This recipe for gluten free brownies, with the perfect balance of rich chocolate flavor, a delicate crinkly top, and an irresistibly chewy texture, will make you forget all about the store-bought box mix.
Of all the brownie recipes, these are ideal: made with lots of cocoa powder and very little flour, they have that crinkly top no one can resist. Rich in chocolate flavor, they're fudgy, chewy, and come out perfect every single time.
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Why you'll love this recipe for gluten free brownies
This recipe is the one I turn to whenever I want to make a “classic batch of brownies.” And that's a compliment, because it means that they're universally loved by all.
They're like the brownie equivalent of a little black dress! Here's why…
- The texture is just right, with the beloved crackly top giving way to a dense and chewy center. They are fudgy gluten free brownies, but they're not like biting into a piece of fudge.
- The flavor is perfect, since these brownies are rich and chocolatey, but their richness won't overwhelm you. There's an entire cup of cocoa powder in this recipe, unlike baking from a box mix, which never has nearly that much chocolate.
- There are chocolate chips in the brownie and even on top, but only 5 ounces total. Just enough, never to be confused with a gluten free chocolate chip cookie!
How to make gluten free brownies
Melt butter & sugar; add to eggs
First, melt butter and sugar until simmering, then let the mixture cool. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 eggs and vanilla; add the melted butter and sugar.
Add the dry ingredients
Add 1 full cup of rich cocoa powder to the egg and butter mixture, and whisk it in well. Then add gluten free flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt, and mix until just combined.
Add chips, transfer to the pan
Mix some chocolate chips into the thick brownie batter, and transfer the mixture to a prepared square baking pan. Spread into an even layer, & sprinkle some more chips on top.
Bake at 325°F, let cool, slice & enjoy!
Bake the pan of brownies at only 325°F for about 30 minutes. The “toothpick test” doesn't work here, since it will always come back looking wet. Just bake until the center doesn't look wet, then let cool completely. Chill first for clean slices!
How to get that crackly top on your gluten free brownies
This method begins with melting the butter with the sugar, to dissolve the sugar granules. That way, they combine so much better with the rest of the brownie batter and mixes properly with the egg whites from the beaten eggs to create that crinkly top.
The next essential step is to beat the eggs well. Otherwise, the brownies aren't as chewy—and the crackly top is sparse at best.
Tips to making the perfect fudgy gluten free brownies
Stick to the ingredients list
The chocolate in these brownies comes entirely from cocoa powder (other than the chocolate chips, of course). Using chopped, melted chocolate in the batter makes brownies denser and fudgier.
Adding very little gluten free flour, plus lightening it with some cornstarch if you're using Better Batter (Cup4Cup already has plenty of cornstarch), also helps to create a lovely chewy texture with lightly crisp edges.
So stick to the ingredients and their quantities. If you start mixing things up too much, you'll change the texture, taste, and behavior of your baked brownies.
The best gluten free brownies need really good gluten free flour
Whatever type of gluten free brownie you're making, you need really good gluten free flour. For this gluten free brownie recipe, I used Better Batter, as I like the consistency and reliability of that flour. If you can get it, that's the one I recommend here.
You could also use Cup4Cup or have a go at making your own gluten free flour blend. Avoid brands that are overly starchy or grainy, or those whose products are inconsistent in texture, taste, and results. There's not much flour in this gluten free brownie recipe, but what there is should be of the best quality.
Choose a light-colored aluminum pan
Bake your brownies in a light-colored cast aluminum pan which heats evenly across the whole pan. Avoid using a glass or cast iron pan since they heat slowly and retain heat too well, which can cause the edges to burn before the center is set. A cast iron pan is best when you want very crisp edges with an underdone center, like with our gluten free pizookie.
Line even a nonstick pan
Since these fudgy gluten free brownies are so dense, you'll need a strategy for getting them out of the pan cleanly. Line your pan with nonstick aluminum foil, parchment paper, or regular aluminum foil sprayed with cooking oil spray. That will prevent them from sticking to even the corners and to make it easy to lift them out of the pan.
Watch your bake time
Unlike some other brownie recipes, these are not meant to have crispy edges. Don't leave them in the oven for too long, as overbaking will ruin the texture. When you take them out of the oven, the center should be just about set, and they'll firm up more as they cool.
Gluten free brownies ingredients & substitution suggestions
It's always best to make the recipe exactly as written, measuring by weight whenever possible for accuracy, and without making any ingredient substitutions. But sometimes that isn't possible. If you can't have all the ingredients in this recipe and would really like to try substitutes, here are my suggestions.
