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
Hellooo Paola Gnom Gnom :)… Soooo… (Sigh) I have wasted so much time and money buying ingredients to make Keto and gluten free foods…. I would make something someone on youtube Swore was fantastic and delicious…. Most of the time it was a lie! There would be things passing… like, I guess I could eat it… it’s better than nothing and almost like they said…. (sigh)
So then, Idk how, I guess I googled Something about Keto… Probably Keto recipes, and found your brownies…
I took a chance… seemed like my last hope almost to find that “I can’t believe it’s Not…” this or that.
So I made the brownies… and … They were soooo gooood!!! I made them Twice. My husband and son enjoyed them just as much as I did/do!
I couldn’t believe I was eating (and enjoying) a low carb, sugar free, fudgeolicious yummy brownie!
Then I saw the sale for your cook book… I thought about it for a day. I thought, if her brownies were a hit on the first try for me… I’m going to take another shot… especially reading that there are pics for every recipe and seeing a few.
I bought the cookbook… I LOVE how you have pictures of every recipe just like you said… Never Stop Doing That…. People eat with their Eyes First! As I was looking at the pics, I was like, “oh, yeah… oh Yeah… oh Yeah” I wanted to try Everything with the exception of anything pork or shellfish… I appreciate most of what is in there didn’t have that and I can easily sub it.
So I looked through all the recipe’s and made my grocery list and went out shopping today.
Got home, made dinner and…. I made your blackberry (added raspberry) Scones!!!!!
O.M.Deliciousness!!!!
Seriously???? Yesss.
I wish I would have sweetened my berries a little bit first but still… and the Glaze!! So Yum… Quick Question though… I didn’t see what kind of confectioners you used. I used swerve, with a little sweet leaf stevia (not enough to balance the cooling sensation at the end), What do you use? Next time I will use Xylitol and powder it.
Anyhoo… Oh! I almost forgot, I made the tortilla chips too! They made Delish pita type chips, perfect for Guac, and hummus types… So that’s 3 I’ve tried and they are All Delish! I’m so surprised… Happily surprised… So much so I was compelled to make this (extremely long) comment, which I never even bother to do much at all unless it’s something amazing. I am no chatty Kathy by any means.
So, Thank you SO MUCH for actually putting out recipe’s for Keto people that actually work and taste great! I’m ready for your next cook book already!
Hugs!
Mine tasted horrible like little Debbie snack cakes cosmic brownies. Hard and chalky. Overcooked 🙄
Please post U.S. measurements along with your grams, etc.
That would be sooooo helpful.
Cant wait to try this.
Just click on US Cups below the ingredients in ALL the recipes! Xo
Finally!!! A delicious keto brownie!! I have tried many keto brownie recipes and they all taste like crap!! But this one…I’m so happy!! THANK YOU!! This is my brownie recipe from now on, no need to try another.
This is a delicious and very easy recipe. The only problem is: When I calculate the net carbs (using xylitol) I get a total of 124,47 net carbs for the entire recipe. The 140g xylitol alone is 99,18 net carbs. How do you calculate your nutritional info? Thanks, Wendy
Awesome Wendy! Please keep in mind that xylitol is a sugar alcohol and not a regular carb, so it’s common practice to subtract for net carbs 😉 xo!
Hi- I use Allulose as a sweeter. It is the only sugar substitute to me that doesn’t have an off taste. I was wondering Paola if you have any recommendations for this sweeter or if anyone else uses Allulose?
I added 1 cup of Allulose (it is 30% less sweet than sugar) and the batter seemed thick so I added an extra egg like suggested for erythritol. The finished brownie seemed dry but I definitely didn’t over bake it. I would love to figure out how to perfect the recipe with the Allulose sweetner.
Any suggestions?
I followed the recipe and mixed the almond flour real good. However, it came out with grainy almond bits (like evenly distributed sprinkles) in the brownie. I used unblanched almond flour. I rarely bake. Could anyone help please?
