These healthy brownies have it all – the luscious fudgy texture, the intense chocolate flavour and they’re easy to make! Plus, they’re gluten, grain and dairy free, as well as paleo.
I know I say this… every single time I make brownies, but – these are the best brownies I’ve ever made or eaten. I mean it, they literally tick every single box. They’re terribly indulgent, sinfully decadent and just ridiculously fudgy.
The fact that they also happen to be gluten free, grain free, dairy free, refined sugar free and paleo makes them even more awesome. Because while these brownies might be healthy, they’re also delicious and supercharged with intense chocolate flavour.
And super fudgy. Have I mentioned that yet? Regardless, it bears repeating. I mean, just look at them!!!
I know many of you have made New Year’s resolutions to make this year the one where you start exercising, eating healthy and generally being your best self. That’s a lot of change all at once, and if there’s one thing that can help you on this journey, it’s these healthy brownies.
Because, let’s be honest here, sometimes you just need a brownie, resolutions be damned. A gooey, chocolatey, luxurious brownie that’s so good it sends shivers down your spine.
Now, personally, I think that New Year’s resolutions are a load of hogwash, but I fully support you in keeping yours. So, with this recipe, you can have your brownies and your resolutions. It’s a win-win situation, with a side of chocolate and even more chocolate!
What’s even better: these healthy brownies are super easy to make and don’t require any fancy ingredients!
Before we get to the bits and bobs of making these wonderful healthy brownies – if you like what you’re seeing, subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest recipes and tips!
How do you make healthy brownies?
This healthy brownie recipe is a twist on my ultimate gluten free brownie recipe, with a few substitutions to make it healthier.
To make the brownies gluten and grain free: almond flour instead of gluten free or plain flour.
To make them dairy free: coconut oil instead of butter.
To make them (as) refined sugar free (as possible): coconut sugar instead of white sugar, and super dark chocolate with 80%+ cocoa solids.
That’s it! With these simple substitutions, you get brownies that are both healthy and delicious.
And to make the healthy brownies:
- Melt chocolate and coconut oil together.
- Whip eggs and coconut sugar until pale and fluffy.
- Add the melted chocolate to the whipped eggs.
- Gently fold in almond flour, cocoa powder and salt.
- Throw in a handful of dark chocolate chips (because with chocolate: more is more).
- Transfer the luscious, glossy brownie batter into a baking pan.
- Bake at 355 ºF (180 ºC) for about 20 minutes.
- Try to be patient and allow the brownies to cool.
- Fail at step 8 and eat hot brownies straight out of the pan, standing over the counter.
How do I substitute eggs in brownies?
To make these healthy brownies vegan, you can substitute the eggs for aquafaba. It works beautifully, with the brownies coming out of the oven just as gooey and delicious as the egg-containing ones. For more details, check out my best vegan brownies recipe.
Can you make brownies without baking soda?
Certainly. As you’ll notice, this healthy brownies recipe doesn’t actually contain any baking soda (or baking powder). When you want your brownies to be super fudgy or gooey, there’s no need to add any raising agents, as you don’t want your brownies to rise too much. (And if the brownie recipe contains eggs, those will provide more than enough lift on their own.)
How do you know when brownies are ready?
Any brownie recipe will provide you a recommended baking time (for instance, these healthy brownies are baked to perfection after 20 minutes at 355 ºF / 180 ºC), but because ovens can differ greatly (and they’re often incorrectly calibrated), I always recommend doing a toothpick test.
In the “toothpick test”, insert a toothpick or skewer into the brownie for about 2 seconds. Unlike in a cake recipe, you don’t want the toothpick to come out clean – if it does, you’ve probably over-baked the brownie!
You want the toothpick to come out with many moist crumbs attached (for a fudgy brownie) or even with some half-baked batter attached (for a gooey brownie). Remember that the brownie will continue to bake a few minutes more even once it’s out of the oven, so it’s better to err on the side of under-baking it.
Are brownies meant to be gooey?
While I personally prefer my brownies to be fudgy, bordering on gooey, brownies can range in texture from being almost cake-like all the way to super gooey. Where they fall on this texture scale will depend on how long you bake them for, and on whether or not you add any raising agents.
To make cake-like brownies, add about 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and bake them for a longer time. In the “toothpick test”, you’re looking for a clean toothpick with only a few crumbs attached.
To make super gooey brownies, don’t add any raising agents, and bake them for a shorter period of time. In the “toothpick test”, you’re looking for a toothpick with many moist crumbs and even half-baked batter attached.
Why do brownies sink in the middle?
Don’t panic if your brownies sink in the middle! That’s almost certain to happen if you make super gooey brownies. Because you’re essentially under-baking them, the brownies don’t develop enough structure to keep a domed shape once they start cooling.
