About These Small Batch Almond Flour Brownies
These small batch almond flour brownies are thick, chewy, and 100% gluten free thanks to almond flour! But don’t let the gluten free label scare you.
Even without regular flour, these almond flour brownies taste exactly like your favorite brownie recipe. They have the perfect chewy texture, lots of chocolate flavor, and just a subtle hint of nuttiness from the almond flour.
The best part? This recipe makes only a small batch of almond flour brownies! The recipe instructs you to bake the brownies in a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Doing so results in 8 petite brownies, or 2 to 3 bakery-style large ones.
For more delicious homemade brownie recipes on Hummingbird High, check out my Brownies, Blondies, and Bar Recipe Collection! Popular recipes include these Chewy and Fudgy Purple Ube Brownies and my version of Claire Saffitz Brownies.
Why You Should Make Gluten Free Brownies With Almond Flour
The recipe uses no specialty ingredients beyond almond flour.
Most gluten free recipes rely on specialty flours and more “obscure” baking ingredients like xanthan gum to compensate for their lack of gluten.
While I’m no stranger to shopping for these types of ingredients (you’re talking to the girl who has recipes that use citric acid, powdered blackcurrant, tonka beans, and more in her baking), I take issue with the fact that, well, after you buy it, you’re left with a massive bag to use up. And that’s a problem if you’re an infrequent gluten free baker like me!
As a result, one of my goals was to develop a gluten free brownie recipe with no specialty ingredients. Like these almond flour brownies!
If you’re a regular baker, I guarantee that you’ll have almost everything you need for these brownies in your pantry without an extra trip to the grocery store.
What You Need
Ingredient Sources, Recommendations, and Substitutions
- Almond Flour. My favorite almond flour is from Bob’s Red Mill (they sell both almond flour and almond meal—both work in this recipe!). I also like King Arthur Baking Company’s almond flour. You can also use homemade almond flour.
- Cocoa Powder. You can use either Dutch-processed OR natural unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe. Dutch-processed cocoa powder will make the chocolate taste milder (but still cocoa-y) and give the frosting a dark brown, Oreo-ish color. Natural unsweetened cocoa powder will make the chocolate taste tarter and fruitier, and give the frosting a lighter reddish-brown color.
- Kosher Salt. Kosher salt is the best salt for baking recipes. But if you don’t have any, you can replace the kosher salt in the recipe with half its amount in table salt.
- Unsalted Butter. You can substitute the unsalted butter with salted butter without any noticeable difference in taste.
- Brown Sugar. I prefer the flavor of dark brown sugar (which has more molasses and tastes more like caramel), but either light or dark brown sugar works in this recipe!
- Chocolate Chips. Check out my post on The Best Chocolate For Chocolate Chip Cookies, which has a lot of recommendations for my favorite chocolate to use in baking recipes!
Using A Loaf Pan To Make Small Batch Brownies
Why do you use a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan to make these almond flour brownies?
Great question! Most brownie recipes are baked in a 9 x 13-inch pan. This 9 x 13-inch pan is also known as a quarter sheet pan. To halve the recipe, you’ll need to use a baking pan with that has a surface area a half that size. You can typically get away with using a 8- or 9-inch square pan. But what if that’s still not small enough? What’s half of an 8-inch square pan?
Well, these specialty pans actually DO exist—they’re known as ⅛ sheet pans, or “eighth sheet pans”. But it’s rare that the average person will have one in their cupboard, so I worked to find another pan. I learned that a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan basically has the same surface area as an eighth sheet pan. Pretty cool, right?
Note that this small batch almond flour brownie recipe won’t fill up the pan like it would if you were making a loaf cake. However, it will make enough batter to completely cover the bottom of a pan.
My Best Recipe Tips
Ingredient Tip
- In the recipe below, I instruct you to sift the almond flour and cocoa powder if necessary. How do you know if it’s necessary? If the ingredients have lumps bigger than the size of a pea. But note that almond flour clumps naturally on its own, so it’s normal to have small lumps in the flour at all times. Don’t stress yourself out too much if your almond flour refuses to stay lump free!
Baking Tip
- It’s better to pull the brownies out of the oven early than leave them in too long—if you over bake the brownies, they’ll be tough. They might appear underbaked, but I promise that when they’ve cooled, they will be perfect.
Serving Tip
- I mentioned throughout the post that this small batch brownie recipe makes 8 petite brownies, or 2 large bakery-style brownies. To make 8 petite brownies, unmold the brownies from the pan and slice them lengthwise. Hold the two long slices together, and slice them into quarters crosswise. This will create 8 petite brownie squares. For 2 large bakery-style brownies, simply slice the unmolded brownie block into two halves crosswise.
