These are simply the best Flourless Brownies I’ve ever made, and they’re healthy too! I’ve been tinkering around with them for 8 years now and I know you’re going to love these. They’re deeply fudgy, super easy to make, and just over-the-top delicious with a touch of flaked sea salt. They’re naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and made with nut butter – no strange ingredients in this recipe.
When I’m craving a brownie, what I’m after is a fudgy, ultra-chocolatey experience. A little bit of chewiness and a lightly crackling top are also necessary parts of the package. No fluffy or cakey brownies to be found here.
I found the perfect ‘better than the box’ recipe a few years ago. And I would make it from time to time for the occasional guilty indulgence. It was straight-up white sugar, white flour, and all the processed ingredients.
These days, I’m still wanting all that yumminess, but without the processed ingredients and loads of sugar. Now you might not think that would be possible, but I have the pictures to prove it most definitely is.
I originally saw the idea to use nut butter for baking from Elana’s Pantry. And ever since I baked my first brownies with nut butter, I’ve been using it to make all sorts of things ever since!
Nut butter acts as a ‘flour’ of sorts in baked goods. And I’ve had good success with everything from muffins to brownies and cakes. They’re all made with nut butter, and I’ve included them all below!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Nut butter – Each nut butter I’ve tried has produced a different texture in these brownies. But you will have success with whatever one you choose. I’ve even had reviews from those who have made these with sunflower butter to avoid nuts altogether and had great results. My favorite ever nut butter to use is raw cashew butter. It will give you the best crackly top, and it has a lighter flavor to let the chocolate really shine through. It tends to be a bit more expensive, so I stock up every time it comes on sale. These brownies also work really well with roasted cashew or roasted almond butter as well which is a bit more accessible. Peanut butter is my last choice for brownies because it has the most assertive flavor. But check out my brownie recipes below for the peanut butter cheesecake ones if you want a peanut butter cup experience! Be sure that any nut butter you’re using is plain nut butter, (no sugar, oil, salt, etc. added).
- Maple syrup – provides both a bit of liquid and acts as the sweetener.
- Egg – binds both the nut butter and cocoa powder together to create the right chewy texture.
- Avocado oil – is my choice to keep these dairy-free. And it also creates a great texture, especially with raw cashew butter. I’ve also used melted salted butter and melted ghee in this recipe as well. I’ve used melted coconut oil, but it does add a coconut flavor which is why it’s my last choice here.
- Baking soda – provides just a touch of leavening to keep these brownies fudgy, but not completely dense.
- Cocoa powder – works together with the nut butter to provide structure. It works like ‘flour’ in this recipe. And of course, it’s also responsible for the chocolate flavor here. It also means you get to make brownies without any refined sugar at all which is a nice bonus!
- Vanilla – just a touch of vanilla always enhances chocolate, and is a must in brownies.
How to make this recipe step by step
Step 1: Preheat the oven and add all of the listed ingredients to a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Step 2: Next stir the brownie batter together until smooth with no nut butter lumps remaining.
Tip: room temperature nut butter mixes together much more easily.
Step 3: Finally spread the brownie batter evenly into a prepared pan. Then bake until puffed in the middle and just done about 20-25 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center will come out with moist crumbs, not gooey batter.
Step 4: Let cool completely before you slice and serve for the best-looking brownies.
Ways to serve this
- Feel free to dig in while they’re hot and serve them with my Best Vanilla Ice Cream or my dairy-free Coconut Ice Cream.
- Make ice cream sandwiches with the cooled brownies. Check out my Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches for step-by-step photos of how to make ice cream sandwiches.
- These brownies are the perfect base to build a bigger dessert if desired. Check out my Deep Dish Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies, German Chocolate Brownies, or Cookie Dough Brownies.
FAQ’s
Flourless brownies have other ingredients that give them structure. Cocoa powder provides quite a bit of structure to this recipe and I also use nut butter to create an incredible flourless brownie.
Traditional brownie recipes need flour to give the brownies structure, it’s what creates their texture. In my flourless brownies, the texture and structure come from cocoa powder and nut butter working together to create a fudgy brownie.
These flourless brownies are a healthier choice than normal brownies because there are no refined ingredients, no refined sugar, and no refined flour. They are still a treat though!
Storing leftovers
- To store – place any leftover brownies into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Make ahead – these brownies are best the same day, but they store well in the fridge overnight before serving if desired. They are much softer without any crunchy edges after refrigeration.
- To freeze – these brownies store the best in the freezer for optimal freshness. Place them into an airtight container and freezer for up to 1 month.
Tips & Tricks
- To get deep-dish super thick brownies, make a double batch and bake them in an 11″x 7″ deep dish baking pan. It will take about double the cooking time, around 45 minutes. You’ll end up with brownies that are about 3″ deep and oh-so fudgy!
- If you want to be able to slice the brownies and put them on a serving plate, you’ll need to line your baking dish. The ones you see pictured below are a single batch baked in an 8″ baking dish. Line the baking dish with 2 strips of parchment paper. Then after the brownies have baked, let them cool on a wire rack until they’re firm enough that you can lift them out of the pan. Or turn the pan to a 45º angle and carefully slide them out with the parchment paper.
- These freeze really well in an airtight container. If you want to stack them together in your container without them sticking, freeze them in a single layer first. Slice the cooled brownies, then set them apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze them until solid, then transfer them to a container where they’ll keep for at least a month.
More nut butter baking recipes
I hope you enjoy these best Flourless Brownies as much as we have! If you do make them, I hope you’ll leave me a comment/rating below, I always love hearing from you here.