So if your goal is to make fudgy or gooey brownies, and they sink in the middle on cooling – you’ve succeeded!
What do you put on top of brownies?
You have many options – I mixed chocolate chips into the batter, and sprinkled extra on top just before baking. Alternatively, you can cover the baked (and cooled) brownies with chocolate ganache, or serve warm brownies with a dollop of ice cream.
So there you have it, friends! A simple recipe for healthy brownies that will blow you away with their fudgy texture and intense chocolate flavour. In one word: bliss.
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Super Fudgy Healthy Brownies (Gluten Free, Grain Free, Dairy Free, Paleo)
These healthy brownies have it all – the luscious fudgy texture, the intense chocolate flavour and they’re easy to make! Plus, they’re gluten, grain and dairy free, as well as paleo.
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 oz (125 g) 80%+ dark chocolate, chopped (you can use chocolate with a lower cocoa solids percentage – in this case, you will need to reduce the amount of coconut sugar)
- 1/4 cup (50 g) coconut oil, softened at room temperature (but not melted)
- 3 medium eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 - 1 1/4 cups (100 - 175 g) coconut sugar (less if you're using chocolate with a lower cocoa solids percentage)
- 1 cup (90 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (30 g) cocoa powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 - 1 cup dark chocolate chunks and chips (optional)
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 355 ºF (180 ºC) and line an 8x8 inch (20x20 cm) baking pan with greaseproof/baking paper.
In a heat-proof bowl above a pot of simmering water, melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil together. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or a hand mixer with the double beater attachments, whisk the eggs and coconut sugar until pale, fluffy and tripled in volume. This will take about 5 - 7 minutes.
Slowly drizzle in the melted chocolate while whisking on low speed. Whisk until the chocolate is fully incorporated.
Sift the almond flour, cocoa powder and salt into the egg-chocolate mixture, and gently fold in the dry ingredients (using a spatula) until no clumps remain.
Stir most of the chocolate chunks and chips into the brownie batter, then transfer the batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth out the top, and sprinkle over the rest of the chocolate chunks and chips.
Bake in the pre-heated oven at 355 ºF (180 ºC) for 18 - 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached (for fudgy brownies) or even with some half-baked batter attached (for gooey brownies).
Serve the brownies either still warm or once cooled.
The healthy brownies keep well in a cool dry place in a closed container for 3 - 4 days.
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82 thoughts on “Super Fudgy Healthy Brownies”
These look freakin’ amazing!! How much Aquafaba would I substitute for 3 eggs?
Hi Terri! About 1/2 cup (120 mL) should work well.
Can I use coconut flour as a substitute for almond flour, and if so how much would I use?
I don’t recommend using coconut flour, as it tends to dry out baked goods – and dry brownies are pretty much the worst. 😉
Hi can I replace almond flour with coconut flour and if so how much quantity should I use?
I don’t recommend using coconut flour, as it tends to result in very dry bakes.
I love this recipe❤️ do you think I need to change anything, if I want to throw in some roasted, drained cherries? Thanks a lot for your amazing effort and love to provide all there super delicious things
Hi Sonja! No need to change anything, it should work with no problems. LOVE the idea actually, will have to do that myself! 😉
I’ve been meaning to make something from your website for aaaages. I made these today with my lil bro and they’re incredible! Gooey and fudgy and taste so good! My family is mostly gluten, sugar and dairy free so these went down really well. I’ll definitely be making them again.
I’m so glad you and your brother enjoyed these, Ophelia! 🙂
Can i replace almond flour with cassava flour? Almond flour is suuuper expensive here where i live. This is a great recipe i really want to try. Thank u for sharing 😊
Cassava flour should work just fine! 🙂
Hi, and it is essy to read the recipe. But can I substitute almond flour with smth else?
You can use other finely ground nuts or (gluten free) flour of choice – depending on any dietary requirements.
I am really excited to try these! Could you substitute Stevia for the coconut sugar? If so, about how much would you use?
Because these brownies get a lot of their texture from whipping together eggs and (coconut) sugar, I’m not sure how well this exact recipe will work with stevia – it will certainly greatly affect the texture. But if you do give it a try, let me know how they turn out!
I made these with my daughter and we used half Lakanto (erythritol with monk fruit) and half coconut sugar. We also used unsweetened baking chocolate instead of 85% and we added a cup of 50% chocolate chips. They turned out amazing!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed the brownies, Maccabee!
I followed this recipe to a T, except I did reduce the sugar to ½ cup (my family’s very concerned about my sugar intake lol), and it was so good! My batch came out cakier than I’d like, most likely because I reduced the sugar, but it was still awesome! I was afraid the almond flour would cause it all to crumble but that didn’t happen so I am super happy with this recipe
I’m on a low FODMAP diet, and so I’m always looking for yummy recipes to curve my cravings of all the foods I can’t eat anymore. This is absolutely amazing! I have made them 3 times and added a layer of Kit-Kat Gold last time which took them to the next level (highly recommend). thankyou so much for this !
