I have tested dozens of keto brownie recipes over the years, trying to nail that perfect balance of crisp edges and a fudgy, gooey center. And THIS is the recipe that I come back to every time. It has everything you want in a brownie, without the sugar, carbs, or grains.
And it is the basis for so many other delicious treats, like Keto Peanut Butter Brownies and Keto German Chocolate Brownies. I mean, why mess with perfection? These keto brownies lend themselves so well to delicious toppings and frostings.
It took some experimenting, but I finally cracked the code to get that chewy brownie texture. The secret is so simple! A little gelatin mixed in with the almond flour and cocoa powder makes them ultra-moist and fudgy.
And they are so darn easy to make – one bowl and 35 minutes to pure chocolate bliss. I guarantee this will become your go-to keto brownie recipe. Top them with a scoop of keto ice cream or a drizzle of keto chocolate sauce for a seriously decadent experience.
Reader’s Thoughts
“This brownie exceeded my expectations of a brownie taste to the max. Most brownies are dry but this recipe takes them to another level and this is one of my favorite keto dessert recipes ever. If your on keto or not you need to make these yummy gooey brownies they definitely will put a smile on your face!” — Melinda S.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- So easy! Whip up this keto brownie batter in one bowl, and they’re ready for the oven.
- Rich flavor: If you’re a chocoholic like me, you will adore the deep chocolate flavor.
- Perfect texture: They have that wonderful chewy, fudgy texture that make brownies so unique.
- Low carb: They are very low in carbs, with only 3.6 grams per serving.
- Make ahead recipe: These brownies store well in the fridge or freezer so you can make a batch and enjoy them at your leisure.
- A crowd pleaser: Readers love them and many people say that no one can tell they are keto-friendly!
Ingredient Notes
- Almond flour: Make sure you are using a finely ground almond flour for the best consistency. But these also work well with sunflower seed flour, for a nut-free option.
- Cocoa powder: I prefer Dutch process cocoa powder when baking keto brownies. It has a deeper, richer chocolate flavor, but you can use natural cocoa powder if you prefer.
- Gelatin: I like to use grass-fed gelatin for my keto recipes, but you can use Knox gelatin. Use 1 envelope for the brownies and make sure you add it along with the dry ingredients.
- Sweetener: I recommend an erythritol-based sweetener for this recipe. Using another sweetener will change the texture and consistency. Learn more about keto sweeteners here.
- Chocolate chips: Make sure to choose keto-friendly chips like Lily’s or ChocZero.
- Baking staples: Butter, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and salt.
How to Make Keto Brownies
- Combine the wet ingredients: Whisk together the wet ingredients, including the butter, sweetener, eggs, and vanilla extract. The sweetener goes in with the wet ingredients to help it dissolve.
- Add the dry ingredients: Mix in the almond flour, cocoa powder, gelatin, baking powder, and salt and whisk until well combined. Always add the gelatin powder with the dry ingredients before adding any water.
- Thin the batter. Stir in the water a little at a time to thin the batter to a thick but pourable consistency. You may not need the full amount of liquid. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Bake the brownies: Spread the batter in na 8-inch metal baking pan and bake 15 to 20 minutes. If you prefer cakier brownies, continue baking for another few minutes until the center is fully cooked through.
- Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before cutting into bars.
Tips for Success
Use a metal baking pan. Ceramic and glass don’t conduct heat as efficiently as metal, so they will take much longer to bake through and firm up properly. They may also get over-cooked on the edges while the center stays liquid.
How much water you need depends on how absorbent your cocoa powder is. Add a little at a time so you don’t thin out the batter too much. It should be the same consistency as conventional brownie batter.
Swaps and substitutions
- Dairy-free Option: Substitute the butter with melted coconut oil, ghee, or another liquid oil.
- Nut-free Option: You can use sunflower seed flour for nut-free keto brownies. Replace the almond flour cup for cup. You can also use other nut or seed flours.
- Egg-free Option: I have not tried to make these keto brownies egg-free, but a few readers had good luck using flax seed meal and water.
- Alternate Sweeteners: I highly recommend an erythritol-based sweetener to achieve the best texture. Other sweeteners like BochaSweet and allulose will make them more cakey and soft.
Keto Brownies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) butter , melted
- 2/3 cup (121.33 g) Swerve Sweetener
- 3 large (3) eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (56 g) almond flour
- 1/3 cup (28.67 g) cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp grassfed gelatin
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (62.5 g) water, (as necessary)
- 1/3 cup (60 g) dark chocolate chips, sugar-free, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease an 8×8 inch metal baking pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, sweetener, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Add the almond flour, cocoa powder, gelatin, baking powder, and salt and whisk until well combined. Stir in a little water at a time to thin the batter to a thick but pourable consistency. Stir in the chocolate chips, if using.
- Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges are set but the center still seems a tiny bit wet. If you prefer cakier brownies, continue baking for another few minutes until the center is fully cooked through.
