Avocado Brownies
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Make my avocado brownies recipe and never toss a mushy avocado away again. They’re rich, soft, and crinkly-topped. Naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and low-carb!
Avocado brownies that taste like something from a bakery
I’ve been using avocados in baking for as long as I can remember. I didn’t invent it, per se, but let’s just say I’ve been doing it since before it became fashionable.
When folded into brownie batter, avocado adds a velvety texture and healthy fats, enhancing the rich, chocolate flavor. The two go hand in hand, making for delicious brownies that just happen to be better for you. Here’s why they’re a fabulous dessert:
- You won’t taste the avocado. I know many people can be very particular about their brownies, and I wouldn’t mislead you.
- Naturally gluten-free. Made with almond flour instead of AP flour, these brownies are perfect for anyone following a gluten-free diet.
- Ultra fudgy and rich. Avocado adds healthy fats that create an incredibly moist, gooey texture without making the brownies heavy.
- Simple to make. Just mix the ingredients, pour into the pan, and bake.
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need, along with my kitchen notes. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Almond flour. I prefer blanched almond flour, not almond meal. The latter is too grainy and won’t make for a gooey brownie.
- Cocoa powder. 100% unsweetened and Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Be sure to sift the cocoa powder to ensure there are no clumps. I sometimes use dark cocoa powder for a richer chocolate flavor.
- Salt. Just a pinch to elevate the sweet flavors.
- Coconut oil. Melted and refined coconut oil, so there is no coconut flavor. Butter also works.
- Avocado. My not-so-secret ingredient! Use mashed and overripe avocados.
- Sugar. I used white sugar because it gives those gorgeous crisp edges. Brown sugar works, but will be more gooey in the middle.
- Vanilla extract. A must for any good brownie recipe.
- Eggs. I recommend using room temperature eggs, as they mix seamlessly into the brownie batter and don’t firm up the coconut oil.
- Dark chocolate chips. Because what brownie isn’t better with chocolate chips?
- Add mix-ins. Add your favorite brownie additions like chopped walnuts, chocolate chunks, or even white chocolate chips.
How to make avocado brownies
Step 1- Prep. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease and line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
Step 2- Mix. In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a separate mixing bowl, add the avocado, oil, sugar, and vanilla and whisk. Add the eggs one at a time and mix. Gently fold in the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Step 3- Bake. Transfer the brownie batter to the lined pan and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the edges thicken up and the tops are firm. Let them cool completely before slicing.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Use frozen avocado. I’ve tested this recipe with frozen avocado, and it bakes up just as fudgy. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, then blend until smooth before adding it to the batter.
- Mash the avocado until completely smooth. Any chunks will remain in the baked brownies (and completely detract from the brownies). I like using a food processor or blender for the smoothest batter, but a fork works well too if your avocado is very ripe.
- Don’t overbake the brownies. The center should be slightly underdone when you remove them from the oven. They’ll continue to set as they cool, giving you that ultra-fudge texture.
- Let it cool before slicing. I know it’s tempting to dig in right away, but letting the brownies cool allows them to firm up, so you get clean slices instead of gooey edges.
More healthy brownie recipes
Avocado Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons almond flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup avocado mashed, approximately 1 small
- 6 tablespoons coconut oil melted
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease and line an 8 x 8-inch square pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, add your almond flour, cocoa powder, and salt, and mix well. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, add your avocado, coconut oil, sugar, and vanilla extract, and whisk until smooth. Add the eggs in, one at a time, and mix well. Gently add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold through the chocolate chips.
- Transfer the brownie batter into the lined pan and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the edges thicken up and the tops are firm.
- Remove the brownies from the oven and let them cool in the pan completely, before slicing up.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published July 2022
Is there a sugar substitute that works best for this recipe. Really want to make it!
Hi Mara, granulated allulose or an erythritol blend would be perfectly fine!
Hello, I’d like to know: is it 11 cups of almond flour + 2 tablespoons or one 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons? Thank you in advance!