Hi Sarah, I think it sounds like your almond flour just wasn’t finely ground? Even within blanched products they vary A LOT. What brand did you use? xo!
Do you completely remove the carb count from xylitol? I keep reading conflicting information on whether xylitol is not absorbed at all, or something along the lines of only subtracting half of the xylitol carbs because 50% of it is absorbed. Curious on your thoughts.
There are two sorts of salts you can buy that are the best; those are Maldon, from Essex, England, and the Anglesey, Welsh variety called Halen Mon. I recommend you try Halen Mon one day because it is hand crafted and one of the purest salts you can buy; they also do smoked varieties as well as smoked waters which can be used in dishes to bring smoky flavours. They need more recognition in my opinion.
I half your recipe ( a good tip for people worried about wasting ingredients) and follow the instructions exactly as stated. The video was a great visual. Thank you for all the great tips. I set my timer for 15 minutes as you instructed and my brownies were done. Had I set it for the 23 minutes since I used Xylitol they would have been overcooked. The brownies are delicious. I only had almond milk over ice but it was a nice touch and complimented the brownies. I will have to try the macadamia milk and the cheesecake brownies. Thank you so much for this delicious and simple recipe.
Awesome Pamela! Keep in mind that your baking time was substantially less because you halved the recipe 😉 xo!
I’m wondering why my keto brownies always taste super salty? I don’t buy salted butter so that can’t be it. I’ve tried kosher regular table salt and Himalayan. Why do you think this is
I tried to lesson the amount and I still taste to much salt.
Also, does the sugar need to be powdered? Lankato gold I have is granulated. But I have powdered erythritol. Thanks!
Hi Christine! In all honesty I’ve no idea about the salt, also because you’ve decreased already and are using unsalted butter? What cocoa are you using? Cannot thing of anything tbh!
If it’s erythritol in my experience it does work best powdered (you can run your Lakanto in your bullet/blender or use confectioners no prob!) xo
I’m allergic to egg, what, if any adjustment to the recipe would I need to make to use and egg replacement?
Good heavens, what have you done to me? These were marvelous!! And I didn’t even have high quality cocoa on hand. My mixture was on the thicker side but that didn’t take away from the glorious rich chocolaty flavor, and the salt was a perfect addition! I just ate 5 of these and still stayed under my carb limit. Thank you so much!!
These are my favorite Keto treat! I have recommended them to so many people! Lol! I’ve made them with lakanto regular, swerve, swerve confectioners and Golden lakanto (brown sugar sub) they’re good every way, but with the Golden lakanto….AMAZING. I can’t stop making them!!!! Lol!!!
I actually made them with golden Lakanto for the first time last week and they are VERY good, you’re absolutely right! Though I must say that xylitol for these is still my top choice 😉 thank you for your comment Keyna (and for recommending them lol!) xo!
Hello,
Can I use maple syrup as my sweetener?
Hi Brittany! Yes, but I’ve found that coconut sugar (if paleo) does give better results. With either you may want to go towards the upper amount, as they’re less sweet than sugar/xylitol xo
I used granulated erythritol and could not get it to melt at all. I kept microwaving the mixture in one minute bursts but it stayed granular. Eventually the mixture became extremely thick, the taste of the cocoa powder became impaired and yet still the erythritol remained granular, in fact it went even more granular. I followed the recipe exactly so I don’t know why this happened.
I had to throw it away.
What a waste of ingredients. Very disappointed!
Hi Phoenix! I’m sorry these didn’t work out for you! Please keep in mind that erythritol sweeteners can vary A LOT as many have added inulin etc. AND, if you read through the comments, it seems to lead to a solid batter for some (which is why I recommend xylitol as the best and fool-proof sweetener for these guys). Having said that, I have been testing them with the most popular erythritol brands and the post will be republished on Friday with extra tips and tricks if your batter gets messed up. Still, I cannot control the myriad of different ingredients and brands in every recipe posted, and I hope you can understand that. And I get you on wasting ingredients, as even though its bound to happen more often than not for me, it still annoys me A LOT when I have to through away something xo!
