Elana's Pantry

New York Times Bestselling author Elana Amsterdam founded Elana’s Pantry, the go-to website for easy, healthy, grain-free, Paleo recipes, in 2006

Keto Brownies

Keto Brownies

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These Keto Brownies are made with just 8 ingredients and are a fantastic low-carb dessert. Yes, you can follow a low-carb diet and still satisfy your chocolate cravings! This no-fuss flourless brownie recipe calls for macadamia nuts, baker’s chocolate, eggs, coconut oil, erythritol, stevia, salt, and baking soda.

I created this Keto Brownies recipe because of your incredible response to my Keto Diet Recipes page. Have you seen that page? If not, take a look because according to readers it’s simply amazing! I’ve been following a very low-carb diet (VLCD) since 2014 and finding that it has been incredibly helpful in dealing with the health issues that I outlined in my “A Piece of Me” post.

Keto Brownies
Serves: 16
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a food processor pulse macadamia nuts, salt, and baking soda until the texture of gravel
  2. Pulse in chocolate and coconut oil until smooth
  3. Pulse in erythritol, eggs, and stevia
  4. Transfer mixture to a greased 8 x 8 inch baking dish
  5. Bake at 350° for 22-27 minutes, batter will set up when cooled
  6. Cool 1 hour
  7. Serve

I tested this Keto Brownies recipe more than a dozen times. During the process of perfecting it, I noticed that erythritol bakes differently than other sweeteners such as honey or maple syrup. While those sweeteners caramelize, erythritol does not do so during baking, and so I found that the brownies were just a tad jiggly when I took them out of the oven. They set up beautifully once cooled for a full hour!

If your digestion is at all compromised, be careful with this recipe, because erythritol, like other sugar alcohols, can be very challenging to digest. These brownies are a labor of love for my readers on high-fat, low-carb diets, or the keto diet. Sadly, because of the sweetener they are not something I can eat.

The good news is that my taste testers loved these fudgey brownies, and none of them are on any diet at all! I haven’t tried making these brownies with an alternative sweetener as I don’t often eat sweets anymore, so I’m not sure if it will work without the erythritol. If you experiment please leave a comment and let us know how it goes! I did make these Keto Brownies with butter instead of coconut oil once and the results were just as amazing.

Here are some of the keto diet recipes that I can eat, and that I think you’ll love too!

Comments

  2. I just made these with raw cacao (rather than 100% dark chocolate) and substituted erythritol with 2 dessert spoons Vanilla Extract. Divine!!

    Reply

  3. p.s. I left out the erythritol because I don’t like it and the brownies/cake turned out just fine… at least for our tastes. Yum….

    Reply

  4. Excellent recipe! I made this in two 6-inch pans for a birthday cake for my husband. I used your peanut butter frosting recipe (just PB + shortening) between the layers and on top. He loved it! He isn’t a big fan of almond flour, so this recipe was a nice surprise for him. He can’t do any carbs or sweeteners except stevia, so I am definitely looking forward to a future keto cookbook from you. Thank you for your recipes! I love how simple and consistent they are.

    Reply

    • Laura, happy birthday to your husband! I’m so glad to hear that you all are enjoying my recipes :-)

      Reply

  5. I love you recipes – unfortunately I cannot eat any form of sugars, sweeteners or fruit – occasionally a few berries thats all (along with gluten, grains and dairy)
    I really miss puddings and treats! Could you think about making some?

    Thanks!

    Reply

  7. I have a food sensitivity to eggs. Any ideas what I can substitute in this recipe that will work and not change the flavor and texture of your original recipe?

    Reply

  8. I made this for my keto husband using what I had on hand- almond flour, stevia powder (3Tbs), vanilla (1/2 tsp) and cocoa powder (2.5Tbs). (I had the Rest of the ingredients.) Unfortunately, brownies came out bitter :( will try to salvage them using whipped cream on top. Any tips? (Totally new to this!)

    Reply

    • Sa, I’m so sorry to hear your experiment did not work. These brownies are absolutely amazing if you use the ingredients and method called for in the recipe!

      Reply

    • The stevia is the likely culprit. That’s too large an amount, unless you are using the granular that is a baking sub. Stevia tends to make chocolate very bitter unless it is mixed with another sweetener.

      Reply

  9. Basically saying erythritol causes fat/weight gain. Good gravy, my pantry is full of Swerve, Just Like Sugar, and Monk Fruit (all containing erythriol). Wow! I Had to get your take on it . . . ??

    Reply

    • Hi Monica, thanks for your question! I discuss my stance on erythritol in the fourth paragraph of this post :-)

      Reply

  11. LOVE this keto brownie recipe! I subbed walnuts for the macadamia nuts & they were amazing! I have been following a ketogenics diet for a few months, so theses were a real treat. I also added 1/3 cup chopped walnuts on top before baking.