Yay, so glad you enjoyed the brownies, Tay! 😀
These were delicious! I was wondering if you have nutrition info for them?
Glad you enjoyed them! I don’t have the nutrition info, but I’m sure you can calculate it using an online calculator. 🙂
Hey Kat !
I tried your brownie recipe and it turned out really good !!!!!!
This is one perfected guilt free brownie recipe which is for keeps !!!
Thank you so much for the amazing recipe . Much love from California ❤
So glad you enjoyed the brownies, Maimuna! 🙂
I don’t see an ingredients list anywhere?
Could you give me the list please?
wait nevermind I found it haha
Opps forgot to rate 😜
Great recipe. I used Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate because the block chocolate is too expensive. I also used half almond and half coconut flour, and added a little vanilla. I will bake these again soon.
Great recipe, tastes better than “real” brownie. I added 1/2 tsp baking powder, fearing it might be too gooey, and some chopped walnuts, it turned out awesome. Thank you for adding the measurements in grams.
These are AWESOME! Thank you so much! Everyone loves them!
These came out really well – even though at first I thought that I didn’t have a lot of mixture (I think my tray is just too big). The only thing I would say is that it is by no means ok to call them healthy – they are still are dessert/treat and should be classified as such. If you check the GI of coconut sugar vs standard sugar you will find that the deviation is marginal. Of course still better to have a gluten free/dairy free brownie than a standard one 🙂
Hi Kat!
I’m seriously drooling and can’t wait to make these for a gluten free/dairy free treat. Because no one in this crowd needs grain free, I’m thinking of making them with gf flour instead of almond flour. I have both on hand, so I’m wondering, if you’ve made them both ways- which would you recommend taste wise?
Thanks!
Debra
Hi Debra! The recipe has been “optimised” for almond flour, which gives them a fudgier texture. That said, you can definitely make them with GF flour, you might need to bake them for a slightly shorter time – just keep an eye on them as they bake. They will be delicious in either case. 🙂
Hi, the recipe looks amazing, I am wondering if it’s okay to use gluten-free flour instead of almond flour. Will that make a big difference in the recipe?
Thank you.
You can use GF flour instead, but it might change the texture slightly – they will be delicious in any case. 🙂
Just made my brownies using your recipe (replacing with coconut flour and palm sugar). They taste fire! Thanks for the recipe. I really love it!
WOW! That looks soooo gooey! And it’s healthy at the same time?! Can’t wait to give it a try!!😃
I never leave reviews on anything, but I couldn’t not with these, have made then time and time again because they are so beyonddddd amazing, Literally probably one of the best brownies I have ever had… and they are healthy!!! Crazy good! Highly highly recommend!!! :))
Definitely forgot whole eggs don’t whip and realized after I’d used my last 3 eggs… fail. Maybe a note anywhere in the article saying egg whites instead of just “3 eggs” could help dummies/beginners like myself lol
Actually, whole eggs do whip up quite nicely with sugar (usually approximately double or even triple in volume) – this is the norm for many brownie recipes. In the past, whipping egg whites separately was a must (as it had to be done by hand), but because nowadays we have stand and hand mixers, whipping whole eggs is a breeze.
I’d love to know if anyone has used cocoa powder. I’m going to give it a try instead of the dark chocolate.
Hi There, these look wonderful. I have one question: Do you mean Almond flour or finely ground almonds? There’s a big difference in how they react in a recipe. Thank you!
You can actually use either, so long as the almonds are very finely ground, sifted to remove any large pieces and then weighed out. But I prefer almond flour, as it’s much more convenient.
Kat, made this Fudgy Brownie a couple of days ago and its just sensational! What I really like is that the brownie tastes so much better 2 days later.
How many calories are in them? (They are wonderful. You should add coconut flakes)
I don’t know the exact nutritional info, but if you input the ingredients into an online calculator, I’m sure you’ll get a fairly accurate estimate!
Can I use something else for the coconut sugar? Wanting to make these with the kids, but don’t have coconut sugar and can’t take em to the store to buy any since we are safer at home 😘
You can use light or dark brown soft sugar! 🙂
These were a hit with the whole family (even my picky husband). We were craving something chocolate and this was the perfect recipe. I was almost out of almond flour so I used mostly gluten-free all purpose flour and they turned out great.
These look delicious! Could I use oat flour instead of almond flour?
I haven’t tested it with oat flour, so unfortunately can’t say for certain. If you give it a go, let me know how it turns out!