Flourless Brownies
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup nut butter - see notes
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 6 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Optional: flaked sea salt to sprinkle on top
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- Lightly grease a 8″ baking pan. Or cut 2 strips of parchment paper the width of the baking pan and place them into the pan crosswise if you want to be able to lift the brownies out of the pan.
- Add all of the ingredients listed into a medium sized mixing bowl. Mix until completely combined, then spread it evenly into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake until puffed in the center and just done but still fudgy, about 20-25 minutes.
- Let the brownies cool completely on a wire rack before attempting to carefully lift them out. Otherwise let cool as long as you’d like before slicing and diving right in!
NOTES
nutrition facts
This recipe was originally published in 2013 but has been updated in 2023 to include more tips, new information, and brand new photos.
Doesn’t maple syrup have a lot of sugar? What kind of syrup do you use?
Maple syrup is a natural sweetener, however it does still contain sugar that might not be suitable for everyone. I use both Grade A maple syrup for a lighter flavor and Grade B syrup for a rich maple flavor depending on what I’m making!
Tried this recipe and is rich however not sweet enough for our family. Has Anyone tried adding more maple syrup to sweeten it up more?
I haven’t personally tried adding more maple syrup, but maybe you could try frosting them with your favorite frosting recipe to boost the sweetness factor. You could also melt some of your favorite chocolate together with some heavy cream or coconut milk from the can for a ganache frosting! 🙂
maybe I can melt some enjoy life chocolate chips in to the batter?
I don’t think you’d need to melt them into the batter, I’d just stir them in. They’ll melt during the baking process and create little chocolate pockets throughout, my mom used to make brownies this way when I was growing up and it’s really delicious! 🙂 You could also try my Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies, the cheesecake topping makes it quite a bit sweeter so that might work better for you! If you can’t have peanut butter you can still make that recipe, just use almond butter instead. https://getinspiredeveryday.com/deep-dish-peanut-butter-cheesecake-brownies/
You could also add a few drops of stevia, which won’t affect the texture and will make the brownies sweeter overall. You need to go really light with Stevia though because otherwise it will make your brownies taste all fake-sugary.
Thanks so much Elizabeth, I really appreciate your advice since I don’t have much experience with stevia myself! 🙂
These are phenomenal. I never expect much from the “healthy” dessert recipes. To say these exceeded my expectations would be understating the point. I would happily eat these in place of the “standard” brownies for the rest of my life.
This recipe was my first experience baking with nut butter, and I was blown away too! It’s nice to know that ‘healthy’ desserts taste great too – I admit I’ve been very skeptical in the past for good reason! 🙂 Hope you enjoy the other recipes as well – my Chocolate Skillet Cake is also a good standard to have around!
These brownies are amazing! How long will they last for?
I’ve had them for 3 days on the counter before, and they stayed nice and moist! They usually don’t last very long, so I’m not real sure on how long they would last – you could freeze them if you’re wanting them around for a couple of weeks! 🙂
They look awesome, but have never had “Brownies” recipe that did not include chocolate. What do you think would happen if I used a small amount of cocoa.
I have to have at least some chocolate.
There’s 3/4 of a cup of cocoa powder in the recipe already, but you can feel free to mix in some chocolate chunks or chocolate chips for an extra chocolatey experience!
I know it’s not as good….buy can you use Sugarfree maple syrup m I use a thicker one Carey’s. I know it’s not “natural”
I don’t have any experience with sugar-free maple syrup, but if you give it a try let me know how it works out!
Hi Kari!
I just found your site and I want to make everything! I will be making these brownies this week for sure! I also love the white pie? dish you used. Where is the dish from?
The pie plate is from a local interior decorating store – the brand is Pottery by Kathy Inc. Her name is Kathy Phillips, and the pottery line was called Word Expressions. I bought it about 8 years ago, but I checked and there’s still plenty of it floating around on ebay!
Could you substitute the maple syrup for rice malt syrup? 🙂
I’ve never used rice syrup myself, but the link below has some additional info on alternate sweeteners. Honey or agave would work as well, but I like the taste of the maple syrup best with chocolate!
Let me know how it turns out if you use rice malt syrup!
http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com/p/refined-vs-natural-sugars.html
It’s just that I’m a very very poor uni student n can’t always afford maple syrup (maybe its quite a bit cheaper in the states than here in Australia?) and rice malt syrup is a heck of a lot cheaper! Maybe I’ll do half n half of each syrup n see how I go! Thank you!!
I order my syrup by mail from Maine and it costs about $30.00/gallon and it goes along ways!
Do you have a link to where you purchase the syrup?
Their name is Rooney Farm in Morrisville VT. I could only find them on facebook, and I’m not sure of their current prices – https://www.facebook.com/RooneyFarm. Hope this helps!
I didn’t have enough maple syrup so ended up using half syrup, half honey. Turned out great with fantastic flavor.
whoa! these sound GREAT! BUT, a wholejar of nut butter?!?!?! I don’t know where you buy yours, but that would cost a fortune 🙁 Any tips?!?!
I buy mine by the case from a co-op, Azure Standard. I’ve heard that Trader Joe’s is a good source but we don’t have one here. I’m looking for a good recipe to make my own nut butter because even buying in bulk is cheaper but still a little expensive.
I just made these and didn’t have any cashew butter on hand so I just ground up 2 heaping cups of cashews in my food processor. Turned out great. I used mostly raw cashews and subbed roasted and unsalted to make a full 2 cups. Flavor is fantastic and very close to traditional brownies.
I just tested a batch of these with raw cashew butter, and I really liked them as well. I may have to do an update to the recipe! 🙂
Love love love brownies that are crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle… coconut ice cream while they are hot are the best…!
I totally agree! I’m making coconut ice cream today actually.