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Fudgy Paleo Brownies {+ Video}!

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Gooey Fudgy Paleo Brownies Recipe! This heathy dessert recipe is ready in 15 minutes flat and makes the best brownies EVER! 

A front view of a stack of 3 goodey fudgy paleo brownies

Have you ever hit recipe gold? I mean…you’ve created something and think, “this food is so good it could be used as currency.” Thats exactly how I feel about these Fudgy Paleo Brownies. They are fudgy, gooey, and oh so chocolatey.

These little bits of heaven are insanely delicious and are gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo AND vegan! Plus, they come together in 15 {yes, fifteen!} minutes FLAT! If you get.up.right.now. you seriously could be eating the best brownies in the world in 15 minutes. Ready…Set…Go! 🙂 Or wait…let’s chat about them a little more before you run to your kitchen…

These brownies were born out of my desire to make super fudgy paleo brownies that didn’t call for melted chocolate. I wanted to create cocoa-based brownies that were just as good as their melted-chocolate counterparts. And, as I said previously…gold.mine.

Overhead view of a small square pan of gooey fudgy paleo brownies just after being removed from the oven

How to Make Fudgy Paleo Brownies 

  1. EASY. Just like these paleo blondies, this recipe makes a small batch of fudy paleo brownies! If you’re like me and either a) don’t like taking risks with expensive ingredients or b) like to make a new dessert every other day…this is the perfect recipe for you! It’s so simple, mix the wet ingredients, add the dry and bake!  Go ahead and lick that batter straight out of the bowl because it’s VEGAN (no eggs, no worries)!
  2. Pan size. Either an 8×4″ loaf pan. or a small 5″ Le Creuset baking dish can be used to bake these brownies! I know this is a unique size, but it’s really not that hard to find {click here}! I have one of the Le Creuset pans and three of the loaf pans and use them all.the.time. to make small-batch desserts and baking homemade bread!
  3. Fudge Factor. YOU determine your destiny with these beauties. Do you want brownies that are basically like eating gooey, warm brownie batter? Then bake for only 10 minutes. Do you prefer your brownies a little heartier? Then bake for 15 minutes (NO more)! If you like something in between, go for it! The sky’s the limit {well within a 5 minute window}! 😉 My favorite baking time is 11-12 minutes.

overhead view of six photos showing how to make fudgy paleo brownies

I have made this recipe an embarrassing amount of times (I HAD to make sure it was exactly perfect)! You really have nothing to lose! These healthy, delicious, OoOoey, gooey brownies won’t let you down. This might be my favorite recipe creation since these!!! No joke please make them! Please!

Overhead view of a small square pan of gooey fudgy paleo brownies cut into four squares with one missing

Fudgy Paleo Brownies: Substitutions

Ok these beauties are actually fairly versatile, so here are a few tried-and-true, delicious ways they can be slightly altered and still achieve the ultimate brownie perfection! Just be sure to choose ingredients that comply with your dietary needs.

  • Almond butter. If you are allergic to almonds cashew butter is a phenomenal substitution int his recipe. Like out of this world good! I have used peanut butter {not paleo} but don’t prefer it to the other two choices.
  • Coconut oil. Grass-fed butter or ghee can be used in place of coconut oil!
  • Maple syrup. Honey is a delicious option to use in place of maple syrup!
  • Almond milk. Any non-dairy or regular dairy milk can be used in this recipe!
  • Almond flour. I do not recommend tampering with the flour in this recipe. However, I have heard some people have success with regular flour, all-purpose gluten-free flour and tapioca flour. Please {pretty please} do NOT, I repeat do NOT use coconut flour. It is not an acceptable substitution for almond flour.
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4.85 from 26 votes
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Fudgy Paleo Brownies

These Gooey Fudgy Paleo Brownies Recipe are is ready in 15 minutes flat and are the best brownies EVER!