Video Tutorial for Recipe
Use the video player below to watch my Instagram Story tutorial on how to make these small batch almond flour brownies! Clicking the left and right hand sides of the frame allow you to move through the different recipe steps.
Get the Recipe: Small Batch Almond Flour Brownies Recipe
Ingredients
For the Small Batch Almond Flour Brownies
- ¾ cup (2.65 ounces or 75 grams) almond flour, sifted if necessary
- 6 Tablespoons (1.15 ounces or 33 grams) Dutch-processed OR natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted if necessary
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 7 Tablespoons tightly packed (3.25 ounces or 92 grams) light OR dark brown sugar
- 7 Tablespoons (3 ounces or 85 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- chocolate chips, for garnish
Equipment
- a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan
Instructions
For the Small Batch Almond Flour Brownies
- Prep the oven and pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the pan's two long sides. Spray the parchment, too.
- Make the dry mix. In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Make the wet mix. In a large bowl, mix together the melted butter, sugars, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until just combined.
- Make the batter. Sprinkle the dry mix over the wet mix and stir until just combined.
- Assemble the brownies. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to smooth the top. Sprinkle the batter with chocolate chips.
- Bake the brownies. Bake for 33 to 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
- Serve and store. Run a butter knife or offset spatula along the edges of the pan and use the overhanging parchment as handles to lift the brownies out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Follow the instructions in the baker's notes to slice into 8 petite brownie squares, or 2 large bakery-style brownies. Garnish with flaky salt and serve. The brownies can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
Can you freeze almond flour brownies?
Yes! You can freeze the baked almond flour brownies. To freeze the brownies, individually wrap any leftover bars in two layers of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. The aluminum foil will prevent the bars from absorbing any other flavors or odors in the freezer. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, transfer to the refrigerator to thaw overnight. You can eat the brownies straight from the fridge, or rewarmed in the microwave.get new recipes via email:
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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule
Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.
Did you make this recipe?
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“Many of us are still working from home, socially distancing, slowly dying, etc.” — LOLLLLL I felt that to my bones. Going to give this recipe a go this afternoon. Can’t wait!
I’m so glad I had almond flour on hand – a quirk of fate, honestly – and was able to wiggle around a little time today to make these brownies. They’re SO good and easy to put together; I think melting the butter and waiting for it to cool took the longest amount of time.
I will confess I didn’t wait until the brownies were entirely cooled to serve them, but no regrets, the melty chocolate chips kicked the goodness up a notch.
I used unsweetened natural cocoa powder rather than Dutch process, and I found the brownies perfectly chocolatey. Next time I’ll try the Dutch process; I’m curious to see the difference!
Ahhh! I’m so impressed that you already made them! And glad you enjoyed!!! This recipe went through about 10 test runs before I was happy with it (LOL my life), so I’m super proud of it!!!
As someone who is a gluten free baker and has a plethora of GF baking staples in their cupboard (like xantham gum) – I love how SIMPLE these were to make with common staple ingredients!
I also enjoyed the recommended salt amount, but can definitely see where some people might not like the level of saltiness. Adjust as needed?
These also had the perfect crisp edge with gooey center!
OMG this looks and sounds so good! I am definitely going to try it, possibly with some ground hazelnut flour.
We are a gluten free house and this is hands-down the most divine brownie recipe I have ever tried. It is the perfect combination of chewy fudge and decadent cake. It is easy to make and the instructions are simple to follow. I used the loaf pan method and it worked very well. I baked it for 33 min at 350 and it was perfect. I also sprinkled with chocolate chips prior to baking and a pinch of flakey sea salt after they came out of the oven. Truly delightful.
Made these last night. They are moist, chewy, and held their shape. Super easy and they smell amazing. I had to make a bunch of substitutions, with what I had in the house. They still turned out and the family loves them!!!
– (REMOVED) ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
– Used ½ cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) VEGAN unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
– Used 7 Tablespoons tightly packed (3.25 ounces or 92 grams) COCONUT SUGAR (removed light / dark brown sugar)
– (REMOVED) 7 Tablespoons (3 ounces or 85 grams) granulated sugar
– (REMOVED) 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
– (ADDED) 1 Tablespoon of coffee (to bring out the chocolate notes)
Happy baking everyone!
That’s great! U haven’t added eggs to it?
These are so tasty! I had to use a slightly larger pan so I was a little worried but they turned out perfect. They have a really yummy chewy but softness and they are super chocolatey without being super rich. It was hard not to eat them all straight or if the oven!
