Easy Fudgy Gluten-Free Brownies
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These Easy Gluten-Free Brownies are the ultimate chocolate indulgence. With their rich, fudgy texture and irresistible flavour from cocoa powder and molten chocolate these easy brownies are a crowd pleaser for any occasion. And to elevate this best gluten-free brownie recipe to perfection, grab my tips on how to achieve a delectable shiny crackle crust, adding an extra touch of decadence to every bite.
Jump to:
- Why you’ll love this Gluten-Free Brownie Recipe
- What can I use instead of all-purpose flour for brownies?
- Do gluten-free brownies have a different texture compared to regular brownies?
- Which gluten-free flour should you use?
- Watch this video to see how to make them
- More gluten free brownies you’ll love
- What ingredients are used to make gluten-free chocolate brownies?
- Step-by-step instructions
- Expert tips for perfect gluten-free brownies
- FAQs
- Flavour variations
- More gluten-free chocolate recipes you’ll love
- Easy Fudgy Gluten-Free Brownies
Why you’ll love this Gluten-Free Brownie Recipe
- Rich chocolate flavour. The combination of cocoa powder and melted chocolate in this recipe creates a luscious and indulgent brownie.
- Crackly shiny crust. It’s easy to achieve a perfect crackle top every time. It’s all in how you whip your eggs and sugar. See below for all the tips!
- Thickness. If you are a real chocolate lover then you will adore these tall and thick brownies.
- No fancy ingredients or flours. Make these brownies with your favourite all-purpose gluten-free flour. It’s been tested with all different brands and tastes excellent every time.
- Texture. These brownies have the perfect alliance of slightly cakey edges and a full-on fudgy middle so you get the best of both worlds.
- Quick and easy recipe. It takes no more than 15 minutes to get your brownies in the oven and it’s a simple method.
- Simple ingredients. You only need 8 ingredients to make the best brownies.
- Small batch. These brownies are made in a 6 inch square baking tin so produce a slightly smaller batch.
- Better than a box mix. Nothing beats homemade for the perfect brownie.
What can I use instead of all-purpose flour for brownies?
Achieving good brownies is simple to achieve if you are following a gluten-free diet as they can very easily be converted to gluten-free by switching the all-purpose flour to a gluten-free all-purpose flour. The moisture heavy ingredients in brownies like chocolate, melted butter and eggs help support the structure of the brownies so they maintain a good moist texture that holds together perfectly even if you use a gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Do gluten-free brownies have a different texture compared to regular brownies?
They can have a different texture and I don’t recommend doing a straight swap from regular flour to gluten-free flour. That’s because the gluten in wheat flour provides structure and elasticity to baked goods.
Gluten-free brownies can be more delicate and crumbly. The good news though is that if you follow a recipe that’s deliberately developed with gluten-free flour in mind then you will find no discernible difference.
The best way is to use the following tips to create a gluten-free brownie mix which will produce a texture and structure just as good as traditional ones:
- Use a good quality gluten-free flour blend.
- Incorporating moisture-rich ingredients like an extra egg or a little more chocolate.
Which gluten-free flour should you use?
The great thing about this recipe is that you can use any brand of regular all-purpose gluten-free flour. You don't need any additional xanthan gum and I don't recommend using self-raising flour.
Doves Farm Freee Gluten Free Plain White Flour works very well in these brownies as does my Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Mix.
✨To achieve results the same as the original recipe I do not recommend you substituting the all-purpose flour with almond flour (see instead my Almond Flour Brownies), coconut flour, or cornflour (cornstarch) this will alter the end results.✨
Watch this video to see how to make them
More gluten free brownies you’ll love
- Almond Flour Brownies
- Chestnut Brownies
- Black Sesame Peanut Butter Brownies
- Salted Caramel Brownies with Peanuts
- Cookie Dough Brownies
What ingredients are used to make gluten-free chocolate brownies?
- Chocolate. This recipe uses 70% dark chocolate which gives these brownies a real intensity. However, you can use 50-60% chocolate for a softer sweeter chocolate flavour. You can use dark chocolate chips or a chocolate bar roughly chopped.
- Cocoa powder. Choose high quality organic unsweetened cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa powder if possible.
- Butter. Unsalted is the best choice here.
- Caster sugar. It’s a fine white baking sugar. You can use granulated white sugar but the caster sugar ensures no grittiness.
- Eggs. This recipe uses medium size, about 60g each with shell (50g each without shell).
- Gluten-free flour. Use your favourite brand of plain all-purpose gluten-free flour. It doesn’t need to contain xanthan gum and shouldn’t be self-raising.
- Vanilla extract. Use a good quality extract, I like Nilsen Massey.
- Salt. This is essential for a great brownie recipe. I like to use sea salt in my brownies. Using salt lifts and sharpens all the other flavours.
Step-by-step instructions
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Pre-heat oven to 180°C /160°C fan /gas mark 4/ 350°F.
- Line and grease a 6-inch square cake tin.
- Melt 90g of dark chocolate with butter in a double boiler or glass bowl over simmering water on medium heat. Let it cool.
- Combine sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl and whisk with an electric mixer for a couple of minutes until light and fluffy.
- Pour in melted chocolate, fold the wet ingredients with a metal spoon.
- Whisk cocoa powder with flour, fold these dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan, scatter 30g of chopped chocolate over it.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Let the brownies cool in the tin, then remove and cut into 9 pieces.
- Optional: Sprinkle with extra sea salt flakes.
Expert tips for perfect gluten-free brownies
- The crackly crust of these brownies is achieved through whisking the sugar and eggs into a meringue-like texture so don’t skip this step. This incorporates air into the mixture, resulting in a delicate, crispy crust on the top of the brownie.
