Fudgy Protein Brownies
These healthy protein brownies are easy to make, fudgy, moist, grain free and have a rich chocolate flavor. They’re made with almond flour, coconut sugar and protein powder for a healthy gluten free treat!
If you’re a regular around here, you may have noticed I’m on a protein kick. Protein pancakes, protein muffins, vegan cookies, protein energy bites and now fudgy protein brownies.
But seriously, if you think these are going to have a weird, gritty texture and flavor, think again! They’re rich, fudgy, chewy and kind of similar to my almond flour brownies if you’ve ever had those.
They have a rich chocolate flavor from chocolate chips and cocoa powder, protein from the protein powder and eggs and are completely refined sugar free, dairy free, grain free and paleo friendly.
They have about 6-7 grams of protein per brownie with a lot less sugar and fat than a traditional brownie! Try my protein cookies, chickpea blondies or protein chocolate cake next!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Gluten free and paleo
- Keto friendly
- 6 grams protein per serving
- Easy to make
- Rich & fudgy
Key Ingredients & substitutions
Eggs. The eggs are essential to help bind all of the ingredients together and give these brownies some rise and a chewy texture. They also add about 18 grams of total protein which certainly is a win!
Coconut sugar. I opted to use coconut sugar to keep these refined sugar free, but any kind of granulated sugar will work here. If you prefer, you can use a 1:1 sugar replacement to make these keto brownies.
Chocolate chips. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips which will be melted and added to the batter for a rich and fudgy texture.
Coconut oil. Be sure to use refined coconut oil which has no coconut smell or flavor. You can also sub for butter if you prefer.
Protein powder. I opted for a chocolate pea protein, but whey protein will also work if you have that. Just be sure to use chocolate and not vanilla for the best flavor.
Almond flour. We just need a small amount to help absorb some of the excess moisture and create a really chewy texture. If you need these to be nut free, you can try subbing for oat flour instead.
How to make protein brownies
Step 1: Beat together the eggs and sugar until well combined, about 1 full minute.
Step 2: Beat in the vanilla, coconut oil and melted chocolate chips until creamy.
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Step 3: Add in the protein powder, cocoa, salt and almond flour. Use the electric mixer to combine, then fold in the remaining chocolate chips.
Step 4: Transfer to a lined 8×8 aluminum baking pan and bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 5: Let cool, then slice and enjoy! I like to top mine with a drizzle of melted chocolate and sea salt, but this is totally optional!
How to store
These protein brownies do best stored in a container at room temperature, though you can also store them in the fridge for a few extra days. They will last for about 3 days at room temp, or up to 5 in the fridge.
Can you freeze brownies?
Yes! These brownies can be frozen for up to 1 month. I suggest allowing them to cool completely, then slice and transfer to a freezer safe bag. Keep a little space between each brownie, then place in the freezer.
To reheat, I like to pop them (while still frozen) in the oven at 350 for about 5 minutes or until warm through the center.
Can you add protein powder to brownie mix?
I don’t recommend adding protein powder to a store bought brownie mix as it can thicken the batter too much and lead to dry brownies. It’s best to make them from scratch so the proportions are already all set up!
Can I make these vegan?
This recipe calls for 3 eggs, which is too many to safely omit or sub for an egg replacer, so I don’t recommend that here.
The eggs are a key ingredient for the texture of the final brownie and they do add 18 grams of protein to the whole recipe!
Make them keto friendly!
Yes! You can swap the coconut sugar for a keto friendly 1:1 sugar substitute and use stevia sweetened chocolate chips like Lily’s sweets.
More chocolate recipes you’ll love!
- Healthy Hot Chocolate
- Brownie Bites
- Chocolate Truffles
- Oat Flour Cookies
- Chickpea Cookie Dough
- Vegan Brownies
If you want more recipes straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe to my email list. As always, tag me on instagram if you make this recipe so I can see your creation!
Fudgy Protein Brownies
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Wet
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips divided
- ½ cup refined coconut oil 95 grams
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry
- ½ cup chocolate protein powder
- ⅓ cup blanched almond flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine 1 cup of the chocolate chips (keep the other 1/2 cup aside for now) and coconut oil in a bowl. If you have a scale, please use it! You need 95 grams of coconut oil which is about 1/2 cup and 6.5 ounces of chocolate chips which is about 1 cup. With these two ingredients, accurate measurements are so important.