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword fudgy paleo brownies, healthy brownies, paleo brownies, paleo brownies almond butter
Prep Time 3 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 brownies
Calories 302.9 kcal
Author Laura

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Grease an 8x4” loaf pan or a 5" baking pan** with coconut oil, set aside.
  3. In a small bowl, mix together almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside.
  4. In the microwave or on the stovetop gently warm almond butter and coconut oil until melted. Stir until combined.
  5. Add honey (or maple syrup), applesauce, coconut sugar, almond milk and vanilla. Stir well.
  6. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until well combined.
  7. Gently fold in mini chocolate chips.
  8. Spread batter in your prepared 8x4” loaf pan.
  9. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until just barely set. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

**If you only have a 9x5" loaf pan check after baking 8-10 minutes. If you bake these for 10 mintues they will be insanely gooey…almost like warm brownie batter (YUM). The longer you bake, the heartier and less gooey they become. My favorite baking time is between 11 & 12 minutes. Remember this makes a very small batch! To make more simply double the recipe and bake in an 8x8" pan!

Nutrition Facts
Fudgy Paleo Brownies
Amount Per Serving
Calories 302.9 Calories from Fat 194
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21.6g 33%
Potassium 65.6mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 24g 8%
Dietary Fiber 4.5g 18%
Sugars 15.4g
Protein 7.7g 15%
Calcium 10.9%
Iron 11.9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

A front view of a stack of 3 goodey fudgy paleo brownies

Do you see how easy this recipe is and how irresistibly fudgy and chocolatey  these brownies are?! What are you waiting for?! RUN to the kitchen to make these beauties!

If you’re looking for more brownie recipes…{because there’s no such thing as too many…}

Flourless Paleo Brownies

Black Bean Brownies

Greek Yogurt Brownies

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through a link you clicked on here, I receive a portion of the sale. Thank you for supporting JoyFoodSunshine! 

Gooey Fudgy Paleo Brownies Recipe! This heathy dessert recipe is ready in 15 minutes flat and makes the best brownies EVER! #vegan #paleo #grainfree #glutenfree #dairyfree #brownies #fudgybrownies #chocolate #healthydessert #dessert #paleodessert
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Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Why thank you Rachel! 😉 I guess I do post a lot of bar recipes! LOL! Who has time to make individual cookies when you can just dump batter in a pan, bake and eat?! 😉 Plus *gooeyness* is king! 🙂

      Reply

  4. Oh my goodness these look DIVINE! Love how fudgy and absolutely sinful they look. It’s probably a good thing it only makes a small bacth seeing as how I’m going to eat the entire pan in one sitting….

    Reply

    • Thank you Kat! The best part is they’re NOT sinful! Healthy, good for you ingredients! Woo hoo!! LOL all self-control goes out the window when brownies are involved! 🙂 Hope you love them!

      Reply

    • OOoOoo! Congrats! Being pregnant is such a joy, I hope you’re soaking in every.single.second (coming from the lady who cries when I have to put my maternity clothes away). If that bambino wants chocolate give him/her chocolate! 😉

      Reply

    • Thank you Rebecca! They’re definitely one of the best things to come out of my kitchen since…well since ever! 🙂 But seriously they’re so easy I hope you try them and love them! 🙂

      Reply

    • Hey Lauren! Thank you so much! These actually use almond flour, not coconut flour! Just wanted to be sure you knew that so if you tried them you wouldn’t have non-fudgy brownies since coconut flour needs way more moisture! 😉

      Reply

  22. THESE LOOK SO GOOD! I am always looking for good brownie recipes that don’t involve egg (i’m allergic). So these are perfect and I might just make them during nap time this afternoon…. and eat them all! YUM! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  23. These are BEAUTIFUL!!! Its tough creating paleo baked goods that hold together as well as those seem to be. I mean, seriously, I want to reach out and eat one right now! I’ve totally been on the lookout for the perfect paleo brownie, so this will be happening in my kitchen tonight! Thanks for sharing <3

    Reply

    • Thank you Savannah! I agree! Paleo baked goods are tricky! That’s why I *had* to make these so many times to be sure they were just right! 😉 I hope your kitchen is bursting with chocolatey bliss tonight! 🙂

      Reply

  25. Hi Laura! I’m working on these brownies right now! My 3 year old needs a treat for preschool tomorrow, and since we are newly paleo these showed up on facebook at just the right time! My only question is the applesauce. Maybe I’m missing it somewhere. Do I just add that in with the wet ingredients?? So sorry if I have just missed it somewhere!! These look great. I will be sampling tonight while everyone else is sleeping…

    Reply

    • I’m so glad you are trying them! You are absolutely right I forgot to add the applesauce into the instructions!! Yikes! Yes! you add it when you add the honey! 🙂 I updated the recipe to reflect this! Thank you so so much for letting me know! 🙂 I hope you & your son love them!

