The BEST Fudgy Low Carb Brownies Recipe - GF, Keto! (2024)

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4.80 from 72 votes

These low carb brownies are just like the traditional brownies my mom used to make (with the help of Pillsbury or Betty Crocker). They are the most like a classic box mix brownie. They are great warm, in between cakey and fudgy, and rich with chocolate. There are also only 2 g net carbs in each brownie in this low carb brownie recipe!

The BEST Fudgy Low Carb Brownies Recipe - GF, Keto! (1)

I love brownies I have over a dozen brownie recipes includingRaspberry Brownies, Brownies in a Skillet,Keto Flourless Brownies, Keto Cheesecake Brownies, and a Keto Mug Brownie.

It's been a long time since I've had a guest post so when I saw Hannah's Low Carb Brownie recipe going viral in the Trim Healthy Mama Facebook group I asked her if I could share it here on Joy Filled Eats. I was thrilled when she said yes! My sweet tooth was also thrilled. There are never too many easy low carb brownies and although this is similar to my Keto Fudgy Brownies it is different enough to warrant its own spot on my blog.

Hannah's recipe uses cocoa powder as the base whereas my recipe uses melted baking chocolate. That makes her gluten-free brownie recipe more economical if you are on a tight budget. This gluten free keto brownie recipe is also SO easy.

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Hannah's Fabulous Brownies

Hannah: I created this recipe after trying 8 to 10 other sugar-free, low carb brownie recipes that I just didn't personally enjoy. I really love brownies and I would rather go without than eat something that doesn't even have a semblance of that "real" brownie taste and texture.

My husband has laughed at me as I've been disappointed after trying so many recipes that people said tasted JUST LIKE _____, and I've worried that these people either haven't tasted the real thing in too long or are unashamed liars! I absolutely love these brownies and I am so excited to be able to enjoy them happy knowing they are not bad for my health!

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Ingredients Needed

Almond Flour - I prefer almond flour in low carb baking. It has a mild flavor and gives a tender crumb in gluten free brownies, cakes, cookies, and biscuits. It is a good sub for wheat flour on a low-carb diet.

Coconut Flour- Just a little bit of coconut flour goes a long way. Coconut flour helps to balance the oiliness of almond flour since it is naturally drier and absorbs more liquidthan other alternative flours.

Sugar-Free Sweetener- I like to use a blend of xylitol, erythritol, and stevia in my recipes. You can purchase this pre-mixed from theTrim Healthy Mama website or mix your own according to my recipe. By using a combination of sugar alcohols and stevia you can use half the amount required of 1:1 sweeteners and regular sugar. If you can't use xylitol with pets in the house sub in allulose or additional erythritol.

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder or Cacao Powder - I'm currently using raw cacao powder which can be used for cocoa powder. Costco has Navitas Cacao Powderfor a good price. I like the flavor in my baked goods. You can use black cocoa powder for an Oreo flavor or dark cocoa powder for a dark chocolate flavor.

Vanilla - Adding pure vanilla extract a standard in any baked good. It brings out the flavor of the other ingredients in the same way a pinch of salt does.

Coconut Oil - I use refined coconut oil in recipes that I don't want to have a coconut flavor.

Sugar Free Chocolate Chips - You can use any sugar free chips you enjoy. ChocZero now has white chocolate chips and peanut butter chips in addition to dark chocolate and milk chocolate.

The ingredient measurements can be found in the recipe card under the blog post.

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How to make Low Carb Brownies

It is easier to make low carb keto brownies than you think! All you need is a medium sized bowl and a whisk or wooden spoon.

First Step: Mix together the liquid ingredients.

Top Tip💡

The most important thing when making these low-carb brownies is to use room temperature eggs and melted coconut oil. If your eggs are cold they can make the coconut oil solidify when you are mixing.

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Second Step: Add the dry ingredients. Spread in an 8 by 8 inch baking dish that has been greased or lined with parchment paper.

Third Step: Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the brownie batter.

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Fourth Step: Bake. These are cakey right from the oven and get fudgier and fudgier as they cool.

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Variations

There are so many choices for my low carb brownie recipe. Here are a few of my favorites:

Sugar Free Whipped Cream - whip up some cream, add a little powdered sweetener and use to top this keto brownies recipe.

Keto Cream Cheese Frosting - make this into a low carb chocolate brownie cake by baking in a round pan and piping on some creamy icing!

