These gluten free brownies are moist, easy to make, and have an intense chocolate flavor. Not only gluten-free, these brownies are also vegan and dairy free. Easy to customize - top with frosting for a fun twist!
These gluten free brownies are both fudgy and cakey, and have an intense chocolate flavor thanks to both cocoa and melted chocolate chips. Eat them plain or top with a rich frosting.
Ingredients
Chocolate Chips or Chopped Chocolate - the quality of this chocolate influences the flavor and texture of the brownie so choose wisely. I always go with Enjoylife Chocolate Chips, or HU gems (refined-sugar-free), or Lindt 70% chocolate bar.
Butter - I used vegan butter.
Sugars - I used a mix of coconut palm sugar (brown sugar made from coconuts), and organic cane sugar (organic cane sugar doesn't have bone char like regular cane sugar does.)
Aquafaba - the liquid straight out of a can of unsalted chickpeas. Or use flaxseed eggs - 2 tablespoon of ground flaxseed stirred into 5 tablespoon of water. Unsweetened apple sauce works fine too, just use ⅓ cup.
Cocoa Powder - I use dutch processed cocoa, Valhrona is my favorite. But regular unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder is fine, it just won't have as intense a chocolate flavor.
Flour - To make these gluten-free, I used GF flour.
Make Them Gluten Free
I made these brownie gluten free by choosing gluten free ingredients.
They are gluten-free because I used a gluten-free flour.
I make all my recipes vegan and dairy-free so I used vegan butter instead of dairy-based butter.
These brownies also have less refined-sugar then regular brownies because I used half coconut palm sugar which is healthier than brown sugar although it works and tastes the same.
I made them egg-free by using aquafaba instead of eggs. Aquafaba is the liquid from a can of unsalted chickpeas. I use WholeFood's organic 364 brand. I don't recommend Goya, too salty.
Steps to Make
- Melt chocolate chips and butter in microwave for one minute.
- Whip aquafaba and sugars until fluffy.
- Fold in the melted chocolate mixture in with wet ingredients
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients through a strainer or sieve.
- Transfer brownie batter into a loaf pan. No eggs but still don't lick batter because of risk of raw flour.
- Bake at 350 F for about 30 minutes.
- Allow the brownies to cool in the pan at room temperature.
- Frost or not.
How to Store
Cool brownies 30 minutes at room temperature before removing from pan.
Store them in an air-tight container at room temperature for 2 days. After that, refrigerate for a week, freeze after that.
FAQS
Brownies are such a popular treat, it makes sense that people who don't want to eat gluten should enjoy them too! Here are some questions people have regarding how to make them.
How Do You Know If Brownies Are Gluten Free?
To know if brownies are gluten-free, you'll need to know the ingredients. My recipe is gluten-free because I use almond flour instead of a wheat flour. I also made sure non of my ingredients were processed in a facility that also processes gluten products.
How Do I Substitute Eggs in Gluten Free Brownies?
As you see in this healthy vegan brownie recipe, I used aquafaba instead of eggs. Aquafaba is how you replace eggs in vegan recipes.
Basically 3 tablespoons of aquafaba, the liquid from an unsalted can of chickpeas, is equal to one regular egg.
You can also use ¼ unsweetened apple sauce instead of one egg.
How Do You Know When Gluten Free Brownies Are Ready?
This depends on the recipe of course. But in general you want to remove gooey brownies from the oven about 10 minutes sooner than you will remove cake-like brownies.
Either way, test the pan at the time and pull the pan out too early rather than leave them in too long. You don't want them to dry out and they’ll continue to firm up as they cool!
What Do You Put on Top of Gluten Free Brownies?
You can sprinkle the batter with gluten-free chocolate chips such as Enjoylife before baking, or you can frost after baking. To frost, make the ganache recipe I supplied, and pour it on a cooled brownie in the pan and chill it again for a clean cut.
You can also top brownies with chips sprinkled on before baking, frosting, salt and whipped cream or ice cream before serving.
Recipe Tips
Chocolate is the primary ingredient in brownies, so it’s important to use the highest-quality chocolate you can get and afford.
PRO-TIP: Use a quality tasting dark chocolate like 70% lindt or Enjoylife Mini Chips and a quality cocoa, such as dutch process Valhrona. I promise this combo will bring you a better chocolate flavor than using regular cocoa powder such as Hershey's, and any baking chocolate.
That's because dark chocolate varies widely in flavor and Lindt and Enjoylife are known for being delicious, and dutch process cocoa has less acid - it makes it less nutritious than say cacao powder, but it will give your brownies a stronger, clear chocolate flavor.
More Gluten Free Chocolate Desserts
Actually all the recipes on this blog can be made gluten free and I explain how in most recipes. But here are a few of my favorite chocolate desserts.
- Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Homemade Milano Cookies
- Rocky Road Fudge
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
- Chocolate Protein Balls
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📖 Recipe
Best Gluten Free Brownies
Ingredients
Ingredients
- ½ cup chocolate chips I use Enjoylife or HU
- ⅓ cup vegan butter
- ½ cups organic cane sugar
- ½ cup coconut palm sugar or brown sugar
- 6 tablespoon aquafaba or ⅓ cup apple sauce aquafaba is the liquid from unsalted chickpeas or use unsweetened apple sauce
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup GF flour I use Bob's GF baking flour (blue bag)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup cocoa powder I use Valhrona dutch processed
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoon chocolate chips, to sprinkle on top (optional)
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Check your oven temperature with an inexpensive oven thermometer.
- Line loaf pan with parchment paper or foil so it hangs over two long sides. Measure out ingredients.
Make Brownies
- Melt chocolate and butter in microwave for 1 minute
- In a large bowl, mix together the sugars and aquafaba and vanilla until well combined, and add the chocolate/butter mixture to that.
- Set a strainer or sieve over the mixing bowl, and add to it the flour and cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Press it through and mix up the batter.
- Add the batter into pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips if you opt to.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Test with toothpick, it should come out dry not wet.
- To get clean slices, let it cool 30 minutes before removing from pan.
- OR frost while still in pan, and then chill in refrigerator.
To Store
- Store at room temperature for 2 days in a sealed container. Or refrigerate for a week. Or freeze for three months.
Darshita
Hey, what can I use instead of aquafaba? Can that be substituted?
Dee Dine
Yes, use unsweetened apple sauce, the same amount!