These healthy paleo almond flour brownies are your new favorite dessert. They’re easy, fudgy and SO DELICIOUS. You’d have no idea they’re grain free, dairy free and refined sugar free!
A big brownie with a scoop vanilla icecream on top is one of my favorite desserts. Vanilla cupcakes with vanilla icing is my all time favorite, but brownies are definitely up there on my list!!
But then again I’d never be able to turn down my blondies, chocolate chunk cookies or fluffy pumpkin cookies. Ugh, how can I ever choose?!
I personally don’t like brownies that are too fudgy and gooey in the middle. Anyone else?! I like them somewhere between fudgey and cakey, and that’s exactly what these almond flour brownies are!
However, I’ve listed a few different options if you want to make them more fudgy or more cakey, depending on what you like!
They’re also paleo, gluten free and can easily be made vegan. The vegan version is just as good as the regular, but both have been tested more times than I care to count and are perfect every time!
Instructions
The best part about this recipe is how delicious they are, but the second best part is how easy they are to make. Follow these simple steps and you’ll have perfect healthy brownies in less than an hour!
In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond butter, coconut oil, eggs (or flax eggs), coconut sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and plant milk and whisk until well combined.
Make sure there are no chunks of anything and the batter is really smooth.
Add in all remaining ingredients and carefully fold together using a wooden spoon. Fold in the chocolate chips if using.
Transfer to an 8×8 pan lined with parchment paper or greased with oil. A 9×9 pan will also work, but the brownies will be spread pretty thin and will therefore be thin when they bake.
Bake for 22-28 minutes (will depend on your oven) or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool completely before slicing to prevent the brownies from getting really crumbly.
Almond flour vs. almond meal
In a lot of my recipes, you may notice I use a lot of almond flour. It’s a great flour to use when making gluten or grain free recipes.
However, there is a big difference between blanched almond flour, and almond meal from whole almonds.
If a recipe calls for one, do not sub for the other as this will completely change the recipe!
Almond flour is made from blanched almonds which have the skins removed and is made into a very fine flour.
Almond meal on the other hand, is made from whole almonds with the skins and has a slightly different texture. They will yield very different results in baking, so stick to the recipe!
Can I make them vegan?
This recipe calls for 2 eggs. However, you can easily make these brownies vegan by subbing the eggs for flax eggs.
See the recipe notes for how to do this! If you use flax eggs, the brownies will be a bit thinner and slightly more dense, but I promise they are still delicious!
Do they keep?
Once prepared, these healthy almond flour brownies will be good for about 5 days at room temp, though I doubt they’ll last that long!
Store them in an air tight container or on a plate with aluminum foil on top to prevent them from drying out.
Variations & substitutions
I recommend using refined coconut oil in this recipe to make sure there is no coconut aftertaste. You can also use melted vegan butter or regular butter as well!
Regardless of the nut butter you use, make sure it is very runny. Otherwise, you may need to add an extra tablespoon of plant milk to make sure the batter isn’t too dry.
The almond butter can also be subbed with tahini. I imagine a runny peanut butter would also work. Leave a comment below if you try it and let us know how it turns out!
Try these desserts next!
- Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
- Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Vegan Brownies
- Tahini Brownies
- Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Lastly, 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!
Healthy Almond Flour Brownies
Ingredients
Wet:
- 1 cup runny almond butter
- ½ cup coconut sugar (can sub for brown sugar)
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp non-dairy milk (I used almond)
- 2 tbsp refined coconut oil (melted)
- 2 eggs or flax eggs (works well either way)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Dry:
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ cup blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- ¼-1 tsp baking powder (see notes)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, combine all wet ingredients.
- Whisk together until well combined.
- Add in all remaining dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon. The batter will be on the thicker side. Be sure to spoon and level the flour, don’t scoop straight from the bag.
- Add the batter to an 8×8 pan lined with parchment paper. Spread evenly to cover all sides of the pan. It helps to use a rubber spatula for this step.
- Bake for 22-28 minutes (it will depend on your oven) 25 minutes is perfect in my oven. A toothpick should come out with a few crumbs and and a bit of fudge if you like fudgy brownies, it won't be clean. If you prefer fudgier brownies, bake for closer to 22 minutes, for more well done brownies, bake closer to 28.
