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My favorite gluten free brownies recipe from scratch (gf): the best gluten free brownie recipe yields a firmer brownie that’s rich & dense, packed with melty chocolate chips! dairy-free.
Who is ready for the best gluten free brownies recipe ever? In my humble, honest, and totally tasty opinion? Okay, I don’t know how an opinion can be tasty, but since Erik used the word “delicious” to describe the way the room was so well heated (!!), I’m gonna throw all reason to the wind and say that my opinion is downright tasty.
Okay, that sounded weird. Let’s blow past it… right onto my favorite gluten free brownies recipe ever! By now, you may be very well versed with my flagship (retail background here, folks) brownie recipes:
- Paleo: Ultimate Fudgy Paleo Vegan Brownies Recipe
- Vegan: Best Vegan Brownies Recipe
- Raw: 5 Ingredient Raw Vegan Brownies (No Bake)
- GF: Gluten Free Vegan Brownies
All of these gluten free brownie recipes have been tested, tried, sampled, and made ‘round the world—from England to Japan and Brazil to Florida. Yep, Florida. 😉 All of those gluten free brownie recipes are super fudgy, soft ‘n dense and bursting with so much chocolate flavor.
But I was ready to take a NEW gluten free brownies recipe from scratch in a different direction. Cue the meaningful music! 😉 Or at least celebratory trumpets, ya know? So what’s so different about this best gluten free brownie recipe?
My Favorite Gluten Free Brownies Recipe From Scratch!
Allow me to elaborate: while my other gluten free brownies recipes are fudgy, dense and soft, these gluten free brownies are deliciously rich & dense. If you’re looking for a mouthwateringly firm & just slightly fudgy brownie, this is the one for you. These gluten free brownies are less moist/fudgy brownie and more firm/dense/super chocolatey brownie! Yes, they’re full of chocolate flavor. Yes, they’ll hit that chocolate spot like no other. And yes, they totally still are gluten free brownies from scratch!
How to Make Gluten Free Brownies From Scratch
Learn how to make gluten free brownies from scratch in no time! Simply add all wet ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk. Then, add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk. Combine and whisk, then fold until no flour patches remain. Fold in chocolate chips. Transfer the GF brownie batter into a baking pan and smooth into an even layer. Bake, cool and slice. That’s it!
Tips for the BEST Gluten Free Brownies Recipe From Scratch!
- For clean slices… allow brownies to cool completely, then use this exact pizza cutter! No, really. 😉 I’ve used all kinds of knives under the sun to slice brownies. And all of them are annoying as heck. Yes, even plastic knives–which I know some of you are shaking your head at–but sometimes, you’ve got to give every-single-thing a try. I was desperate & hopeless until I finally came upon this pizza cutter. It’s one big blade that allows you to slice right through the brownies, from one side to another, in one motion. Just remember to wipe off the pizza cutter between cuts, or when brownie crumbs accumulate.
- If you cut your brownies too soon–i.e., they’re still warm and soft, it’ll be difficult to slice. In that case (or if you’re just having trouble getting clean cuts), allow brownies to cool completely, then refrigerate them for about 2 hours. Then, slice them with the pizza cutter for perfect cuts. To re-soften, follow my instructions on warming them up in the recipe!
- Using unsweetened cocoa powder VS. raw cacao powder: no difference! (Except for higher nutritional value.) Raw cacao powder is much more nutrient dense, and thus, slightly higher in calories. However, I can assure you that the results are the same! So feel free to use unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao powder in these brownies. But don’t use dutch processed cocoa powder! 😉
Gluten Free Flour Substitution Tips
- Use GF Oat Flour, not GF All Purpose Flour. Yes, folks, I highly recommend using gluten free oat flour instead of gluten free all purpose flour. I tested out multiple brands of GF AP flour against GF oat flour and time and time again, GF oat flour won. It had the best texture & taste of all the gluten free brownie trials.
- But if you have to use Gluten Free All Purpose Flour… use this one. I tested a few different GF all purpose flours and this worked most similarly to GF oat flour. I highly recommend using GF oat flour, but if you can’t, this is the closest replacement. The texture of these gluten free brownies made with this gluten free all purpose flour is fudgy and dense, however, it does have a slight graininess to it and kind of a dissolving sensation—if you’re “used to” GF AP flours, you probably won’t mind it too much. This was the best GF AP flour out of numerous best-selling GF AP flours that I tried. The others yielded terrible, inedible results. Could those other flours work for other recipes? Probably. But not in this one.
More Tips
- Follow the recipe exactly as listed. No subs! Any substitute, no matter how seemingly small, can greatly affect the outcome of your gluten free brownies. Follow the recipe exactly as listed and expect delicious results.
- Use your favorite chocolate. Whether your favorite chocolate is expensive and hard to get, or cheap and available everywhere—make sure you use your favorite chocolate as the flavor will be very present in these gluten free brownies.
- Sift your homemade oat flour. I know it’s a pain, but if you’re using homemade oat flour, it’s most likely got coarse bits in it that’ll ruin the consistency of your gluten free brownies. Take time to sift the coarse bits out, then measure the amount you need.
- Warm up your brownies! If enjoying the day after, or even just after your gluten free brownies have cooled and firmed up, make sure to warm the brownies up before eating. Microwave in 10-second increments until warm. It’ll be like brand-new, soft, fresh-baked brownies all over again.
Is this Gluten Free Brownies Recipe… Vegan? Dairy-Free?