      Reply

  28. Are these best eaten the same day or could I make them a day in advance for my son’s birthday? They look wonderful. Thanks so much for the recipe! 🙂

    Reply

    • They actually store and reheat exceptionally well! If you make them the day before simply cover well (saran wrap or put them in an airtight container) and put them in the fridge! Then remove from the fridge and let them come to room temperature before serving! If I’m just reheating one for myself I toss it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds and eat it gooey and warm!

      Reply

    • Hey Melody! This recipe uses Almond Flour…not coconut flour! 🙂 I recommend making the recipe as written. Using gluten-free AP flour would mean that these brownies would no longer be considered Paleo. I have never tried them with any flour besides Almond Flour…but if you do please report back and let us know how it went!

      Reply

  30. These are the best brownies ever! My husband loves them and so do I, and I’m usually not a big fan of brownies! They are so gooey and delicious!! Not to mention paleo and vegan! Thank you so much 🙂

    Reply

    • Kimberly I am SO glad you guys love them!!!! This may be one of my favorite recipes on the blog! So heathy, and easy but it doesn’t taste like it! Thank you for stopping by to let me know! It really means so much to me! 🙂 <3

      Reply

  33. These are absolutely delicious. Made some today I am new to the paleo world and I am amazed with the amount of options there are.

    Reply

    • YAY! Alie I’m SO excited you love them! I seriously make these brownies once a week because they’re so easy and delicious! I wish you the best of luck on your paleo adventure!

      Reply

  36. Don’t get me wrong – these things are AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAmazing! But every time I make them, they collapse in the middle, what am I doing wrong? Please help because they come out so ugly and nothing like the pictures.

    Reply

    • Hey Becca! Hmm….maybe you need to bake yours a touch longer? I find the longer they bake the more they take on the shape of real brownies! But to be honest, I much prefer to eat them super gooey straight from the pan! LOL! They are definitely not always picture worthy! Are you making any substitutions?

      Reply

      • I’m not making any substitutions. I will try to bake longer. I mean, they taste great so I guess who cares what they look like 🙂

        Reply

  37. These look amazing! Is it possible to use a substitute for coconut sugar? I don’t have any and would love to make these today. Thanks!

    Reply

  39. These are delish! A win for the paleo hubs and the not-always-paleo pregnant me!! Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply

  40. I have made these a few times now and boy are they amazing!! Super easy and quick to throw together. Thanks for the fabulous recipe!!

    Reply

  42. Yummy! This satisfied my chocolate craving. I didn’t have coconut sugar, so I subbed one T. maple syrup for it.
    Thanks!

    Reply

  43. We are taking this recipe camping in two days, going to make them in personal cast iron skillets over the fire. But oops! I didn’t make enough almond butter. Can I use cashew butter instead? Or a mix of the two? HELP!

    Reply

  44. I added roasted cocoa nips and homemade marshmallows to this batter!!! It’s added to the heavenly flovor☺ thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  45. I made these twice! First time with regular peanut butter and wheat flour and just made the batter a bit smoother by adding more almond, maybe 2 to 3 tbs more. Baked it about 13 to 14 minutes and it turned out aaaaammmmaaaazing!!! Lol The second time I wanted to follow the recipe exactly and as the texture turned out great, the flavor to me was off a bit. Maybe too overwhelming of a almond taste with the flour? I’m really not sure but either way great recipe!! Thank you 🙂

    Reply

  46. Do you use a special paleo friendly chocolate chip that I don’t know about? These look delicious, but with chocolate chips, I wouldn’t consider them paleo.

