You might not want to believe me before you try this recipe with your own taste buds, but these little chocolate fudgy keto brownies might very likely be among the best brownies you’ve ever tried, either on or off keto!
These brownies represent the shapes of chocolate I adore the most. Forget all of the vanilla craziness I stress about in some of the other keto recipes. This is the one recipe in which chocolate absolutely wins.
The brownies are the fudgy type - a bit crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. Also a little crumbly, and that’s the way we like them! Actually, I can't stress enough how much I love them. Let me just admit that I really need to put a lot of effort into not eating the whole batch at once.
But first things first. Let us start by going back to history to find out where all this brownie-mania started.
First brownie recipe
Brownie recipe, at least the first one as we know the dessert today, dates back to the late 19th century. A story suggests that brownies were invented in Palmer House (Chicago).
Palmer House is now a timeless Chicago Hotel with historic charm. But back in the 19th century, this was a birthplace of brownies. Did you know that nowadays we still celebrate National Brownies day on every December 8th? We should all pay our respects and visit Palmer House for the occasion, right?
Classic Brownie recipe
For a classic brownie recipe as we know the dessert today, one only needs butter, sugar, chocolate, eggs, and flour. Chocolate should be bitter to present the distinctive brownie flavor.
But "classic" is not a synonym for the first ever recipe. If we dig deeper into the history of baking, we can find the first recipe for "brownies" in Boston Cooking School Cook Book from 1896, written by famous Fannie Merritt Farmer. If you fancy an updated version of her books, head to Amazon.
According to Fannie's Brownies recipe, one should use ⅓ cup of butter, ⅓ cup of powdered sugar, ⅓ cup molasses, 1 well-beaten egg, ⅞ cup flour, and 1 cup pecans. Instructions are very straightforward as well. Mix ingredients in order given. Bake in small, shallow fancy cake tins, garnishing the top of each cake with one-half pecan.
But wait a minute! There is no chocolate in this brownies recipe! What kind of blasphemy is this?!
Yes, according to the first brownies recipe, there is no chocolate in the brownies. Imagine that! The good thing is that nowadays we have another name for brownies without chocolate - blondies. And we have a very popular version of keto blondies available for all of you keto desserts lovers.
Back to brownies now. A few years after Fannie's recipe chocolate was added into brownies. Huh! What a relief!
But should brownies be fudgy, chewy or cakey? It depends. There are plenty of brownies recipes out there. From Apple brownies, Butterscotch Brownies, Caramel Brownies, Creme Cheese Brownies, German Chocolate Brownies, Peanut Butter Brownies, Shortbread Brownies and everything in between that one can think of.
Every best brownie recipe starts with a basic easy brownie recipe. This is your starting point. And then you slowly improve it by adding (or removing) ingredients, baking at different temperatures, changing the mixing procedure, and replacing ingredients like sugar and flour if you follow a low-carb diet or keto diet.
How to make brownies from scratch?
Brownies are easy and fun to make. Kids love them! For an easy brownie recipe, one should use butter, chocolate, sugar, eggs, and flour. To upgrade this, you can add cocoa powder, a pinch of fine salt (salt is chocolate's best friend) and maybe some vanilla. Mix everything and bake in the preheated oven at 350 degrees F in a metal square pan for maybe 20 minutes (depends on the size of the pan), or until a toothpick entered in the center comes out with moist crumbs. And don't forget to cool the batch down before slicing. Yes, this is always the hardest part.
Baking brownies is an easy and fun thing to do. But what to do, when you try to eat low-carb or even keto, and have a sweet tooth?
My Sweet Keto has a solution for you! And what kind! We present you, by far, our most popular recipe in years. Our flourless fudgy keto brownies with less than 1.5 gram of net carb! Beat that! And you can choose between classic keto brownies and fudgy keto brownies. Actually, you get fudginess in both if you don't bake for too long. Too much chocolate? Try our Cacao Keto blondies!
In just 30 minutes you can enjoy your best keto brownies ever and still remain in ketosis!
The keto brownie recipe
The chocolate I use in this recipe is not just any chocolate. It’s dark Belgian, 85% cocoa, and it has no sugar added, only stevia and erythritol. Most of the carbs inside are fiber and polyols. If you can’t get hold of it, I’m sure some other variant of dark no-sugar chocolate will do the job. But do choose the chocolate you like! If you don't like the chocolate itself, chances are, the brownies are not going to be the best you've had since the chocolate is pretty much the main ingredient.
Too boring? Why not try making chocolate brownie cupcakes? Just use your favorite cupcake molds.
Anyways, what are you waiting for, this is the recipe you should’ve tried last weekend!