Dairy free gluten free brownies
There's a lot of butter in this recipe for gluten free brownies. You can still replace it successfully for a dairy-free brownies option, but you'll need to balance moisture, fat, and flavor. My favorite way dairy free substitute is vegan butter in bar form. My favorite brands are Melt and Miyoko's Kitchen.
If you can't find vegan butter, my next suggestion is to substitute half of the weight of butter called for in the recipe with Earth Balance buttery sticks and the remaining half of the weight with Spectrum nonhydrogenated shortening.
If you're dairy-free, be sure you're also using dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Egg free gluten free brownies
There are only 2 eggs in this recipe, so your favorite egg substitute might work. Unfortunately, you won't get the exact chewy texture, and you won't get the crackly top.
My favorite egg substitute (for effectiveness and ease) is a “chia egg.” For each egg, mix 1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds with 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, and allow it to sit until it gels.
Cornstarch in your gluten free brownies
If you can't have cornstarch, just use arrowroot in its place. If you are using Cup4Cup flour blend as your all purpose gluten free flour, just replace the cornstarch with that much more flour, gram for gram. Cup4Cup has an abundance of cornstarch, and you shouldn't use more of it if you can avoid it.
FAQs
Yes! Although it's best to use a stand mixer or handheld mixer to beat the batter well, you can still achieve a similar result by whisking as vigorously as possible by hand. You'll know that the mixture is beaten enough when it begins to lighten in color.
The bake time is about 30 minutes at 325°F, but they're done when they no longer appear wet in the center. But if you put a toothpick into the center of the pan, it would come out looking wet even after the brownies are done baking.
Yes, but you should divide the batter, as doubled, and bake it in 2 square pans. If you try to bake brownies that are this thick in a 9-inch x 13-inch pan, the center may burn before the brownie batter bakes all the way to the edges. Place both baking pans in the oven at the same time, and rotate them about halfway through baking.
No. There isn't much baking soda in this recipe, and it's there to help neutralize some acid in the unsweetened cocoa powder. Baking powder is a mixture of baking soda, cream of tartar, and a starch.
These brownies will stay fresh at room temperature uncovered for hours, wrapped tightly for about 2 days, and in the refrigerator for about a week. For longer storage, wrap tightly in freezer-safe wrap, and freeze for up to 2 months. You can warm up the brownies for a few seconds in the microwave if they've been frozen.
I prefer to line the pan with nonstick aluminum foil, or regular foil sprayed with nonstick cooking oil. Press the foil into the corners and secure it on the edges, so nothing moves during baking. Parchment paper is also an effective pan liner, but it tends to shift as you spread the batter into an even layer in the pan.
Gluten Free Brownie Recipe
Equipment
- Handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment
Ingredients
- 9 tablespoons (126 g) unsalted butter chopped
- 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (80 g) unsweetened cocoa powder natural or Dutch-processed
- ⅓ cup (47 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend I used Better Batter; click thru for full info on appropriate blends
- ⅛ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- 2 tablespoons (18 g) cornstarch replace with additional Cup4Cup if that is your all purpose gluten free flour blend
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line an 8-inch square cast aluminum baking pan with parchment paper or nonstick aluminum foil (or line with regular aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray). Set the pan aside.
- In a small saucepan, place the butter and sugar, and place over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until melted and simmering.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and set it aside to cool until no longer hot to the touch.
- Alternatively, cool the butter and sugar mixture down a bit by placing the bottom of the saucepan in a bowl of cool water. Make sure the butter does not solidify.
- In a large bowl, place the eggs and vanilla, and whisk until well-beaten and combined.
- Add the melted and cooled butter and sugar to the bowl slowly, whisking constantly. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the cocoa powder has been absorbed.
- Using a handheld mixer, beat until very well-combined.
- Add the flour blend, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt, and mix with a silicone spatula or spoon until just combined.
- Add about 4 ounces of the chocolate chips and mix until just evenly distributed throughout the batter. The batter will be thick and sticky.
- Transfer the brownie batter to the prepared pan and, using an offset or silicone spatula, spread into an even layer. It helps to moisten the tool you are using to smooth the top a bit to prevent it from sticking.
- Scatter the remaining chocolate chips evenly over the top of the brownie batter and bang the pan firmly on the countertop to help the chips adhere.
- Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven. Bake just until the brownies no longer appear wet in the center, about 30 minutes. The toothpick test is not reliable here, since the toothpick will come out wet even when they're done baking.
