These paleo and keto brownies are extra fudgy, super easy, just 5 ingredients and 1g net carb a pop! Now that’s what we call the ideal low carb chocolate dessert! The recipe was first published on January 8th ’18, and has been updated to provide more info on various sweeteners.
The Ultimate Paleo & Keto Brownies 🍫
Suuuper Fudgy!
Ridiculously decadent, suuuper fudgy and intensely chocolatey, these keto brownies are one indulgent low carb chocolate treat. Plus, they’re suuuper easy and with staple (grain-free) pantry ingredients.
And guess what? Just 1g net carb per brownie. (Drumroll please!) 🥁
p.s. these are very chocolatey, as in proper chocolate! So ideal for you dark-chocolate-lovers out there.
Oh, and if you’re into brownies and cheesecake (who isn’t?!), do check out our keto cheesecake brownies based off these guys.
The Origins
This recipe happens to be a keto adaptation based off Alice Medrich’s famous cocoa brownies, incidentally one of the most popular brownie recipes on the web. And the keto result varies little from the original, albeit perhaps a little less chewy and more melt-in-your-mouth sorta thing (courtesy of the lack of gluten).
Fun fact: Medrich’s original recipe called for beating vigorously with 40 strokes (exactly!) to incorporate the batter. Now that’s what we call precision.
A Couple (Very Simple!) Rules
We’ll start with the most important one: do not over-bake the brownies! Timing might just be the most important rule when making any type of brownie, so you don’t end up with a dry and crumbly mess. Keep an eye out for them, and take them out once the center is set and a toothpick inserted comes out moist (but not drenching).
We even prefer to slightly undercook them and chill them in the fridge before cutting. That’s the secret for extra fudgy brownies.
I’ve also noticed that when using powdered erythritol rather than xylitol (my favorite), you also need to decrease the baking time by about 5 minutes as they cook faster.
You’ll also want to use eggs at room temp. Reason being that if your cocoa/butter mixture is not hot enough (and your eggs are very cold), they’ll solidify the butter and your batter will be too thick (doesn’t affect the end results, just annoying to spoon rather than pour!).
And if possible, refrigerate the batter overnight. This is an old Medrich rule, but it does work a charm to get a richer texture (as the flavors have had a chance to mingle). Though if not possible, honestly don’t sweat it– we’ve done them either way multiple times. Just keep in mind that your batter will solidify in the fridge (as the butter sets), totally normal and just pop the baking dish in the oven as is.
The Chocolate
Cocoa brownies are generally regarded as second best to their ‘molten chocolate bar’ counterparts, given that they’re generally more cake-like than fudgy. But that’s most definitely not the case here, as these are some of the fudgiest brownies you’ll ever make.
Albeit ‘healthier‘, as you can control the chocolate and fat input completely, so no added refined sugars, preservatives etc. And of course, cocoa powder is much less expensive than chocolate bars (particularly keto ones!). So think of these keto brownies as wallet-friendly too.
Cocoa or cacao? Both work great, just know that quality really matters here. Our favorite will forever be the Dutch-processed alkaline cocoa Valrhona, known to be one of (if not the) best cocoas in the world. But feel free to use a raw cacao powder (arguably more nutritional perks here), though keep in mind that your brownies will be lighter in color and more reddish in hue. Both are well and good, as long as they’re unsweetened.
p.s. a lightly sprinkle of flakey sea salt works wonders to cut through the chocolate in these guys! And Maldon flakes are the undisputed best, by a mile.
The Flours
This recipe uses almond flour only (💥💃🎆!!). Yup, that’s it! Having said that, you can always sub half of the almond for hazelnut flour (think Nutella), if you wanna spiff things up a notch or give them a little twist.
In terms of brands, for the almond either Anthony’s or WellBees work great. Both are super fine grinds.
The Sweetener
You’ve got a couple options here. Xylitol and allulose (use the higher amount as its less sweet1) have become my top choice (no aftertaste, best and chewier texture), Lakanto (barely any aftertaste, and many of you also love the Golden version), and powdered Swerve (some cooling sensation, but still great). Xylitol takes (much) longer to dry out though so your brownies will be extra delicate (think gooey) right after baking.
If using erythritol in any form, because it needs a little extra help to dissolve than xylitol (and they vary so much from brand to brand because of different fillers and so on!), you’ll want to be sure to use a powdered form. If you only have granular on hand, don’t sweat it, and simply blend it in your (very dry!) bullet or blender until powdered. Easy-peasy!