ChocZero Peanut Butter or White Chocolate Chips - sub in a sugar-free chocolate chips in a unique flavor.

Ice Cream - who can resist a brownie sundae. I love these with my low carb keto coffee ice cream.

Peppermint - around Christmas I just love mint chocolate. Add 2 teaspoons of mint extract to turn these into peppermint brownies.

Common Questions

Are these fudgy or cakey?

These are very similar in texture to box mix brownies. To me, these are the most similar to box brownies than any other keto brownies I've tried. Using cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate really makes them taste like the good ole' family-sized fudgy brownies from a mix.

They are unbelievably delicious but a little cakey when they are still hot from the oven. They do become fudgier when cooled. My preferred method of eating these is to chill them overnight in the baking pan (use parchment paper!) or an airtight container and then warm up individual squares. This is the way to get fudgy keto brownies!

Can I use a baking mix for low carb brownies?

No. Baking blends really do NOT work here. It needs to be this specific combo of almond and coconut flours to get that almost real brownie taste and texture!

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What sugar-free sweetener can I use for Low Carb Brownies?

This recipe is very versatile. You can use erythritol, xylitol, THM Gentle Sweet, THM Super Sweet, or a blend of erythritol and monk fruit sweetener like Lakanto.

I always use my sweetener blend of xylitol, erythritol, and stevia in my keto diet recipes except for times a powdered sweetener works better, like in icings.

Can I use butter instead of coconut oil?

Yup! If you prefer butter works fine in this recipe and any of my other keto brownie recipes that call for coconut oil. I use salted butter and melt it first.

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The BEST Fudgy Low Carb Brownies Recipe - GF, Keto! (11)

The BEST Low Carb Brownies Recipe

Taryn

These low carb brownies are delicious still hot from the oven and become fudgy when cooled. I hope you make and enjoy these delicious keto brownies!

4.80 from 72 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16

Calories 120

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350.

  • Start by whisking the room temperature eggs and then the melted coconut oil and vanilla together with the warm water, this will prevent an undesirable texture from the coconut oil resolidifying during the mixing process.

  • Once the wet ingredients are all stirred together, add the cocoa powder, sweetener, salt, almond flour, coconut flour and baking powder.

  • Whisk together and spread into a greased or parchment-lined 8x8 pan.

  • Lastly, sprinkle the chocolate chips on the brownies and bake 20-30 min. The time on these seems to vary quite a bit.

Notes

Substitutions: Baking blends do NOT work here. It needs to be this specific combo of almond and coconut flours to get that almost real brownie taste and texture!

Eggs: To quickly bring your eggs to room temperature you can crack them into a bowl and set them on the stove while the oven preheats, they will be room temp in no time. Alternatively, you can place the whole eggs a bowl of warm water for a couple of minutes before cracking them.

Storage: Storing these in the refrigerator makes them firm up can get fudgier. Just rewarm them in the microwave for a perfect brownie texture.

Notes on Sweeteners:

I use my ownblend of xylitol, erythritol, and steviain my recipes. This is twice as sweet as sugar. It is comparable toTrim Healthy Mama Gentle SweetandTruvia.

To sub inSwerve or Lakanto Monk Fruit use 1.5 times the amount of sweetener called for.

To sub inPyureorTrim Healthy Mama Super Sweetuse half the amount of sweetener called for.

Substitutions will work in most recipes. They may not work in candies, such as caramel.

Nutrition

Serving: 1brownieCalories: 120Carbohydrates: 4gProtein: 3gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 122mgPotassium: 88mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 30IUCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg

Love this recipe?Please leave a 5 star rating!

Originally Published November 10, 2016. Revised and Republished April 5, 2024.

The BEST Fudgy Low Carb Brownies Recipe - GF, Keto! (12)

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The BEST Fudgy Low Carb Brownies Recipe - GF, Keto! (2024)

FAQs

How many carbs are in a keto brownie? ›

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. How many carbs are in a keto brownie? For one 2-inch square, these keto brownies have only 1.2 grams of net carbs.

What is the difference between chewy and fudgy brownies? ›

Fudgy brownies are moist, dense and gooey, with almost the texture of fudge, but not quite as compact. Chewy brownies are dense (like fudgy brownies), but have a little more “bite” to them or elastic texture when you chew them.

How to make fudgy brownies vs cakey brownies? ›

Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones. So add more fat—in this case, butter and chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. The amount of sugar and eggs does not change whether you're going fudgy or cakey.

