Fudgy Almond Flour Brownies (Vegan)

These super fudgy almond flour brownies are the answer when you need a rich chocolate dessert that's easy, vegan, AND gluten-free! No special equipment required and only a few minutes of hands-on prep!

Jump to:

• Why Use Almond Flour for Brownies
• What is Almond Flour
• Ingredient Notes
• How to Make Almond Flour Brownies
• Tips for Slicing Gluten-Free Brownies
• Serving Suggestions
• Substitutions
• Storage
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Why Use Almond Flour for Brownies

Almond flour gives these brownies a richness you don't get from regular flour. This allows us to avoid the fat from unhealthy sources like butter and eggs.

With 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.

Almond flour combines with nut butter and chocolate to create a dense, rich, 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 to these healthier brownies.

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 loved 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, 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.

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.

Tips for Slicing Gluten-Free Brownies

Since these brownies are gluten-free, vegan, and have a soft and gooey texture, if you slice them while they're hot they will be quite fragile and messy.

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 only slightly warm, they'll hold together better and be more manageable.

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

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.

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 - substitute 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.

More gluten-free vegan desserts:

I hope you love these vegan almond flour brownies!

If you try the recipe I would LOVE to hear from you. Be sure to comment below, give it a star rating, and let everyone know how they turned out!

📖 Recipe