These almond flour brownies are rich, fudgy, SO chocolate-y, and made without eggs or butter! They're perfect when you need a decadent chocolate dessert that's easy, vegan, AND gluten-free. No special equipment needed to make a batch and only a few minutes of hands-on prep time!

Four gooey almond flour brownies stacked on a wood cutting board.

Almond flour gives these brownies a richness you don't get from regular flour. And because of the natural fat content of almonds, this means we can still have gooey, fudgy, rich chocolate brownies without eggs, butter, or coconut oil!

In this recipe, almond flour is essentially replacing 3 main ingredients usually found in brownies. It plays the role of eggs, butter, AND all-purpose flour, which means our brownies are not only vegan, but gluten-free, too.

Jump to:

What is Almond Flour
Ingredient Notes
How to Make Almond Flour Brownies
Tips for Slicing Gluten-Free Brownies
Serving Suggestions
Substitutions
How to Store
More Almond Flour Desserts
Recipe
💬 Comments

Almond flour combines with nut butter and chocolate to create a dense, rich, and decadent gluten-free brownie with less saturated fat and more fiber and protein.

One more note to get you drooling! Cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate bring all of the chocolate flavor you expect, while a touch of cinnamon, balsamic, and salt add complexity and depth of flavor to these gluten-free brownies.

If you're a fan of fudgy and dense brownies, be sure to try these Buckwheat Flour Brownies next!

close up showing the fudgy middle of a singe brownie.

What is Almond Flour

Obviously, the word "flour" usually refers to finely milled grains such as wheat, spelt, or oat. But when it comes to almond flour, basically it refers to the size and appearance of finely ground, blanched almonds.

Note, this is different than almond meal, which still retains the almond skins.

In other words, almond flour is 100% almonds! It's especially great for gluten-free and vegan baking because it brings qualities to desserts that other flours can't, like fat, richness, and sometimes even crispness, as with these 3-ingredient almond flour cookies.

This popular vegan and gluten-free pie crust recipe is another great example. Almond flour creates a crisp, buttery-tasting, delicious pie crust even though the recipe contains no butter, shortening, oil, or all-purpose flour.

Almond flour has become so popular that it's usually easy to find in well-stocked grocery stores. You can also order almond flour online.

All of the ingredients needed for almond brownies measured out and ready.

Ingredient Notes

almond flour - currently I'm using this blanched almond flour by Nature's Eats.
gluten-free flour - I used King Arthur gluten-free measure-for-measure in my latest test batch; you can also use oat flour or regular all-purpose.
Tip: since these vegan brownies don't contain eggs, using a small amount of another type of flour gives them more structure and binding than if made with almond flour alone.
unsweetened cocoa powder - either regular or Dutch process. If using Dutch cocoa, which has been alkalized, replace the baking soda with baking powder.
chocolate chips - look for dairy-free, semi-sweet chocolate. You can use chips, chocolate chunks, or a bar which you chop yourself. Obviously, chips are the easiest!
sweeteners - maple syrup contributes moisture and flavor; sub agave if needed. Brown sugar may be used instead of coconut sugar.
nut butter - either smooth, unsalted almond butter or another of your choice, such as peanut butter or sunflower seed butter.
applesauce - adds moisture instead of using oil
balsamic - optional; this might sound like a strange addition, but a good quality, thick and sweet balsamic adds lovely depth and complexity to chocolate desserts. Feel free to omit it if you don't have any balsamic on hand.
vanilla extract
cinnamon - optional; adds just the tiniest bit of subtle flavor.

See recipe card below for amounts and full instructions.

a 2-photo collage showing mixing brownie batter and in pan topped with chocolate chips.

How to Make Almond Flour Brownies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. Whisk dry ingredients in one bowl and wet in another. Stir dry and wet together to form a batter, and fold in the chocolate chips.
Spread the thick batter into the pan, and top with more chocolate chips, if desired. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out hot.

Want to save this recipe? 📩

I'll email the link so you can come back to it later!

Keep an eye out for more delicious recipes. Unsubscribe anytime.

Now for the only difficult part.... waiting for the brownies to cool before slicing and devouring!

Let the brownies rest in the pan for about 20 minutes. Then lift out by the parchment paper, place on a wire rack, and let cool for another 20 minutes.

Tips for Slicing Gluten-Free Brownies

Since almond flour brownies are gluten-free, vegan, and have a soft and gooey consistency, if you try to cut them while they're hot they'll be fairly fragile and messy. Believe me, I've been there (couldn't resist).

They're definitely amazing while still a bit warm, so I'd never ask you to wait until they're completely cool before slicing. That would be torture!

But if you can manage to wait until they're just barely warm, they'll hold together better.

I find the easiest way to cut brownies is with a large, sharp chef's knife, wiping the blade clean between cuts.

Also, I like to cut brownies into 16 squares as opposed to nine. The smaller size makes them easier to handle and allows people to enjoy a few bites of decadent brownie without committing to a portion larger than they might be able to eat.

a stack of 4 dark and gooey almond flour brownies.

Serving Suggestions

We really enjoy these chilled, straight from the fridge. The chocolate inside the brownies hardens when cold, giving the brownies an awesome crunch to contrast the soft and fudgy texture.

And when slightly warm, these fudgy vegan brownies are perfect with a scoop of non-dairy ice cream. Chocolate pairs well with:

Vanilla-Maple Oat Ice Cream (a reader favorite!)
Banana Nice Cream
Vegan Butter Pecan Ice Cream
or Vegan Pistachio Ice Cream

And you can't go wrong with a tall glass of cold vanilla almond milk or oat milk on the side!

Substitutions

almond butter - feel free to use other nut or seed butters, like sunbutter, peanut butter, or cashew butter.
coconut sugar - for a slightly sweeter brownie use light brown sugar in equal amount; if you prefer to reduce the overall sugar, use a granulated sugar substitute like Swerve (start with less, about ¼ cup, then taste and adjust).
maple syrup - I'm a huge fan of baking with maple syrup, but in case it isn't your favorite, or you're trying to cut back on sugar, feel free to do a straight swap with agave or a sugar-free maple syrup like Lakanto brand (erythritol and monk fruit-based).
cocoa powder - regular cocoa powder creates the richest chocolate flavor, but if raw cacao or Dutch process cocoa are all you have, you can certainly use one of these. As noted in the recipe, if using Dutch process cocoa, use baking powder instead of baking soda.

How to Store

Once the brownies are cool, I like to leave them on the parchment paper and transfer them to a storage container with a tight-fitting lid. If you need to stack them to fit inside the container, place parchment between the layers to prevent sticking.

Vegan almond flour brownies are fine at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. They freeze well, too!