. Serve with ice cream, hot fudge, and extra chopped candy bars.
- Turn them into a festive treat! Double the recipe and decorate as 4th of July brownies.
More Gluten Free Dessert Recipes
- Almond Flour Pie Crust – A grain free, low carb recipe that requires no special equipment or rolling!
- Fluffy & Moist Gluten Free White Cake – This beautiful cake is not only delicious, but also perfect for birthdays and celebrations.
- Ding Dong Cake Recipe (Better Than Hostess!) -One bite of this cake and you will remember sinking your teeth into a Hostess cupcake as a kid – only this bite will be even better!
- Fresh Apple Cake – This cake complete with chunks of fresh apples and a brown sugar praline glaze drizzled on top is sure to leave you wanting more.
- Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies – Soft, chewy and loaded with chocolate chips. Need I say more?
SAVE THIS Almond Flour Brownie Recipe TO YOUR PINTEREST BOARD!
Let’s be friends on Pinterest! I’m always sharing great recipes!
Fudgy Almond Flour Brownies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup almond flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 8X8" baking pan. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan melt butter with 1 cup chocolate chips. Stir until smooth. Add sugar and cocoa powder. Mix well. Set aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- To the chocolate mixture add lightly beaten eggs and vanilla. Stir vigorously, then add almond flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix well.
- Stir in remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips. Pour into prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack before slicing and serving.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?? DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE FEEDBACK AND RATE BELOW!
Recipe Notes
Storing / Freezing Brownies
Once the brownies are completely cooled, wrap each individual servings in plastic wrap. Store in a ziplock freezer bag or airtight container. If you aren’t freezing individual brownies, but have an entire pan to freeze – you can go that route, too. First, make sure the cooked brownies have cooled completely and then wrap the pan in plastic wrap. Wrap it all the way around, like a present, to get a good airtight seal. Then cover the top with a layer of foil. Pull out the pan to thaw on the counter a few hours before serving.Nutrition
❊SHOP THE RECIPE❊
Items used to make this recipe*:
8″ square baking pan Saucepan Silicone Spoon
*affiliate links
Alexus Clayton says
I made the recipe and mine came out a little grainy, I’m sure I didn’t mix it enough, overall really good!
Melissa says
Hi Alexus,
I’m glad you still enjoyed the recipe! It will have a slight different texture than “regular” brownies because of the almond flour. It just isn’t as fine as flour, so I think that’s to be expected. But, yes, perhaps with more mixing it would have helped. Thank you so much for taking the time to write!
Best,
Melissa
Sunitha says
Hi chef
Please do share thr measuremnts in grams ?
Melissa says
Hello!
Of course! If you hit the “metric” tab under the ingredients it automatically converts to grams. Enjoy!
Best,
Melissa
Jodi says
I made your recipe as written, using unrefined organic coconut sugar and Hu Gems (coconut sugar sweetened chocolate chips).
THIS. RECIPE. IS. AMAZING.
Out of ALL the gluten free brownies I’ve made (many many over the course of two years), This is incredible.
THANK YOU!!!
One question – I’m not supposed to have eggs or dairy due to food sensitivities – would I use the same amount of coconut oil as butter?
Do you have an egg replacer that you recommend (perhaps flax seed meal)?
I wonder if that would work out..
Thank you again for this outstanding recipe!!!!!
Melissa says
So glad! Thanks for taking a moment to write and let me know! For the coconut oil, yes it would be a one to one substitution. I have an almond flour oatmeal cookie recipe that has suggested egg replacer suggestions on that. People have written in and said they were very successful using those, so I’m thinking it would work just as well with the brownies.
Best,
Melissa
Jodi says
Hi there! Looking forward to trying this recipe as most gluten free brownies haven’t been what they claim! One question- can you sub Dutch processed cocoa for the chocolate chips that go into the batter? If so, what measurement? That ingredient is much more cost effective than the chips I’d need to use (I can’t use conventional chips with cane sugar).
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Melissa says
Hi Jodi,
I’ll give it a solid effort, but I haven’t tried it with this conversion. So you will need to replace the chocolate, sweetness, and fat of the chocolate chips. So I would say 1 cup total dutch cocoa, add and additional 4 T. butter or coconut oil, and extra 1/4 cup sugar. Hope it works out well for you! Let me know!
Best,
Melissa
Marie says
I was expecting the texture to be a bit grainy, but these brownies were fudgy and delicious!
Melissa says
So glad you were pleasantly surprised! Thank you so much for writing!
Best,
Melissa
Susan Doyon says
these went over well made them yesterday nothing left
Melissa says
Hi Susan, Great to hear everyone enjoyed them, but bummer there is nothing left. 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to drop me a line!
Best,
Melissa
Anonymous says
Delicious, chewy and fudgy!
Melissa says
So glad you enjoyed. Thanks for writing!
Best,
Melissa