The best gluten-free brownie recipe from scratch! These brownies are chewy, deeply fudgy and have that perfect crackly top! Plus they’re easy-to-make!
I tested this recipe dozens of times to get it just right. I hope you love it too!
There are many opinions out there about what makes a perfect brownie. Fudgy or cakey? Chocolate chips or none? If you’re looking for gluten-free brownies to appease any kind of brownie-lover, you’ve found it.
These gluten-free brownies have 2 types of chocolate (high quality chocolate chips + cocoa powder) to create a super-moist texture and deep chocolaty flavor. Plus they have shiny, crackly tops which is a must for all good brownies.
Gluten-free or not – this simple recipe makes some of the best brownies I’ve ever eaten!
Why You’ll LOVE this Recipe!
- Moist & Fudgy
- Shiny, crackly top
- 1-bowl recipe
- Made with simple ingredients
- Easy-to-make!
I tested dozens of gluten free brownies before settling on this one! It was a much harder recipe to develop then I initially thought but the result is well worth it.
For another well-tested recipe, these gluten-free chocolate chip cookies or this gluten-free banana bread!
For more perfected gluten-free baked goods check out these recipes for gluten-free blondies, gluten-free banana bread, gluten-free oatmeal raisin cookies, gluten-free no-bake cookies and gluten-free rice krispies treats.
Ingredients You’ll Need
These gf brownies are made with easy-to-find pantry staples like unsweetened cocoa powder, gluten free all purpose flour and vanilla extract.
I almost always have everything on hand to make them. Here are a few notes on the key ingredients:
- Cocoa Powder: You can use either Dutch-process or natural cocoa powder. The Dutch-process cocoa lends a richer, darker chocolate flavor, whereas the unsweetened, natural cocoa powder gives that classic, well-known brownie taste. Both are delicious! You also might like this gluten-free chocolate cake.
- Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour: I like to use a high quality gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend like King Arthur Flour in my baked goods. It works best to use a gluten free flour blend that contains xanthan gum in this recipe.
- High Quality Chocolate or Chocolate Chips: My favorite brand is Guittard semisweet chocolate chips. Be sure to use a good quality of semi-sweet chocolate for these brownies!
- Butter: A key ingredient to moist and fudgy gluten free brownies. I prefer butter to vegetable oil or coconut oil in brownies because I love the flavor of butter!
Dairy-free brownies? Unfortunately this recipe doesn’t work well with vegan butter or flax eggs. You can check out this recipe for gluten-free double chocolate pecan brownies that is easier to adapt to dairy-free.
If you love this recipe be sure to check out my gluten-free mint brownies and gluten-free peanut butter crunch brownies.
How to Make Gluten-Free Brownies
- Place the chocolate and butter in a large bowl that is microwave safe.
- Microwave on 50% power for 2-3 minutes, stopping every 30 seconds to stir until completely smooth and melted.
Tip: You can also melt the butter and chocolate together over low heat on the stove.
- Add the sugar, vanilla and salt to the chocolate mixture. Whisk to combine.
- Let the mixture cool slightly before adding the eggs. Add the eggs and yolk one at a time, whisking until fully incorporated after each egg.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the cocoa powder and gluten-free flour until fully combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth into an even layer.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until set and a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean. Cool the brownies to room temperature before slicing. Slice the gluten-free brownies with a sharp knife and enjoy!
You also might like this recipe for caramels!
Tip: Lining the baking pan with aluminum foil is the best way to remove the brownies for slicing later.
Gluten-Free Brownies Tips for Success
- Dissolve the sugar – Whisk the sugar vigorously into the warm, almost hot butter/melted chocolate mixture. You want the sugar to dissolve as much as possible.
- Use a metal baking pan if possible. I find a metal pan helps conduct heat better when making gluten-free brownies and baked goods. I also like using this light metal 9×9 pan. If all you have is a glass 9×9 pan that’s fine! It will work as well.
- Use a high-quality gluten-free flour blend. A gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum is really important for the structure of these brownies.
- Add chocolate chips + cocoa powder – for double the fudgy chocolate! The melted chocolate also helps brownies achieve a shiny top. Be sure to use a high quality chocolate like Guittard!
Storage Instructions
Store these brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
These brownies can also be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 3 months.
MORE FAVORITE GLUTEN-FREE RECIPES
I hope this recipe helps you make the best gluten-free brownies you’ve ever eaten! If you try this recipe be sure to leave me a comment/rating below!
The Best Gluten-Free Brownie Recipe (Ultimate Fudgy!)
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons (140g) salted butter 140 grams
- 1/2 cup (85g) high quality semi-sweet chocolate chips I like Guittard
- 1/2 cup (105g) brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup (115g) gluten-free 1:1 baking flour
- 1 cup chocolate chips (for mixing in!)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9×9 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. (I like this light metal pan.)
- Cut the butter into tablespoon-sized pieces. Add the butter and chocolate chips to a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well, microwave for another 15 seconds and then stir well again. Repeat for 15 seconds until chocolate and butter are completely melted and well-combined.
- Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar to the butter mixture (you want it to be warm, even a little hot when you do this so the sugar dissolve) and whisk vigorously for 1 minute.
- Stir in the eggs one at a time, whisking 20 seconds after each addition. Whisk in the vanilla extract, espresso powder and salt.
- Using a rubber spatula, mix in the cocoa powder and gluten-free flour until fully combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth into an even layer. Bake for 30-35 minutes until set and a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean.
- Cool the brownies for 30 minutes before cutting. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- Cocoa Powder: You can use either Dutch-process or natural cocoa powder. The Dutch-process cocoa lends a richer, darker chocolate flavor, whereas the unsweetened, natural cocoa powder gives that classic, well-known brownie taste. Both are delicious!
- Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour: I like to use a high quality gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend in my baked goods. It works best to use a blend that contains xanthan gum in this recipe.
- High Quality Chocolate or Chocolate Chips: My favorite brand is Guittard. Be sure to use a good quality of semi-sweet chocolate for these brownies!
- Use a metal baking pan if possible. I find a metal pan helps conduct heat better when making gluten-free brownies and baked goods. I also like using this light metal 9×9 pan. If all you have is a glass 9×9 pan that’s fine! It will work as well.
- Use a high-quality gluten-free flour blend. A gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum is really important for the structure of these brownies.
- Add chocolate chips + cocoa powder – for double the fudgy chocolate! The melted chocolate also helps brownies achieve a shiny top. Be sure to use a high quality chocolate like Guittard!
How long is the cook time if I do these as muffins?
Hi Madison, thank you for your question! We haven’t tried these brownies in muffin tins before. Our estimate is about 20 minutes, but it will depend on how full you fill each cup. We hope this helps and you enjoy the recipe!
Hi. Would this recipe turn out just as well if I were to double and use a 13×9 inch pan?
Hi Ellen, yes you can definitely double it and use a 13×9. We hope you enjoy the recipe! Happy baking!
After recently being diagnosed with a celiac disease, and turning my entire kitchen to gluten-free, my brownie loving husband and I were disappointed with some of the GF mixes and recipes we tried thus far. This recipe is hands-down the best brownies we have ever had gluten filled or gluten-free. Thank you! This is giving me hope our future baking endeavors!
Aww, we’re so glad this recipe was such a hit with both you and your husband! Thank you for sharing such kind feedback with us. We hope your next bake is just as enjoyable!
Pretty good ratio recipe! I accidentally added baking powder or soda in first batch but I enjoyed the chewy and fluffy combo. I didn’t have enough coco powder so I added more chips. I am trying again with more chips since I don’t have any more coco powder and double the espresso powder.
We’re so glad you enjoyed the brownies and plan to make another batch! It’s always great to hear which substitutions work well for our readers. Thank you for your kind feedback!
Absolutely delicious! Finally a gf brownie that works!
Hi! I just made these!! My mom has a dairy and gluten allergy. Followed the recipe and exactly, except I did use Country Crock plant based butter. I saw the warning that it might not work well, but I gave it a shot anyway, just for the heck of it. They came out perfect. Pretty crackle top and everything!! Thank you so much, saving for the future!!
Hi Ashley, we’re so glad the recipe was a success with the dairy-free swap! That’s great to know it worked with the Country Crock plant butter. Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us!
My daughter made these for her bf’s bday and he couldn’t tell they were GF! We gobbled these up in one night! They are delicious!
Yay! We’re so glad everyone loved the recipe so much! Thank you for sharing your experience with us, Simone!
These brownies were a big hit! I substituted butter for earth, balance, vegan butter and it worked perfectly. You couldn’t tell that these brownies were both gluten and dairy free. Thanks so much for this recipe. It was delicious and I’ll be making it again!
Yay! We’re so glad the recipe was such a hit! Thank you for sharing your experience with us, Megs. Happy baking!
Had to cook these a little longer than the recipe, probably because of the glass pan. They came out delicious and the perfect consistency! Next time we are going to try it with caramel chips mixed in.
We’re so glad you loved the recipe, Tracesea! Thank you for such positive feedback. Caramel chips sound delicious!
Can I use coconut flour or almond flour?
Hi Shannon, coconut and almond flour on their own have different properties than a 1:1 blend that has a mixture of gluten-free flours to better replicate regular flour. Those two options wouldn’t produce the same results with these brownies unfortunately. Thank you for your question!
Brownies are my all-time favorite dessert. I haven’t made them since having to go gluten free. I knew I could count on Meaningful Eats for a fantastic recipe and these did not disappoint!! So good!!
My go to brownie recipe when I’m craving something sweet! I really appreciate having the weight mesurenents included in the recipes, makes the recipes turn out every time!!
I tried this recipe twice and it failed both times – I could not get the sugar to melt, it just ended up a grainy mess. I thought maybe I used the wrong chocolate or maybe the chocolate was too hot so I adjusted and it still didn’t work. It sounds like some people have had some success but I don’t know what is the problem – on paper it sounds like it should work but it didn’t for me. I am not a novice cook, I was disappointed, they sounded good.
Hi Jesse, usually grainy sugar means the chocolate mixture isn’t hot enough to melt the sugar and/or it hasn’t been whisked long enough to dissolve both kinds of sugar. If it’s still grainy after melting the chocolate and whisking the sugar in for 1 minute, you could try heating the mixture a little more and repeating the whisking process to melt it the rest of the way. We hope this helps and next time goes much better!
I don’t eat egg… can I substitute it for anything else as a vegetarian
Hi Mahek, unfortunately this recipe doesn’t work well egg-free. It changes the structure/texture too much. We’re sorry for the inconvenience!
Making now, but the recipe doesn’t mention whether the brown sugar is packed.
Hi Julene, brown sugar should be packed when measuring for baked goods. We hope you enjoyed the brownies! Happy baking!
Question- I made the batter then my kiddo wouldn’t nap then I had to leave to get my daughter from school so it sat out in the glass pan for 1- 1.5 hours at room temp. I just put it in the oven but it was like hardened already. Any idea if it will affect cook time?!
Hi Sara, the thickened batter could take a little longer to bake, but we would recommend sticking with the recipe’s baking time and just monitoring the bake as it shouldn’t change too much. We hope the brownies turned out well for you! Happy baking!
Question- I made the batter then my kiddo wouldn’t nap then I had to leave to get my daughter from school so it sat out in the glass pan for 1- 1.5 hours at room temp. I just put it in the oven but it was like hardened already. Any idea if it will affect cook time?