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These Almond Flour Brownies are a really simple one-bowl recipe which creates incredibly fudgy and intensely chocolatey gluten-free brownies.
Do you need an ultra easy brownie recipe that can be mixed together in a flash and baked in an instant? Maybe you don’t have a food mixer and can’t bear washing up. Or perhaps you need something gluten-free but get intimidated by all the different flours.
If you are nodding your head vigorously to all the above then this brownie is exactly the brownie you have been looking for:
1 bowl.
1 wooden spoon.
1 flour.
8 ingredients.
20 minutes.
Then the best bit? These are the fudgiest, most chocolatey brownies you could hope to imagine.
So what's the secret? The clue is is in the title.
Almond Flour. It’s kinda my favourite.
What is almond flour?
Almond flour is made from very finely milled almonds. It is a slightly different product than ground almonds or almond meal as it has a finer grind so is much softer and quite powdery. Basically it looks like flour.
Almond flour is very high in protein and as such is excellent used in baked goods. It gives a moist and tender crumb so is a very reliable flour for gluten-free recipes. Cakes and bakes made with almond flour are delightfully fluffy but also hold together very well.
If you would like to investigate the differences between ground almonds, almond meal and almond flour then visit my in depth post all about nut flours.
Can you sub almond flour for almond meal?
Yes you can but be prepared that the end result may not be quite the same. For instance, instead of the smooth texture you would get from baking these brownies with almond flour the brownies will be a little nubby from the more rubbly meal. However, all the taste will still be there and the brownies will be just as fudgy.
How do you make Almond Flour Brownies?
There are few steps involved in these brownies so it’s the recipe to reach for if you are short on time but still need to deliver the perfect brownie.
- Melt the chocolate with the butter in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water.
- Add sugar, eggs, almond flour, cocoa powder, salt and vanilla into the bowl and mix.
- Pour the brownie batter into an 8 inch lined and greased square cake tin.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Leave the brownies to cool in the tin.
Baker’s Tip: For these brownies we don’t use a bain marie for melting the chocolate. You just need a large glass mixing bowl (or you can use a metal one) then rest it over a pan of simmering water. You want the bowl to drop just a little into the saucepan but nowhere near the water. The mixing bowl should be large enough so that once the chocolate has melted you can add in the rest of the ingredients. Truly a one-bowl recipe.
Baker’s Tip: We don’t just use melted chocolate or cocoa powder in these brownies. We use both. The melted chocolate gives the brownie its fudgy texture and the cocoa powder gives the brownie its intense chocolate flavour.
Baker’s Tip: Once baked, leave the brownies in the tin to cool in the fridge for at least four hours. This makes the brownies much easier to cut.
Can you make Almond Flour Brownies dairy-free and refined sugar-free?
Yes! Use dairy-free dark chocolate and substitute coconut oil for the unsalted butter. To make the brownies refined sugar-free simply substitute the caster sugar for coconut sugar.
Before we get too carried away with these brownies I feel I should give you a little caveat. There is no crackly top on these brownies. The surface is still delightfully crisp but because we are using melted butter and no creaming method then we don’t get the traditional crackle topped brownie. If this is a sticking point for you then may I point you in the direction of these other lovely gluten-free brownies which have crackles galore:
Milk Chocolate Peanut Caramel Brownies
Choc Chip Cookie Dough Brownies
Black Sesame Peanut Butter Brownies
Shop the Recipe:
If you make these Almond Flour Brownies then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own baking creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes. Did you know that I also have a Pinterest Board dedicated to Brownies. There is a lot of inspiration on there if you need a further brownie fix.
Almond Flour Brownies
Ingredients
- 200 g dark chocolate - broken into pieces
- 165 g unsalted butter
- 300 g caster sugar
- 150 g almond flour
- 60 g cocoa powder
- 3 eggs - lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan assisted oven/ gas mark 4.
- Line and grease an 8 inch square cake tin.
- Place the chocolate and unsalted butter in a large glass or metal mixing bowl.
- Set the mixing bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and melt the chocolate and butter.
- Once melted, removing the mixing bowl from the top of the saucepan and add the rest of the ingredients.
- Beat well until the batter is thick and smooth.
- Pour the brownie batter into the prepared cake tin.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the brownies from the oven and leave to cool in the tin before removing and cutting.
Notes
- This recipe uses medium eggs. Although if you only have large eggs then that won’t really be a problem here.
- If you can’t find almond flour then you can substitute ground almonds or almond meal. The texture will just be a little more nubby.
- Cooling the brownies in the tin helps the brownies to set properly. I recommend refrigerating the tin of brownies for about 4 hours too which makes the brownies easier to cut.
Could you substitute the egg fir flaxseed “egg” or ypghurt?
Hi Pryana, I haven't tested the recipe with this substitution so I can't say for sure.
I'm ready to try this but I only have powdered cocoa (good quality though). Can I make this without the melted chocolate? If so, do I add more powdered cocoa or any more fats to compensate? Thanks!
Hi Angel, powdered cocoa is fine but I haven't made the brownies without the melted chocolate. They wouldn't have quite the same results or be as fudgy. I wouldn't like to say what alterations you would need to make to the other ingredients to compensate without testing it I'm afraid.
These brownies are AMAZING! So glad I found this recipe. Thank you. 🙂
You're most welcome! I'm happy you love them as much as me!!
So far so good the batter tastes nice , used a cherry and pistachio dark chocolate ( to use it up) used a sugar substitute so will be wondering if this comes out OK . Had to also use almond meal ( ground almonds) , so will be a bit nubby as was said . The batter was a bit stiff could I have used extra liquid of a sort?
This is a stiff batter but the brownies are so fudgey! I hope you had good results.
You are the Absolute Best. I have used this Recipe to make brownies countless of times. It's a Divine treat. I always leave it the freezer to harden and then cut to Serve. It's an absolute treat and so Delicious. You are simply the best
Hi Ola, thank you so much! So happy you love these brownies as much as I do!
These are incredible! Best brownie recipe I've ever done.
I used sweetener not sugar to Lower carb count as well.
Highly recommend to anyone to try.
Hi Amy - thank you so much for your feedback! I'm happy you enjoyed the brownies!
Hi Georgina, I made these again at the weekend for my mums "socially distanced 60th" and they were INCREDIBLE again... wow wow wow! Everyone loved them!
I made one change which was to use an electric whisk to mix the eggs and sugar and it produced a "crackley crust" so if people do want that, then I'd recommend trying this.
They were sensational. Best brownie recipe ever!
Hi Amy, oh yes - gotta love that crackly crust!! Thank you!
Absolutely beautiful, I used coconut sugar, which makes these brownies lower in carbs.
Thank you! Coconut sugar is a great idea!
Hi.i am making these gorgeous looking brownies now and after baking them for 20min it still looks pretty runny ..when I move my tin to the sides it kind of moves too does it mean I need to bake it a bit longer ( as my gas oven is not the best) or
it should be this way? And my brownies looks thicker in the tin the lan the ones in your picture. I'm using 20×20cm tin.
Thank you
So the brownies will still have a slight wobble to them when you take them out of the oven. This is normal for all brownies which usually require a bit of resting time before cutting and serving. The wobbliness is a signifier of a lovely fudgy brownie, if they are baked for too long they will dry out. I usually cool them in the tin in the fridge which means you can cut them so much easier. Let me know how they turned out!
I like the simplicity of the recipe. These look delicious too.
Yes they are so easy! Thank you!
These look utterly amazing!
Thank you!!