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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260 comments on “Almond Flour Brownies – Super Gooey! (paleo option)” — Add one!
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Thankyou so much for sharing, this is a hit in my house. Instead of topping with chocolate chips I top with almond flakes and it is my favourite! Better than any traditional brownie I’ve had!
I’m so happy you like them better than traditional brownies! That is just great. :) And sorry for just now seeing your lovely comment. 🤦♀️ I have an issue with my spam filter that I can’t seem to fix. Thanks a bunch for your feedback!
I prefer them over traditional brownies as well!
Woohoo! I love to hear that. Thanks!
These are delicious. I do not add the chocolate chips nor the chocolate chunks. This is gooey enough!
I agree! They’re definitely gooey. :D Thanks a ton for your feedback! I’m so happy that you enjoyed them.
Good to hear that they were delish omitting the choc and choc chips – need mine to be dairy free and semi sweet choc has milk. Will make them right now:)
I’m sorry for just now seeing this! Semi-sweet chocolate actually shouldn’t have milk in it. It of course can have milk in it, but it’s not at all necessary and there are loads of dairy-free brands. :) I wrote more about it here – Are Chocolate Chips Vegan?
Hello, iam Neha from India, these Brownies are a Total Hit 🤩 simply love them, I wanted to know if you could tell me how many calories they have? Will be very helpful. Thank you.
Hello Neha from India! :) I’m sorry for just now seeing your question. I don’t have that info but you could use this recipe analyzer for the nutritional profile. Thanks a ton for your feedback! I’m really happy that you like the brownies.
This is an amazing recipe! The brownies are absolutely fantastic. I followed your instructions, and the results were very nice. Thank you 🥰!
You’re welcome! I’m glad that you liked them. :) Also, I’m sorry for just now seeing your comment. It was in spam for some reason. :/ Thanks for your comment!
Hi made these brownies for my boules friends , as I doubled the recipe can I freeze the ones that are left.
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your question! I have an issue with my spam filter and can’t seem to fix it. Yes, they can be frozen for up to 3 months. I hope that your friends enjoyed them!
Thank you, this is the best brownie I ever tryed or made. I used less sugar 300g seemed to much and it come up perfect.
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the brownies! How much sugar did you use? Thanks for your feedback! :)
Tried this recipe with butter and cane sugar – it turned out amazing!! Yum!! Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the brownies! Thanks a ton for your comment. :)
These are SOOOOO good! I did have to bake them for 10 minutes longer or else they would have been soupy.
I’m happy you thought they were so good! :D Thanks for your comment!
Not sure what’s going on with my oven. Bought ingredients per recipe and followed measurements (used scale/grams) but toothpick from sides was still wet and center completely runny. Ended up leaving in extra 10!! Gave up and took them out. Hope they are cooked through and work out. Smells delicious.
I’m sorry for just now seeing your comment! I hope that the brownies came out well. Was your almond flour finely ground? If not, that could explain why your brownies were too runny. Some of the other commenters have said that the baking time is perfect and others have said that they need an extra 10 minutes. I’m not quite sure why!
I had to do it for an extra 25 minutes but I think my oven is just old! Came out amazing though!
Any oven’s temp could be off! Or it could just be that you like your brownies cakeier and less fudgy. :) I’m so glad that they worked well! Thanks for your feedback.
I ❤️ making these brownies at home!! My mum loves them and they’re so healthy and EASY to make!!- especially if u are a kid ;) tysm for this recipe!! :D
I’m so glad that you’ve been enjoying the brownies and don’t find them too difficult to make! I’m sorry for just now seeing your feedback. Thanks a ton for your nice comment!
I LOVE making these at home all the time!!!b My mum loves them and they’re so healthy and easy to make if you’re a kid :D {and let’s not forget DELICIOUS} tysm for this recipe have a wonderful day! :)
These turned out absolutely sensational. I used vegan margarine to make them dairy free. They were scarfed down! I also used a mini muffin tin and baked for 18 minutes. Let them cool for about 10 in the pan and they were absolute perfection. Thank you so much for your time testing so many recipes. You are truly so appreciated! My GF family member loved them – and so did everyone else!
I’m really glad to hear that they were scarfed down, even by the non-GF people! A mini muffin pan is such a great idea. Thanks for the tip and for your appreciation of the time it takes to recipe test. :D I really appreciate your nice comment and so sorry for my slow reply! The last 3 months have not been good but I’m back to work now. :)
Hi Erin, this is the first recipe I have made from your website. I am Paleo, can’t do Keto because of digestive issues I have with dairy and Stevia-like sweeteners. The brownies are utterly delicious! I cut down on the amount of sugar and added in half a cup desiccated coconut as I didn’t have enough chocolate in the house. I also used 90% dark chocolate which gave the brownies a wonderful, slightly bitter (which I like) rich chocolate taste. I definitely will be making more recipes from your website!
