The PERFECT Gluten Free & Paleo Brownies – These are everything I’m looking for. They’re fudgy and rich, chocolatey and delicious, all without gluten, grains, or dairy! (Scroll down for a how-to VIDEO)
Gluten free, dairy free baking has been such an adventure. I’ve had to learn new techniques, combine different flours, and rework lots of my old favorite recipes. Whether it’s coming up with an amazing gluten free pie crust recipe, some seriously good chocolate cookies, or cobbling together a new vegan birthday frosting, it’s been a lot of delicious experimenting.
Some things have come together pretty easily, and others have been disastrous. These brownies were, thankfully, in the first group. They were everything I dreamed they could be–fudgy and rich with a crispy exterior and rich chocolatey interior. I absolutely love them. I’ve made them countless times in the last year, enjoying them plain or putting them into dairy free ice cream. They haven’t steered us wrong yet. My big secret?
It’s been better than any gluten free flour I’ve tried for brownies. They get that gorgeous fudgy texture I love so much (I’m not a cake-y brownie fan), and I love that the flour isn’t empty calories. Instead, it’s just ground almonds!
The technique isn’t fussy, but I have found that following a few ground rules really helps guarantee success. Here are my best notes after a year of making and enjoying the brownies…
Notes on the Recipe:
Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda – A really smart reader explained to me that baking powder helps puff while baking soda helps spread. The reason I used baking soda instead of powder was because it’s paleo friendly (many baking powders contain cornstarch with isn’t paleo approved). After trying it both ways, I totally agree with her! If you want more puff to your brownies, use the baking powder. If you’re paleo or avoiding corn, stick with baking soda. (The brownies in the photos used baking soda).
Whisking the eggs and sugar. I’ve learned that you really want to whisk the eggs and sugar until they pass the “ribbon test.” When you whisk them and lift up the whisk, the mixture should stream down pretty evenly in “ribbons” rather than in big lumpy clumps. If you’re not there yet, just keep whisking.
Try not to over-mix. When you’re mixing in the dry ingredients, you can give it a good mix, but you want to stop when the dry ingredients are incorporated. This is less important in gluten free baking, but I have over done it a few times and I feel like they ended up a little more dry.
Don’t over-bake. My trick for fudgy brownies is always to pull them out when the center is juuuust about set. They’ll finish setting as they cool and won’t end up too crispy or dried out.
Coarse Sea Salt. I LOVE adding a little coarse sea salt to the tops of these (I realize I didn’t do that in the photos, but it’s incredibly good. The tiny hint of salt wakes up the chocolate and provides a nice balance of flavors. If you’re not a salt-with-sweet fan, feel free to skip it!
Almond Flour: There are a LOT of different brands and blends of almond flour and most of them produce different results. I recommend using a very finely ground blanched almond flour rather than a coarse grind or almond meal which is made with skins-on almonds. I’ve had good luck with Bob’s Red Mill, Honeyville, Hughson, Trader Joe’s blanched almond flour, and even Target’s brand.
Substitutions: You can use just about any fat you like here–avocado oil, butter, ghee, vegan butter, coconut oil, etc. Choose your favorite and go from there. The recipe can take it.
Swap the Sugar. I’ve used coconut sugar which is lower on the glycemic index, but if you don’t have it or like it, feel free to substitute white sugar, brown sugar, or even something like maple sugar. It will all work.
Like these brownies? You might also love…
- ⅔ cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (I use dairy free chocolate chips)
- 5 Tbsp coconut oil (can sub butter, avocado oil, vegan butter, ghee)
- ⅔ cup coconut sugar (can sub white, brown, or maple sugar)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup blanched almond flour
- 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking soda (if paleo) or baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅔ cup additional chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (can sub nuts)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray.
- In a small saucepan, gently melt chocolate and oil over low heat until smooth and glossy. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and eggs until slightly lighter in color and until they pass the ribbon test (when you lift the whisk the mixture should stream down evenly in "ribbons"). Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients--almond flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
- Working slowly, whisk the egg/sugar mixture into the saucepan of melted chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Stir in vanilla and mix in.
- Stir in the dry ingredients and fold until just mixed.