And one more thing to keep in mind, is that a few of you who have used erythritol (Swerve in particular) report back periodically that your batter ends up thick. This seems to be improved by microwaving rather than using a water bath, and using powdered rather than regular. Though there seems to be no hard rule here. Doesn’t seem to affect much the taste in the end, so just spread the batter rather than pour it in. But if you’re finding your brownies feel too thick, simply add in an extra egg (just don’t over-whisk or they could become more cakey).
Fun fact: it might also be my taste buds here, but I’ve noticed that stevia-based sweeteners (such as Pyure) don’t work so great when chocolate is involved as the aftertaste is accentuated. So I cannot recommend enough that you don’t use stevia-based sweeteners here.
Oh, and if just paleo or gluten free (or not restricted by sugars), simply sub 1-to-1 with coconut or regular sugar.
And if using xylitol, make sure to be careful if you have a pup (or kitty!) around the house, as it’s highly toxic to the little guys! 🐕
And… the video story!
(1g net carb!) Suuuper Fudgy Keto Brownies
Ingredients
- 130 g unsalted grass-fed butter or 8 TBS coconut oil + 1 TBS coconut cream if paleo
- 140-200 g xylitol allulose (use higher amount), powdered erythritol or coconut sugar if paleo*
- 80 g cocoa powder **
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 eggs at room temperature***
- 70 g almond flour
To garnish
- flakey sea salt optional (but highly suggested!)
Serving suggestions
- unsweetened macadamia milk nice 'n cold!
Instructions
- See recipe video for guidance!
- Position a rack in the lower third of your oven and preheat to 350°F/180°C. Line with parchment paper the bottom and sides of a 8x8-inch baking pan. Set aside.
- Add butter, sweetener, cocoa powder and salt to a medium heatproof bowl. Melt over a water bath whisking constantly (or use the microwave, in small increments). You'll want to heat it up until most of the sweetener has melted and the mixture is well incorporated (note that erythritol, unlike xylitol, won't dissolve much at this point). Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly.
- Add one egg at a time, whisking well after each one until completely incorporated. The texture should appear smooth, with all the sweetener dissolving into the mixture. And if using erythritol, and your batter ends up too thick, you may want to add an extra egg. Just be sure not to over-whisk, or your brownies could end up more cakey rather than fudgy.
- Add the almond flour, whisking vigorously until fully blended (about a minute).
- Bake for 15-25 minutes (we do about 23 with xylitol and 17 with erythritol), or until the center is just set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out moist. This really does vary (a lot!!) from oven to oven (think convection etc), so give them a check from minute 15 the first time around, and remember that you'll brownies will continue to cook while they cool.
- Sprinkle with flakey sea salt (optional) and allow to cool completely on a rack. Lift brownies using the edges of the parchment paper and cut into desired size (we do 16!). To get extra clean edges, place in the freezer for 10 minutes prior to cutting.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I put this recipe into 2 trackers and I get 2-7 carbs and 60-162 calories. I only have 20 carbs to use each day and 7 carbs is some some days to many
Hi Sherry! You need to leave out the sugar alcohols (i.e. Swerve or xylitol) out of your carb count as they aren’t normal carbs xo
Can you help me with the carb count. I’m using cacao powder and almond flour that each have 1 net carb per serving which is the lowest I can find. When I add it up , it’s more than 1 carb per brownie. Do I subtract the sugar alcohol grams from the grams of carbs that I get from the cacao and flour?
Ok this looks like a great recipe but I couldn’t get it to turn out right. Unfortunately you leave out in your video exactly how you melt the butter with the Swerve and Coco. And you’re very vague about it in the instructions too. You don’t tell long to melt it or show exactly how to go about it. I’m pretty sure that’s where my recipe got messed up I think I heated it up too long. But I couldn’t seem to get the swerve to melt. Including a video or more specific instructions of you doing that part of the recipe would be very useful!!!!!!!!! Also I noticed significant call down with the swerve. Is there anyway to negate that.?
Hi Sandra! Can you please let me know why you think your brownies didn’t turn out? That’s usually more useful to help me see what may have gone wrong. Melting it is super easy, so I’m not sure what can go wrong there. The point here is to melt the butter to incorporate the cocoa and sweetener, and you can see what the texture looks like after.
