Best Fudgy Paleo Brownies
Posted Apr 28, 2016, Updated Jul 17, 2024
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It only takes 20 minutes to make this paleo brownies recipe. They are irresistibly fudgy, rich & chocolatey while being vegan, dairy-free and egg free!
Have you ever hit recipe gold? I mean, you’ve created something and think, “this is so good it could be used as currency.” Thats how I feel about these Fudgy Paleo Brownies. They are fudgy, gooey, irresistibly chocolatey.
These paleo brownies are insanely delicious and are gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo and vegan! Plus, they come together in 15 (yes, fifteen) minutes flat!
This paleo brownie recipe was 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 I totally did it…jackpot.
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!
Paleo Brownies: Ingredients & Substitutions
Ok these paleo brownies 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! You can also use tahini, sunflower seed butter, or peanut butter (not paleo).
- 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. Do not use coconut flour, it is not an acceptable substitution for almond flour.
- Chocolate chips. You can use your favorite healthy/paleo chocolate variety, chips, chopped up bars, etc. See below for my favorite paleo chocolate options!
Paleo Chocolate Chips & Bars
Sometimes it’s hard to figure out which chocolate chips are Paleo, so I’ll discuss some of my favorite healthier chocolate options!
- Hu Kitchen Chocolate Gems. This is my favorite paleo chocolate. These gems are delicious and easy to toss into cookies (no bar chopping required).
- Hu Kitchen Dark Chocolate Bars. You can also buy dark chocolate bars and chop them up to toss into these paleo chocolate chip cookies.
- Lily’s Dark Chocolate. They make chips and bars that are stevia sweetened, low carb, keto, etc.
- Enjoy Life Foods Dark Chocolate Chips are a good option that are vegan, dairy-free but not fully paleo.
How to Make Fudgy Paleo Brownies
Let’s discuss how to make paleo brownies, and don’t forget to watch the video.
The first step in this paleo brownie recipe is to combine the dry ingredients. I like to do this first so that I don’t have to wash my measuring utensils.
Then, either in the microwave or on the stovetop, gently warm almond butter and coconut oil until melted and stir until combined.
Add honey (or maple syrup), applesauce, coconut sugar, almond milk and vanilla. Stir well.
Once the wet mixture is smooth, add the dry ingredients and stir until there are no lumps.
Next, fold in the chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Bake
Bake the paleo brownies for 10-15 minutes or until just barely set. This is how you determine the fudge-factor of these brownies. 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. My favorite baking time is 11-12 minutes.
Note about Pan size. Either an 8×4″ loaf pan. or a small 5″ Le Creuset baking dish, or a 6″ cast iron skillet, 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!
Cool & Serve
Let the paleo brownies cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting. The cooler they are the better they hold up to cutting – they can be a little crumbly or gooey right after baking. Sometimes I like to eat them straight from the pan with a spoon!
Serve them with this paleo vanilla ice cream on top or a scoop of this paleo chocolate ice cream for an extra special dessert.
Paleo Brownies Recipe FAQs
Yes! Double this recipe and bake in an 8×8″ pan for 12-15 minutes.
Yes! If you don’t want to worry about finding paleo chocolate chips, you can omit them and these paleo brownies are still amazing.
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Fudgy Paleo Brownies
Ingredients
- ½ cup creamy almond butter (or cashew butter)
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil (melted, or butter)
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup (or honey)
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 2 Tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 Tablespoon almond milk
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons almond flour
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease an 8×4" loaf pan or 5" square baking dish with coconut oil, set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside.
- In the microwave or on the stovetop gently warm almond butter and coconut oil until melted. Stir until combined.
- Add honey (or maple syrup), applesauce, coconut sugar, almond milk and vanilla. Stir well.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until well combined.
- Gently fold in mini chocolate chips.
- Spread batter in your prepared 8×4” loaf pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until just barely set. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting.
Video
Notes
- Almond butter. any nut or seed butter works well, especially cashew butter.
- Coconut oil. Grass-fed butter or ghee are good substitutes.
- Maple syrup. honey works well.
- 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. Do not use coconut flour, it is not an acceptable substitution for almond flour.
- Chocolate chips. You can use your favorite healthy/paleo chocolate variety, chips, chopped up bars, etc. See below for my favorite paleo chocolate options!
- Hu Kitchen Chocolate Gems. This is my favorite paleo chocolate. These gems are delicious and easy to toss into cookies (no bar chopping required).
- Hu Kitchen Dark Chocolate Bars. You can also buy dark chocolate bars and chop them up to toss into these paleo chocolate chip cookies.
- Lily’s Dark Chocolate. They make chips and bars that are stevia sweetened, low carb, keto, etc.
- Enjoy Life Foods Dark Chocolate Chips are a good option that are vegan, dairy-free but not fully paleo.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was amazing. Doesn’t feel Paleo at all. I had to combine almond and cashew because I didn’t have enough of either. Amazing. Also, I used only maple syrup because I was out of coconut sugar. It still worked. It was crumbly for me. I was wondering if an egg in it would keep it together. But crumbly was still amazing.
Has anyone tried adding an egg? Mine were really dry/crumbly. Did I do something wrong?
Hey Ashley! Did you make any substitutions? I have never had these turn out dry! They are so fudgy and gooey they barely hold up when cut! 😉 So I’d love to help you troubleshoot! I have accidentally left out ingredients before (one time I had a pan of regular brownies in the oven for 20 minutes before I realized I forgot the eggs, whoops), so maybe you accidentally left out one of the wet ingredients?
Greetings,
Can I use wheat flour instead of almond flour? And is there a sub for coconut sugar, I do not like coconut.
Thanks
Yes you can, the texture may be slightly less fudgy though! Any granulated sugar works in place of coconut sugar!
I can’t stand coconuts either. I only use organic refined coconut oil which has no flavor. I just wanted to comment that coconut sugar tastes like Brown sugar not like coconut. I haven’t tried these yet just found the recipe, can’t wait to.
New-ish to a paleo diet (3 weeks in), and having insane cravings for baked sweets. This totally hit the mark and satiated my craving! Awesome gooey chocolatey goodness all baked up in a pan. Thank you! You saved me from a trip to the bakery and what would have been a major cheat on this diet!
Could I use dates as my sweetener or even banana instead of the maple syrup? Have you tried them with cassava flour?
I recommend making the recipe as written!
These look absolutely delicious but I was kind of bummed out to see that coconut flour is not an acceptable substitution. Just curious why one couldn’t use coconut flour? So many other vegan-gf-paleo brownies I have made use coconut flour and they are delicious.
Hey Marley! Coconut flour is not an acceptable substitution for almond flour because it absorbs significantly more liquid and would likely result in dry brownies!
Amazing recipe and absolutely delicious brownies! I baked my 8×4 dish for 11 min and followed the recipe exactly as it called for.
Thank you for a such a tasty treat!!
Do you think you can portion the mix into muffin tins and bake that way?
I never post comments , but Oh my goodness. Probably the best brownie I’ve ever had in my life. We have a lot of weriod restrictions… And the fact that these brownies had none of the things we couldnt have I gave it a try… And ive made the recipe 4 times so far. Its the perfect tummies healthy alternative to brownies .. And I LOVE them. Thank you so much!!!!
I run a small cooking/recipe group on Facebook – I’m going to share your post with them for National Fritters Day. Thank you for sharing your recipes.. your work is very beautiful and easy to follow. Janet (the Cautious Foodie)
I just want to thank you for this fantastic healthy recipe. I never thought that brownies could get this healthy. Thank you for sharing
Thank you Ioana! It’s one of my all-time favorites! 😉