These gluten free tahini swirl brownies are rich, fudgy and so easy to make. They’re refined sugar free, made in one bowl and topped with beautiful tahini swirls. A totally crowd pleasing flourless brownie recipe!
I feel like we have so many brownie recipes on the blog already, but you guys love each and every one of them, so I’ll keep making more!
My vegan brownies and almond flour brownies are among my most popular, but I have a feeling these tahini brownies might give them a run for their money.
They’re rich and fudgy, but completely refined sugar free, dairy free, grain free and flourless.
Tahini and eggs act as our base, then you’ll need a bit of granulated sugar and maple syrup to sweeten, plus a generous among of cocoa powder for a rich chocolate flavor.
If you aren’t familiar with tahini, it’s just sesame seed paste. It’s the peanut butter of sesame seeds! It has a slightly nutty flavor with a hint of bitterness. The bitter will be masked by the sugar and cocoa but we’ll be left with a richness that the fat content in tahini provides.
A lot of desserts can be made from tahini such as cookies and these brownies because they create such a deliciously chewy texture.
How to make tahini brownies
Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper. Removal will be easiest if you line it going both ways.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients until smooth. Add in the dry ingredients, aside from the chocolate chips. The batter will be fairly thick.
Fold in the chocolate chips if using. Spread evenly into the lined pan.
Whisk together the tahini and powdered sugar. Make dollops on top of the brownies, then use a toothpick to create swirls.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. If you prefer really fudgy brownies, bake for closer to 25 minutes, if you prefer them more well done, bake for closer to 30.
Let cool completely, then slice and enjoy! I like to sprinkle on some chocolate chips as soon as they come out of the oven, which will melt right into the brownies as they cool. Totally optional but adds an extra rich chocolate flavor!
Can I make them vegan?
While I haven’t tested these tahini brownies without eggs, I do think it would work!
My suggestion would be to use either two flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax + 5 tbsp water) or a store bought egg replacer like Bob’s Red Mill. The texture may be a bit different (definitely more chewy, fudgy and dense) but still delicious!
What’s the best way to store brownies?
You’ll want to store them in a sealed container for best results and to keep them nice and fudgy. These tahini brownies will keep for about 3-5 days at room temperature.
Frequently asked questions
Can you freeze brownies?
Yes! Allow the brownies to cool completely, then cut into squares. Wrap individual brownies in plastic wrap, then in foil or a reusable bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Double wrapping is important so they don’t get freezer burn and stay as fresh as possible!
How do I make them fudgy?
There is nothing special you need to do to make these tahini brownies fudgy, the recipe was created with that in mind! Baking brownies will little to no baking powder is one way to ensure they’re super fudgy.
You also want to have a higher fat to flour ratio to keep them moist and fudgy even days after they’re baked.
To make these extra fudgy, you can omit the baking powder and decrease the bake time. On the other hand, if you prefer them more cakey, you can increase both the bake time and baking powder.
What makes brownies chewy?
This is largely going to be due to the wet ingredients used as well as the lack of baking soda.
Only using a very small amount of baking powder and not using any baking soda prevents the brownies from rising too much during baking and becoming cakey.
Bars and brownies to try next!
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Fudgy Tahini Brownies
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Wet
- 1 cup runny tahini see notes for brand recommendations
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp refined coconut oil or dairy free butter melted
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar of choice coconut, light brown or white all work!
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
Dry
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp tapioca starch
- 1/4-1/2 tsp baking powder see notes
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips optional
Swirl
- 4 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper. Removal will be easiest if you line it going both ways.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients until smooth.
- Add in the dry ingredients, aside from the chocolate chips. The batter will be fairly thick.
- Fold in the chocolate chips if using. Spread evenly into the lined pan.
- Whisk together the tahini and powdered sugar. Make dollops on top of the brownies, then use a toothpick to create swirls.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. If you prefer really fudgy brownies, bake for closer to 25 minutes, if you prefer them more well done, bake for closer to 30.
- Let cool completely, then slice and enjoy!
Anna says
I was looking for a gluten free brownie recipes that would make brownies that rock. This is it! I don’t even like brownies (I am European) but I have a small gluten free baking business and I felt I should know how to make special brownies. I love the combination of tahini and chocolate.. I made them twice but the second time I decreased the batter by 1/4 and I added and extra tble of tapioca. The first time they were to cakey but the second time they were perfect. I also used honey instead of maple syrup (it’s a little cheaper) and I took it to the local restaurant for them to sell the brownies. Let’s see how they will do this weekend but I have high hopes. Thank you!!
Claire Cary says
So happy you enjoyed these! Excited to hear how they sell 🙂
Sandler says
Best brownie recipe that exists on this earth!!!! And I’m a brownie snob 😉 tried a tahini brownie at a cafe once & knew tahini was the true secret to amazing brownies. Went on treacherous hunt to find the perfect recipe (there were many flops) until finally I found this recipe 😍 Have made it 10+ times now, they don’t last more than 4 hours in my house because everyone wants more!!! Fudgey chocolatey deliciousness that is truly a brownie 🙏🏻 THANK YOU FOR THIS RECIPE ❤️
Claire Cary says
Thank you so much Sandler! Just made my day 🙂
Holly says
Absolutely delicious! Whole family loved them.
Anna says
A big hit among my super healthy friends and family during the holidays! The texture and flavor was perfect when I used the least amount of baking powder. These are incredibly rich, but go perfectly with a red wine. I highly recommend to share these!
Zeesy says
They’re in the oven right now. Looks delicious and smells heavenly. Just wondering if they’re supposed to be very wet in the middle? I baked them 40 minutes already and still seems very wet. Hmm…
Claire Cary says
Strange! I would just suggest baking them for a little bit longer since all ovens are different.
Zeesy says
So to update you. I ended up baking it for more than an hour until it looked done. It was sooo delicious, soft and chewy at the edges, fudgey in the middle. Rich and heavenly! You would never know it was gluten free..Thanks for the recipe!
Claire Cary says
Perfect, so glad they turned out well!