When done, why not top the brownies with this, and go a little bit over the edge in this sweet low-carb indulgence. I’m sure you can find a good reason for pampering yourself a bit (well, a lot).
A note: When I found myself in a short budget situation, I used hemp seed flour instead of relatively expensive almond flour and found the brownies equally delicious. What is more, cutting back on the flour a bit results in even fudgier brownies.
UPDATE, August 2018:
Classic fudgy keto brownies recipe
It is always fun realizing how different people around the world interpret "cakey" and "fudgy" differently. While this recipe has been extremely popular for a long time now, some users find the fudgy keto brownies not fudgy enough. To address this, I first reduced the baking time of the classic brownie recipe version to 15 minutes. This should result in moist, fudgy, yet also a bit cakey brownies when you use an 8 x 8-inch (or similar size) pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven.
I have anyways decided to make another, the fudgiest, version of the fudgy keto brownies recipe, though. Choose your favorite and let me know which one you prefer!
The fudgiest fudgy keto brownies recipe
This one uses all the same ingredients as the classic recipe, but it omits the flour and baking powder completely. You can imagine that these brownies will hardly ever be more chocolatey!
Below you will find the ingredients for both versions listed separately because they use a bit different ratios. Again, it is very important to use the chocolate you love because it is going to be pretty much the main ingredient in the recipe!
Enjoy and leave a comment below to tell us about your results!
Recipe
Best Fudgy Keto Brownies
Ingredients
Classic Fudgy Keto Brownies
- 6 oz dark chocolate - at least 80%
- 6 tablespoon butter - unsalted, 3 oz.
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil - 1 oz.
- 4 large eggs - room temperature
- ¾ cup sweetener - powdered
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 dash salt - or to taste
- 2 oz almond flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoon walnuts - or any other nuts, coarsely ground
- 2 tablespoon chocolate chunks - optional
The Fudgiest Keto Brownies
- 8 oz dark chocolate - at least 80%
- 6 tablespoon butter - unsalted, 3 oz.
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil - 1 oz.
- 3 large eggs - room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks - room temperature
- ¾ cup sweetener - powdered
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 dash salt
- 3 tablespoon walnuts - or any other nuts, coarsely ground
- 2 tablespoon chocolate chunks - optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 330°F (165°C), and line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Put butter, coconut oil, and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Let them melt in a microwave for a minute and a half. Take the bowl out, stir the mixture until uniform. Set aside to cool.
- Using an electric mixer, mix the eggs, erythritol, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix on high for at least 3 minutes. Btw, salt brings the best out of chocolate in chocolate desserts.
- Carefully whisk in the chocolate mixture until just combined.
- Omit this step for the fudgiest brownies! In a small bowl, sift and stir almond flour and baking powder.
- Omit this step for the fudgiest brownies as well Now carefully mix the flour into the egg-chocolate mixture until just combined. Do not use an electric mixer in this step!
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and spread it out evenly using a spatula.
- Sprinkle with crushed walnuts and/or some chopped chocolate if you wish. You can skip this step, or use any other type of nuts or peanuts. I think the crunchiness of the nuts is a very special effect, though!
- Put in the oven and bake for 15 to max. 20 minutes (the less the fudgier). When a toothpick is inserted in the center, it shouldn’t come out clean. You want the brownies to stay sticky in the middle, but the outside should already be kind of crunchy. Don’t over-bake.BTW, I've come across an excellent tip suggesting to bake brownies on the top rack. This way they are less likely to get dry while baking.
- When done baking, take the whole batch out of the pan, together with the parchment paper, and let cool down. When cooled, cut into 20 equal size brownies. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Fat: 9.3g (of which Saturated: 5.6 g),
Total carbs: 5.1 g,
Fiber: 3.6 g,
Net Carbs: 1.5 g
Protein: 3.0 g
One fudgiest brownie comes out to be approximately 114 Calories,
Fat: 10.2g (of which Saturated: 6.3 g),
Total carbs: 5.7 g,
Fiber: 4.0 g,
Net Carbs: 1.7 g
Protein: 2.0 g
Nutrition
MORE KETO BAKING DESSERTS TO TRY!
If you love this low-carb keto recipe, I recommend you also try:
Sharon says
Ads on here are so annoying. Can't even see the recipe or print it..
Luka says
I know. But someone has to pay for the free content.
GORDANA WIGGINS says
Good recipe but any dark 80% chocolate contains sugar ,so not keto ....
Vivian says
Hi. I normally don’t keep my iPhone in the kitchen when I cook. It would be nicer to be able to print it. I could, but I just don’t desire to have all the ads and pictures also printed. A good deterrent on your part.
