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These chewy, rich 3 ingredient brownies are naturally gluten free and are made with just Nutella hazelnut spread, eggs, and almond flour.
my take
Nicole's Recipe Notes
These amazingly chewy, chocolate hazelnut brownies are made without any rice flour at all, like our black bean brownies. They're not Paleo since Nutella most certainly has refined sugar and milk, but I don't like to put that kind of pressure on my brownies anyway.
If you're a fan of Nutella, you are going to love these brownies—even if you're not much of a “brownie” person and generally prefer gluten free blondies. My son doesn't like anything with deep, rich chocolate flavor, and he's said that these are his go-to brownies. He loves the deep hazelnut flavor of the spread and the chocolate flavor is distinctly milk chocolate-based.
Keeping this to a true 3-ingredient recipe meant that I had to resist the urge to add chopped, toasted hazelnuts to the brownie batter. But the next time I make them if I have (admittedly spendy) hazelnuts on hand, I'm going to add them. And maybe scatter a few semi-sweet chocolate chips on top.
what's in it
Recipe Ingredients
- Nutella: Nutella is the perfect balance of toasted hazelnuts ground with cocoa, sugar, milk, and oil. These brownies get most of their flavor and all of their sweetness from Nutella.
- Eggs: Three whole eggs add a lot of structure to these brownies. Beating them well with Nutella helps create the chewy texture and that crackly top.
- Almond flour: Blanched finely ground almond flour provides the base for these brownies. Make sure you're using finely ground almond flour with the skins removed. I really Diamond brand almond flour; Wellbee's brand is also really good.
How to make 3 ingredient brownies
Make the batter
- First, I like to warm the Nutella slightly until it is more runny than it is right out of the jar. It is much easier to beat well that way.
- Using a handheld mixer, beat the Nutella with 3 eggs until it's very well combined. Try to pump the beaters up and down a bit to add as much air as you can into the mixture. You can see that it has some bubbles after mixing.
- Add the almond flour, and beat again until well-combined.
- The mixture will get very thick and may start to climb up the beaters.
Transfer to a pan and bake
- Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, nonstick aluminum foil, or heavy-duty aluminum foil that you grease well with cooking oil spray.
- The brownie batter will be very sticky, and relatively thick. Use a silicone spatula to scrape it into the prepared pan.
- Spread the batter into an even layer in the pan.
- Bake at 325°F for about 35 minutes, or until the center of the pan of brownies is firm to the touch if you touch it lightly. The “toothpick test” won't work.
- Allow the brownies to cool to room temperature in the pan.
- To make slicing them cleanly easier, refrigerate them still in the pan, until more firm.
- Lift the brownies out of the pan using the lining. Use a sharp knife to slice into 9 equal squares.
My Pro Tips
Expert tips
Beat the eggs well for a crackle top
That glossy crackle on top, like we get in our chewy gluten free brownies, seems to be created when the beaten eggs mix with the sugar during baking to create a thin meringue on top of the brownies.
Perhaps because there are so many eggs in this recipe, the shiny crackle on these brownies is strong. In fact, the crackle develops not only the top but also along the sides of the brownies as they bake.
To ensure the best crackle, beat the Nutella and eggs very well. I like using a hand mixer for this task, instead of a stand mixer (or mixing by hand) because it's easier to aerate the mixture with a hand mixer. Try pumping the beaters of the hand mixer a bit as you work the eggs and Nutella for the best results.
Don't try to reduce the sugar
One of the reasons this works as a 3 ingredient recipe is because Nutella has all the sugar you could need, and even the salt that all baked goods need.
I tried replacing the Nutella with Jif peanut butter and chocolate spread, which has about 50% less sugar than Nutella. The brownies were much more dense, not chewy, had no crackle top and just didn't taste like brownies. They were delicious in their own right, though.
substitutions
Ingredient substitutions
There are only three ingredients in this super simple recipe. They all contain potential allergens, though. The news isn't great, but here goes nothing…
Dairy free
There is dairy in Nutella, but there is a dairy-free version of the beloved chocolate hazelnut spread. The brand is Nicciolata and they have a dairy free variety of their hazelnut cocoa spread. Be careful, though, because they have a dairy-containing variety, too.
Nutella itself has a thinner consistency than the Nicciolata spread, though, at room temperature. I think it would work in this recipe, but I'm not entirely sure. It's definitely worth a try.