I just enjoyed my first slice – still slightly warm because I could not wait. So delicious, moist, chocolatey with a chewy edge. I don’t have issues with gluten but have tasted other gluten free recipes that did not satisfy. This recipe is a winner!
For some reason the texture came out a little grainy despite taking time to sift my almond flour and cocoa powder. The flavor is delicious! I’ll have to try it again to see if the texture problem was just a fluke.
What do you think of adding walnuts to the mix? I am definitely trying these but I will not be adding cane sugar. I am using coconut palm sugar. Thank you for your time.
Walnuts sound great! I would add about 1/4 cup or so to the batter as opposed to scattering them on top.
Can I substitute cashew flour (store-bought) for the almond flour? That’s what I have in my pantry.
Yes! I haven’t tried it personally, but theoretically, cashew flour should work. Report back if you make it—I want to hear about the results!
This recipe is fantastic!! I am gluten-free and lactose-free so I’m always hunting for recipes that accommodate these requirements. I made these wonderful brownies and subbed in Miyoko’s vegan butter and Enjoy Life vegan chocolate chips. I would make these again in a heartbeat. I took mine out a little too early so they were intensely fudgy – which was good, but I’m going to bake them for a minute or two longer next time. This was very easy to make and the additional instructions answered all of my questions! These are without a doubt the best brownies I’ve ever made.
Best brownies I have ever made!
Made these last night – they’re wonderful! We’ve almost finished them already and my partner (we both eat gluten-full baked goods on the regular) has asked if we can keep a batch in the house at all times.
My husband always asks for “extra gluten” so I was glad to see a “small batch” recipe to try this out on him. The ONLY substitutions I made: did not have enough cocoa powder so I made up the difference with special-dark cocoa powder; and, I added chopped walnuts. YUM!! My husband really liked these. He knew something was up when I watched as he took his first bite (you know the look “do I trust you? what did you put in there that I won’t like? look). Let’s just say, this will be in the rotation! I also liked that it was cooked in a small pan…we fight over who gets the corners at our house!! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Could I sub the butter for coconut oil/olive oil? Boyfriend doesn’t do dairy or a lot of things (hence the almond flour is a real winner) but he will die with the dairy in this.
I haven’t done it myself so I can’t guarantee the results, but I don’t see why not!
Michelle, I’ve used refined coconut oil, it has neutral flavor. It’s solid at room temp, and behaves as close to butter as one can get. Olive oil is liquid, heavier, and has flavor one might not want. If you want to add the exotic flavor of coconut, use unrefined coconut oil. If you aren’t going to use it often, refrigerate both, because both can go rancid, and unrefined will do that faster. I’d asked King Arthur Flour’s 800 Baker’s Hotline about coconut oil, and they also suggested unsalted vegan butter, said they’ve tested the unsalted Earth Balance which comes in sticks, said it turns out fine, and they said any brand would work, I don’t use Earth Balance because it’s expensive and hard to find, and I already have Spectrum refined coconut oil because I use it on my skin. 🙂
Made this as my first step into baking with almond flour and I was really pleased with how they turned out! I did double the batch since I was making them for a group and that was no problem. They were perfectly fudgy which is very important for me in a brownie, and just hit the spot for a chocolate craving. You really couldn’t even tell they weren’t made with ordinary flour. I’ll definitely be saving this to make again another time. It’s really nice to have a delicious and easy GF recipe for potlucks now.
a great recipe! so appreciate these small batch GF recipes. GF baking can be tricky and working with smaller amounts is good for lots of reasons – gf baked goods don’t last as long, and the flours can be expensive. its also an investment of time bc the recipes can be complicated and require speciality ingredients – its just inevitable that sometimes a GF recipe just wont work out.
but this one did!
its also fantastic to have a recipe that uses pantry staples (ok almond flour is a pantry staple for us) and is easy + straightforward. the thorough explainers and list of possible substitutions are v helpful as well.
looking forward to trying many more GF small batch recipes from this site!
I’ve made these brownies a few times now, and they are so easy and yummy! I am gluten-free and lactose-free so I always appreciate recipes where I don’t have to substitute everything. I love how thorough Michelle’s recipes are and she always has the answer to whatever question I might have. Would make these again in a heartbeat! I used Bob’s Red Mill almond flour and Miyoko’s vegan butter.
These were bomb. Thanks!
