These almond flour brownies are just as delicious as traditional gooey brownies but are made entirely with almond flour and can easily be made paleo and dairy-free. They’re also super easy to make!
The same is also true of my almond flour banana muffins that I just posted. Definitely check those out after making these brownies. ;)
Together with my paleo chocolate chip cookies, my gluten-free brownies recipe have been one of my most popular recipes over the years. I have three different gluten-free flour options listed on that recipe (plus whole wheat flour for gluten-tolerating people) but readers wanted more.
So I came up with these coconut flour brownies (be sure to check out my favorite cookies, these coconut flour cookies, if you love coconut flour!).
But that still wasn’t enough. So here’s another! Brownies with almond flour. And it’s the last one. 5 flour options are enough! ;)
I think I’ve now got everyone covered, at least from the flour perspective – you can choose from plain gluten-free flour, whole grain gluten-free flours (buckwheat + teff), a grain-free + nut-free flour (coconut flour) and now a grain-free nut flour version.
Which flour is the best?
If you’re wondering which version to make, you can choose whichever one you have the flour for. They all taste the same and have the same texture.
If you’ve got them all, the coconut flour version is the cheapest. The original recipe, with teff, buckwheat or a GF 1:1 baking flour, is in the middle, and these almond flour brownies are the most expensive to make.
They call for 1 1/3 cups (133 grams) of almond flour so these brownies don’t cost a fortune. They’re definitely cheaper than some other healthy brownie recipes that call for a cup of almond butter, half a cup of maple syrup, and so on.
I have nothing against those brownies and am working on such a version myself. :)
Can I make these eggless?
I’ve tried egg replacers in the original version, the coconut flour version, and the below gluten-free brownies with almond flour. They’re all disasters.
Flax eggs, chia eggs and powdered egg replacers haven’t worked. The brownies were super oily.
The recipe needed a lot of reworking, but I came up with a vegan version! Check it out here → paleo vegan brownies.
If you need a chocolaty vegan dessert recipe now, check out my kladdkaka (Swedish sticky chocolate cake), vegan chocolate cake, vegan chocolate ice cream or vegan chocolate cheesecake. All are either gluten-free or paleo!
I think that’s it from me. I’ve answered questions about every single ingredient down below!
If you want more almond flour recipes, try my almond flour chocolate chip cookies that I posted recently or these amazing mini cheesecakes.
Other questions about these almond flour brownies?
- Can I use something instead of almond flour?
Almond flour is only really interchangeable with other nut flours so cashew or hazelnut meal might work, but the texture likely wouldn’t be exactly the same as the fat content of those flours are different.
I’ve never used almond meal in these but think it’d work fine. - Can I use homemade almond flour?
I don’t recommend it. It’s impossible to make it as fine as store-bought almond flour. If it’s not finely ground, the brownies are likely to be greasy.
- Do I have to use Dutch-process cocoa powder?
No, but they won’t be as chocolaty and might be cakier. Or they could totally fail (but I don’t think they would). The type of cocoa powder actually plays a big role in some recipes!
- Are all cocoa powders gluten-free?
Cocoa powder is naturally gluten-free, but read Is Cocoa Powder Gluten-free? for more info on brands that are tested and labeled as gluten-free! You can also read specifically about Hershey’s here → Is Hershey’s Gluten-free?
- Can I use something instead of coconut oil or butter?
Those are the only two I’ve tried. One commenter (thanks, Na!) said they used ghee with success. People have also said that they’ve used olive oil in the original version but I haven’t tried it. You would use the same amount.
- Do they taste like coconut?
Not if you use refined coconut oil. They taste 100% like regular, super gooey traditional brownies.
- Can I use something instead of coconut sugar / granulated sugar?
Subbing in a liquid sweetener won’t work. There’s no liquid to reduce to make up for the added liquid, so it’d make the brownies cakey or possibly a liquidy mess. Other granulated sweeteners like maple sugar would probably work.
I have tried making these with keto sweeteners and the oil totally separated. And they were inedible. So I don’t recommend experimenting! I hope to someday post a keto brownie recipe. - Can I reduce the sugar?
There’s been a lot of talk about this on the original recipe. People saying that they reduce the sugar to basically nothing and they’re still gooey. But that’s not possible. Or we must have differing opinions of what gooey means. The less sugar you add, the cakier and less gooey they are. They might also not hold together as well because sugar is a binder.
You could probably knock off 1/4 cup of sugar but don’t be surprised if they don’t have the perfect texture you see in the photos. - What can I use instead of the eggs?
I’ve tried egg replacements so many times and failed. The recipe needed a bit of reworking to make it vegan but here it is → paleo vegan brownies
- Do I have to use the chocolate chips?
Nope! They’re sweet enough without. I just like them in my brownies. You could also top them off with my favorite paleo chocolate fudge frosting.
- Can I double this brownie recipe?
Yes! Use a 9″x13″. I didn’t write down the baking time but one reviewer (thanks Melissa!) has done it and said you need 37 minutes. Her daughter also doubled them and confirmed this. :D But all ovens are different so keep an eye on them!
If you try this almond flour brownie recipe, I’d love to hear how they come out!