- Remove and let cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditional brownies are not keto-friendly, as they contain plenty of flour and sugar. A conventional brownie has more than 30 grams of carbs! But these fudgy keto brownies are made with almond flour and alternative sweetener, so you can indulge on a keto diet.
This recipe requires a nut or seed flour. However I have a delicious coconut flour brownie recipe, if you prefer to use it.
Store the brownies in a covered container on the counter for up to 4 days, or in the fridge for a week. They can also be frozen for several months. Store them in an airtight container to avoid freezer burn.
This fudgy keto brownie recipe has 3.6g of carbs and 2.4g of fiber per serving. For one 2-inch square, these keto brownies have only 1.2 grams of net carbs. Best of all, they taste as good as regular brownies, so you won’t miss the carbs at all.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Thick & fudgy..just the way I like! Love this keto friendly option!
These look really good, I will have to try them out sometime!!
Writing this fearfully. 🙂 I just took them out of the oven and the edges are done and set but the middle is loose. And by loose I mean LOOSE. I’m hoping I did t screw then up. Didn’t want to overcook so I’m letting them cool hoping that makes the gelatin work it’s magic. That’s my hope. Send some encouraging thoughts lol.
Did you by chance use a ceramic or glass pan? If so, they may need more time since it doesn’t conduct heat nearly as well as a metal pan.
I used a metal pan, followed directions exactly, and the middle still turned out raw like.
It’s very possible that your oven runs a bit on the cool side. But if you bake them longer, they will be fine.
Made these yesterday– I didn’t have any gelatin but I did have some “Chocolate Collagen Peptides with Reishi Mushrooms” so I subbed a big scoop of that instead. Also added walnuts on top. So good!!!! WIll make again. And again. 🙂 Thank you!
These were delicious!!! Followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfectly! Thank you so much for all your delicious recipes.
I have granulated Sweetener that I’m going to use, but next time I plan to use Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener with Erythritol. Do you think this would be a good substitute?
Thank you!
**sorry I meant to say that I have Swerve sweetener go use for the first try
Lakanto is basically erythritol with a little monk fruit so don’t be fooled by the label. It will work similarly to swerve.
I am looking for a brownie that is under 5 carbs per serving for my teenager who has recently been diagnosed with diabetes and loves brownies. It seems like these would fit the bill but can you confirm that the carb count is 3.6 per brownie and this is regular carbs, not ‘net’carbs.
Thank you very much!
Please read my nutritional disclaimer (it’s at the bottom of every post). This carb count is “total carbs” but I do NOT count any erythritol as a carb. Why? Well for most people it has zero carb impact so blood sugar does not rise at all. As I am a diabetic too (type 2), I have tested this over and over and over on myself.
Since you mentioned a teenager, I will assume your child has Type 1 and I am very sorry about the diagnosis. It’s hard but believe me, low carb is your best option and I have a huge following among parents in your exact situation, whose children love my recipes and willingly do low carb because of the treats. While I cannot guarantee what will or won’t spike your child’s blood sugar (it is VERY individual), I think you will find that my recipes fit the bill.
Almost all of my diabetic followers use erythritol based sweeteners as they are the least likely to spike blood sugar.
Carolyn, Thanks so much for your kind and thoughtful reply. I am going to try making this weekend. I will let you know how it goes!
would rapadura sugar work in these? thanks
Sorry I don’t use any sugar, you will need to experiment.
I am new to the world of keto baking. I’ve been keto for awhile but never attempted baking any desserts figuring I’d be too disappointed… but lately I’ve been having a such a sweet tooth! I’ve been following your IG for awhile and the pumpkin crumb coffeecake is LEGIT. I am so glad I tried this recipe. It was AMAZING. I’m not the biggest fan of almond flour (texture thing) but these came out perfectly fudgy and delicious!! I’m sold. KETO BAKING IS MY JAM! (courtesy of Carolyn, of course.) 🙂
Hooray, I am so happy to hear that!
Oh my goodness, these are the bomb! I usually follow your recipes to the letter but have to confess that I subbed coffee for the water. I didn’t think you’d mind since it was coffee after all.????. Thanks for a very tasty recipe!
Coffee is always a good sub!
These are amazing! I discovered this a week ago and I’ve already made 2 batches, both which have been devoured by my keto, gluten free family. I’m wowed by these brownies, their texture, their flavor, their appearance, it all is like normal brownies! Before I was keto I would make gluten free brownies that were pretty good but they weren’t as good as this. We put them in the fridge and when you take our little squares it feels and tastes like fudge. We also put cream cheese frosting on it and we found our new favorite keto treat. I did find that they were better when cooked for lower time, I took them out at around 10 minutes because the longer you cooked it the cakier it got and we didn’t want that. I know what I’ll be making on Christmas Eve!
I’m so delighted to hear it!
Quick Question, before baking tonight: Should I use powdered or granulated Swerve? Also, is Blue Diamond Almond Flour sufficient? I have noticed that it can cause recipes to turn out on the grainy side. Should I blend it beforehand, so that, the texture is a bit finer? Thank you in advance! I cannot wait to give these brownies a try. I love baking on a cold, rainy day.