What's the difference between brownies and fudge brownies? ›

Brownies have a cake-like texture with a crispy top and a moist, fudgy center and are typically baked in a rectangular pan. Fudge, on the other hand, is typically made by cooking a mixture of sugar, butter, and milk or cream until it reaches a soft, chewy consistency.

How many carbs ruin keto? ›

Most ketogenic diet guidelines recommend limiting your total carbohydrate intake to 15-30 grams or 5%-10% of your total calorie intake a day. Eating more than 50 grams of carbs may disrupt ketosis. With keto diets, however, carb restrictions vary from person to person.

What cancels out carbs in keto? ›

Keto Net Carb Diet. On the ketogenic diet, the "net carb" is the amount of carbs in a food minus the fiber and sugar alcohol. Fiber and sugar alcohol are subtracted because the body does not fully absorb them. The keto net carb diet limits daily carbohydrate consumption to 20-50 grams to induce ketosis.

What brand of brownies are fudgy? ›

The Ghirardelli mix made fudgy brownies that I loved, but Pillsbury's were my favorite.

Are Ghirardelli brownies chewy or fudgy? ›

When you want a delicious brownie for a baking emergency—or just to treat yourself—look no further than a box of Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownies. These fudgy brownies were packed with that Ghirardelli chocolate flavor that so many of us love.

Why are my brownies never fudgy? ›

Achieving a fudgy brownie is all to do with the ratio of fat to flour. A fudgy brownie recipe will use more fat than flour. Generally this is achieved by adding more butter or real chocolate to your brownie recipe. A cakey brownie recipe on the other hand will call for more flour in the ratio of fat to flour.

Should I use butter or oil for brownies? ›

Note that while some brownie recipes do call for melted butter instead of oil, the butter can aerate the batter, altering the texture of the brownies and making them cakey rather than fudgy. So, while you can substitute butter for oil and vice versa, remember that it might alter the texture.

What is a brownie fairy? ›

brownie, in English and Scottish folklore, a small, industrious fairy or hobgoblin believed to inhabit houses and barns. Rarely seen, he was often heard at night, cleaning and doing housework; he also sometimes mischievously disarranged rooms.

How do I know when my fudgy brownies are done? ›

Want to make sure that your brownies are still fudgy but not raw? The truth is, fudgy brownies are slightly undercooked. The key is to make sure the center of the brownies is set and that the toothpick doesn't look too gooey when you remove it from the brownies.

What is the old version of brownies? ›

Did you know that Brownies were originally called 'Rosebuds'? Rosebuds was established in 1914 for girls to join before they became Guides. Just one year later, the name was changed to Brownies. Brownies are the second-youngest members of the Girlguiding family, for girls aged between 7 and 10.

How to make box brownie mix better? ›

When the back-of-box instructions call for water, try some instant espresso or strong-brewed coffee for roasty, toasty notes that pair impeccably with chocolate. Or use milk or half-and-half for even more richness. And for cakey instead of fudgy brownies, add an extra egg for more lift and spring.

Are fudgy brownies supposed to be gooey? ›

Fudgy Brownies

With a high amount of fat (in the form of butter and chocolate) and less flour than other varieties, these sweet squares do not hold back. You can expect an intensely rich chocolate flavor and a dense, super-moist, often gooey texture that just might remind you of a truffle.

Do keto meals have carbs? ›

On the keto diet, you are allowed to have no more than 50 grams of net carbs per day – and the fewer, the better! But by focusing on “net” rather than “total” carbs, you won't be denying your body the essential fiber it needs for proper function.

What is the carb limit on keto? ›

The ketogenic diet typically reduces total carbohydrate intake to less than 50 grams a day—less than the amount found in a medium plain bagel—and can be as low as 20 grams a day. Generally, popular ketogenic resources suggest an average of 70-80% fat from total daily calories, 5-10% carbohydrate, and 10-20% protein.

How many carbs are in an average size brownie? ›

Brownie (1 brownie (2 in. square)) contains 21.3g total carbs, 20.6g net carbs, 4.7g fat, 1.6g protein, and 129 calories.

How many carbs in a 2 inch by 2 inch brownie? ›

Fast foods, brownie, 1 brownie (2" square)
Protein (g)2.74
Total lipid (fat) (g)10.1
Carbohydrate, by difference (g)38.97
Energy (kcal)243
Calcium, Ca (mg)25.2
25 more rows

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