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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PMS cravings had me going bananas and on the salty/sweet war path! I made it per the recipe, except for using allulose instead of swerve. I added Lilly’s dark chocolate chips, topped with some of your chocolate frosting and a little whipped cream…OH. MY. GOODNESS!!!! So much dark chocolatey goodness!!! I’m fairly new to low carb baking, but have always been a big baker so it’s been so fun discovering your recipes. I also made the Italian cream cake today and will dig into that in the morning. Thank you so much for putting out recipes that are easy to follow and my non keto family members are loving!
My experience was/is great! I used: only 2 tbsp of powdered monk fruit/stevia blend that’s available at grocery stores here,6 peewee eggs, almost 1/4 cup of water (although I probably didn’t really need that because it wasn’t a stiff batterwithout the liquid) and 1 pkge of Knox gelatin added in with the dry ingredients. Because I used a smaller round pan the brownies were a bit higher than yours were. So I baked them for about 30 or 35 minutes. They turned out cakey, of course, but I expected that.
I tried the brownies before they were totally cooled, well they were almost cool. lol. I just couldn’t wait! About a third of the pan somehow disappeared! I don’t know HOW that happened… winks.
The flavour is awesome, even with these changes. I’m going to try them again with no added water and baking them for a shorter time, just to see if I can get them to come out more like brownies than cake. But I gotta say… I thoroughly enjoyed them the way they are!
Thanks so much for sharing so many of your recipes with all of us. I’m a new Youtube subscriber today.
I probably shouldn’t have read this recipe. I was then compelled to follow it to the letter. Having done so, I became instantly addicted to these brownies. Not only me! I shared them with my husband, whose overactive sweet tooth gave a hearty approval stamped with “More Please”. Then I made a pan for my daughter and son-in-law. More brownie addicts were born. So now I can enjoy my (ok, *your*) lovely brownies without fear of judgement from the family.
They are the perfect combination of chocolatey yumminess and chewy gooey texture—just as brownies were meant to be. This recipe is a masterpiece! Thank you SO much!!!!!
I’m so glad to hear it 🙂
I don’t know if my
Comment went through so I am rewriting this again. I have made these brownies several times and I thoroughly enjoyed them every time!! I want to use some expresso powder in them, suggestions on much I should use?? Thank you so much for this wonderful ???????????????? recipe!! ????????
A teaspoon or two should be good.
I misspelled my name lol!! Sorry it’s Valorie not Balorie!????
I’ve made this a number of times and I really love them! I wanted to try and add some
Expresso powder, any suggestions on how much I should use? Thank you so very much for this wonderful ???????????????? recipe????????
Carolyn, you have a ridiculous number of comments here but I just HAD to add mine…
What a fantastic recipe! I’m made these for clients this week (I’m a personal chef) and some of my clients are Keto. I took a chance on these and they are nothing short of perfect! I doubled the batch, used Swerve Confectioners (I always use this for baking) and added 1T of coconut flour because I’m at high altitude.
PERFECT! My keto girls are going to be so happy!
Thank you, thank you! Nan
So glad to hear it! Thanks for wading through all the other comments to leave one…
Carolyn,
Would I do 1/2 cup avocado oil in place of the butter ?
Sure!
I haven’t eaten a brownie in years and this recipe was “right on”. I didn’t have the gelatin but used 1/4 t xanthan gum as suggested by one person. Used all of the water and baked 15 minutes. It came out perfect. Moist & chewy. Thank you, Carolyn, this is another great recipe to add to my Keto collection.
Love, love, love these brownies and I am not really a chocolate fan. As a very proud owner of The Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking, I always try to follow the recipes as given because then I have no one to blame except myself. Well, that is until I made a couple of “enhancements” on your recipe, Carolyn. I added 1/2 cup sliced almonds and 1/2 teaspoon instant expresso powder, this time. I really like the crunchiness the sliced almonds bring but I don’t think that the expresso powder adds a thing to the flavor so that’s the end of that. I appreciate that you have paved Keto Way with your blood, sweat, and tears so that I and thousands of others can benefit. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Carolyn!
Espresso actually enhances the chocolate flavor, without making it taste like coffee.
Love, love these brownies! Would like to add some mint extract. How much would you suggest?
It depends on the strength of your mint extract. I would try 1 tsp
I have tried so many of your recipes and they ALWAYS turn out good! It’s like you’ve done some crazy science experiments to come up with some of them……particularly your Keto Ice Cream. It’s amazing! My question about the brownies is-can you use Bocha Sweet in place of the Swerve? Would that change the texture? Thank you for all of your hard work! You make eating healthy so much easier????
It may make them a little softer but it should work.
Used a glass pan so maybe that was my issue. Cooked it for 30+ minutes and middle is pure liquid. Heating up the oven again to put them back in.
It was most certainly your issue. Baking pan always refers to metal, and glass and ceramic do not conduct heat nearly as efficiently.
Oh wow…..I have been looking for a brownie recipe for over a year….and here it is. Now I just have to replicate my mom’s chocolate fudge frosting for the top and I will be in heaven…
Thank you for your fabulous recipes!
I made these yesterday and even my non-Keto wife and three little ones loved tbem! I made a few minor modifications: added 1 tablespoon of instant coffee dissolved with the butter+eggs; mixed 1 oz chopped walnuts in batter and sprinkled another 1 oz on top; baked them in 12 silicon lined muffin tins for portion control and easy removal. Started checking doneness at 15 mins and took them out at 23 when cake tester had very moist crumbs clinging to it. Once cooled, they were deliciously fudgy as promised! This one is a keeper. Thank you! Next up: Peanut Butter Brownies
Sadly, this one was not a winner for me. I have made a lot of keto brownies. I followed the recipe exactly. I used the highest quality grass fed gelatin, grass fed butter, superfine almond flour, Swerve, organic eggs, even pricey Valrhona cocoa. In short, this was a very expensive recipe that was a total letdown. The result wasn’t worth the calories and it got thrown away. It was kind of spongey/cakey like other reviewers noted. It had a funk to it, and not in a good way. I don’t think the gelatin and egg-heavy version are for me. Others might like the texture though!
You know… you should never ever throw away things like this. There is always a way to rescue it and re-purpose it. Like brownie truffles!