- The center may dome during baking, but the brownies will settle as they cool.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the brownies to cool in the pan at room temperature until the pan is no longer hot to the touch.
- For clean lines when you slice the brownies, place the brownies, still in the pan, in the refrigerator to chill for about an hour before slicing them.
- When you're ready to slice the brownies, remove them from the pan and peel away the foil. Slice the brownies into 9 equal squares.
- Serve the brownies immediately, or wrap tightly and freeze for longer storage. These freeze incredibly well.
Notes
Nutrition
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Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Wanda says
My family loves these. I love to bake and since having to bake gluten free we call the gluten free flour blends “flatulence flour.” These have little flour in them and taste delicious and are texturally excellent. Thank you for the wonderful recipes. I would like to make gf bread, but currently the cost of things makes me feel like a loaf of Schar bread and Cibatta rolls will do. Have a blessed evening.
Janis says
Thank you for recipe. All I have is glass baking pan. Will it work
Nicole Hunn says
Please see the section of the post titled “Choose a light-colored aluminum pan, and line it” where I discuss the difficulties that a glass baking pan presents.
Anne says
Hey Nichole! Thanks for the recipe! These brownies are wonderful! Only one question: the recipe calls for one whole cup of cocoa powder, if I added less to make it a little less chocolatey, would the recipe still work?
Nicole Hunn says
No, you can’t reduce the cocoa powder and have the recipe still work, Anne. It doesn’t just add flavor, but is part of the chemical reaction in the oven!
Connie Barentsen says
Hi Nicole, first of all thanks for the wonderful recipes they do very well in the family and friends (who eat gluten).
A question though, in this recipe (but also some recipes for muffins, coffee cake or breakfast cake) there’s to much sugar for my taste. If I want to make it less sweet, is the best way to do that by adding flour or by diminishing the liquid?
I love to hear so that I can test without to much spoil 😏
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid you’d need a different recipe to reduce the sugar, Connie. Sugar is not only a sweetener, but a tenderizer. My recipes don’t have more sugar than is typical for a conventional version of each recipe. There’s no rule for how to reduce sugar in any recipe. Sorry!
Marjorie says
Wonderful!
I’ve always struggled with making brownies. I just about gave up when we had to go GF. This recipe came out exactly how a brownie should be. Thank you for helping me make perfect brownies!
Nicole Hunn says
So glad you loved them, Marjorie. And I have to say, I agree. The brownie gold standard!
Tina says
Made these for a barbecue this weekend. They were absolutely amazing! Perfect texture a little chewy with a little flaky top. And the sweetness was just perfect. Thank you so much for this great recipe!
Nicole Hunn says
A little chewy with the flaky top is exactly what makes these brownies my favorite, Tina. So glad you enjoyed them!
Amanda says
Hi, My son is allergic to corn, can you make a suggestion for a substitute for the cornstarch? Thanks!
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Amanda, please see the section of the post titled: “About the corn in these gf brownies”
Julie Shannon says
Thank you Nicole, l had a feeling that would be the case. I will stick to your recipe.
With appreciation
Julie
Julie Shannon says
Hello Nicole, thank you – for ALL that you give. Can l use xylitol as a sugar substitute, or another unrefined sugar here?
Thank you
Julie
Australia
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Julie, I’m afraid I don’t recommend using a sugar alternative here, since it’s quite drying and the sugar is such a major component of the brownies. Unrefined sugars are a different thing altogether, and they’re really just sugar, too. You might try using coconut palm sugar, but definitely be sure to melt it completely first. It is also flavorful, and will compete with the chocolate flavor.
Bob hunu says
The best brownies ever
Kayla says
Hello there!
If I am using earth balance butter sticks is it absolutely necessary to use shortening??
Nicole Hunn says
If you’re replacing the butter in this recipe, you’re changing the chemistry so your results with already be different. The only way I can recommend coming as close as possible to recreating the texture without dairy is to use vegan butter. In the absence of that, half Earth Balance and half shortening will come as close as possible to vegan butter, my best recommendation for replacing butter. The further you get from butter, the more your results will vary. Only you can decide how important the best results are to you. It will still taste great if you use all Earth Balance but the texture will vary—by how much you’ll have to find out!
Schmax says
I have made these twice and I’m making them a third time today. I absolutely love the flavor and chew of these brownies. We’re not gluten free but after having some good gluten free brownies at a friend’s house, I decided to make some of my own. I think these are better than the friend’s! Even my chef friend loved them.