    Reply

  47. These are SO good! Just made them and half the pan is already gone! So fudgy and delicious, and only about 20 minutes from start to finish!

    Reply

  48. THESE ARE AMAZING! I have had SUCH a hard time finding a paleo brownie recipe thats actually fudgy and gooey and delicious. And this is definitely it. I’m so happy!!

    Reply

  50. OMG these are so wonderful. I made many subs, including cashew butter for almond butter, water for almond milk, arrowroot starch for almond flour and date paste for all of the sweetener except I added about 1/2 T of coconut nectar. OMG so wonderful. I doubled the recipe and used 8×8 Pyrex dish and baked at 325 for 15 mins. Bless you for sharing these!

    Reply

  51. New to a paleo diet, one week in. Day 2-5 I thought I would die from hunger pains and massive cravings, despite eating copious amounts of food! LOL Day 6, yesterday, was the first day I didn’t have hunger pains, or cravings. But I rewarded myself for holding out through it, by searching for a paleo friendly chocolate dessert. These are the bomb! I made them last night, and oh, my, so much more chocolaty and gooey and yummy than any crappy traditional box brownie could ever hope to be! Seriously rich enough, and satisfying enough, that a very small brownie goes a long way. Thank you!

    Reply

    • LOL I hope you’re find the right foods to nourish your body and keep those hunger pains away as you make the transition to the Paleo diet! I’m SO glad you enjoyed these brownies! They are in my top three favorite desserts ever so it makes me SO happy to know that they brought a little chocolatey joy to your life! 🙂

      Reply

    • No it is not! Almond meal is coarser than almond flour! If you only have almond meal I recommend tossing it in your blender and pulsing for a few seconds to make it finer!

      Reply

  54. Made these as double batch for thanksgiving. Forgot to mix in chocolate chips so I poured them on top after taking out of oven. Didn’t quite double the baking time for 8×8 pan. They are DELICIOUS!!
    Hubby and father in law couldn’t get enough. Thanks for all your “hard work” perfecting this recipe!

    Reply

  56. These were actually pretty good! Gooey and fudgy as promised. Just for personal taste, I might try to sub half of the almond butter for something else as they were a bit too “peanut buttery” for just wanting fudgy brownies. But awesome recipe otherwise

    Reply

    • Hey Kali! I do not think this recipe would translate really well into brownies because of how fudgy they are. You could try mini cast iron skillets! Or if you’re looking for a paleo brownie that would bake well in a muffin tin you could try this Flourless Paleo Brownie recipe!

      Reply

  58. I made these using almond butter and added a handful of crushed pecans. They are absolutely delicious. Amazingly fudgy! A great great recipe.

    Reply

  60. I halved the recipe and microwaved it. I had everything but almond or cashew butter, so I used regular peanut butter. I baked it in a 5-inch ramekin for 1,minute and 25 seconds. It was excellent! Probably too much for a single serving, as rich and gooey as it was, but it was easier to make half than a third.

    Reply

  62. Wow! These are seriously amazing! I didn’t have any chocolate chips so I added chopped pecans instead, YUM! Best Paleo dessert I have made yet! I will definitely double the recipe the next time, because these went very quickly (mostly by me!)

    Reply

  64. Hi! I have a question…should these be jiggly when you take them out of the oven??
    I tripled the recipe and put it in an 8×8….they are thick and delicious looking, but are still very jiggly after the 15 min.
    Thank you!!

    Reply

    • Hey Alex! They are a little jiggly but they firm up once they cool down. Tripling the recipe and putting it in an 8×8″ pan more than likely requires a longer baking time than 15 minutes. They will be much thicker than the original recipe if you do that!

      Reply

      • I cooked about 18 minutes and they were phenomenal!!! I already made another batch that I am currently eating at this very moment 😆 thanks Laura!

        Reply

  65. I just picked up everything at the store and forgot apple sauce. Yikes! What should I do? Add more milk, or something else? Help!

    Reply

  66. Just made these with cashew and almond butter! I also added a flax egg. Its delicious!!! How long is their shelf life? Do you store them in the fridge?