I tested with oat flour – *NOT a good substitute* – it made the brownies very dry and flat and basically inedible 🙁
Hello! Do you know if it’s ok to sub the coconut oil for butter? Or what else since I don’t use coconut oil.
You can definite use butter. 🙂
I made these yesterday for my daughter’s birthday and they turned out surprisingly yummy! I reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup and used brown sugar. Since we are in quarantine I didn’t want to go out for coconut sugar. Can you make these without any sugar? I’m trying to avoid it.
Unfortunately, it won’t work completely without sugar, as it’s an important ingredient that strongly influences both the flavour and the texture.
I made these late last night as I got a sweet tooth and didn’t want any junk food. They where really tasty and I served it hot with some soya cream and my hubby was in heaven. I used a slightly bigger baking tin so they weren’t very think but I will make them again using a smaller ceramic tray and hopefully they come out thick and gooey.
Thanks again
can i substitute all purpose flour/whole wheat flour for the almond flour? i don’t have almond flour at the moment. will it work just the same?
You definitely can – just use the same amount by weight.
Amazing brownies! Could you add dates into these too?!
You definitely can – just note that you’re adding more sweetness to already sweet brownies, so it might be a bit too sweet (depends on your personal taste, of course). 🙂
I am a brownie snob, and my fiance persuaded me to bake these with her to be healthier. And omg they are amazing better than most normal brownies ♥️♥️
This was my first time “healthy” baking and it turned out suprisingly well. I didn’t have almond flour so used 1/4 cup coconut flour instead and it still turned out well. It was a bit more cakey than normal brownies so I’m not sure if that was because I baked it for 20 mins or if it was the coconut flour either way it was still delicious.
Omggggggg these are so good I could CRY. I’ve wrote this recipe down for my lil recipe box so I never lose it! I will say one thing… when whipping the eggs & coconut sugar it’s not noted in the recipe at what speed you should whip the mixture at. I was using a kitchen aid with the whisk attachment and it took me around 15min to get the right consistency because for the first 5-7min I was whipping it at too low of a speed. Once I turned up the speed to high (8) it whipped up much more quickly. I added vanilla extract to the batter and topped it with crushed pecans. This recipe is GENIUS.
I just tried making these and the only substitution I made was aquafaba for the eggs. I also added a tiny bit of coffee and a tad more almond flour to balance the addition. Everything else was done to a T… but the pan came out a runny mess!! Oil everywhere, the batter didn’t even bake but the sides got crispy… what did I do wrong?? 🙁
Substituting aquafaba for eggs is a HUGE change to the recipe and most likely the reason why it didn’t work. Eggs give structure and bind the mixture to give nicely sliceable brownies. If you’re looking for a vegan/eggless recipe, I’d suggest my vegan brownies (they’re amazing).
These are amazing! Great advice to use the lower amount of coconut sugar if using a less percent chocolate bar. Because of that, I also increased the cocoa.
Hello looking forward to making these but had a question about the eggs. I only have Large eggs (not medium) so are you able to give the weight or how might I adjust for that? Would 2 large eggs work? Thank you Kelly
Hi Kelly! As I’m in the UK, I use UK medium eggs, which are equivalent to US large eggs. So if you’re in the US, you’re good to go. If you’re in the UK, using 3 large eggs should still give you delicious brownies – you could use 2 1/2 eggs for more exact results, but the recipe should work great either way.
I used extra large eggs and still worked perfectly
Very excited to try this recipe! What kind of dark chocolate do you use/where can you get it?
I usually use Guittard chocolate (64% or 72% baking wafers), I believe you can get it on Amazon.
I just wanted to say that this recipe is AMAZING! I made the brownies for a gluten-free/dairy-free friend as a substitute for regular brownies but I will NEVER go back. I’m not the best baker in the world but these are, without any exaggeration, the BEST brownies I have ever tasted – and I made them! The only downside is now I have to buy the more expensive/hard to find ingredients because I have not found a recipe that even comes close. I make these all the time, they are delightfully moreish! Thank you <3
These are awesome! I made 16 serves instead of 12 and theyre still a bit too big, these brownies are SO rich!! I subbed the almond flour for coconut flour because our store was out, but it still tastes awesome. Would never guess theyre dairy and gluten free! Yum!!
I just made these and they are delicious! I did get a lot of air bubbles though! But who cares because they taste so good!
Can I substitute coconut sugar with maple syrup?
No, since you need a solid form of sweetener, in order to be able to whip it with eggs until pale and fluffy.
Can I use gluten free all purpose flour instead of almond flour? If so, are the measurements the same?
You could use a GF flour blend, you’ll probably need a slightly smaller amount – I’d go with about 75g and then adjust if needed.
Wow!! Amazing recipe! Try it and it turned out super good!!
I just baked these and turned incredibly lovely. Thanks