    Reply

      • Elana, you are so generous to share so many recipes that have always turned out every time! I make the bagels once a month, making them like an “everything bagel” topping them wth seeds: chia, sesame, caraway & pumpkin. I was diagnosed with MS 25 years ago & my inflammation goes way down when I eat a keto or paleo diet. You have made grain free baked goods so satisfying, I don’t miss anything! Thank you. I have 2 of your books – the cupcake one is my favorite!

        Reply

        • Jackie, thanks for your comment! I’m so glad you are enjoying my recipes and happy to hear they always turn out every time :-)

          Reply

        • How do you know your inflammation is down? I can never figure out if a diet is helping me or not…

          Reply

          • My doctor told me but less joint pain is a common indicator of low inflammation. Less migraines, sinus infection..etc.

    • I was wondering about the nuts. I’m going to make them with walnuts as I can’t get macadamia nuts where I live. Thanks :)

      Reply

  13. Hi Elana, I just made these and not sure how they will turn out. Instructions say to pulse the nuts untl like gravel.,.then add chopped chocolate and melted coconut oil and pulse until smooth….then add eggs, etc. This batter was far from SMOOTH! Is it supposed to be smooth? It was granular and you can see fine pieces of chocolate an the nuts are grainy! A little confused!? Just hope they turn out! Thank you!

    Reply

    • Gail, thanks for your comment! Next time keep pulsing the batter until it is smooth as called for in the recipe :-)

      Reply

  14. Oh and I substituted lankato monk fruit in place of the erythritol since I was out of swerve. Worked perfectly-actually like the subtle flavor difference with the golden monk fruit.

    Reply

  15. Delicious and the perfect treat for my keto lifestyle! After a few batches, I decided to add 2 scant teaspoons of coconut flour since the end product was a bit oily. Worked perfectly. Serious love for these! Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply

  16. These were great! As is! Im new to low carb high fat so the stevia taste was different for us but not too much, we decided when we make them again we’ll put a drop of peppermint extract in them. So moist and chocolatey. Thank you!

    Reply

  17. I have plain liquid stevia, not vanilla. Would that be okay? Maybe just add a 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla and the rest stevia? I also have powdered vanilla. What if I dissolved a bit of that in the regular stevia? I really want to try these without having to buy more product.

    Reply

  18. Lana, can you provide the nutritional information for these brownies? carbs? Protein ? Fiber? etc….

    Thank You in advance.

    Reply

  19. My husband recently cut all sugar out of his diet again (post-Christmas) and returned to a strict keto diet, so this recipe was a treat to find. I made the brownies with 2T of monkfruit sweetener and 3/4 t of vanilla stevia, and the sweetness level was just right. I could only find roasted, salted macademia nuts at my grocer–instead of raw, unsalted, as Elana suggests–and so that is what I used. I should have adjusted the amount of salt I added to the recipe but forgot. They were therefore e a tiny bit too salty for my taste (and I LOVE salt) but my husband thought they were perfect. Posting this so that others know that monkfruit sweetener does perform beautifully in here and to caution others to watch their salt content if they use salty nuts. Thanks, Elana, for another wonderful recipe!

    Reply

    • I used only the stevia because I didn’t have the other. It was delicious and we don’t go for the very sweet so it was perfect. Also I have made it into cupcakes, cooking 13-18 minutes, just check it and don’t overcook. Tastes great with butter too. Also I did half and half butter because I was nearly out of the oil. That was delicious too. As you can see I have made this numerous times, and always with Great results.

      Reply

      • Mary, thanks for your comment and for letting us know all of the ways in which you use and make this recipe. I’m so glad that it is perfect!

        Reply

  22. Delicious!! Super easy recipe, the brownies are super moist and tasty, my husband couldn’t believe they were keto friendly! I used Lindt 90% dark chocolate, thank you for this recipe!

    Reply

  23. Hey Elana, I used coconut sugar as a substitute for the Erythritol and it turned out pretty good. Not sure if you can have that type of sweetener or not but it was pretty tasty :)

    Reply

  24. This recipe sounds amazing. But I live alone and was wondering if I could freeze these? Umm 16 would be just too much temptation to be out and readily accessible! ;>. thanks! I love your site and appreciate all your hard work and sharing heart!

    Reply

    • Jackie, I haven’t tried that so not sure. I have refrigerated the brownies and they kept perfectly for around 8 days, until they were all eaten :-)

      Reply

  25. O.k. So I’ve been doing the KETO diet for a week, and craving chocolate. So I made these GREAT brownies! I did make a couple of substitutions. I used pecans instead of macadamias since that is what I had. And I used 2 tablespoons of Pyure sweetener, and 1 tsp regular vanilla. The brownies turned out moist and perfect. I’m making another batch today to freeze for camping. Thanks, Elana!! You always give us winners!

    Reply

  27. I made these brownies and used stevia in place of the erythritol and also used less stevia liquid. They turned out a bit on the bitter side, but will add the correct amount of stevia liquid next time. The texture was perfect and I rather like the not so sweet taste. Thanks for all your great recipes!

    Reply

  29. Hi there!! I hope you are doing well!! I am not able to eat eggs; do you have a suggestion on what I could use to substitute the eggs? Thank you for all your great recipes!!