My favorite gluten free brownies recipe from scratch is…
- Dairy-Free
- Vegan
- Refined Sugar-Free
- made with Whole Ingredients
- Plant-Based
Recommended Tools for the Best Gluten Free Brownies Recipe From Scratch
- Brownie Slicing Tool for PERFECT CUTS (aka the Pizza Cutter!) – You’ve read the post, you know how amazing this tool is. Get one and see how easy it is to make clean, perfect cuts in your brownies. And for more tips, check out the Tips section higher up in this post.
- Raw Cacao Powder – for those of you who prefer a healthified boost to your gluten free brownies, use raw cacao powder. This raw cacao powder is my favorite and what I use in all of my paleo gluten free recipes. Amazing texture and quality.
- Learn how to make oat flour – from gluten free oats! Just remember to sift your homemade oat flour for amazing, non-grainy brownies.
- Gluten Free All Purpose Flour – again, I highly recommend using gluten free oat flour in this recipe. However, if you must use GF AP flour, use this one. I tested many, many gluten free all purpose flours and some of them were downright terrible. This one had the closest texture & taste to GF oat flour. However, keep in mind that there was a subtle graininess & dissolving sensation once chewing the brownies. If you’re used to GF flours, you’ll know what I mean and might not even be bothered by this.
- Refined Sugar Free Chocolate – in this particular recipe, I love using refined sugar-free chocolate chunks that I can put in either whole or chop for finer pieces. They melt so, so beautifully and have a wonderfully deep, rich chocolate taste. For dairy-free chocolate chips, try these vegan chocolate chips.
Are you ready for the best gluten free brownie recipe ever?? I mean, these gluten free brownies are made from scratch, and made with whole ingredients? Heck yes!! I can’t wait to hear what you think! Grateful that you’re here, sharing in these kitchen adventures with me. ‘Til the next one…
Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
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Did you make this gluten free brownies from scratch recipe? Take a pic and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #beamingbaker & tag @beamingbaker. I’d love to see it!
More Gluten Free Brownies Recipe From Scratch (Dairy Free)
- Fudgy Vegan Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies Recipe – Gluten Free, From Scratch!
- Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies – the BEST Brownie Cookies!
- Mini Vegan Brownie Bites Recipe (Gluten Free, Dairy-Free)
- Gluten Free Vegan Brownies – excellent fudgy brownies
- just for fun: Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Recipe (Dairy-Free)
My Favorite Gluten Free Brownies Recipe From Scratch!
Equipment
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups gluten free oat flour – if using homemade oat flour, make sure it’s very finely ground (not coarse) or this gluten free all purpose flour*
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ½ cup melted coconut oil
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 flax egg, 1 tablespoon golden ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons warm water, whisked together, set for 15 minutes
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Add-ins
- ¾ cup vegan chocolate chips or chopped refined sugar free chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or greased foil. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients. I highly recommend using oat flour; however, if you cannot, use this brand of gluten free all purpose flour—it has the closest final result to GF oat flour.*
- In a large bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients, until well mixed.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Whisk as long as you can. Switch to folding with a rubber spatula until no flour patches remain. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Transfer batter into prepared baking pan. Using the rubber spatula, smooth into an even layer.
- Bake for 17-23 minutes. Mine took 20 minutes.
- Place pan onto a cooling rack. Allow brownies to cool for about 30 minutes in pan, until firm. Pinch the edges of the parchment paper, lifting brownies out of the pan. Transfer onto a cooling rack to cool until completely cool, about 1-2 hours. Slice and enjoy! Storing instructions below.
Gluten Free Brownie Recipes You’ll Love
- Fudgier Brownies: Gluten Free Vegan Brownies
- Paleo Brownies: Ultimate Fudgy Paleo Vegan Brownies Recipe
Notes
- Where to Buy Ingredients: Raw Cacao Powder | my recommended Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (others will not yield the best results) | Learn How to Make Homemade Oat Flour | Golden Ground Flaxseed | Coconut Oil | Pure Maple Syrup | Coconut Sugar | Vegan Chocolate Chips or Refined Sugar Free Chocolate
- *If using homemade oat flour, make sure to sift the flour before measuring to remove coarse bits of oats that could create grainy brownies.
- *Gluten Free All Purpose Flour – again, I highly recommend using gluten free oat flour in this recipe. However, if you must use GF AP flour, use this one. I tested many, many gluten free all purpose flours and some of them were downright terrible. This one had the closest texture & taste to GF oat flour. However, keep in mind that there was a subtle graininess & dissolving sensation once chewing the brownies. If you’re used to GF flours, you’ll know what I mean and might not even be bothered by this.
- To soften brownies Day 2: Once cooled, brownies will firm up a bit. To enjoy as if fresh-baked, heat for 10-seconds in the microwave. Brownies will soften up & become more moist.
- Storing Instructions: store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Keep out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources.
- Freezing Instructions: store in a freezer-friendly container for up to 1 month. Allow to thaw for 15-30 minutes at room temperature before enjoying, or heat in the microwave in 10-second increments until slightly softened.
- Recommended Tools: Brownie Slicing Tool for PERFECT Cuts | 8-inch Square Baking Pan | Chef’s Knife | Unbleached Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Grippy Mixing Bowls | 4 Event Timer
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Looks scrumptious, can I replace the coconut oil with the same amount of butter?
Hi Mariam, yes, that should work just fine! Just make sure to melt the butter first. Enjoy. 🙂