- For best results try not to overmix the brownie batter. Overmixing can lead to a tougher texture.
- Cut 2 long strips of parchment paper that go up the sides of the tin in a cross so that it's easy to lift your brownies out of their tin. Grease the parchment paper with a nonstick spray.
- Let them cool properly. Allow your brownies to cool completely in the baking pan before cutting or removing them. This helps the moisture distribute evenly throughout the brownies and allows them to set properly, resulting in a moist and fudgy texture.
- To cut gluten-free brownies neatly, ensure they are fully cooled. If they are chilled for an hour in the fridge then they cut beautifully. Use a sharp, greased knife and clean the knife between cuts.
- A scattering of sea salt over the top of the finished brownies is not to be missed.
FAQs
Yes, do use a certified gluten-free flour. Doves or Bob’s Red Mill are excellent brands. You could even use a Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend. Ensure to check the labelling of all the ingredients you are using like the chocolate, cocoa powder and any mix-ins you may choose to use.
Try not to overbake the brownies as this can lead to them being a little dry. To ensure a lovely fudgy middle you want to pull the brownies out of the oven when the edges are set and the middle of the brownies still has a wobble beneath the crust. Allow the brownies too cool in the tin to make sure the moisture is properly distributed and the brownies have settled and set.
You can store the brownies at room temperature where they keep well for up to 3 days in an airtight container. I like to store my brownies in the fridge though as they keep for up to a week and I love that firm yet fudgy texture.
Brownies freeze very well. Allow the brownies to cool completely in their tin. You can even chill them in the fridge to ensure clean cuts when you cut them into portions. Tightly wrap each brownies in plastic wrap or aluminium foil. Place them in an airtight freezer-safe container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Each brownie will take about an hour to thaw at room temperature.
You can convert this simple recipe to make dairy-free brownies simply by switching the same amount of butter to coconut oil. Also make sure the chocolate you are using is free from dairy.
Vegan Gluten-Free Brownies are possible to make using this recipe with the following substitutions. Ensure the chocolate you are using is vegan friendly. I recommend using coconut oil as a butter substitute rather than vegan butter. You can then swap the 2 eggs in the recipe for 2 flax eggs.
Flavour variations
- Mint chocolate. Add some mint extract and mint chocolate chips into the brownies for a refreshing twist.
- Espresso brownies. Add 1-2 teaspoons of espresso powder to the brownies for a lovely coffee flavour.
- Nuts. Add chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts to the batter for a different texture and nutty flavour.
- Orange zest. Grate the zest of an orange into the brownie batter for a lovely orange flavour. You can even add slices of Terry’s Chocolate Orange to the top of the Brownie for real indulgence.
- Spiced brownies. Add warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom
- Stem ginger brownies. Add 1 teaspoon of ground ginger and nuggets of stem ginger to the brownie batter for lovely spicy brownies.
More gluten-free chocolate recipes you’ll love
- Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Popcorn Rocky Road
- Chocolate Fudge Cake
- Chocolate Torte with Sweet Potato
- Chocolate Tiffin
- Chocolate Banana Bread with Coconut
- Chocolate Cherry Cake
✨Have you tried this Gluten Free Brownies Recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well! I would love to hear about how your recipe turned out and your feedback also helps other readers. Happy baking!✨
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Easy Fudgy Gluten-Free Brownies
Equipment
- 6 inch square baking tin
Ingredients
- 120 g 70% dark chocolate
- 120 g unsalted butter
- 200 g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs - medium, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 120 g gluten free flour
- 70 g cocoa powder
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 180°C /160°C fan /gas mark 4/ 350°F.
- Line and grease a 6 inch square cake tin.
- Break up 90g of the dark chocolate (the extra 30g will be used later).
- Melt the broken up chocolate with the butter in a bain marie or a glass bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool whilst you are preparing the rest of the ingredients.
- Whisk the sugar with the eggs, vanilla extract and salt in a large bowl with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. This should take about 3 minutes.
- Pour in the melted chocolate and fold in with a metal spoon until just combined.
- Whisk the cocoa powder in with the flour and fold into the rest of the ingredients until the mixture is thick and just combined.
- Pour the brownie batter into the pan. Chop the extra 30g of chocolate roughly and scatter over the brownies.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and leave the brownies to cool in the tin.
- Once the brownies are cool, remove from the tin and cut into 9.
- Sprinkle over extra sea salt if you like.
Video
Notes
- The eggs used in this recipe are medium size, 100g in total, weighed without shell.
- Whisking the eggs with the sugar gives the brownies its lovely crackle top. The longer you whisk the crisper the crackle.
- Always sieve brown sugar and cocoa powder – both have a tendency to clump.
- The consistency and fudginess of the brownies will also depend on the flour used.
- You can use your favourite brand of all-purpose gluten-free flour. Doves works well as does my Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Mix.
Made these earlier and they have now cooled and been sampled. Absolutely delicious. Great recipe. Used your flour blend.
I'm so happy to hear you had success with these brownies - thank you for leaving your feedback!
These have just come out of the oven, waiting for them to cool down enough to sample! I've replaced the GF flour mix with brown rice flour, reduced the sugar from 200 to 150g, and what I didn't realise, because it's brownies and I didn't read the recipe properly, is that I was supposed to beat eggs and sugar together :/
I didn't do that, just added dry ingredients to wet ingredients, so we'll see how they come out - too many variables for my experiment with the flour to be conclusive. Oh dear, I'll have to make more! Yum!