These coconut flour brownies are super fudgy and are also paleo, grain-free and dairy-free! Topped with chocolate fudge frosting.
Please note that the batter in the video is much thicker than it should be. The coconut oil had hardened.
I keep getting questions about how to make this and that recipe with just coconut flour and not a blend of almond flour and coconut flour, which is what I usually use, like in these paleo carrot muffins or paleo peanut butter cookies.
I’m not usually a fan of treats with just coconut flour. The often have a weird, eggy texture and not-so-awesome taste (at least in my opinion), so I have very few recipes that call for just coconut flour.
These coconut flour brownies are an exception! They’re every bit as delicious as traditional brownies. People won’t even know that these are gluten-free, much less made with just coconut flour.
Same with these chocolate chip coconut flour cookies! They taste exactly like regular chocolate chip cookies.
I also experimented with making these brownies vegan. That didn’t work out at all. Do not try using egg replacer in these! At least not chia or flax eggs. They came out so greasy!
I’ve been playing around with this coconut flour version for about a year and one thing is super clear – the order in which you add the ingredients is really important! If you don’t do it the way it’s written, the wet and dry ingredients don’t really combine well and the result is oily.
These coconut flour brownies are also paleo (if you leave out the sprinkles)! And the most delicious paleo brownies I’ve ever had. They’re a bit heavy on the sugar (though not compared to a traditional brownie recipe), but they are brownies so I’m not going to beat myself up over it.
And they’re also nut-free. Something that’s not all that common with paleo desserts! I love my almond flour and nut butters but don’t miss them at all in these brownies.
Like the original gluten-free brownie recipe, these are also dairy-free. Though if you want to use butter in place of the coconut oil, I’m pretty sure you can! They’ll just be a tiny bit less fudgy.
And these are incredibly fudgy so a tiny bit less gooey is no big deal.
You can either throw chocolate chips into the batter or use the paleo chocolate fudge frosting that I did. The recipe is listed below but check out that post if you want to read the reviews for the frosting. Just if you need convincing. ;)
By the way, I’m working on an all coconut flour version of my chocolate chip paleo cookies! And they’re amazing. Can’t wait to share!
I’ve answered most sub questions in the post above but here it is again for easy reference!
Substitution questions for these coconut flour brownies:
- Can I omit the eggs / use an egg replacement? I tried with chia and flax eggs and they were a complete disaster. I don’t recommend trying that or any egg replacer. And definitely don’t just omit the eggs.
- Can I use another type of flour?
You can! Go check out my gluten-free brownies recipe for instructions on how to make them with teff, buckwheat, or whole wheat flour.
- Can I use something else in place of the coconut sugar? You can use granulated sugar (which means they’re no longer paleo). Liquid sweetener won’t work. I also have no idea how to make these low-carb.
Wondering what else to do with coconut flour? Try these coconut flour chocolate pancakes from Pint Sized Baker!
Coconut Flour Brownies (paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 16 brownies
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups (266 grams) coconut sugar, broken up if lumpy (granulated white sugar for non-paleo)
- 1/3 cup (43 grams) coconut flour, sifted if lumpy
- 3/4 cup (86 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (196 grams) coconut oil, melted (but it shouldn't be so hot that it cooks the eggs) or butter for non-paleo
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs (50 grams each, out of shell), room temperature (it's important that they're not cold – cold eggs will make the coconut oil harden)
- 1 cup (170 grams) chopped semi-sweet chocolate or chocolate chips (make sure to use paleo chocolate)
- 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) milk of choice (make sure to use dairy-free milk like almond milk for paleo, but not canned coconut milk)
- 1/4 cup (56 grams) coconut oil (butter for non-paleo)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
For the brownies:
For the frosting:
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 sugar, flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the melted coconut oil, vanilla extract and eggs. Stir until combined.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet and stir until combined. Do not overmix! The mixture will be more of a batter than what you see in the video.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 16-20 minutes or until the brownies appear set in the middle. It'll have the appearance of cake. They won't be gooey and wet, but shouldn't be dry like cake, either. The brownies will continue to bake as they sit in the pan and will firm up as they cool. These brownies don't have the best texture straight out of the oven, when they're quite cakey. They need to cool for the best texture.
- Let the brownies cool completely, about 60-90 minutes, and then prepare the frosting.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, mix together all the ingredients. Stir until melted and completely smooth.
- Let cool for about 10-20 minutes or until no longer warm, but still pourable, and then pour over the brownies.
- Place the pan in the refrigerator and chill for 1-2 hours or until the frosting is firm (it should be hard enough to cut into squares without making a mess). The frosted brownies are fine at room temperature for 1 day. The frosting won't harden enough to stack the brownies, but it won't be as soft as the warm frosting is.