Egg-free
For every half cup of Nutella and one-third cup of blanched almond flour this recipe calls for one egg. I'm not overly optimistic that you could replace the egg with an egg replacement like a “chia egg,” since the recipe is so simple and does rely quite heavily on eggs.
Nut-free
No, you can't make this recipe nut-free, I'm afraid. Although you can replace the almond flour (see below), I haven't been successful in replacing the Nutella hazelnut spread with anything nut-free.
Almond free
I do think that blanched, finely ground hazelnut flour would work well in place of the almond flour. Please be sure to use finely ground blanched almond flour (or hazelnut flour), like the kind that Honeyville and Nuts.com sell.
You can also make this recipe with an equal amount, by weight, finely ground and sifted oat flour in place of almond flour. You'll still get the crackled top, and although the brownies are less fudgy, they're still chewy and rich. They don't have the depth of flavor from the almond flour, though.
3 Ingredient Brownies Recipe
Equipment
- Handheld mixer
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (450 g) Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread
- 3 (150 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (120 g) finely ground blanched almond flour, or finely ground sifted oat flour (equal amount, by weight)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease and line an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick aluminum foil, parchment paper and set it aside. If you want to use regular aluminum foil, just grease it well with cooking oil spray.
- In a large, heat-safe bowl, place the Nutella and warm it in the microwave or over a simmering pot of water just until it thins out a bit. This will make it easier to beat.
- Add the eggs to the Nutella, and using a handheld mixer, beat until smooth and fluffy. Pump the handheld mixer up and down a few times to add more air into the batter.
- Add the almond flour and beat again until well-combined. The mixture will be very thickly pourable and very sticky.
- Transfer the brownie batter to the prepared baking pan and, using a small offset spatula, spread into an even layer. Smack the bottom of the pan a few times on the counter to break any large air bubbles.
- Place the baking pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 35 minutes for an 8-inch pan or about 30 minutes for a 9-inch pan. The brownies are done when the center of the pan of brownies is firm to the touch.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature in the pan.
- To make the brownies easier to slice, chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Remove the brownies from the pan and use a sharp knife to slice into 9 equal squares.
- Store any leftover brownies in a sealed container in the refrigerator or freezer.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQs
I've tried making this recipe with Jif chocolate peanut butter, but it didn't work well, most likely because it has 50% less sugar than Nutella. The brownies were more dense, and not sweet enough. It “worked” in that it made a pan of brownies, but they weren't the same.
You will need a handheld mixer to make these brownies. A stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment would also work, but a handheld mixer is best. You will not be able to be beat it well enough by hand.
You should be able to double the recipe and make the brownies in a rectangular 9×13-inch pan. It should take 45 to 50 minutes to bake at 325°F. The doneness test should be the same.
No. This recipe only works with blanched finely ground almond flour, where the almonds have had their skins removed and are ground very fine. Almond meal is made with almonds with their skins intact and it's coarsely ground.
Make ahead/leftovers
Storage tips
These brownies stay fresh at room temperature for at least 3 days, if covered with plastic wrap or sealed in a container with a tight-fitting lid. You can also refrigerate them in the same way for up to a week.
Freezing
For longer storage, you can wrap the brownies in freezer-safe plastic wrap, either cut into bars if you have leftovers, or as an uncut square, for up to 3 months. They don't freeze solid, so you can serve them cold right from the freezer, or allow them to sit at room temperature for a bit before serving.
If you freeze them as an uncut square, allow it to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before slicing with a large knife into 9 equal squares.
These brownies are so rich and fudgy. No one will be able to tell that they are GF. The only problem I had was that there was leftover Nutella that I just had to eat by the spoonful. 😄
Haha, Nancy, you can’t leave the hard work for someone else, that just isn’t fair! So glad you enjoyed the brownies. Thanks for sharing that.
Was wondering if you could use egg beaters in this recipe instead of whole eggs (or any GF baked recipe). We are trying to watch our cholesterol :o
Thanks Mia
Egg beaters are just egg whites with some flavorings, Mia, so I do not recommend that. I’m almost certain that it wouldn’t work as intended. Sorry!
I made these yesterday for a pot luck and they were a hit. they are so chewy and chocolatey but not too sweet. I will definitely be making them again.
The chewiness is so perfect. Really glad everyone enjoyed them!