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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Here for the comments, haha! I was searching for a good Keto brownie recipe and found this! I made them immediately with my boys. They are still cooling but look AMAZING!!! Can’t wait to try them. Before I chose to make them I was reading the reviews and comments. When I saw how the owner commented back to Jane, I knew these brownies were going to be good! Love how you defended yourself, rightfully so! Felt like I met my match, haha! Keep up the good work. Thanks for this stellar recipe!
Thank you, Kara! I appreciate your support.
Made these today and had two 9 year old boys declare they are “the best brownies we ever tasted”. I also topped them with your chocolate ganache, so they were over the top. Without the ganache they were still incredibly fudgey and full of chocolate.
I want to make these to take to a party and put them in mini cupcake liners (parchment paper). How long should I bake them?
I made this tonight, they turned out quite delicious! I used golden monk fruit sweetener and pecans (I was out of chocolate chips). I baked it in a 9″ porcelain baking dish, (that’s all I had) it took ten minutes longer of cooking time. I will make this again for sure!
I have a question, I need to buy a 9″ square baking pan for that sort of thing, what would you recommend? What kind of bakeware do you use? Thanks!
I almost always get USA Pan for metal pans. Very non-stick but also non toxic, and they last. For this recipe, I actually recommend the 8 inch so the brownies are thicker but you could do the 9 inch and bake them less.
Oops, I forgot the link… https://amzn.to/2V9f3sG
I just made these and the flavor is spot on, I followed the recipe to a T ( baked for 20- knife test) . They came out mushy — still delicious but not portable ( I have to scoop them out ) . What did I do wrong? Underbake? Too much water maybe ? I’m goinng to make them again so any belo would be appreciated!
Without being in your kitchen, I can’t be sure. Did you use a ceramic pan by chance? Or glass?
Yes! I used ceramic, could that be it?
Metal pans bake things faster than glass does.
Mine came out mushy as well. The only difference there Knox geletin and Splenda for sweetener? Were those big no-no’s?
The Knox would be fine but the Splenda? That’s an issue.
I made some Keto brownies last year. And they were so bad that it took me 10 months to get up the gumption to try again. I used your recipe Carolyn because I trust you and I’ve tried other recipes by you and had good results. I only made two minors changes, I didn’t have the grass fed gelatin, I only had the Knoxx so I followed the direction of your other readers and added the gelatin to the water before adding it to the batter. No clumping. I don’t like to use all Swerve in my baking, I find I prefer the results if I use have Swerve and half Sola sweetener. So that’s the other change I made. But beyond those slight modifications I was true to your recipe.
I was concerned when I put them in pan as there really wasn’t much batter and when I spread it out it was very thin. I knew I didn’t put much leavening agent in there so I knew they would be very thin. But, I checked the images, and I went along and followed the recipe to the end.
I baked them until they were set at the edges but the center was still soft. And went through the long process of smelling chocolatey goodness until they were completely cooled.
They are not bad. They were not cakey in consistency, but they were cakey in taste, if that makes sense. Not chocolatey enough for me to consider them fudgy brownies, but from my non-keto baking I suspected that might be the case since they only use cocoa powder and no melted chocolate. And despite being completely cool they flaked all over the place and were too tender.
On the plus side, they satisfied the craving and I didn’t have to throw them all away with extreme prejudice like the last batch 10 months ago.
The batter really shouldn’t be thin on the bottom of the pan… were you using a 9×9 pan, by chance? You can see from the photo that mine are nice and thick.
Also, I have to say that the changes you made may well be part of it. The Knox gelatine would probably be fine but the Sola sweetener may be part of the “flaking” issue and the being too tender.
Thank you Carolyn. Do you know think I could add a Lily’s Baking Bar, melted to make it more dark chocolatey?
Sure. The batter may get pretty thick when you add it so be prepared to move quickly!
I just made these for the first time last week and I am making them again tonight already. these are absolutely delicious and I have a hard time not eating more than 1. My bf who isnt lc loved them too. This will be on regular rotation at my house.
So glad to hear it!
My brownies came out super oily, why do you think this happened?? I followed step by step the recipe.
What brand of almond flour did you use?
Question to the low-carb cooking and eating community here…Erythritol, I used it years ago when learning low-carb cooking. I recall foods made with this ingredient were delicious, but quickly causing quite a bit of abdominal discomfort to the point I began avoiding recipes with this ingredient. I didn’t see any comments that spoke of this. Anyone input on this? Any tips for making great brownies and desserts while minimizing the intestinal gymnastics? Really want to try these brownies, but concerned about the effects of the Erythritol.
I think you might be getting it mixed up with other sugar alcohols. Xylitol, maltitol, and sorbitol all are know to cause GI distress in large quantities. Erythritol typically does not.
OMG these are fantastic! and so easy to whip up! I made some other brownies that were “fudgy” and I hated them. These are my new favorite! Thank you!
I am delighted!
Loved this recipe! I added about a 3/4 cup of walnuts and no gelatin. I did have to add about 2/3 cups more of almond flour as my mix was a bit watery. They came out delicious and cake like. I’ll be making this recipe again!
So glad you like them!
Love the simplicity of this recipe!! I feel a lot of keto recipes are hit or miss. This was definitely a hit! I was surprised at how easy it was. I made them on Valentine’s day for my boyfriend and he liked them so much that he couldn’t believe they were keto brownies. I will add that I did not have the beef gelatin but I did have the knox unflavored gelatin and they still came out great. I also do like them more on the “crispy” rather than chewy side so I did cook them slightly longer and I loved it. Thank you for this recipe!
Made these tonight but with a few changes. I was concerned they looked dense in the picture so I added 1 tablespoon baking powder and instead of water I used buttermilk. I heard on a show that makes baked goods extra fluffy. Well it worked. They were perfect! (I also used 2 teaspoons vanilla and omitted the chips). Couldn’t be happier. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
These are deliciously dense, indeed, as they’re supposed to be! A real, dense, slightly chewy brownie, not a cake-like brownie. ????
So glad you like them!
I made this recipe just now. These are bomb! I had been making another keto brownie recipe from a different site thinking that it was the best it was gonna get to a real brownie but these ones actually taste like real brownies! Even my family loved them and they usually hate my low carb baking. Thank you so much for this recipe!
These brownies tasted great! I had tried one recipe before and had tossed it out. They were moist and definitely curbed my sweet tooth. I did mix one packet of unflavored Knox gelatin to 1/4 cup of water and mixed. I then added 2 tablespoons of gelatin to the mixture. I ended up having to bake for a bit longer (26 mins at 350 degrees) but they still came out wonderful.
Glad you liked it!
Can I use erythritol instead of swerve? Maybe I’m just more sensitive to it but I feel like swerve has an after taste….
That should be fine.