- Unfrosted brownies can also be kept at room temperature for a few days. Cut into 16 squares.
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186 comments on “Coconut Flour Brownies (paleo and super fudgy!)” — Add one!
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Can you use egg whites instead of whole eggs?
I haven’t tried it, so I really have no idea, but I think the brownies would be quite cakey and possibly drier.
Hello Erin, It’s Tamara and Nicole in Mexico. We love your recipes, especially since we find ones that use local things like cashews. Your Key Lime Pie is the best! Now that we have roasted and peeled local cacao beans, we are ready to make this tonight!! My daughter is becoming a serious foodie. Blessings to you.
What size pan?
Did you mean to leave that comment on this recipe? Step 1 says, “Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C) and line an 8″×8″ (20cmx20cm) pan with parchment paper.” :)
These came out so flippin good! I used granulated sugar and butter. I also had to bake for thirty minutes. Would probably call this “brownie-like fudge” rather than fudgy brownies. Delicious!
Haha. Brownie-like fudge. I like it! Good idea. :D Thanks for your feedback! I’m so glad you enjoyed them.
This my new go-to brownie recipe. I like it a lot! I have used butter instead of coconut oil most time only because I didn’t have that amount of coconut oil at the time.
I’m glad that you’ve been enjoying the brownies! Thanks for your feedback. :)
These were so yummy! I can’t have eggs, so I made these vegan by using puréed apple (150g). I also halved the amount of coconut oil after reading that it turned out too oily with an egg substitute. Turned out great 😁
Wow! I’m amazed that your sub worked. Were they still fudgy or a little cakey? Thanks a ton for the tip! I’m excited to try it out.
Please oh please try it and let us know if you also have success with this no-egg version? My sweet girl is turning 8 and would be so happy if I could make these for her but she can’t have eggs. Thank you! Also, are butter and coconut oil a 1:1 swap in this recipe? And in general? Thank yoU!
I haven’t tried it and probably won’t be able to for a while. Why don’t you try a fourth batch and see how it comes out before making a full recipe? :) And yes, butter is listed in the recipe! Same amount as the coconut oil. They’re not always interchangeable but in already very moist muffins and brownies, I find that they usually are.
Hi! Can’t wait to try this recipe. If I use Country Crock Plant Butter instead of the coconut oil, do I use the same measurements?
Hi! If it’s meant as a 1:1 sub for butter or coconut oil, then use the amount called for in the recipe. :) I’d love to hear how they come out!
Wow! These brownies look Yum. Can I make coconut flour by grinding desiccated coconut into a fine flour?
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your question! That won’t get the coconut flour enough. Coconut flour is super absorbent and if you grind coconut, it quickly becomes coconut butter. It’s best just to get a bag of coconut flour. :) Sorry again for my slow reply!
I made these! Thanks for posting the recipe!
Do you have an nutrition information?
I don’t have that info but you could use this recipe analyzer for the nutritional profile.
Thank you!
These brownies were absolutely amazing! I substituted the coconut oil with sunflower oil and coconut sugar with regular sugar but still tasted heavenly. I heated these and poured hot chocolate sauce over. Thanks for this recipe! A favourite.
Oh yum! I bet they’re great with hot chocolate sauce on them. I’ll have to try that! I’m so glad that you enjoyed them and that they came out well with your changes. Thanks for the tip and for your comment!
I made these with butter instead of coconut oil, and monk fruit sweetener instead of coconut sugar and they came out delicious! Texture just like a regular brownie.
What monkfruit sweetener did you use? I tried them with Lakanto and they were super oily (swimming in oil) and tasted absolutely terrible. I’d love to try whatever you did! Thanks for your feedback. :) I’m so glad that they worked out well!
Can you substitute carob powder for the cocoa powder?
I’m sorry for just now seeing your question! I haven’t tried it but I’ve had bad luck with subbing carob for cocoa and vice versa (at least when using so much). I’d recommend finding a brownie recipe that specifically calls for carob. Sorry about that!
I just love your recipes !! It so nice when I can assume a paleo recipe will be good because not all of them out there are . I love making your baked paleo goods they are the best! Also this is the first time I have had success with a ganache type frosting , I am going to have to remember that frosting recipe for other things.
Aww, thanks! That’s so nice of you to say. And I feel you. Paleo baked goods can be just terrible. :/ I’m glad you have confidence in my recipes! Thanks a ton for your feedback. :)
made these and they were amazing! I cut the batch in 1/3 and put them in muffin liners since I didn’t have a huge batter. They turned out to be great brownie bites and I made six of them!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! How long did you bake them for? Thanks for your comment. :)
Can these brownies be frozen? They are lovely but can’t eat them all!