Hi Laura, it’s 1 and 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons. Hope this helps 🙂
This is life-changing!! Everybody stop what you’re doing and make this recipe. It does not taste “healthy” at all. Not a sacrifice to swap these for regular brownies. Plus, they freeze like a dream!
PS I had a fun time learning how to properly make blanched almond flour. Thanks for those instructions!
Why can you not convert the cups in grams to make it a useable recipe outside of the US. I’ve just wasted a ton of ingredients that I’ll now need to bin because I was switching back and forth on my phone between this and a conversion table which I’ve quite clearly got wrong. I’ve wasted all of my flour, coconut oil, eggs and a half bag of cocoa which wasn’t cheap. I’m pretty livid to be honest. What the hell even are cups!!!! Just use grams for Christ sake.
Hi Rachael- this recipe has actually always had metric measurements. If you click the toggle that says ‘metric’ it converts it all for you.
My god, these are amazing! Even better on day two (they will not make it to day three ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )
*Cooked a little longer than instructed
Thank you! So glad you liked this one, and I don’t think fresh brownie batches would ever make it to day 3 in our house either. Thanks for the feedback!
Super fudge brownies.. love this recipe… will definitely be making again..😋
Thank you Jan! The avocado makes all the difference in this recipe 🙂 So glad you liked it!
Can I use less sugar? Seems like 1 1/2 cups is alot for an 8 x 8 pan.
Hi Rochelle, this recipe is fairly forgiving when it comes to sugar. I wouldn’t drop below 50% of the original quantity though, unless you want to sacrifice those crinkly tops and some of it’s structure. Let us know how you go!
I just made these and can confirm that you don’t taste the avocado or the coconut oil – they taste amazing! This will be my go-to brownie recipe from now on. I highly recommend them. The best brownies I’ve ever made, even when compared to traditional soft fudgey brownie recipes! I’m always on the look out for great dairy-free grain-free recipes. To make it Paleo I will try using a vanilla bean pod instead of vanilla extract and maple sugar instead of white sugar. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Sonya, thanks so much for taking the time to share this feedback! I’m so glad you loved the recipe, the fudginess from the avocado is truly next level.
So chocolatey and delicious.
Next time I’d go a little easier on the sugar and chocolate chips…
So glad you liked them! They are very rich, and yes, I definitely encourage everyone to adapt the sweetness level to their own liking 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment.
Just wondering how this ended up in the KETO section?? Sugar isn’t Keto.. Are their substitutes for it we can use? I checked the notes and didn’t see anything.
Thanks for spotting this Aj, should be all fixed now 🙂
Is it possible to use flax flour with this
I haven’t tried it with flax flour, Ellen. You can substitute it with sunflower seed or cashew flour without affecting the texture.
I baked for the full 25 minutes and they were barely cooked. I checked that I got the ingredients right and the temperature right. I’d say more like 40-45 minutes. It did seem like a short amount of time to bake brownies.
Hi Louanne- I’m wondering if your oven bakes a little differently? Most of my brownie recipes fall in the 22-30 minute range- that’s taking into account the extra fudgy texture or cakey brownies.
Have you tried adding malt powder (the same as used to make beer) to your mixture?
Hi Charles, I actually haven’t but that’s a really interesting idea. Malt used to make beer is a little different to the malt used for baking though. I’d stick with the baking malt. I imagine it will work well to enhance caramel flavors in the brownie. Just be careful not to use too much as it might make them too dense. Let us know how you go!
Can you use regular flour ?
Hi Stephanie, you definitely can! You may just need a little more moisture, as wheat flour is a bit more absorbent than almond flour.
So I followed everything I was supposed to and this was mushy after 25 min. It took closer to 45 minutes before they hardened but even then they were slimy and oily and smelled weird. This definitely needs some tweaks.
Sorry to hear that, M. The slimy and oily texture usually points to the avocado. If it was underripe or had any off flavors, that will come through in the bake and affect the texture. Make sure to use very ripe, fresh avocado that smells neutral and mash it completely smooth with no lumps before mixing. The recipe has worked well for many readers so hopefully that is the fix.