Hmmm, I don’t use Blue Diamond. I think it should be okay but I can’t say for sure. When I simply say “Swerve” it’s like saying sugar, which means the granulated kind. If I want you to use powdered, I always specify that… although it wouldn’t hurt to use it here.
I am really hoping to make these to take on my cruise next week! I recently found out i am sensitive to coconut and eggs, so i am having a bit of a tougher time finding recipes i can use. I apologize if you have addressed this already, but have you ever tried substituting water and flax seeds for eggs? Thank you for all of your amazing recipes, this is the first place I always go to for recipes!
I haven’t tried it in this recipe but this one is pretty forgiving so it may turn out okay. They may be a bit more fragile, though.
Wonderful, thank you so much for taking the time to reply!
I wanted to let you know that these turned out really well! I used 3T of flax meal with 9 T of water, I mixed that together and let it sit for 5 minutes before adding it to the rest of the recipe. They are very moist, I did bake them for about 12 minutes longer than this recipe called for, and they really could have used a few more minutes. They are so delicious, I am so happy I have dessert on the cruise, thank you!!!
So glad to hear it! Maybe at some point, I will do an egg-free brownie for people as a recipe on the blog. It’s tough to accommodate for all the various allergies and intolerances. I try to walk a middle road but eggs are a tough one to go without for baking.
Wow, these were amazing! They were still really gooey, so i put them in the fridge overnight. They were absolutely perfect for the cruise! I would say the consistency was between fudge and brownies, and i kept them cold during the whole trip. It was so nice to be able to have dessert on the cruise, thanks for such a great recipe!
Glad it worked out!
I have made these brownies countless times. I have always made them exactly as instructed here. For my most recent batch, I added one tweet. A big dollop of Dukes Mayo! Turned out so beautifully! These are 5 stars as written. I was just doing a little experiment. Love love love these.
Interesting!
OMG I am floored…this is an amazing recipe, just came out of the oven and i tried a piece…I am someone that does not usually like brownies, but this is delicious…I made it to take it to a friend’s home and just tried a piece and ended having 2 pieces…I think I will keep this batch for myself and make another one tomorrow for my friend…just one adjustment, I did not have sugar free cocoa powder at home but had cocoa nibs….so I used my coffee grinder and ended using cocoa nibs instead of cocoa powder, so the result was more like a blondie with cocoa nibs and chocolate chips…Oh and I used cream instead of water too 🙂 this recipe is a keeper….actually all your recipes are great…I tried so many and all came out perfect…Thank you
Being NEW to Keto (<2 weeks new!), I searched for a recipe to satisfy my sweet tooth, namely chocolate. I went all in the first week and purchased sugar substitute (erythritol), Almond Flour, Coconut Flour, Xanthun gum, to name a few. Then, I found your recipe for Fudgy Keto Brownies! These are wonderful. I did not have grassfed gelatin, so I used regular unflavored plain gelatin and it worked out great. I slightly under baked them as recommended and they were moist, fudgy and a little chewy. Caveat, I typically introduce myself as one who "Can't bake to save my life", but these turned out so great, my carb eating husband could barely tell the difference between these and New Seasons Market carb loaded brownies. I put the left over 14 bars into the fridge and the next day they were even better, having solidified a bit, with better "chew".
Thanks for the introduction to Keto. I absolutely love your blogs and posts. I know how much work goes into testing and perfecting a recipe. You have made it so much easier than anyone could have imagined to follow Keto, but still enjoy REAL food!
Now, if we could just find a way to remove carbs from red wine, particularly PNW reds, I'd be over the moon 😉
Keep up the amazing work! Many Thanks!
I’m so glad you liked them that much! 🙂
I’m excited to try this recipe as all of your recipe so far have been spot on. I am wondering if this can be adjusted for a 9 x 13“ pan? Instead of doubling or times 1 1/2? Also if adding powdered espresso how much do you recommend and do you add extra liquid?
An 8 inch square pan has an area of 64 square inches. Doubling that gives you 128. A 9×13 pan has a square area of 117 inches. So they are close and doubling it is your best bet. It will be a bit thicker and may take a tiny bit longer to cook through.
Thank you for the prompt reply, Carolyn! Any tips regarding the powdered espresso?
I actually use Via packets from Starbucks for recipes like this. Super easy and you don’t have to open a full container of espresso powder. T
Carolyn,
Thank you for the tips. I made a double batch in a 9×13” pan and baked for 25-26 minutes. I used 1 packet of the instant coffee (no extra liquid) and added pecans. When first out of the oven I thought I might have under baked them as they were very fudgy without much structure. They tasted so good that I wasn’t too disappointed. They did firm up after completely cooling and have structure and are still fudgy. Best of both worlds! I usually don’t have a problem with self control, but I keep going back for “just one more bite.” Thank you for sharing your culinary artistry with us!
Yay!