Yes they can! I’m glad you enjoyed it. :)
These were my first attempt at a paleo dessert for a book club after reading a Whole 30 book. They were delicious!! Thank you for the recipe and I am going to try the cookies next!!
I’m sorry for just now seeing your comment! (my son and I have been sick for weeks) I’m so glad that you enjoyed the brownies and I hope you’ll like the cookies just as much! Thanks for your feedback and sorry again for my slow reply.
Has anyone tried the recipe with egg substitute like flax seed meal?
I’ve tried it with another sub and it was a huge failure. Brownies are really difficult to convert to egg-free. :/
Just wondering why you say not to ice canned coconut milk in the frosting?
Anyway, these sound amazing and I can’t wait to try making them! 😋
Meant to say, “use canned coconut milk”
I hope you’ll enjoy them! You can use canned coconut milk in the frosting if you water it down so it’s thinner, like regular milk. Maybe half water and half coconut milk? It’s a bit too thick otherwise!
Hello, I just happened on this recipe and want to make it soon. Just checking, though, is it really 1 Tablespoon vanilla? Seems like a lot more than most recipes.
Thanks in advance!
It’s correct! I hope you’ll enjoy them. :)
I absolutely love these. My whole family does too. My sisters beg me to make them. I substitute the coconut sugar for castor sugar (don’t have coconut sugar and live nowhere near a shop that sells it) and the coconut oil for regular oil and added less because of the oily texture. These were delicious. Awesome. awesome. Awesome. Definitely recommend!!!!
Also, I haven’t tried making the icing yet. Does it make it taste any better.
Well I think it does. ;)
I’m really happy you enjoyed them so much! Thanks for your feedback. :) It’s great to know that castor sugar and regular oil work well!
AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS and the best low carb all coconut flour recipe I have tried (I converted the recipe). What I find most impressive is that this has no almond flour AND TASTES GREAT. I’ve been looking for an all coconut flour brownie recipe that actually tastes good and doesn’t taste like eggs eggs eggs or have a super dry texture after being baked. This is so good.
Just made TWO VERSIONS of these. Low carb and recipe as written.I think the low carb version tastes better… more fudgy and less mocha/coffee tasting. The coconut sugar always gives a somewhat earthy mud mocha coffee undertone. I have discovered that the Walmart brand is worse for this, and the Madhava brand is better. I also found coconut sugar recently in the bulk bins at WinCo and it is at least as good as the Madhava, possibly slightly less coffee tasting at a lower cost (Madhava=$10.98 for 3 lbs; Winco=$8.70 for 3 lbs this is in the Mesa Phoenix area. I’m going to attempt this recipe using honey since that is much more neutral and will post my results.
As written I had to bake for 24 minutes and they still weren’t quite done. I used a thermometer in the oven to assure correct temp 350. Also weighed all of my ingredients as i always do to assure consistency.
Low carb version was mostly done at 22 minutes. I baked these side by side and the low carb version definitely cooked faster than the original.
Sweetener used in low carb version. Mix these in the following proportions:
Xylitol 4 oz by weight NOT volume
Erythritol 3 oz by weight also
Pure stevia extract powder 1/2 tsp (I use Now brand)
NOTE: This mixture is approx 1.5 times as sweet as sugar best i understand. It came from joyfilledeats website to sub in for THM gentle sweet. It works extremely well in every recipe i have converted to low carb with no aftertaste.
I used a scant 1 cup of this mixture in place of the coconut sugar (probably about 7/8 cup). I might use a little less next time. I also use unrefined coconut oil in the low carb version because I like the coconut flavor. I used refined coconut oil in the original version because my daughter prefers not to have coconut flavor.
I’m going to try the low carb version again subbing half of the coconut flour with oat fiber because I have found that this gives low carb items a more traditional texture like regular flour recipes.
I would say the version as written takes 22 to 26 minutes and the low carb version is 22 to 24 minutes but not exactly sure because neither batch was completely cooked when i took out of oven. Although i like brownies slightly gooey in the middle…
Thanks for all your experimenting to make great recipes available!!!
I haven’t made the frosting yet because I feel like these are plenty sweet without it but if I try the frosting low carb I will post my results
Thanks! I’d appreciate that.
Wow! What amazing feedback. Thanks so much for sharing how you made them low-carb! I think I’ll have to try that. And that’s good to know about the coconut sugar! I’ve never noticed a coffee undertone but now I’m interested in comparing the two brands you mentioned. Thanks again for your super, super helpful comment! I really appreciate it.
