These easy one-bowl keto brownies have a secret ingredient to make them extra fudgy and chewy. This might just be the ultimate keto brownie recipe and no one can tell they are low carb and gluten-free. At less than 4g total carbs, you can dig in with gusto!
Remember some time ago when I promised to bring you more basic keto recipes on this blog? Well these super fudgy keto brownies are part of that promise.
I love baking more elaborate creations and proving to the world that the keto diet it anything but restrictive. But sometimes I forget that simple and straightforward can be just as delicious.
So let’s skip the fancy stuff and get down to basics again!
Why you’ll love this recipe
The secret to the perfect texture is the addition of a little gelatin. I figured if it helps make my keto ginger molasses cookies chewier, it couldn’t hurt to try adding it to brownies, right?
And it really works! These keto brownies have all the best features you’re looking for, with a dense, rich texture and a slightly crackly top. They’re incredibly easy to make too. It takes a single bowl and 35 minutes from start to finish.
And readers swear that no one can even tell they are keto. I call that a win.
Ingredients you need
- Butter: Use unsalted butter and make sure to let it cool a bit before adding the sweetener and eggs.
- Sweetener: I recommend Swerve or another erythritol-based sweetener for this recipe. Using another sweetener will change the texture and consistency. Learn more about keto sweeteners here.
- Eggs: Large eggs are the standard for baking.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla always brings out the chocolate flavor.
- Almond flour: Make sure you are using a finely ground almond flour for the best consistency. I also have a coconut flour brownie recipe, if you prefer.
- 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.
- Grass fed gelatin: Grassfed gelatin is the best choice for this and other 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. You can also omit it completely but the brownies will be less chewy.
- Chocolate chips: Make sure to choose keto-friendly chips like ChocZero!
- Pantry staples: Baking powder and salt.
Step by Step Instructions
1. Whisk together the wet ingredients, including the butter, sweetener, eggs, and vanilla extract. Sweetener goes in with the wet ingredients so it dissolves better.
2. Add 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 so that you don’t end up with blobs of gelatin in your brownie batter.
3. 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 to thin the batter – it depends on your cocoa powder and how absorbent it is. The batter should be the consistency of conventional brownie batter. Stir in the chocolate chips or chopped nuts, if using.
4. Spread the batter in a greased 8×8 inch metal baking pan and bake at 350ºF 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.
Recipe Tips and FAQs
This is a basic keto brownie recipe that you can customize and add your own fun twists to. Try these delicious ideas:
- Stir in ½ – ¾ cup chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Use brewed coffee instead of water to enhance the chocolate flavor. Or add some espresso powder for a mocha flavor.
- Add some different flavors of keto chocolate chips, such as white chocolate, peanut butter, or mint.
- Add some keto chocolate frosting or chocolate ganache.
- Drizzle with some keto caramel sauce for a decadent treat.
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.
For fudgy keto brownies you will need almond meal, swerve sweetener, butter, eggs, cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips. My secret ingredient to making these brownies chewy is the addition of grass fed gelatin.
This brownie recipe is tested with almond flour and you can not simply swap out with coconut flour. You can, however, substitute with sunflower seed flour for a nut-free version.
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.
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.
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.
- 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, such as Swerve or Lakanto, to achieve the best texture. Other sweeteners like BochaSweet and allulose will make them more cakey and soft.
More delicious keto brownie recipes
If you love brownies, I have the ultimate list of the best keto brownie recipes. Some of my personal favorites include:
Fudgy Keto Brownies
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, about 50g
- 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
Storage Information
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. Always make sure to wrap them up tightly to avoid freezer burn.Nutrition
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These are the best brownies … keto or otherwise! My kids and husband can’t get enough of them.
Why is this one not my first choice when I google Keto Brownies? It is the best and only recipe you will need!
I need to make these
You refer the batter as thick but pourable. Made the cinnamon coffee cake and the batter was very thick. I even added more water than was called for. How do I determine what is thick but pourable? The coffee cake was very good but it took a long time to cook and was dry. Should batter be like cake batter or is that too thin?
