The Best Gluten and Sugar Free Brownies (Vegan Option)
Guys, I worked really hard on this one. There was a spreadsheet. Literally.
I really dislike when food bloggers call lots of their recipes “the best”. And I appreciate that this may not be “the best” for absolutely everybody, because everyone is different.
But seriously, I worked very hard and tested these A LOT to make sure I earned the title I gave this recipe.
Because these brownies…
YUM.
Fudgy, rich, super chocolate-y, with oozy chocolate chips or a subtle walnut crunch. Like eating a soft fudgy cookie and loving every minute.
And…AND…gluten and sugar free (I even tested vegan and dairy free options I’ve included for you). Well, kind of. It’s up to you. They are equally delicious both ways, but if you want a slightly more cake-y authentic brownie, you may want to go with the low sugar option to use half xylitol-half coconut sugar instead of pure xylitol. This is also a good option for anyone who is only ok with xylitol in smaller doses. It gives you a total of about 1 teaspoon of added sugar per brownie, which is pretty amazing for a brownie, given that your average coffee shop or shop-bought brownie has over 7 teaspoons (more than your daily recommended sugar intake)!
So whichever way you choose to make it, you will end up with a healthier, but just as tasty brownie. THE best. I’m not kidding. Please refer to the spreadsheet if you think I am. In fact, they are better than any brownie I’ve ever baked, regardless of sugar, gluten or anything else content.
Which is a pretty big win in my eyes, sugar free or low sugar, dairy free or not!
After testing, re-testing, and re-re-re-re-testing, I feel pretty confident in calling this THE best gluten and sugar free brownie I've ever had. There is a dairy free option, and you can choose the slightly more authentic low sugar version or the totally-sugar-free-but-still-totally delicious version, and make it your own personal favourite. But this is mine. It is soft, fudgy, sweet and genuinely yummy.
- 100 g (1/2 cup) coconut oil or butter*, room temperature (it should be soft but not liquid)
- 100 g (1/2 cup) xylitol or a half-and-half mix of xylitol and coconut sugar/brown sugar** (if you like your brownies super sweet, add 4-6 drops liquid stevia as well)
- 2 eggs (use 2 flax eggs for vegan***)
- 2 teaspoons gluten and sugar free vanilla extract
- 70 g (3/4 cup) cocoa powder (or cacao powder, but cocoa is richer and more chocolate-y)
- 40 g (1/4 cup) gluten free plain flour (or a mix****)
- decent pinch of sea salt
- 50 g (2 oz) chopped walnuts (or 85-90% dark chocolate chopped into chunks if you're not a fan of nuts in brownies), optional
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Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Use an electric hand beater or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment to beat the coconut oil and xylitol together for 3-4 minutes until white and glossy. Beat in the eggs one at a time and add the vanilla, still beating, until the mixture is pale yellow and fluffy.
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In a bowl, mix the cocoa powder, flour and salt. Tip into the eggs and mix together gently with a spatula until incorporated. It will make quite a thick, cookie-like dough. Mix 2/3 of the walnuts or chocolate chunks and knead a few times to spread them evenly throughout the batter. Press the batter into a lined 9 inch (22cm) square baking tin to make thinner "mini" brownies (it will make 16) or into a 1lb loaf tin to make 8 thick brownie squares). Scatter the last 1/3 of the walnuts chocolate chunks over the top and press in lightly. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until just cooked but still slightly fudgy. Allow to cool completely before cutting into 8 large or 16 small squares and serving. If you have time, chilling overnight will add to the fudginess, but these are really yummy served at room temperature or even slightly warmed.
*my best batch used half-and-half coconut oil and salted butter (I skipped the salt in the flour mix), but each lends their own strength to the brownie and you can easily use just one, just make sure to use odorless coconut oil if you don't want a coconut taste in the brownie.
**my best batch used the half-and-half xylitol and coconut sugar, and honestly, 100g for just 8 big brownies or 16 small ones is a lot of xylitol, so I generally feel it's worth the 1 teaspoon sugar per (big) brownie (or 1/2 teaspoon per small one) to make sure there is neither too much xylitol or too much sugar! And of course, you are always welcome to use less sweetener of any kind in your attempt - I always strongly recommend reducing the amount used each time you make a recipe, as your tastebuds will adjust to need less, which is wonderful.
***I did test one batch with flax eggs and it did work, but was just not quite as great as the egg-containing ones.
****my best batch used my go-to gluten free flour blend + 1/2 tablespoon sweet (glutinous) rice flour - if you aren't gluten free you can replace this with an equal amount of wholewheat or spelt flour (or even all-purpose/plain flour) if you want.
What a great recipe! I substituted 1/2 cup of date paste for they xylitol/coconut sugar and it turned out wonderful. Thank you for sharing this! I’m always on the lookout for healthy sugar free/low sugar alternatives to family favorites.
Hi Meredith, glad they worked well for you – I love these! 🙂
Hi Claire!
I struggle to bake. I am gluten free, sugar free, and egg free. Recipes that I have to substitute all three usually faaaaaail. I have recently discovered that Just Egg Vegan Liquid Egg Replacer, Cassava Flour, and Splenda make for a good taste and come close to the real thing when combined for a baked treat. I would love to try these brownies using your recipe. Do you have any suggestions before I proceed? Especially on the Splenda. Do you think I should stick with 1/2 cup of it or try it with slightly less? Thanks so much!
Hi Jill, ooh, that’s a tricky one! I have some experience baking sugar and gluten free but I struggle with egg free. I would have thought you could replace the cassava flour for the flour in the recipe relatively easily – I’ve never baked with it before but have heard it’s usually a 1:1 scenario. For the Splenda, I would try with half the amount of xylitol in the recipe. As far as I know, Splenda is an erythritol-stevia blend like Natvia, which always works for me as half of the xylitol. If you are confident in your usual egg replacer, that should be alright to replace as you usually do, too. 🙂 Sorry I couldn’t be of more help, let me know how it goes!
Just a quick thank you for sharing your hard work in originating this recipe with all of us gluten free/sugar free chocolate brownie lovers. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thanks Chris, hope you enjoy it!
Are the quantities for the cocoa and flour correct, or should it be 3/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup of cocoa