I will NOT be preparing these delicious sounding brownies because this is an INCONVENIENCE for me.
Thanks anyway!
Angie says
These brownies are so rich that I would say they are more like fudge than traditional brownies. Nevertheless, very, very good and I think it would be very hard to convince anyone that they are low carb! I did find that they really need to he refrigerated after they cool in order to maintain their shape. Planning to take them to a large get together and I suspect they will be a big hit:
Luka says
Thank you for your comment and for trying our fudgy keto brownies recipe! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed them and found them to be rich and delicious, almost like fudge. We agree that they are so good, it's hard to convince anyone that they are low-carb!
We also appreciate your feedback about refrigerating the brownies after they cool to maintain their shape. This is a helpful tip for others who may be making the recipe.
We're excited to hear that you're planning to take them to a large get-together and we're sure they'll be a hit with your friends and family. If you have any other questions or feedback, please don't hesitate to reach out. We're always here to help make your keto baking experience as enjoyable as possible.
Thanks again for your comment, and happy baking!
Vicki says
How do you print? No print button...
Tisa says
Hi. We're in the process of setting up a separate print page. In the meantime, all the content is available online. It's not add-free as we need financial support to be able to continue creating and delivering free online recipes and other resources. Thank you for your understanding.
Peter says
New to Keto eating.
68 and a teeny bit portly, so getting my healthy head on.
My daughter found this for me.
It’s superb! So easy to make and everybody loves it.
Ate it whilst monitoring my blood glucose - not a blip!!
Thanks will be trying many more.
Tisa says
So nice to hear from you, Peter! Kudos to your daughter as well. Keep on and enjoy our recipes!
Jenna says
LET ME TELL YOU. I haphazardly searched for a “keto brownie recipe” last year and found this recipe and oh my goooood we fell in love. fast forward to JULY 2020, and i’ve tried countless other recipes and they just were never as good as this recipe— but i couldn’t find you again! After looking on the internet for maybe two hours (for some reason you were hard to find this time!!) i came back across this page and made them again, and they were still so delightful and delicious. i chose to omit the almond flour for the extra fudgy version and they are just DELECTABLE. thank you for this recipe!!!
Tisa says
Thank you, Jenna! Comments like yours absolutely make my days or rather weeks!
It is true that competition has beaten our brownies down on Google search in the past couple of years. But our brownies have become no less delicious, ha! 🙂
All the best!
Tara Logan says
Best Keto Brownies!! I made the “fudgiest” added sugar free chocolate chips, shredded coconut and sprinkled with Fleur de Sel. I used 5 whole eggs instead of 3 whole and 2 yokes. Definitely do not over bake!! Beyond delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!
Luka says
Thanks Tara!
Joann Vazquez says
I’ve made the classic fudge brownies twice now. They are so delicious and hit the spot when you need a chocolate fix! Thank you for the recipe.
Tisa says
I'm so glad you've enjoyed the recipe, Joann! Thanks for the feedback!
Karen says
I don’t usually leave comments but I wanted to in this case. I followed the recipe exactly for the fudgiest brownies using lilys chips for the chocolate. I baked for 15 minutes, but didn’t do the tooth pick test because i was busy and I think I should have baked for another 5 minutes because they were still too gooey to cut after cooling. BUT, they tasted fantastic, so I put them in the refrigerator overnight and today they are like brownie fudge and heavenly. If I had cooked them longer I’m sure they would be more brownie like, but I’m not complaining because they are fantastic as fudge. Thanks for the recipe and next time I will cook them a bit longer.
Luka says
Thank you Karen!
Shawn says
The worst brownies I ever had.
Tisa says
Well, too bad for you, Shawn, I'm sorry to hear that. Can you please explain what part was the worst, precisely?
Laura Trout says
I made these and I love them. How do you keep from eating too many though? I'v never allowed myself to have real brownies before because of the calorie content so I can't compare them to the real thing. But I think these are delicious.
Tisa says
That's a tough one! As you suggested in another comment, freezing is a good option. Or baking only half batch if that seems sensible to you.
Rona says
I made it at least five times and I must confess this is still the best keto brownie recipe out there. Thanks for sharing.
Tisa says
You are very welcome, Rona. Keep following!
Rich says
Made these last night, delicious ! Thanks for sharing your great recipe !
Luka says
Thanks Rich! Do you have any photos of your brownies? We would love to see that!
Kady McDonald says
Best Fudgy keto brownies are the best I have ever had. So much chocolate flavor and great consistency. I make them once a week. I am hooked!
Tisa says
That’s great to hear, Kady! Thank you for the feedback!
Melissa says
I don't have the powdered erythritol only the granules, will that still work??