In terms of the video, blogging is not my full time job and I do it as I can because I love sharing the recipes. And in all honesty, some basic cooking/baking skills are generally assumed as I cannot possibly cover absolutely everything in each post. But there are nowadays full video tutorials on youtube to learn beginner skills such as melting butter in a water bath. I also unfortunately cannot tell you how long to melt for, it as that would more likely lead to an incorrect outcome. This would depend on the pot your melting it in and too many other variables. The butter, cocoa and sweetener simply become incorporated into one big blog once the butter melts. Then when you whisk in the eggs (at room temp, thats very important) the batter loosens up as you see in the video.
Regarding the cooling aftertaste of Swerve, there’s not much I can do about that as some people get it and others doesn’t. Maybe you can try xylitol? I get a bit of cooling from Swerve but none from xylitol. Just keep in mind that it’s a higher GI. Hope this helps xo!
I just made these yesterday and they are fabulous!! fudge like on the inside with a slight crisp on the outside! Just as I remember brownies to be. I would like to make them again soon but since I have a family of 4 on low carb I would like to double them. So can I just double all of the ingredients? What size pan would you recommend? I was thinking a 11×7.
Hi Allison! I’m sorry to have missed your comment…! I’m not sure if this is helpful anymore, but you can def just go ahead and double the ingredients and an 11×7 pan would work just fine. You will need to adjust the baking time though, so just keep an eye out for them. xo and so happy you enjoyed!
Can you explain more re: why stevia shouldn’t be used? Also is it possible to convert this recipe into regular measurements of tsp/tbsp/cups? I have nothing to measure grams with and I really want very badly to make this recipe! Many thanks
Hi Christeen! Just click on US Cups below the ingredients for an instant conversion (available in all the recipes!). Regarding the stevia, I just find that it gives chocolate (particularly when baked/hot) a horrid bitter after taste. Several readers who chose to go against the advice also reported the same in social media. The aftertaste, however, is lessened if placed in the fridge overnight (but still not ideal). Xylitol or swerve work best, though some people do also get a cooling effect from Swerve. Hope this helps! xo
You can easily do the conversions online. Just pull up a conversion calculator online. If you will continue to use European recipes, Ikea has a pretty good, inexpensive scale you can use. I weigh my ingredients and it is really much more accurate than cup measurements. You are less likely to have varied results if you stick to weighing.
Can you tell me how you calculated this? I put the recipe into myfitnesspal and it came back at 41 calories, 3g fate and 16g carbs, 2g fiber and 2g protein.
Hi Kristen! Keep in mind that both Swerve and xylitol are sugar alcohols and not regular carbs (which go undigested through most peeps’ tracks). So it’s common practice to leave them out of the carb count, unless you have a special fancy section for ‘sugar alcohols’ as many store-bought products do. Also, check which cocoa you’re using as carb counts can vary A LOT here! The one I prefer, Valrhona, has one of the lowest carb counts I’ve seen. xo!
Thanks. I will look at the cocoa. I do appreciate the response.
Outstanding! This will be my go-to recipe when I need a chocolate fix. It is the perfect combination of simplicity and decadence. I cut the Swerve to 150 g (I’ve lost my taste for super-sweet) and it’s perfect to me. I also added 1 Tbsp of beef gelatin to try to ensure a chewy texture (learned that trick here https://www.ketoconnect.net/recipe/keto-chocolate-chip-cookies/) but I’m not sure it was necessary. Thanks for this amazing recipe!
Hi Thea! So happy you loved them and thank you for getting back! In all honesty I’m not sure beef gelatin adds considerable chewiness here. What I found lately though is that xylitol (even if you use it with a Swerve combo) does tend to add more chewiness. xo!
Thanks for the tip!
My pleasure!
These look incredible. I’m sure you posted it somewhere, but if you were to make them with an egg replacer, what could you use? Typically I use “neat egg” or apple sauce. We cannot do eggs because of a severe allergy and these look too good not to try.
Hi Hardin! I’m sorry to have missed your comment…! Unfortunately I don’t have much experience with grain free recipes without eggs, so I can’t help you much. I’m not sure what ‘neat egg’ is :-S! But maybe apple sauce would work here alright (can’t guarantee though) xo
Wondering why you indicated “grass fed” butter? I only have the regular supermarket variety available. Will that still work?
Hi there L! Regular unsalted butter will work fine too. Grass fed butter is recommended for the keto diet as it has a completely different nutritional profile to regular butter (antioxidants etc). xo!
Wow!!! These were so good.Thank you for this recipe.