I think the easiest way to notice the coffee earthy taste of coconut sugar is by tasting it on your finger side by side with sugar… Or making 2 batches (I’ve been making half batches in an 8×4 bread pan), one with regular sugar and one with coconut sugar. Just curious, what brand do you use.? I’ve been doing low carb sweeteners for a couple years now and I’ve had a chance to try several types and brands of sweeteners… definitely prefer to mix my own for the big cost savings. But I’ve only tried 3 brands of coconut sugar. Found out 3 months ago that any white sugar or white sugar derived products, even organic, are toxic to her (genetic thing discovered with blood testing). So our options are honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, and variations of fruit sigh as date sugar and date syrup. Date syrup makes a very good approximation of brown sugar taste by the way (we can’t use molasses or brown sugar, turbinado, such at, etc)
Is love to know the brand of coconut sugar you use… Perhaps there are some that don’t have the coffee tasting undertones…
So tired of autocorrect… sucanat NOT such at and there are several other mistakes. My daughter is the one to whom sugar is toxic and we all noticed the mocha taste of the first attempt at brownies with it (just a traditional flour recipe) . I noticed it because I liked the boxed mix mocha version of brownies back when I used to eat that stuff and my daughter does not care for those.
This is the brand of date syrup I use in case you are wondering. Haven’t tried any others… it was a suggestion on another site healthyhomeeconomist and so far has worked very well.
https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Organic-Pure-Date-Syrup/dp/B075G4V3LL
18.69 with 15% subscribe n save discount, then canceled subscription afterwards (I like to share prices paid because prices fluctuate on Amazon and sometimes it’s worth waiting for a better price.
Thanks for the tip! I’m going to check it out. :)
I don’t think I’m very helpful because I live in Germany and use whatever brand (none available in the US) is cheapest on Amazon at the moment. Perhaps I’m just used to it! I very rarely use white sugar when baking. I tried date syrup in some granola bars yesterday and was surprised by the taste. It was quite strong! I’ll keep experimenting. Thanks again for your comment!
Did you ever try it with the oat fiber?
Shawna, do you mean that you used a combination of the low carb sugars and then measured out the combination? Or did you substitute 4 Oz.xylitol one time and then 3 Oz. Erithrytol another time? Thanks for your help.
I’m not Shawna but she says: “Sweetener used in low carb version. Mix these in the following proportions:
Xylitol 4 oz by weight NOT volume
Erythritol 3 oz by weight also
Pure stevia extract powder 1/2 tsp (I use Now brand)”
So she mixed those three sweeteners together. Then she said, “I used a scant 1 cup of this mixture in place of the coconut sugar (probably about 7/8 cup). I might use a little less next time.” I think the mix above yields around 1 cup and she used just a tiny bit less.
I actually just ordered those three sweeteners to finally try this out!
Do you have the nutritional breakdown?
I don’t have that info but you could use this recipe analyzer for the nutritional profile. :)
This is a delicious recipe–As previously suggested, I opted for 3/4 cup coconut oil and only 1 cup of coconut sugar–I might try 3/4 cup of sugar next time as they were a bit on the sweeter side for me. I also added approx 1oz of walnut/cashew butter (Artisan brand) to the wet ingredients for extra protein/omega3 and had to sub out 1/4 of the dutch cocoa with raw cacao (I ran out of cocoa)–I would love to know how to use all raw cacao (I know it isn’t a straight sub as it operates differently) in this recipe if anyone has tried it. Didn’t need to make the frosting–I let it cool for about 15-20 mins and served them slightly warm with raw coconut yogurt (vanilla ice cream for non-paleo eaters), paleo unsweetened chocolate chips, and fresh strawberries. Thanks so much!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed them and that you liked them with less sugar! I’ve always used raw cacao interchangeably. I can’t find anything saying that you use it differently. Do you have a source? I’d love to read about it! Dutch-process can sometimes operate differently, though. Thanks for your feedback!
Love these brownies. I made them for a wedding shower and now they are being requested for a wedding dessert.
Have you ever doubled the recipe and baked in a 9×13? I need to make a lot of these for a wedding reception and baking in such a small pan will be time consuming. Thanks.
I’m glad that they were enjoyed! I’ve indeed done that but I didn’t take note of the baking time. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Thanks, Erin. I’ll try the 9×13 and keep track of the baking time.
FYI: I also reduced the coconut sugar to 1 C, and only used 3/4 c melted coconut oil w/out the extra 2 T of oil. Brownies still turned out perfect.
Looking fwd to trying more of your recipes.
I hope you’ll enjoy them just as much! Good luck with the brownies. And good to know that it works well with less sugar / oil!