Tisa says
You can grind it in a coffee grinder to get the powder. It's what I do constantly. Granules will still work, though but not as well.
June says
Out of sheer curiosity, why didn't you just cut them 2" square and get 16 brownies?
Tisa says
It just suits my baking pan best when I make 5 vertical and 4 horizontal cuts.
Lin Summers says
I just tried these for the first time this evening. It's a really easy recipe and they turned out quite nicely. Could you please tell me if they can be frozen? I'm the only one in my house on keto and I can't see eating all of them quickly. Thanks for any advice you can give.
Tisa says
Yes, I've frozen these often. They turn out nice when you unfreeze a piece in a microwave!
Lori says
OMG! Sensational, delectable, extraordinary, luscious! There are not enough words to describe s scribe last night's dessert. I play cards with a group of women and we take turns hosting. Everyone else brings store bought muffins, cakes, cupcakes. Gross! I always bake from scratch. Since going on a strict new way of eating I've refused their offerings.
I have an old recipe for a brownie mocha torte used meant times over and is always a bit. I used a double batch of your brownie recipe mixing nuts in to the batter when adding the flour and baking them in 2 - 8 inch round pans. They took about 7 minutes longer to bake. Being taller than I expected I split the layers to create 4 and layered them with chocolate whipped cream and then iced the whole thing with a thin layer of coffee whipped cream. Trimmed the top with chopped nuts and dusted cacao. There wasn't a crumb left on anyone's plate and a few wanted the recipe. A couple more wanted it after I told them there was no sugar or common flour because they have gluten sensitive family.
Thank you so much for providing this recipe, I will use it many times in the future and can't wait to try others in the near future. (Next time I will only make one layer).
My Sweet Keto says
Wow, Lori, your enhanced version of the brownies sounds so so yummy!
I am so happy you like it. Thank you for the comment, made my day!
Nanc says
Just made the super fudge ones with one bag of Lilly’s chocolate chips and added 1/4 tsp of instant expresso to the mix, OMG! I’m in heaven! I also added some salted pecans which really made them even better. Baked 17 minutes which was perfect. Thank you for such a delicious recipe.
My Sweet Keto says
That's just awesome, Nanc! Adding coffee and salted pecans is a great idea I want to try ASAP. Thank you for the feedback!
Susan says
I made these....Love ‘em! So chocolatey. The traditional version made the like your classic fudge brownie. I used 85% dark chocolate Thank you for the recipe
My Sweet Keto says
That's great, Susan! Thank you for posting!
Erin says
Can I make these and freeze them?
My Sweet Keto says
Yes, of course!
They are still great unfrozen and may be heated up a bit in a microwave.
Kiran says
I made both the classic and fidget brownies. They were delicious... huge hit with the family. I personally liked the classic ones better. Others ones were too rich for me. Also I used xylitol instead of erythoral.
My Sweet Keto says
Hi, Kiran! Thank you for the feedback - much appreciated!
Mona says
Hi
Can u tell substitute for eggs ?
My Sweet Keto says
Hi, Mona. It is difficult to say that anything would replace eggs efficiently enough in this recipe and still remain keto-friendly.
There is a vegan recipe here (https://www.mysweetketo.com/recipe/delicious-vegan-keto-cupcakes/) that uses avocado. You can follow this one to make brownies but the egg-free version tends to be crumblier.
Kim Nelms says
Mona,
I've used ground flaxseed as a an egg substitute. I've never used it to replace all the eggs in a recipe but I sometimes replace up to half of the eggs that are called for in a recipe. It doesn't bind or stiffen like an egg but it does make recipes more moist like oil or an egg yolk.
Mix 1 Tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 2 1/2 water and allow it to thicken naturally before adding it to the recipe.
If you are trying to replace all 4 of the eggs the brownies may be more dry as this recipe does not replace an entire egg. I'm still experimenting with this but I would try using 5 or 6 tablespoons of flaxseed, a little less flour, and/or a shorter baking time.
Good luck...
My Sweet Keto says
Kim, thank you so much for this thorough advice! I’m sure it can come in handy for many.
All the best.
Nanci says
I would combine both suggestions : use avocado AND the “flax eggs.”
Marie says
This recipe looks awesome! Can't wait to try them. One question...what size pan od I use?
Thank you!
My Sweet Keto says
Hi, Marie.
If you have an 8" x 8" square or something rectangular of a similar size, use that. If using anything larger/wider, shorten the baking time.
Jodi Wilson says
Thank you so much for sharing! Just made this - hubs and I have been craving something chocolate! These did NOT dissapoint. I followed the recipe except put them in cupcake tins! They were perfectly delicious and such a nice treat!