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Rich, fudgy dessert, coming right up! These may be gluten-free brownies, yet the thick, rich texture is oh-so enjoyable. If you’ve been searching for a recipe for gluten-free brownies, then I’ve got the perfect one for you! This recipe is vegan as well, but that doesn’t mean it skimps on flavor or texture. Lean in and I’ll share the secret to these magical treats.
These brownies aren’t the only better-for-you treat in regular rotation around here. My Fried Plantains are the sweet side dish I make when I want that same caramelized, comforting flavor but in a completely different form, my Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies come together just as quickly in one bowl, and my Bakery-Style Vegan Banana Muffins are what I reach for when I want something a little more breakfast-appropriate but still feels like a treat.
Table of Contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll recognize most of the ingredients in this gluten-free brownie recipe, with a few of my own modifications to keep this as natural as possible:
- Gluten-free flour blend: a good blend will have a few different flours mixed in to best mimic regular flour with gluten.
- Almond flour: adds moisture and a nutty flavor.
- Sea salt: the perfect way to enhance all the flavors.
- Baking powder: adds leavening (a fancy word for helping the brownies fluff up instead of flattening while baking.
- Semisweet chocolate chips: I always choose semisweet over milk chocolate for a better, less sweet chocolate flavor.
- Coconut oil: my favorite oil for, well, everything! Swap with avocado or olive oil.
- Cacao powder: the best way to make a rich and fudgy brownie. I have so many cacao powder recipes!
- Flaxseed egg: this little hack gives you a vegan egg that works like a regular egg!
- Coconut sugar: a lovely way to sweeten without using refined sugar.
- Maple syrup: provides a deep, richer flavor.
- Vanilla extract: a little vanilla goes a long way in finishing this brownie recipe the right way.
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Best Gluten-Free Flours
Using a gluten-free flour blend will give you the best results in this recipe. I like using either King Arthur gluten-free flour or Trader Joe’s gluten-free blend. I also add 1/2 cup of almond flour for extra density, a nuttier flavor and moisture. What is your favorite gluten-free flour blend?
Ingredient Add-Ins
Brownies can’t be too chocolatey in my opinion so I love sprinkling some extra chocolate chips on top and gently pressing them into the batter before baking. This gives you ribbons of chocolate throughout the mix.
If you love adding nuts to your dairy-free brownies, then go for it! Both walnuts and pecans are great, rich nuts in brownies. Just make sure they are chopped up and gently pressed into the batter before baking so that they don’t burn before the brownies are finished.
I also can’t get over a good sweet-savory mix so adding some coarse sea salt after baking is a great finishing touch.
How to Make Gluten-Free Brownies
- Whisk together your dry ingredients first. I like to mix the flour together first then add in the sea salt and baking powder for a second good whisk.
- Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Make sure to whisk constantly so that the ingredients don’t burn. Once they are melted, turn off the burner and whisk in the flax egg, coconut sugar, maple syrup and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. You don’t want to over mix or the brownies won’t rise and they will be too stiff.
- Spread out the mixture into a greased or parchment-lined 9-inch square baking dish and use a spatula to fill the pan evenly. Before baking, you can add any extras you want, like chocolate chips or nuts or both! Gently press them into the batter using the spatula so they can bake into the brownies.
When the dairy-free brownies are thoroughly baked, the center may still look a bit undercooked, but the edges will be dry and set. There may even be a cracked top, though this isn’t necessary.
Pro tip: for super clean cut pieces, place the brownies in the fridge to cool before slicing them into bars.
More Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes
If these gluten-free brownies have turned you onto plant-based desserts, then check out this list of more great dessert options:
- Lemon meltaways: Sweet n’ tangy, melt-in-your-mouth treat.
- Rice Krispie treats: A slightly healthier version of your kid’s favorite snack.
- Peanut butter fudge: This freezer fudge is so simple to make and simply irresistible.
- Chocolate-covered banana bites: I dare you to try just one of these delightfully fun bites!
Don’t forget to leave a comment + rating to let me know what you think of this gluten-free, dairy-free brownie recipe!
Common Questions
My recipe includes a mix of gluten-free flour blend and almond flour. If you want these to be nut free, replace the almond flour with certified gluten-free oat flour.
Yes. Most brownie recipes use some kind of flour with gluten in it. Yet my gluten-free brownies are so fudgy you won’t even notice the difference!
Fudgy brownies contain a higher ratio of fat to flour and conversely, cakey brownies have less fat to flour. The amount of sugar and eggs don’t make as much of a difference (in fact, my brownies have flax eggs in them!), though brownies made with a small amount of sugar have a tendency to be more dry and brittle.
Fudgy Gluten-Free Brownies
Jen HansardIngredients
- 1 cup gluten-free flour (all purpose 1:1)
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, unrefined plus more for sprinkling, if desired
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1.5 cup dark chocolate chips vegan (save 1/2 cup for topping)
- 6 tablespoon coconut oil, unrefined
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- 1 flaxseed egg
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 °F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking dish.
- Whisk together the gluten-free flour, almond flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.
- Set aside some of the chocolate chips for the topping. Melt the remaining chips with the coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cacao powder until smooth, then whisk in the flax egg, coconut sugar, maple syrup and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix just until combined. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan, sprinkle with the reserved chocolate chips and press them gently into the batter.
- Bake until the edges look dry and set and the center still looks slightly underdone, 14 to 17 minutes. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, if desired, and let cool before cutting into bars.
Recipe Notes
- Egg Swap: To make the flax egg, stir together 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed and 3 tablespoons water and let it sit for 5 minutes. If you don’t need them vegan, use 1 large egg instead.
- Mix-Ins: Fold in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts with the batter before spreading it in the pan.
- Cutting Tip: Chill the brownies before cutting for extra clean squares.
- Storing: Store covered at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze in an airtight container for up to several months.
Nutrition
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Made these today and they were a huge hit in our house. The flavour is perfect brownie! Is the batter supposed to be thick like cookie dough? Mine turned out very thick and crumbly and not what I’d expect. I was nervous about it, but it baked ok, although quite dense and a bit mealy but tasted amazing.
So glad these were a hit, Mireille! Next time, try using all GF flour blend and opt out the almond flour. Also, make sure you’re giving the flaxseeds a soak as suggested. These things should help the next batch to be more to your liking. Let us know what you think!
These were great! Wasn’t sure when to add the wet and dry ingredients,.so added them between steps 3 and 4
Great instinct, Erin! 🙂
Really looking forward to trying this recipe but wanted to find out if I could replace the gluten blend with almond flour? If so, is that a 1:1 substitution?
Thanks!
Carla, the recipe calls for gluten-free flour blend as well as almond flour or almond meal so you’ll need to use both. I think if you used only almond flour, your brownies might have a different consistency than in the photos.
Hi! I’m Allergic to coconut, Can you substitute Coconut oil for anything else?
Hey Kristin,
Coconut oil is so unique and nothing is similar to it so we don’t have a substitute for that unfortunately.
Hi Jen,
It looks yummy. What happens if I leave out the coconut oil? Is it test bad?
I wouldn’t leave out the coconut oil because that is what makes these brownies moist and not dry.