You use kosher salt. The only two that are readily available are Diamond Crystal and Morton. I’ve got Diamond Crystal. But measurIng each by volume will give you different amounts of salt. It has to do with their structure. Most professional chefs choose Diamond (It’s harder to find where I live, but I knew who had it, and it’s superior). Can you please specify the amounts of each brand by the measuring spoon we all have, or which one you’re using?
Also… There’s someone I occasionally bake for, as a thank-.you, and she can’t eat chocolate or dairy. It takes some thought. I substitute carob powder one-for-one, and use refined coconut oil for butter. Just to pass that along, if you’d like to comment.
I think it’s wonderful that you’re creating small-batch recipes. I live alone, and hate waste. My fridge is small, stuff can spoil if not eaten in a reasonable time, and one can get tired of the same dish day after day! Plus, brownies are a treat and if I’ve got a 9×13 pan of them, I’d have no self-control! So thanks for reducing the amount… the only recipe I’d had before this was teacup brownies in my microwave, which makes it hard to get authenticity because you can’t split up one egg and I omit it.
Great question! I exclusively use and develop my recipes with Diamond Crystal—so please make the recipe as is with Diamond Crystal! If you do, you’ll get the exact results I intended.
I followed the recipe and it came out incredible!! Thank you so much!!
WOW! I was excited to try these because I’ve had almond flour in my fridge for a while. Did not expect them to be this good! They taste like normal fudgy heavenly brownies. Will definitely be making this recipe again!
These look so good! Could they be made with a sugar free sweetener that replaces 1:1 with sugar? I use a stevia/erythritol blend.
I’m sorry, I don’t know! I rarely bake with sugar free sweeteners myself. But definitely try it and report back!
Nutrition info?
I really like it when recipe developers don’t include nutritional information, since I think it can lead to some recipes seeming good or bad just based on one aspect (usually calorie count) of a recipe, and maybe not how interesting it is in other ways – like the technique, or specific ingredients it uses that are unusual. And I’ve seen some sites include nutritional information and have it be completely wrong – which can be harmful in other ways! So thank you, Michelle, for not having nutritional information front and center on the site!
Melissa, I also often want to know calorie and/or macro information for recipes that don’t include them. MyFitnessPal’s recipe calculator lets you input the specific ingredients you used by volume/weight, which is useful if you made any tweaks to the recipe. And you can copy-paste ingredients in bulk and it will do an initial estimation for you that you can adjust if it auto-calculated something wrong. It’s a great tool for quickly calculating nutritional information for yourself if that’s something you’re looking for!
I’ve been looking for an app where I can plug in ingredients and get the nutrition information! Thanks for mentioning MyFitnessPal, I’ll check it out!
Delicious brownies. I cut both of the sugars to 4 tbsp each and it was still plenty sweet. Little extra baking powder so as to not be too dense and loving it.
These brownies are really good flavor-wise, but no matter what adjustments I make, they turn out far too gooey inside for my liking. I think it’s because the almond flour can’t actually absorb the liquid in the same way that flour can. The outside is nice and chewy and the flavor is delicious, but I‘ve increased the flour and decreased the amount of butter and increased the bake time, and still, gooey insides. I know some might like that, but I like a soft-but-chewy brownie, so probably won’t make again.
I like your recipes….Will give you full marks……I have no choc chips, so I will use flaked almonds instead…Thanks ….Querino…..
I’m always hesitant to try gluten-free recipes because no matter how much people tell me I can’t taste a difference, I feel like I always can. But not with these. These brownies are so fudgy and so gooey and so perfect. I did try making them in a slightly smaller pan (I think it was 8×4) and they never fully baked, but as soon as I switched to the 9×5 pan that the recipe calls for they came out perfectly! Highly recommend!
I made this today and it’s so good! Luckily, I have a 9×5 loaf pan and that’s what I used. I didn’t have any use for the extra egg white so I put 2 whole eggs and increased the almond flour measurement to 1 cup. Very moist and tastes like the real thing. I’ll see how the texture holds up the next day.
Would you have the nutrition information per serving?
This recipe for almond flour brownies was so easy and a family pleaser. . I doubled the recipe except for the eggs and added a handful of chocolate chips in the batter and on top before baking. These brownies were gone before I knew it. You can’t go wrong with this recipe. Walnut are another good addition to try. We give it 5 stars!!
Is the recipe correct? The brown and white sugar in the recipe total 177 grams, which is more than double the 75 grams of almond flour. If its correct, it must be super sweet, right?