My pleasure Michelle! Glad you enjoyed xo!
Does it have to be grass-fed butter?
You can use any butter you desire xo
I made these and they didn’t come out “fudgey” at all. Where did I go wrong? Could I have possibly overcooked them? It really doesn’t seem like I did.
also, I should mention that my grocery store only had the confectioner’s version of Swerve. Could that be the issue?
Hi Wavey! Did you measure the confectioners swerve by weight or cups? If you measured by cups and substituted 1-to-1 that could have been the issue. Remember that when the sweetener is powdered 1 cup is A LOT more. Otherwise the second reason for dry brownies would have been an over-bake. Hope this helps xo
ahhhh yes, I did measure it by cups at a 1:1 ratio… So I guess I should buy a scale? or is there another way I could find the proper ratio?
Hi Wavey! I’m sorry to have missed your comment…! In all honesty keto baking by weight will always lead to better results (precision is key and you never get that with cups). I don’t know the ratio otherwise sorry! xo
I had the same issue, and boy am I thankful I did. I did some quick calculations and figured, since I made the powered sweetner, it prety much doubled in volume so I added 50g. I hate the chemical taste of these sweetners so I was a hit skeptical, but my brownies are to die for. Very fudgy and will melt in your mouth. I love a dark chocolate and these were perfect. You could add more to make them sweeter also. LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe!
Hello:) this recipe looks delicious and I was just about to make it, however, I had a quick question-if I use maple syrup as the sweetener how much should I use? Thank you!!
Hi Haley! You’ll want to sub 1-1 to the sugar weight-wise. xo!
I just thought to let you and your followers know – My partner has been on a keto diet with astounding, positive results on his rehab, since he had an acute stroke in Nov 2017. He has been very strict with his diet and he was a sugar junkie before keto. I made him these brownies yesterday and when he took that first bite of that still warm brownie, I could actually see his aura start glowing!! I can’t write what his actual reaction was – it’s NSFW haha! But, they are THAT good and then some! Better than any keto treat we can currently buy that is ready-made.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for making your recipes accessible! You are a super human 🙂
I just thought to let you and your followers know – My partner has been on a keto diet with astounding, positive results on his rehab, since he had an acute stroke in Nov 2017. He has been very strict with his diet and he was a sugar junkie before keto. I made him these brownies yesterday and when he took that first bite of that still warm brownie, I could actually see his aura start glowing!! I can’t write what his actual reaction is – it’s NSFW haha! But, they are THAT good, and then some.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for making your recipes accessible! You are a super human 🙂
Do you use powdered or regular swerve?
Either works (I make it with regular swerve or xylitol most often though). Just keep in mind that a cup of powdered weighs more than one of regular. xo
I only have almond meal flour available will this work for the almond flour part?
Hi Sue! You may end up with a slightly coarser texture, but it’s not a deal breaker. xo!
Can someone publish the US measurements for this recipe?
Hi Damara! They’re already published, please click on US Cups below the ingredients for an instant conversion
I’m going to try this weekends. Regarding to your second instruction: “Add butter, sweetener, cocoa powder and salt to a medium heatproof bowl. Melt over a water bath or using the microwave”. By using microwave, how much temperature and how long to melt them ?
I planned to used Xylitol. Do I need 200g of Xylitol to replace 200 g Swerve *or maple syrup/coconut sugar if paleo?
Hi Abel! Yes, xylitol is 1-1 to swerve and sugar. xo!
In all honesty I don’t own a microwave so I can’t tell you how long sorry!
Hi! I used 200g of the granulated Swerve you have linked, but according to my calculations that’s 168 carbs total, which – if this recipe yields 12 brownies – leaves each brownie with 16.8 carbs! You only show 1 Net Carb for this recipe. What’s my error?
Hi Paige! Swerve is not a regular carb, it’s a sugar alcohol which passes undigested through most peeps’ tracks so it’s left out of the carb count (unless you add a section for ‘sugar alcohol’ as you see in many sugar free labels) xo!
Okay, thanks!
OMG BEST CHOCOLATE RECIPE YET. Been Keto for two months and every week I make something sweet for the hubby and I. The chocolate recipes… Let’s just say their version and my version have not lined up, UNTIL NOW. Fudgy, CHECK. Chocolatey, CHECK. Sweet, Check. DELICIOUS, CHECK CHECK!
That’s awesome Ellen! So happy you enjoyed them so much! Thanks for reporting back xo!