Hi Karen! I’m really sorry for just now seeing your nice comment. I haven’t really been working the last 3 months (everything was pre-scheduled) but I’m back to it today and was glad to see your comment. :) I also don’t do keto because of digestive issues with the sweeteners! I’ve posted a few keto recipes because people keep asking me to convert my most popular recipes but I am not a fan of the sweeteners. It’s great to know that adding some coconut works well in this recipe. I hope that you’ve found some other recipes that you like! Sorry again for just now replying to you. I really appreciate your kind words!
I doubled this recipe and it was a hit! You couldn’t tell it was made from almond flour which is known to create dry crumbly pastries. The amount of VCO was craaazy overflowing (and expensive) but it made the brownies fudgy. I can’t stomach the amount of coconut sugar when doubled so I used 200g less. Right after I removed it from my airfryer (yes not an oven!), the brownies were bubbling crazy from so much VCO. I doubled the recipe so my portions were very thick so I had to cook it longer. Total cooking time in airfryer: 60min. First 40 mins, pan was tented with foil. Placed it back bec still too soft for me. Next 20 mins, I removed the foil to make the top a bit crunchy. I ran out of eggs and used chia eggs instead. It came out great even though recipe said you can’t go eggless 😉! First time trying this recipe and I tweaked it so much lol but brownies came out fudgy, thick with crunchy (not hard) top layer.
I’m glad that you enjoyed them! :) The reason why the oil was bubbling at the top was because you reduced the sugar. I’ve reduced the sugar before and that’s what happened to me. I’ve also tried making them with chia eggs (without making other changes), and the oil also bubbles at the top when doing that. Just an hour ago, I published the vegan version of these brownies (these paleo vegan brownies) and it uses chia eggs. Just using chia eggs didn’t have the correct texture so I had to rework the entire recipe. Definitely check them out if you want to use chia eggs again. :) Thanks for your feedback!
This was my first attempt at using almond flour, and it was a great success! I added nuts and baked for 27 minutes. The recipe is definitely a keeper!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed them! Nuts sound like a delicious addition. Thanks a bunch for your feedback. :)
I used cacao as I didn’t have cocoa, so mine are a little bitter. Also used 200g of soft brown sugar as I didn’t have coconut sugar, perfect texture and not too sweet.
I’m glad that they worked out well with cacao! Thanks for the tip. :)
These are SOOOOO GOOD, so good I am making it for my mom’s birthday! I always love making thses,especially cause there so easy too! ❤👌🎁🎂🟫
Yay! I’m so glad that you’ve made them more than once, and I hope that your mom loved them and that she had a happy birthday! :) Thanks for your comment and sorry for my slow reply.
These brownies should be ILLEGAL!! I made them yesterday for Passover, and they are such a hit! I actually used Safflower Oil because I didn’t have coconut, and baked them 5-10 minutes longer. They were so fudgy and incredible. I will definitely be using this recipe every year for Passover and honestly probably year round as well!
I’m sorry for just now seeing your nice comment! I’m really glad that the brownies were a big hit. It’s great to know that safflower oil works well. Thanks for the tip and for your feedback! :)
So yummy!! I was skeptical once I pulled them out because they were super wiggly.. but You’re right! Once you let them completely cool they get more firm. I added walnuts to mine 😋 thanks for this!
Haha. Thank you for listening to me and not keeping them in there for an hour and waiting for them to firm up, which they don’t do in the oven. 😂 You’re welcome for the recipe and thank you for your comment!
So, I make a double batch of these every single week! I use swerve granulated sweetener and Lily’s chips to make them keto friendly! Also, because I’m currently nursing, I add 1/8 cup brewers yeast, 1/2 cup ground flax seed meal, and an extra 1/4 cup of water for some super amazing low carb lactation brownies! Also, country crock vegan butter works in place of coconut oil. Everyone loves them!!! You can’t even taste the brewers yeast! My double batch needs 24 minutes to bake.
I’m so sorry for just now seeing this! It was stuck in spam for some dumb reason. :/ And wow, I love how you’ve made your own lactation version! How cool that you can’t even taste the brewer’s yeast. Thanks a bunch for the tip! Also, do you use the same amount of Swerve? Thanks a bunch for your great review and sorry again!