Yes, the recipe is correct! You forget to account for the cocoa powder, which helps balance out the sweetness (since cocoa powder is not sweet on its own). I personally don’t think the brownies are too sweet, but you can read the reviews for the recipe and figure out if you need to make adjustments for your own tastes. In general, I always recommend trying out a recipe written as is, then modifying from there.
Very good!! Baking this recipe for the second time. Great texture and chocolatey flavor.
Omg I made this and it so divine , one of the best , if not the best brownie I had ! And it’s GF , so happy because am so gluten intolerant and love cakes so I suffer all the time. Best discovery ever!
This is an amazing recipe! I’ve switched up the sugar ratio to 9 tbsp brown sugar & 3 tbsp granulated sugar so that it will not be so sweet. Baked these a few times and were all well received.
Husband: “In my 52 years on earth, these are the best brownies I’ve ever eaten”. Said with mouthful and buckled knees. Made these as our New Year’s Eve dessert for two last night. So good that we ate half the pan straight, no ice cream or extras needed. Well conceived and written recipe, easy peasy to make and joy to eaty- thank you! And a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year to you and your family!
I’m.allergic to.eggs so I did like I normally do in other recipes and.used applesauce. Works great and very good.
Best homemade brownies I’ve ever made. They were to die for. I was a bit skeptical that they were a bit undercooked but I recommend to follow the instructions and you won’t regret it. They are fudgey and gooey.
I made these the first time w/ almond flour and they were delish. I’m trying this recipe again using chickpea flour will let you know if they are just as delish. Also added walnuts as well as chocolate chips on top! 🙂 Thanks!
Just took these out of the oven. I changed it up a bit and actually only used 1 bowl. Mixed up beautifully. I couldn’t find my Loaf pain because it was in the back of my lower cupboard and I can’t bend down so I used cupcake liners. After topping work choc chips I sprinkled on a little bourbon smoked sea salt and some chopped up toasted almonds. I also substituted almond flavor for vanilla Because I love the flavor of almonds. Thanks for the easy recipe. Lot’s of rich chocolatey crunchy Chewy Chocolatey deliciousness
This was absolutely delish! Thanks
I made This brownie and it turned out yummy. I think I might have over baked, but it was still good. Next time will remove it before 30minutes. Everyone loved it!
Changes I made:
1 – used salted butter
2 – only used 7tbs brown sugar (skipped white sugar entirely)
I wanted to understand if there’s a way to completely avoid refined sugar. Can I use jaggery powder or maple syrup.
Hi! These look amazing ! Could I sub the butter for olive oil to make them dairy free ? Thanks!
Yes, but the olive oil will leave a slight flavor (not a bad one, it will just be noticeable) and the brownies will have a slightly different texture. They will be chewier.
Can I use all coconut sugar for the brown and white? Should I use the full 14tbsp of coconut sugar?? Thank you!
Yes, you can use coconut sugar for the brown and white sugar—be sure to use the full 14 Tbsp of sugar!
Did the 14tbsp of coconut sugar and they came our perfect! They are divine and my favorite brownies now! Fudgey and gooey! Cooked for 35 min. Thank you so much!
I made this yesterday. Oh my, they are so delicious and so quick and easy to make. We’re totally hooked!! I added some chopped pecan nuts to the batter. Super delish. I’ll be making them a again soon. Yummy.!!
I just made these! I wanted something a lil’ healthier! Didn’t want flour & I did use half sugar half stevia/Splenda mix , came out surprisingly chewy & Delish! I only left mine in 25 mins! My oven cooks fast.
Thanx 4 this recipe!! Saving ! 🙂
Does anyone know how many calories per brownie? I used half sugar half stevia & Splenda so I know mine may be slightly lower cals but if anyone knows I’d greatly appreciate it! Thanx.
I have made this three times. It is by far our favorite brownie recipe! Easy to make.
I doubled these in a square pan because a mini batch just felt too small for the effort and our large family 🙂 I cut the sugar down (11 tsp both white and brown sugar rather than 14), and I didn’t bother separating the egg yolks (I used 4 full eggs), and i covered them with mini chocolate chips and they were delicious! Moist and wonderful. Will definitely repeat.
This was my first time using almond flour, and it was an absolute success!
I added a hint of espresso and used Hershey’s dark cocoa powder.
I checked at 30mins and they could’ve been out of the oven a few minutes earlier, so next time I’ll try 25mins.
My boyfriend said they’re the best brownies I’ve ever made, and that they tick every box for whatever adjectives you think of when you imagine a brownie.
So, high praise! I’m definitely making these again, as I’m sure my bf will ask for it. Thank you!
This came out very good. Have baked them twice already. This time I doubled the batch and we all loved it.