Thick as in not runny. And pourable as in you don’t have to scoop it from the bowl into the pan, but you can actually pour it in. Does that help?
These brownies are amazing. I have tried multiple keto brownies recipes, and wasn’t satisfied by any of them. But the taste and texture of these is superior! Just like “regular” brownies, and the crispy edges make them irresistible.
I am delighted to hear that!
I don’t have Grassfed Gelatin can I use Knox Gelatin instead?
Please read the blog post! 🙂
Dear Carolyn: I was hoping for an answer to my comment of Oct 15, but did not get one. If I made a ganache out of 1/3 c heavy cream and 2 T sugarless chocolate chips (as in your chocolate torte recipe topping), could you please tell me what that would do to the computed carb count for the brownie recipe. Thanks, SKJ
1/3C heavy cream is 2 carbs then depending on which chocolate chips you use it will be an additional 0-2 carbs (you’ll have to check the nutrition on the bag of chips) so add 2-4 carbs for your topping. DIvide those carbs by how many servings (16 servings would add an additional .12-.25 carbs per serving ) hope this helps. calculating is relatively easy..
I have printed up a list of the common ingredients I use and their nutritional information so its easy for me to look up the macros for whatever I’m making., this way, I’m completely accurate in my calculations. Happy baking!
I am sorry, you will need to calculate any additions like that yourself. Should be pretty easy with an online calculator.
Made these brownies Friday with the addition of 1/3 c toasted chopped walnuts. They came out fabulous. You mention optional ganache frosting. If I used your 1/3c whipping cream, 2oz sugar free chocolate chips from the torte recipe to top it, can you tell me what it would do to the carb count for the recipe ?? Thanks, so much, SKJ
I have been searching for the best brownie recipe for a long time. I finally found it here after 10 other recipes…everything a brownie should be…chewy and gooey in the middle. I paired it with your vanilla ice cream…WOW…so creamy. Together pure heaven!!!
That’s so great to hear!
Oh my, these are the best! I used nuts but no chocolate chips and they still looked just like the photos—I don’t know when that has ever happened. So very tasty (I also added some espresso powder) and tender. This one’s a keeper!! Thank for this delicious gluten free brownie recipe. I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Waiting for my latest batch of these to cool. The waiting is so hard. These are a favorite of ours.
I made this recipe with organic cacao powder,(that I got for making chocolate) and it came out a little bitter. should I have used cocoa powder or backed off of the amount of cacao powder used?
You should have used Dutched cocoa. Cacao is always bitter unless you up the sweetener.
I made the brownies and frosted them with peanut butter cream cheese frosting. Delicious
These turned out great! Just the right amount of sweetness , nice and chocolaty. I will up the chocolate chips a bit next time. Maybe add nuts too!
Is there another name or another option for grass fed gelatin? Is this the same as unflavored Knox gelatin, like you use to make finger jello?
It’s not the same (it’s higher quality) but you can use Knox.
Hello, I really like your recipes but I have a question that crosses my mind every time. When you put in the “large egg” recipes, these are eggs of about how many grams (if I can have the weight please, specifying whether it is with or without the shell). THANKS
You can Google that! 🙂 I don’t weight my eggs.
very easy to assemble, and as I love a really chocolaty brownie, added in an ounce of unsweetened chocolate to the melted butter. And a handful of walnuts to the batter. So delicious! My new go-to mix.
WOW! These brownies probably saved someone’s life. I was very hormonal and needed chocolate. They were easy and quick to make. Except for me misplacing my gelatin. I took them out of the oven waited 10 minutes and put whipped cream on one. Happy camper on the run! Thanks for all your great recipes!
Jlizz
These are the best brownies I have ever eaten! Moist and great chocolate taste. The gelatin works like a charm. Thanks so much for sharing!
I am so glad!
Caroline, these are delicious! I added white chocolate chips and they turned out perfectly! Thank you so much!