Almond Flour Brownies (paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 16 brownies
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups (133 grams) finely ground blanched almond flour (this is called ground almonds in many countries)
- 3/4 cup (86 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (196 grams) refined coconut oil, melted (you can use unrefined if you don't mind the coconut taste) or butter for a non-paleo version if you can have dairy
- 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) coconut sugar - it's best to weigh this! (granulated sugar for a non-paleo version)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 large (50 grams each, out of shell) eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (128 grams) chopped semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chocolate chips (make sure to use paleo chocolate, if needed)
- mini chocolate chips on top
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C) and line an 8"×8" (20cmx20cm) pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the melted butter or coconut oil, sugar, and vanilla extract. Once combined, add the eggs one at a time, and stir just until combined (don't use a hand mixer like in the video!).
- Add the dry mixture to the wet and stir just until almost no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix! Fold in 3/4 cup (128 grams) chocolate chunks.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top.
- Bake for 23 minutes. The brownies will puff up a little bit and may crack a little bit around the edges and the top will appear dry and crisp (not at all wet). When you remove it from the oven and tilt the pan, it may appear to move a little but shouldn't look super jiggly. A toothpick inserted into the center will come out wet. A toothpick inserted into the sides will come out with some moist crumbs on it, but not totally raw batter. The brownies will continue to bake as they sit in the pan and will firm up as they cool.
- Let cool completely and cut into squares. Cover and store at room temperature for 3 days or refrigerate for 5 days. They get firmer and have a great texture from the fridge! They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
- There is no need to use a hand mixer like in the video! The videographer made a mistake with that but it didn't actually have an effect on these brownies - they were still super gooey. Normally with brownies, you don't ever want to use a mixer because overmixing leads to bad brownies. It didn't matter here because these are grain-free brownies and there's no gluten to overmix.
- If you're very sensitive to gluten and unsure of what brand of chocolate chips are safe, check out → Are Chocolate Chips Gluten-free?
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253 comments on “Almond Flour Brownies – Super Gooey! (paleo option)” — Add one!
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Hii, I really wanna make these :) is it okay to use light brown sugar instead?
Hi! Normally it’d be fine (I often use it as a sub), but these are already so gooey, that brown sugar might make them too liquidy. I would recommend granulated sugar if you don’t have coconut sugar. :)
My brownie batter was thick after I mixed it the consistency of cookie dough and then when It came out of the oven they were still jiggly and there was a layer of oil on top I followed the recipe to a T the only difference was I used monk fruit sweetener instead of the coconut is there any tips you could give me or maybe what I could have possibly done wrong
Hi! I’m sorry that happened to you. In the post, under where it says, “Can I use something instead of coconut sugar / granulated sugar?” – I wrote, “I have tried making these with keto sweeteners and the oil totally separated. And they were inedible. So I don’t recommend experimenting!” So that’s where you went wrong. Keto sweeteners just don’t work the same. :(
I made these today and they were fudge-y, rich and delicious! I added a couple teaspoons of espresso powder, which I think brought even more depth to the flavor. I found these very satisfying!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the brownies! The espresso powder is a great idea. I’ll have to try that next time! Do you remember about how much you used? Maybe 2 tsp? Thanks so much for your feedback. :)
No baking powder or baking soda necessary?
Nope! Not needed. :)
We love these! I love that they are much healthier than traditional brownies. I brought them to dinner at a friend’s and they loved them, too.
Hi Kristie! I’m so sorry for just now seeing your comment. It was in spam for some odd reason. :/ I’m really glad to hear that everyone enjoyed the brownies! That was nice of you to share them. :) Thanks so much for your feedback and sorry again for just now seeing it.
Delicious! I made these using a 6-cupcake tray and used brown sugar (1 cup only) and olive oil instead.They came out moist and slightly gooey (not like in the photo, maybe needed less time to achieve that because I used a different pan). I usually end up with cakey brownies when I attempt almond flour recipes, so this was great, definitely keeping it for future use!
Hi Em! My apologies for just now seeing your comment. It was in spam with a bunch of other comments for some reason I don’t understand. That’s an interesting idea to use a muffin pan! Reducing the sugar by a third is probably why your brownie weren’t as gooey as mine. Sugar makes things moister and more gooey, so less sugar means less gooey. I’m glad that you still enjoyed them. :) My apologies again for just now finding your comment.
I made these, they are amazing! My boyfriend also loves them. Thank you :)
You’re welcome! I’m so glad that you and your boyfriend enjoyed them. :) Thanks a bunch for your feedback!
I finally did this recipe with dutch processed cocoa and !*@#&#$ my face!! This is such good brownie!!
Mistakes I made in the past:
-A bread loaf pan (only baking pan I had; now have a quiche pan I used with parchment paper)
-un-dutch (??) cocoa powder–very bitter
I mean–whatever you do: brownie is still good brownie. But the ooey gooey of this paired with some salted caramel ice cream!!!
Haha. I’m so glad that you enjoyed the brownies! And yes, following the recipe is always good to do (although I know, not always possible if you don’t have the right pan/ingredients!). Thanks for ton for your feedback! I loved it. :D
I make these all the time! I absolutely love them. 1/4 cup less sugar. Replace some oil and sugar with unsweetened applesauce! No chocolate chips yet add walnuts or pecans! My friends beg for these. Thanks for taking my second comment! You rock Erin!!