- Fold in the additional chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into your prepared pan and smooth the surface.
- Bake at 350 degrees 20-24 minutes, or until edges are set and the center is still ever so slightly underdone. (The remaining heat should set the center as it cools)
- Sprinkle with coarse salt, if using, and allow brownies to cool before slicing.
Try not to over-mix. When you're mixing in the dry ingredients, you can give it a good mix, but you want to stop when the dry ingredients are incorporated. This is less important in gluten free baking, but I have over done it a few times and I feel like they ended up a little more dry.
Don't over-bake. My trick for fudgy brownies is always to pull them out when the center is juuuust about set. They'll finish setting as they cool and won't end up too crispy or dried out.
Coarse Sea Salt. I LOVE adding a little coarse sea salt to the tops of these (I realize I didn't do that in the photos, but it's incredibly good. The tiny hint of salt wakes up the chocolate and provides a nice balance of flavors. If you're not a salt-with-sweet fan, feel free to skip it!
Almond Flour: There are a LOT of different brands and blends of almond flour and most of them produce different results. I recommend using a very finely ground blanched almond flour rather than a coarse grind or almond meal which is made with skins-on almonds. I've had good luck with Bob's Red Mill, Honeyville, Hughson, Trader Joe's blanched almond flour, and even Target's brand.
Substitutions: You can use just about any fat you like here--avocado oil, butter, ghee, vegan butter, coconut oil, etc. Choose your favorite and go from there. The recipe can take it.
Swap the Sugar. I've used coconut sugar which is lower on the glycemic index, but if you don't have it or like it, feel free to substitute white sugar, brown sugar, or even something like maple sugar. It will all work.
WOW! I have tried several Paleo/Gluten free brownies and FINALLY, I’ve found one that my family and I LOVE. I used avocado oil and added the 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg and they turned out perfect.. Amazing treat for everyone.
Thanks so much.
Erica – you just made my weekend! Thank you so much for sharing this review! (And I’m TOTALLY doing the nutmeg next time!)
They are in the oven for my sons birthday…. I make my own baking powder to keep the cornstarch out… 2 parts cream of tater to one part baking soda.
So great!
These look fantastic! Do you think it’s possible to sub unsweetened apple sauce for the oil, like I usually do in a traditional brownie recipe?
April – You can, but applesauce will change the texture. It’ll be more cake-like than super fudgy. If that’s your preference, I say go for it! 🙂
OMG! It looks so good, I cant wait to make them for easter!
One question: did you use alcaline (dutch processed) or regular (raw?) cocoa? I only have the regular one, do you think it would work?
Thxs for the great recipes!
I used regular! It’ll work great!
I just made these and they are amazing! I used a bar of 74% chocolate. Thank you for the recipe!
I’m SO GLAD! Yay!
Replaced your 2/3 cups sugar with sweetener blend (xylitol/erythritol/stevia) but still find it too sweet. Really ‘beat d hell outta it’ with the eggs! Will do it 1/2 cup instead of 2/3 next round. Amazing texture and none of my friends believe it’s a sugarfree & gluten-free brownie!
Thanks!
Sounds like you have a great plan for next time!
Can you use coconuts flour as a substitute?
Samantha – No, I’m sorry you can’t. Coconut flour behaves VERY differently than almond flour and absorbs several times its volume in liquid. Coconut flour recipes need extra liquid and usually additional eggs. I haven’t tested this with coconut flour, so I couldn’t advise you about adapting it. If you substitute coconut flour for almond flour, your brownies will be VERY dry and crumbly.
This didn’t work out for me. I followed the instructions exactly, the brownies came out super flat and stuck to the bottom of the pan despite using nonstick spray. After waiting for them to cool off, I tried to get them out but since they were super flat (literally no “puff” at all) they just crumbled. I used baking powder instead of baking soda as other reviewers recommended. Any idea what went wrong?
Elissa – I’m so sorry they didn’t work out! I’m so curious what happened!? I haven’t heard anyone else report those results yet. It sounds like you did everything right… I wonder if by chance your baking powder wasn’t fresh? That’s literally the only thing I can think of since you didn’t make any other substitutions.