Hi I just wanted to say I think it’s because you were supposed to use powdered erythritol. Hope this is helpful. 😊
Hi I think it was because you needed to powder the erythritol. Hope this helps.
These are my go-to brownie recipe!! They’re so easy to bake and I can just whip them up whenever I get cravings. 😀
Btw, is there any tip on getting it to rise a little higher? I measured mine, and it’s always around 0.5 inch tall 🙁
Thank you!!!! 😀
Hi! Just wanna say that this recipe is amazing! I’ve made them multiple times and the recipe has never failed me. One question though: my brownies never come out looking like yours (there isn’t a nice crackly top), and I wonder what I might be doing different??? Compared to your video, my chocolate mix isn’t smooth after mixing in the first egg (it’s just one thick clump, then when I mix in the 2nd egg it’s smooth but REALLYYY thick). At the end, I get a superrrr thick batter that I scoop into the pan, rather than pour. After baking, the test is great, but the texture/look isn’t like your brownies. I don’t know if using different brands of the ingredients has any effect, or if my technique is wrong, or something. You think you can help me out??? Thank you for your time! 🙂
hi i was wondering is the nutrition the same if i use the coconut oil and coconut sugar?
Hi Demi! No, particularly carb count with coconut sugar would be VERY different xo!
Hi Paola,
I didn’t want to like these!! I have a go to brownie recipe with avocado that is easier to make ( no double boiler ) but I had to try your version since I discovered that I love just about everything I’ve tried so far from Gnom Gnom. So I baked them, both versions at the same time and taste tested them together. Although I like the texture better of my original version. Your version TASTED better. And just so you know, I always made a 1/2 batch of buttercream frosting from your recipes to go on top and refrigerated the whole thing. Your brownies do not need frosting. They are absolutely delicious just as they are. Warm, refrigerated, or any way you eat them they are heaven to the taste buds.
So, when I put the recipe into MyFitness Pal it actually calculates 10 net carbs per brownie and not 1….why could that be? I used Swerve Erythritol for the “sugar” could that be it? Does xylitol or other erythritol have fewer carbs?
You’re taking into account the sugar alcohols in there as a carb, it’s common practice to abstract them as fiber xo!
I’m really bummed 🙁 I made these once and they turned out PERFECT gooey, delicious and chocolatey. The next two times i’ve made them they’ve turned out kind of dry and crumbly? am I over baking? I think I might have used granular xylitol for the first time but now i’m using confectioners swerve and I baked for about 23 mins…. any ideas? 🙂 LOVE YOUR RECIPES!
It’s the swerve Grecia! It seems that some peeps have trouble with the melting part of the erythritol (it works sometimes, others the batter stays sort of seizes up). I’m working on a fix for this (seems to be to add 1 more egg and a little bit of almond milk to lose up the batter). But if you can, just go back to xylitol! xo!
I made them yesterday in a muffin tin and adjusted the time a little and they came out perfect except for the fact I used stevia because I didn’t read the rest of the recipe. So today I made them with a different sweetener that I’ve used for baking before and it came out great but for some reason they won’t cook. So far they’ve been in the oven for 35 minutes and the whole thing is super gooey. I can’t figure out why 🙁
Also I forgot to mention I used a brownie pan this time instead.
Hi Jordan! What sweetener did you use? By any chance xylitol? It takes a while longer to set than regular sugar or erythritol, so maybe give them a little longer? xo
I used truvia and I’m not sure what exactly that is. 😅I’ll have to look. But I ended up having them in for about 45 minutes and then putting them in the freezer for a bit and they came out pretty gooey but really good!
Oh weird! Not sure what went wrong either!
