Healthy Peanut Butter Brownies

These fudgy healthy peanut butter brownies are swirled with peanut butter, refined sugar free, paleo friendly and so easy to make. They’re made with almond flour and coconut sugar for a dessert you can feel good about eating!

Back with another healthy brownie recipe! But this time it involves peanut butter so I already know you’re going to be obsessed. This recipe is refined-everything free. No refined sugar, no refined flour, oils etc.

Instead, these gluten free brownies are made with simple ingredients like peanut butter, almond flour, eggs, coconut oil, cocoa powder and coconut sugar.

They’re super easy to make, fudgy, perfectly sweet and ready to eat in just about 30 minutes! If you love these, try my small batch brownies, brownie bites or gluten free peanut butter cookies next!

Key Ingredients

Peanut butter. I like using a plain, natural peanut butter, but you can use whatever you have here. I suggest smooth over chunky. Same with my peanut butter protein balls!

Eggs. Two eggs will help bind all ingredients together and provide more structure to the brownies.

Coconut oil. You can use either coconut oil or butter. If using coconut oil, make sure it’s refined because that won’t have any coconut flavor.

Coconut sugar. Any kind of granulated sugar works here, but I opted for coconut sugar to keep these brownies refined sugar free.

Almond flour. If you want to make these tree nut free, you can swap for oat flour or try my oat flour brownies.

Chocolate Chips. You need chocolate chips to melt and add to the batter, plus some extra unmelted chips to add into the batter at the end.

Cocoa. The cocoa and the chocolate chips will give these a rich flavor.

How to make peanut butter brownies

Cream the eggs and sugar for about 1 minute.

Melt the chocolate and oil in the microwave or on the stove.

Beat all wet ingredients together using an electric mixer, including the peanut butter.

Fold in dry ingredients. You’ll want to sift the flour and cocoa powder because they can get a bit lumpy otherwise.

Dollop with peanut butter after you add to the pan.

Swirl. I like to use a knife or chopstick to make swirls throughout the top.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes. If you like them really gooey, bake for less time. If you like them more well done, bake for longer! Try my peanut butter chocolate chip cookies or almond flour zucchini brownies next!

Fudgy vs. cakey brownies

People have very strong opinions on this! I like these healthy peanut butter brownies somewhere in the middle of fudgy and cakey, but I have a few tricks depending on what you like.

If you like your brownies more fudgy, simply bake for less time! If you like them more well done, you can bake for longer than the recipe calls for.

These brownies don’t call for any baking soda or powder, the eggs will do plenty of the rising! However, if you want the brownies to be a bit cakier, add in about 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder to help give them a bit more of a lift.

The best chocolate

This recipe calls for both regular chocolate chips and cocoa powder. For the chips, I like using semi-sweet. You can really use whatever you like here, but bear in mind the percentage of cocoa you use will effect the final flavor.

If you like a really dark and rich chocolate, go for up to 70% cocoa. The one I used was about 50% which was perfect for me.

Can I make them without eggs?

I have a few brownie recipes on the blog that are egg-free, like this popular vegan recipe. I have not tested this recipe with an egg-replacer, but I do imagine flax eggs would work.

Because eggs work to help the brownies rise, they will be a bit denser than with actual eggs, but the flavor will still be delicious.

Frequently asked questions

How do you know when brownies are ready?

You’ll know these healthy brownies are done baking when the tops are set, shiny and a toothpick comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs. The peanut butter part may look a little wet, which is fine, but the chocolate part should be set.

How should I store brownies?

These brownies are best stored at room temperature for about 3 days, or in the fridge for 5-7 days. You can reheat them in the oven or microwave before serving. I love them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!

I have not tried freezing these, but I think it would work well! Just let them cool completely, slice and store in a freezer safe bag. Heat in the oven until warm through the center.

What can I use instead of sugar?

Your best bet with this recipe is coconut sugar. However, if you want to make these brownies more keto friendly, you can use a 1:1 sugar replacement like monkfruit sweetener. The final flavor may be slightly different, but it should work just fine!

Try these healthy desserts next!

• Paleo Cookies
• Almond Flour Brownies
• Chickpea Cookies
• Chocolate Mug Cake
• Oat Flour Cookies

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