- Let cool completely before slicing. They tend to fall apart if you cut them prematurely, so really try to wait at least 30 minutes before slicing (though longer is even better)! They hold up really well as long as they're cool when sliced 🙂 You can always heat them up in the microwave after they're sliced if you want to enjoy them warm.
Donna
By chance, could avocado oil be substituted for the coconut oil? Thanks!
Claire Cary
Yes that will work!
JC
Do you know what the Saturated Fat would be per brownie?
Claire Cary
it depends on what kind of oil you use (coconut oil will have the most), but probably just a couple of grams!
J
Is coconut sugar wet???
Claire Cary
yes, granulated sugar is always added with wet ingredients!
Heather Stone
Turned out great!! Not too rich/sweet, just right and 22min was perfect for me! I bought an almond flour brownie mix in the store recently and it doesn’t compare to the quality of ingredients in this at all! This recipe is incredible! 🙌🏼
Claire Cary
You’re so sweet, thank you! I haven’t even tried boxed almond flour brownie mix, but good to know these are better 🙂
Alix Richardson
Would a gluten free all purpose flour work for this recipe? Excited to try it either way!
Claire Cary
I wouldn’t recommend it for these, almond flour is really different than all purpose flour so the ratios would totally change. I have a “regular” gluten free brownie recipe that uses GF all purpose which you can find here!
Sam
I made mine with brown sugar but substituted cocoa powder for carob powder because we have a chocolate allergy in the house. The baking time for a clean toothpick is waaaaay longer than 25 minutes! That’s my only complaint.
Claire Cary
That’s because of the carob, it absorbs ingredients very differently than cocoa powder which will result in a longer baking time to ensure the center is fully cooked!
Lisa
Have you tried a different substitute for the sugar and maple syrup to adapt these to keto?
Claire Cary
I haven’t! but I think if you use a keto granulated sweetener like monk fruit and a keto maple syrup equivalent, it’ll work. Just replace each 1:1.
Padma
Hi what is the substitute for egg I would love to try this .. I have never used flaxeggs ? Will flax meal work in place of eggs if so how much of flax meal should I be using ??
Thank u
Claire Cary
I explain this in the notes section of the recipe! Yes, you can definitely use flax meal. Just whisk together 2 tbsp of the flax plus 5 tbsp of water and let it set aside to thicken. Then just use that in place of the eggs in the recipe.
Sunanda
The brownies turned out salty with half tsp salt! But for that consistency was great and it took me like 35 mins bake time to get a clean fork. Thanks.
Claire Cary
Sorry they were too salty for you! Glad you still enjoyed them though!
Alesha Grant
Make sure to use a high quality sea salt. If you use table salt (like small granular idodized morton’s) it will be too salty. Comparatively, sea salt inherently has less sodium in it and since it has larger granules, you actually add less volume-wise. Try that! Hope it helps.
Hiral
Hi, what can I use instead of the Coconut sugar?
Claire Cary
light brown sugar works just as well!
Ariane
Really loved this recipe, it’s so easy to follow! It’s so chocolatey and fudgey, we couldn’t wait until it cooled completely to cut in!
Claire Cary
That’s a good problem to have! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Salma
can I sub oat flour for almond flour??
Claire Cary
I haven’t tried that myself, but I do think it could work! Oat and almond flours have very different properties so I cannot guarantee the result, but let me know if you try it!
Bryn
I have been searching for a good paleo dessert for quite a while and I am so glad I happened upon this recipe! The texture is so similar to regular brownies/chocolate cake and the flavor is the best I’ve tried yet. Highly recommended! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Claire Cary
Thanks Bryn! So happy you enjoyed them. I have a paleo blondie recipe if you want to try those too 🙂
Bryn
Yes please!!
Tara
Ok, these are the BEST! They’re Cakey yet fudgey and hardly lasted 24 hours. Will be making again!
Claire Cary
yay!! They hardly last 24 hours in my house too 🙂
Gretchen
These were perfectly chewy and fudgey. 10/10