    Reply

  67. I tried these and they never set up! The flavor was really good but they were a gooey mess. I made no substitutions, used the correct size pan, and even baked for 15 minutes.. Cooled completely and they just completely fell apart.

    Reply

    • Hey Hilary! That is actually super normal. The way I get them to actually look like square brownies is to refrigerate them before cutting. I will add that in a note in the recipe! If you see in the video, the cut brownie was just barely holding together because I value the gooey-factor and flavor over a perfectly shaped brownie! LOL! My philosophy is toss it in a bowl with some paleo ice cream and it’s utter perfection!

      Reply

  68. I just want to say THANK YOU for posting alternatives to ingredients! I recently took on the paleo lifestyle but am allergic to coconut. I have been having such a hard time finding brownies that look delicious but don’t have coconut. I am very excited to try these out and I’m really hoping you do the alternatives on other recipes too!

    Reply

  70. I have never before left a comment about a recipe. Oh my goodness…these are absolutely the best!!! Made in a 6” little round Corning Ware dish and turned out perfectly. 6 really nice sized pie shaped pieces. Instead of chocolate chips I broke up a 90% chocolate bar…just fabulous! Thank you so much for helping to make paleo the best decision I ever made 6 years ago!

    Reply

    • Candy I am SO glad that you enjoyed them!! We just returned from vacation and I’m totally making a batch of these tonight for dessert because we don’t have any eggs in the house, and they’re the best ever! 😉

      Reply

  71. I just made a double batch of these this morning!! They smelled so good cooking and when i took it out of the oven!! My true test was my fiancee’s response. He loves chocolate!! So, when he got up this morning, i had him try it without telling him anything about it. He loves it!! But he did say it needed to be just a bit sweeter, so he’s going to add whip cream to his. Afterwards. I told him what was in it. I had to explain Paleo to him. (I followed a Paleo lifestyle many years ago and then fell off the wagon. Trying to change back over to Paleo.) He said that he didn’t care what was in it as long as it taste good!!! I’ll be posting a picture of it soon.

    Reply

  73. I tried reading through to make sure no one else had asked already but I couldn’t find anything. I absolutely hate the taste of coconut. Can I substitute ghee for the melted coconut oil? I made them already with the coconut oil and my husband loved them but knew the coconut would be too much for me. Thanks so much!

    Reply

  74. Bit too salty for me. So will make again and not add the salt. Best brownies I’ve made so far tho. Thank you !

    Reply

  75. I’ve made these twice before in a 9×5 loaf pan and both times they have been divine. The first time I fallowed to a T, so no surprise when they turned out AMAZING, the second time I messes up with the almond flour and used cashew butter but it was just as good! I just made it again for the third time in an 8×8 (doubled obviously) and I cooked it for 15 minutes which is longer than I usually do but I figured since there’s more of it…they’re currently cooling in my counter and I can’t wait to try them!! Thank you so much for this recipe, I have tried several “healthy” brownie recipe but I think this is my very favorite one! Its just so easy to make, and I ALWAYS have the ingredients on hand!

    Reply

  76. These are amazing! Thank you! I’m curious if they will taste the same with an egg instead of applesauce? Thanks!

    Reply

  77. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! No seriously, THANK YOU. I have been gf/df for 4 months now for weight loss purposes. I have been craving something gooey and chocolatey for months, but have had zero success with gluten free baking. Until now! This recipe is awesome. I used all purpose gf flour and added some coconut flakes. My craving is definitely satisfied! Now I think I may attempt freezing what’s left so I don’t sit and eat the entire pan!

    Reply

  78. Hello! Quick question: I have made these brownies a number of times, and the flavor is amazing! So good! However, I find that (cooking in an 8×4″ pan) the edges stay nice and risen while the middle always sinks. Still super yummy but any tips for making them not sink?? Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hey! Yes these are sinking brownies. In all my trials I found these were my favorite even with the sinking. You could try adding some extra leavening agents (baking powder or soda) to see if that helps them hold the rise a little bit. But when I landed on this as the final recipe I decided taste over rise was more important! LOL! I make them like twice a week! I did find that baking them in a small cast iron skillet caused them to sink less!!

      Reply

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