O.M.G
Massive sweet-toother here! Keto4Life! These will make sure of that!
I did use Monkfruit as my sweetener and added vanilla extract. Will double batch from here on out to share with my family!
Thank you bunches! 💛💚😘😘
Lol that’s awesome Krystal so happy you enjoyed! If you happen to read this would you mind specifying what type of monk fruit sweetener you used? Lakanto (mixed with erythritol) or pure monk fruit? Would help a bunch! xo!
I followed the recipe to a T…the batter was delicious and they were just as good freshly baked after cooling for a time. However, I refrigerated them overnight and have just tried a bite after allowing to return to room temp and the texture is totally different! Very grainy/chalk-like. Flavor is still great but the texture makes them almost inedible to me. What could have gone wrong?
Hi Jessica! I’m sorry I missed your comment earlier, but it sounds like they were over-baked. Remember that they continue to cook while cooling. xo!
I hardly ever comment on recipes I make, but had to with this. I’ve been eating keto for almost two years, and this is by far the best brownie recipe I’ve tried. My nutrition counts matched yours almost exactly except for the carbs – which was super confusing, but it turns out that Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa I used has about 36 carbs for 80g while the cocoa you used has about 10 carbs for 80g. Next time I will try it with the Valrhona!! I’m sure it will taste even better than the Hershey’s 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! Just want to say if anyone else is using it I gave it a shot with Lakanto Classic White 1:1 sweetener (a blend of erythritol and monkfruit). I think the fruity aftertaste of the monkfruit is way too strong and it results in a very fruity brownie. I also think it could stand dialing back the sweetener a bit in my case but your mileage may vary. But it’s what I had on hand and wanted to experiment. Hope this saves someone time!
Also they don’t expand/rise much so a smaller baking dish seems like it would have been better in my case. Good luck!
Pinned a week ago, but just made today. Chocolate craving satisfied! I’m in love 💕 Thank you! Going to try that cinnamon toast crunch next!
That’s awesome Araceli! So happy you enjoyed them 🙂
I don’t know what happened?! I heard boiling and opened the oven to see a layer of liquid, I think butter, sitting on top boiling. The brownies pulled away from the edge and shrunk in. They’re like a quarter inch think, the would be fudgey if they were thick but they just taste like cardboard now…
Hi Brittany! I’m sorry I missed your comment earlier, from the sound of it the butter didn’t emulsify properly with the eggs (you want to whisk it well), and it separated when baked 🙁
Same thing happened to me. The end result also turned out painfully bitter. Sadly, there’s no swerve around here, and I used pyure because it was between that and monk fruit in the raw, and I didn’t know which one would be better or worse.
Also, I measured cocoa by table spoons, and I have no idea how close I was to the gram measument listed in the recipe…
My battery didn’t even look like it did in the video, it didn’t pour at all, it was all a singular congealed mixture that didn’t even stick to the bowl. I had to use a spatula to shape it in the pan…
Everything that could have gone wrong seems to have gone wrong…
I’m sorry these didn’t work out for you! But yup, Pyure and stevia sweeteners are definitely not recommended xo!
Just tried again using monk fruit in the raw…mixed it longer…got a better measure on my cocoa.
Butter didn’t separate, only cooked for 15 minutes, but came out looking nothing like in the video.
Almost seems like they were overcooked…still exceptionally bitter…
This is very disheartening…
I get you, but unfortunately you need to use a sugar alcohol (preferably xylitol) for these to actually come out right. Monk fruit in the raw is just not a good sweetener for these as it doesn’t mimic the properties of sugar xo!
the best brownies. I added 1tsp of instant espresso coffee. Could have eaten just the batter.
I recently bought Lily’s stevia sweetned baking chocolate is there any way I can use that in this recipe?
Hi Briana! Unfortunately this is a cocoa powder brownie recipe, and using baking chocolate wouldn’t work here xo Paola
Okay thank you still making them tonight!
These look sooo amazing! Do you think they would work if I doubled the recipe and cooked the batter in a 9×13 pan?
Hi Maya! Yes that should be fine, just keep an eye out on baking time! xo!
I added 1/2 tsp instant coffee grounds this always inhances the chocolate more and used swerve sweetener, I had 11 Tbs so I used 3 Tbs swerve confectioners sugar. These are wonderful! I put in freezer when done for 30 minutes, then I took 1 block cream cheese, one cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup swerve and blended in a bowl added to top of brownies. This made brownie cheesecake squares.