Nicole Hunn says
That’s really great to hear, Schmax! Thank you for letting me know. :)
Lisa :) says
I was super pleased with this recipe. Thanks so much! I actually made a regular batch and sugar free batch. For those that use other GF blends, I used GFJules. It is pricey, but I found it works the best in cakes, which is typically what I am making. I buy it in bulk to save money. I did substitute more GF flour for the cornstarch as I think GFJules uses more cornstarch than most. I also added a bit more vanilla. I was a bit concerned about the amount of cocoa powder, but I have had a lot of success with recipes from here before. This recipe is a keeper.
For the regular batch, the top was beautiful. I did not use chips on the top as I put caramel bits in there since I made them for my son’s bday, and that is his favorite. My son and daughter absolutely loved them.
For the sugar free one, for those interested, I used a monkfruit allulose blend (skinny monk). I did not get the nice crackly top, but I am pretty sure I didn’t let the butter cool enough. Or maybe I won’t get that with sugar free. I used dark chocolate chips in this one (sugar free). These were really delicious. My gramma loved them as well. I went back for seconds immediately.
:) <3
Nicole Hunn says
I’m very glad that you enjoyed the recipe, Lisa, but please understand that GF Jules will not work in most of my recipes. This recipe has very little all purpose gluten free flour in it at all, so the flour blend you choose matters less than it does in other recipes. It is extremely “strong” due to the fact that the very first, most plentiful ingredient, is modified tapioca starch.
Marsha says
Nicole, Is this the same recipe as in your book “Gluten Free on a Shoestring”? I forgot to pack it when we left for winter. I made what seems to be the same brownies for our family at Christmas – everyone loved them!! But I don’t remember melting the sugar in the butter and it called for parchment paper to line the pan, but they looked just like your pictures when I made them. Crackly top was great. Please, let me clarify, that you used a blend that includes zanthan gum, so you did not add 1/8 teaspoon, and if I use a blend without, I only use 1/8 teaspoon zanthan gum? It seemed like the recipe from the book used more for a blend without, but I could be wrong :) Thank you for your work to develop great recipes for those who need gluten free.
Nicole Hunn says
No, Marsha, this is not in any of my books. And, as indicated in the recipe, if your blend already contains xanthan gum (like Better Batter does, for example), you don’t add more.
Meredith says
This is probably the 5th GF brownie recipe I have tried. None of them have turned out well. No crackly top. Not a great texture either. I’m sorry, I wanted this to work. For others out there struggling w GF brownies, I would suggest WFM or Trader Joes box mix. They are both pretty good. I used to do Pamelas too but that can be harder to find.
Nicole Hunn says
Meredith, if you’re not having success with any of the recipes you’re using, I suggest that there’s something wrong with your ingredients or your technique. My guess is that you’re not measuring your ingredients by weight, and you’re not using a proper gluten free flour blend. When bakers only have success with boxed mixes, it’s usually a matter of measuring ingredients properly—and sourcing them right. I’d look at those, or just stick to so-so box mixes, but be fair to recipe developers like me who can’t control the choices you make in the kitchen, but can only make requests and suggestions!
Kristen Jordan says
Quick question- I love these brownies and we have a few GF as well as celiacs in our church and I am doing all the volunteer desserts for 100 people. I want to do this one for the GF crowd but am planning out my baking so as to not cross contaminate. Can these be frozen after baked or do you lose the chewy goodness?
Nicole Hunn says
Please see the post text under the title “How do I store gluten free brownies?”
Lin Anderson says
Best brownies ever! First time I made them I tried to simmer the butter/sugar mixture until smooth, never happened and the sugar crystalized. I made the recipe anyhow and while the taste was great, the brownie had an unexpected (an not every bite) crunch. I tried again and melted the butter with sugar mixed in. I took it off the heat after a minute more. The sugar was not smooth, still a bit grainy. That was perfect. My brownies turned out amazing! Thanks for all the wonderful recipes. We are split in my house with 1/2 of us gluten free and half not, so since I do the baking we eat 95% gluten free. Best part is when my husband has to ask if its gluten free or not!
Nicole Hunn says
Yes, it does sound like you overcooked the sugar the first time, Lin. You just simmer until melted, but it won’t be completely smooth like when you’re cooking a sugar syrup. I tend to overthink things, too, but now you know that the recipe is correct as written, precisely. I try my best to be as precise as possible, but human nature is what it is! So glad you tried again, and fell in love. :)