    Reply

  30. I just tried your regular Paleo brownie recipe this evening, and it hit the spot! I’m so grateful for your work in creating delicious recipes that make eating healthy do-able and for making them without coconut flour, which I’m not a fan of.

    By the way, should the brownies be refrigerated?.

    Reply

    • Alyssa, so glad that you are finding my recipes helpful! To store the brownies, cool overnight, then refrigerate.

      Reply

  31. hi… i live in bali indonesia,

    so the erithryitol is impossible to find…as so many other ingredients for many recipes.

    a suggestion for what i can use. honey perhaps?? for sure not as low in calories, but at least natural.

    thank you

    Reply

    • My name is Brenda also. I buy erythritol from Amazon but truvia is mostly erythritol with a tiny percentage of stevia in it. I’ve had success using either in my recipes.
      Elena, your recipes have been a godsend for me. I’ve been using them for years now.

      Reply

  32. I’m going to whip up some of these ASAP. I have gluten free friends and one friend on Atkins. These are perfect!

    Reply

  33. Thank You! More keto recipes ( and especially baked goods) please. I love your stuff but now having to shift to even lower carb and would love to see you using more stevia, swerve etc… Thanks so much.

    Reply

      • Same here! Thank you for going low-carb/Keto right when I did!! :) I realized after being Primal for the past 5 years and seeing weight creep back on over the past 2 years that just being kinda low carb naturally via Paleo/Primal wasn’t good enough for this almost-50 yr old changing female body. This spring I started following Keto-Adapted and realized this is how I really need to be eating as all symptoms of GERD that reappeared have gone away. Thank you SO much for providing outstanding dessert recipes!!! I still use your Paleo cookbook and the almond cookbook… hoping you’re coming up with a new Keto-inspired one!!! ;)

        Reply

  34. Used cashews,2T combo Truvia & Stevia in the raw, vanilla & all the other ingredients. Baked 20 min. Great

    Reply

  35. This is great for my wheat allergic son. Think I can use coconut sugar instead of erythritol and either vanilla extract or vanilla xylitol in stead of vanilla stevia?? Thank you.

    Reply

  36. OK, substitutions folks,
    I would like to let you know that these substitutions work:
    hazelnuts (“filberts”) for macadamias
    Just Like Sugar Table Top for erythritol (I used 3 T. and reduced the stevia to 3/4 t.)

    I baked in an 11 x 7 glass pan at 325 for about 30 minutes, and they are quite tasty!

    Next time i might add some ground vanilla bean and some cinnamon to cover the stevia taste.

    Elana, thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply

  38. I have been using your cookbook for years and now I find Erythritol popping up
    everywhere in the marketplace. Is it safe and why don’t you ingest it if you use it in your recipes?
    (I have Celiac and wondering if the corn base is unsafe I also avoid alcohol)

    Thank you,

    Emily

    Reply

    • Emily, this is the first recipe I’ve used it in and I did so as a labor of love for my low-carb readers that cannot ingest higher-carb sweeteners such as honey or maple syrup :-)

      Reply

    • Dona, if you click on the green text in the ingredients portion of the recipe you will be taken to the exact products I used:-)

      Reply

  42. Thank you, Elana! I choose a ketogenic diet as well to help control fibromyalgia. I love the macadamia nuts in your brownie recipe because they are high in good fat and low in carbs. No substitutions in your recipe for my family. They are perfect!

    Reply

  43. Great timing! I am planning to join a 6 month keto-challenge starting September 1, hosted on the website of Dr Jason Fung (which is all about his protocol for healing Type 2 diabetes with low-carb-high-fat and intermittent fasting.) I’m already starting to gather recipes together and this one is certainly to be included. Macadamia nuts are hard to find where I live, but I just did some searches online and it looks like pecans might be comparable at 94% calories from fat. Thanks so much!

    Reply

  44. Thank you for this, Elana! My son is on a modified Ketogenic diet for seizure control. Do you have the exact nutritional breakdown of the recipe? I can divide by the number of pieces we cut.

    Cheers!
    Kisa

    Reply

  46. Theses look great, can’t wait to try them.
    I have almonds, would it work if I sub almonds for macadamia nut?

    Reply

  47. I really don’t want to use the erythritol because it is a corn product. If i use
    a sugar would the quantity be the same?
    Thanks

    Reply

    • Try American birch xylitol.it doesn’t give me migraines the way cheap xylitol does. Got it on amazon. Xylitol pairs wonderfully with chocolate and does not have the cooling mouth effect of erythritol.

      Reply

  50. Hi Elana,

    I love your recipes and recently made the Paleo Chocolate Zucchini Bread, which came out fabulous! What do you think about using dates in place of the erythritol? Just a thought…

    Reply

  51. Interesting, that small of an amount (2 TBSP) of something would affect the texture of the finished baked goods. I would think you could leave it out, because you are using stevia for the sweetness with no ill effect on the taste or texture. I’ll have to see if the daughter is game for a new brownie recipe and try my thinking out.

    Reply

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