Mine taste super salty. No clue why. I followed the recipe to a T. I did use stevia but I never have had a problem with it. 🙁 they look great but taste, not so much.
Oh no! I swear that stevia doesn’t work at all with these Tessa! Gives really weird aftertastes (try freezing them- seems to help with the aftertaste!) xo
Though alternatively what salt are you using? Keep in mind that something like pink Himalayan can season a lot more than kosher salt (which is the gold standard for baking).
Oh and did you use salted or unsalted butter?!
Clearly you dislike stevia and prefer other sweeteners, and you respond pretty negatively to commenters who ask if this recipe can be made with stevia. But please consider that some of us can’t handle erythritol/xylitol. I’m diabetic and can’t have sugar, but I have tried Swerve etc. (sweeteners with erythritol/xylitol) and they gave me a really awful physical reaction that made me swear them off forever. Stevia’s mild aftertaste is nothing compared to the way my body reacted to Swerve etc.
Hi Daisy! It’s nothing personal with stevia, as if you read the post on sweeteners you’ll read that it’s my preferred. But it honestly doesn’t work here, and I’ve had comment after comment (also in social media) of readers saying that they had to chuck the batch using pyure etc. I’m just trying to keep you guys from wasting ingredients here- I love stevia, it just doesn’t work here. xo
Omgggggg this recipe. Third time I’ve made these and I’m still shocked at how incredibly delicious these are!! I LOVE brownies and grieved the loss of them while starting keto, because none of the other recipes gavee the decadence I needed.
But this recipe is it! Will be making these from now on– on or off keto!!
Made these today for a bake sale at work, but modified the recipe a bit because:
A) I love dark chocolate to begin with
B) I hate using too much sweetener (each type I’ve tried tends to give me headaches if I use too much)
C) I ran into the same problem with the batter being too thick.
So I added an additional egg and a 1/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk to make my batter more workable, and reduced the sweetener amount to about 2 tablespoons.
I love the way they turned out. Super soft, chocolatey, and still plenty sweet enough for my taste. Let’s see how all the sugar fiends at work react to something with hardly any sugar or sweetener in it (I’ll warn them before, of course).
Hi!! So I put my batter in the fridge overnight like suggested and when I went to bake them, my fridge had pretty much frozen my batter 😬 so I popped them in the microwave for 45 seconds because since I used coconut oil, it had solodied. After I got them out of the microwave though, the coconut oil won’t mix back into the rest of the batter and the more I mix it, the more it separates.. help please!!!
Hi Rachel! Oh no! The brownie batter goes straight into the fridge (it’s normal for it to go solid as either the butter/coconut oil go back to their solid state). If you have an immersion blender it might be worth a shot? or a blender to try and emulsify the coconut oil back in. I hope this helps! 🙁
Thank you!! It blended together again 🙂
Also, how long would you recommend to bake in a 9×9 pan?
Awesome! In all honesty time varies a lot for these, but it’ll be a little less with a 9×9 xo
I’m getting 10 net and 13 total carbs.
Hi Bridget! I, on my phone and it’s acting spastic (I think I accidentally deleted your previous comment when trying to reply!). Check the comments earlier, it’s common practice to substract the sugar alcohols as you do fiber xo!
I input the ingredients for the suuuuper fudgy brownies into Sparkpeople.com using 170 gr. of Xylitol and then swapped that out for 170 gr. of erythritol to see if there was a difference, and both came out with 10.8 net carbs. My sister and I are dying for something sweet and want a healthy’ish cheat … we are about to make these, but for the next time, I’d want to change that to match yours.
I’m very curious what brand of Xylitol or Erythritol you are using to get such a low carb count.
Help!!
Hi deb! It’s common practice to subtract sugar alcohols from the total carb count as you do fiber. And as nutrition facts in blogs don’t have the ability to add a ‘sugar alcohol’ section in the carbs, it’s also common practice to just leave them out of the net carb count. xo!