- Melt in the microwave using 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until fully melted.
- Meanwhile, add the eggs and coconut sugar to a bowl or bowl of a stand mixer and beat together for about 1 minute.
- Beat in the vanilla and the chocolate once melted.
- Add in the remaining dry ingredients and beat until a smooth batter form.
- Fold in the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
- Add the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 22-28 minutes, I usually do 25 minutes but all ovens are different.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift out and let cool before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
Comments
-
Hello! As a human with an egg allergy and apparently a lack of an ability to read, I made these using flax eggs (8 tbs hot water and 3 tbs of ground flax). They turned out really good and I am very happily enjoying them! Just wanted to throw that out there for anyone else who wanted to try!
-
Hah amazing! So glad you enjoyed these!
-
Thank you for sharing that! Can try out with flax eggs now for a vegan version
-
-
I’m trying to figure out if I did something wrong. The only thing I changed in the recipe was I subbed coconut oil for butter. I used Syntha-6 chocolate whey protein. The brownies didn’t turn out bad, just not as good as the people in the comments are saying. I can definitely taste the chalkiness from the protein powder and the brownies are dense but not fudgy. They crumble a lot when taking them out of the pan. The texture resembles a protein brownie you’d get out of a package. I wonder if it’s just because of the powder I used?
-
Hmm it could definitely be the protein powder! I looked that one up and it seems to have a lot of extra ingredients that could change the texture. I’d suggest a very simple chocolate whey or pea protein next time.
-
-
These are sooo good!!!
-
Thank you, Maddy!
-
-
These taste amazing
-
Great recipe ! Love that it’s gluten free and you can’t even taste the protein. Usually it would be dry and chalky. These were so good that even my bf who doesn’t like brownies ate them up!! Super easy to follow recipe for a novice baker like myself. Keep making great recipes!!
-
Amazing, thank you Diana!
-
-
Super yummy and gooey
-
Have made it twice, 1st time was really good. 2nd time I added too much coconut oil by mistake, still lovely and added 3/4 cup dried cranberries.
-
Sounds delish with the cranberries!
-
-
Wonderful brownies. Soft and warm, perfect recipe for everyone.
-
Thank you, Julie!
-
-
These look great! How many brownies do you cut out of the whole recipe?
-
I usually do 16, but you can do 9 or 12 as well!
-
-
Can I use vanilla protein powder and just add in cocoa powder to get it chocolately with the chocolate chips?
-
Unfortunately, that won’t really work as the proportions will be off between wet/dry ingredients! If you use 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder and 2 tablespoons of cocoa as the recipe calls for, that will work but the chocolate flavor won’t be very strong.
-
I’m picky when it comes to brownies. Absolutely love these. I was especially surprised as these were healthier protein packed brownies. My toddler asked for more! I can’t thank you enough for this recipe. Just added it to my faves collection.
-
Thank you, Laura! Love a toddler approved recipe 🙂
-
-
I used vanilla protein powder and it turned our delicious.
-
Perfect, so glad that worked well!
-
-
-
-
can i substitute the coconut oil with olive oil? any ideas?
-
If you don’t have coconut oil, your best bet is butter since the fat composition is similar to coconut oil. You can use a different kind of oil like olive or refined avocado, but the flavor and texture will be a bit different.
-
-
Could you please provide the nutritional value per brownie ?
-
Nutrition information is included at the bottom of the recipe card!
-
-
These are so good!! I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand so I made a couple of substitutions and it still came out amazing. I used Monk fruit sweetener and coconut flour instead of coconut sugar and almond flour. I kept the same amounts and it worked great.
-
So glad they worked with those subs!
-
-
Absolutely AMAZING!! This was the first recipie I ever made with protein powder and I thought it would taste weird or ‘off’ but it was surprisingly really good! No chalky or bitter tastes. The batter was even thick and creamy like normal brownie batter. I didn’t have coconut sugar or almond flour so I just used normal sugar and flour so I guess I cheated a little but I intend these as a dessert so I don’t mind. I used Designer Whey gourmet chocolate protein powder.
-
Thank you Emily! So happy you enjoyed these.
-
-
Please share macros! This recipe seems like it would have a higher fat content than protein.
-
Nutrition information is included in the bottom of the recipe card!
-
leave a comment and rating