Almond Flour Brownies
The gluten-free, grain-free, hassle-free brownie everyone can love

Anxious about making dessert for an unfamiliar crowd? It can be a challenge these days, baking something that A) tastes great, B) won’t take half your day and a counter full of ingredients to prepare, and C) can be enjoyed by nearly everyone, including many of those on special diets. If you find your head spinning trying to pack all of those features into one delicious dessert, take a deep breath — and bookmark this recipe for Almond Flour Brownies.
Almost all brownies are delicious. Most brownies are easy to make. Many brownie recipes use only a few simple ingredients. Some brownie recipes require just a single bowl.
This brownie fulfills all of those requirements — plus the resulting deep-dark, fudgy brownies can be enjoyed by those on both gluten-free and grain-free diets. What’s the deal?
Almond flour: the gluten-free community’s favorite baking staple.
We’ve done the tests: Almond flour can stand in for one-fourth to one-third of the all-purpose flour in both sweet and savory recipes, adding both flavor and richness. Still, that doesn’t help those people avoiding gluten or grains completely.
The only hint that these tender, moist brownies are made with almond flour rather than all-purpose flour is a very slight graininess from the ground almonds. It's not unpleasant (any more than the "sandy" texture of shortbread is unwelcome); it's just different than brownies made with all-purpose flour. In addition, letting the brownies rest overnight softens their graininess.
Let's follow the recipe and see how quick and easy these brownies really are.
Eight ingredients (seven of them pantry staples) are all you need. Yes, you'll probably need to purchase almond flour; but it stores beautifully in the freezer, so no worries about keeping it fresh until next time you need it.
Relax! You won't need your KitchenAid. There's no melting chocolate in a saucepan or whisking ingredients together separately; one bowl and a spoon is all that's required.
First, preheat your oven to 350°F. Give it enough time to warm up; this is such a simple recipe you'll probably have the brownie batter ready well before the oven is up to temperature.
Place the following in a medium-sized mixing bowl:
5 tablespoons (71g) melted butter
1 3/4 cups (347g) sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (64g) cocoa powder, Dutch-process or natural; sifted if particularly lumpy
3 large eggs
Note: If you're baking for someone on a strict gluten-free/grain-free diet, make sure all of the ingredients you choose are certified gluten-free/grain-free.
Stir everything together with a spoon, whisk, or spatula.
Mix in 1 1/2 cups (145g) almond flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder.
The batter will be thick and fairly smooth, showing only a slight graininess from the almond flour.
Scoop the batter into a lightly greased 8" square or 9" round pan; either will work just fine.
Did you know these two different pans have the same capacity? What other size pans are interchangeable? Discover more about alternative pan sizes.
They'll need about 33 to 38 minutes in the oven. When done, the top of the brownies should look set. And when you shake the pan slightly, their center shouldn't jiggle.
A toothpick or thin skewer inserted into the center of the brownies should emerge clean or nearly so, showing perhaps a few wet crumbs or a tiny smear of chocolate.
Remove the pan from the oven. If the brownies have puffed up around the edge (and you don't care for that "look"), gently flatten them with a fork; this will give them a smoother profile when cut.
Run a heatproof spatula around the edge of the pan to loosen the brownies before they cool and set.
Once the brownies are cool, cut them into squares (or wedges, if you've used a round pan). To eliminate the sticky drag of a knife, use a bench knife to press straight down into the pan; it's the perfect tool for this task.
I told you these were fudgy, yes? Not wet or gooey, just nicely moist, with a lighter-colored, delicate crust on top.
So there you have it: a new brownie recipe that's simple, delicious, and appropriate for anyone avoiding gluten and grains. What's not to love?
What else can you bake with almond flour? Check out our 100+ almond flour recipes.
May 20, 2019 at 9:36am
In reply to My question can you buy a powder plant base milk product. by Carrol Lindsat (not verified)
May 27, 2019 at 3:21pm
In reply to My question can you buy a powder plant base milk product. by Carrol Lindsat (not verified)
May 19, 2019 at 12:42pm
May 20, 2019 at 9:35am
In reply to I like cakey brownies, and don't need them to be gluten free. W… by Karen (not verified)
May 19, 2020 at 12:39pm
In reply to Hi Karen! We'd recommend instead that you use our <a href="http… by bakersresource
I've made this recipe with half almond flour/meal and half all purpose wheat flour, and it worked beautifully. (My package of almond meal suggested no more than 50% almond flour/meal for it together best, so I used half and half.) I also substituted almond extract for vanilla, and reduced the sugar 1/4 cup.
May 13, 2019 at 9:29am
May 12, 2019 at 8:22pm
May 13, 2019 at 10:22am
In reply to Can you use Ghee instead of butter and would it be an equal amo… by Judy Davidson (not verified)
May 12, 2019 at 5:23pm
May 13, 2019 at 10:32am
In reply to I’ve made these brownies for a gluten free family member and we… by Cathy (not verified)
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