These gluten free dairy free brownies are gooey, fudge like and decadent! This homemade Paleo brownie recipe is the best. These brownies have crispy edges, a crackly top and a gooey center!

Gluten free dairy free brownies

Look at that crackly top! Yes, these brownies are as delicious as they look.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • These gluten free dairy free brownies are made in one mixing bowl.
  • No dough chilling needed.
  • They require only 35 minutes from start to finish.
  • This recipe uses a ton of chocolate! If you love chocolate, make these Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies too.
  • They have that sought after crackly top.
  • The edges are crispy and chewy while the middle is gooey.
  • Check out my Crinkle Top Brownies for another idea or Eggless Brownies for a Vegan option.
  • These gluten free dairy free brownies are also Paleo and grain free.

Flour

These gluten free dairy free brownies are made with tapioca flour. Tapioca flour is a fine white powdery flour made from the starch of cassava root. This flour is great in gluten free baking for thickening sauces and batters.

Directly substitute cornstarch or arrowroot powder if needed. Check out my Guide to Gluten Free Flours and Gluten Free Baking for more helpful tips!

Baking with Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is a great dairy free and Vegan baking fat. It is often used in place of butter. This heart healthy fat can be used as a direct substitute for butter in most baking recipes.

Use refined coconut oil for a neutral taste. Unrefined coconut oil has a slight coconut flavor to it.

Measuring coconut oil can be tough since it is firm at room temperature. I usually add a little more coconut oil than needed before melting. Then, I’ll pour back in any excess coconut oil back into the jar and just use what the recipe calls for.

Dairy free brownies

Cocoa Powder

The two types of cocoa powder are natural and Dutch processed. These have different flavors, properties and uses.

Cocoa power is made from cocoa beans. These beans are fermented before they are dried. After that, the beans are roasted and made into cacao nibs. Cacao nibs are pressed into chocolate liquor, which is ground into cocoa powder.

Dutch processed cocoa is also known as alkalized cocoa. Therefore, its taste is not quite as intense as natural cocoa powder.

Natural cocoa powder has not been alkalized. It is very intense in flavor! I used Hershey’s dark cocoa powder for this recipe because it has a blend of natural and Dutch process. It is dark and has a slight intense bitter flavor.

Dairy Free Chocolate

Most chocolate sold in grocery stores contains milk. Milk and semi sweet chocolate chips almost always contain dairy. Some dark chocolate is dairy free.

There are several great brands of dairy free chocolate chips. These are brands I have tried, tested, and loved. They taste great, melt well, and have great flavor.

Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips

Hu Kitchen

Theo Chocolate

Whole Foods

Check out these Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies with all your dairy free chocolate chips!

How to Make

Step 1

First, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8 inch by 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.

Step 2

Beat eggs and coconut sugar for 2 minutes. Beat until light and frothy.

Eggs and sugar in mixing bowl

Step 3

Melt coconut oil. Stir in chocolate chips. Stir until smooth and creamy.

Step 4

Then, add melted chocolate mixture into stand mixer. Stir to combine.

Gluten free brownie batter

Step 5

Add in cocoa powder, tapioca flour, and vanilla extract. Stir.

Brownie batter in bowl

Step 6

Fold in additional chocolate chips if desired.

Chocolate chip brownie batter

Step 7

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and carefully bang on countertop 2 to 3 times. Return to oven for another 10 to 12 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Step 8

Finally, cool gluten free dairy free brownies completely before slicing and serving.

Brownies in pan

Expert Tips & Tricks

Beat eggs and sugar until light and frothy. This yields a crackly top.

Mix melted coconut oil and chocolate until completely smooth and creamy. No chocolate clumps should remain.

Fold in the “optional” chocolate chips. Life is short.

After the initial 15 minute baking time, bang pan on countertop. This releases air bubbles.

Bake until just done. Do not over bake!

Wait until gluten free dairy free brownies are completely cooled to dig in. They are gooey!

How to Serve & Store

Serve cooled gluten free dairy free brownies. Serve alongside some almond milk!

Store gluten free dairy free brownies covered at room temperature for up to 4 days. Additionally, store in fridge for up to 6 days if desired.

I haven’t tried freezing these, but imagine they’d do well.

Dairy free chocolate dessert with milk

Frequently Asked Questions

Are brownies dairy free?

Typically, brownies are not dairy free since they usually contain butter. This recipe is completely dairy free!

Can you use oil instead of butter for brownies?

Yes, the coconut oil replaces butter in these brownies.

Is chocolate dairy?

Pure chocolate is dairy free. Most chocolate sold in stores contains dairy in some form.

Do they taste like coconut oil?

No, these brownies do not taste like coconut oil. Use refined coconut oil for a neutral taste.

Are eggs dairy?

Eggs are not dairy. Dairy is defined as products coming from the milk of mammals. Therefore, eggs are not dairy.

You May Also Like

If you make this gluten free dairy free brownies recipe, I would really appreciate a review! You can find me on InstagramFacebook, and Pinterest. I would love for you to follow along! For more sweet treats, check out these Dessert Recipes.

Gluten free dairy free brownies

Get the Recipe: Gluten Free Dairy Free Brownies

These gluten free dairy free brownies are gooey, fudge like and chocolaty. They have crisp chewy edges and a soft gooey center. These Paleo brownies are made without gluten or dairy, but they are even better than boxed brownies.
4.91 from 10 votes

Ingredients

Instructions 

  • First, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 8 inch by 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
  • In a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, mix coconut sugar and eggs for 2 minutes on high, until light and frothy.
  • In a microwave safe bowl, melt coconut oil. Then, stir in 1 cup chocolate chips. Mix until smooth and creamy. If needed, microwave the whole bowl for another 10 seconds to get chocolate fully melted.
  • Then, add melted chocolate mixture to stand mixer. Mix until combined.
  • Stir in cocoa powder, tapioca flour, and vanilla extract.
  • Optional but highly recommended: fold in an additional ¼ cup chocolate chips to the batter.
  • Pour batter into lined baking pan.
  • Bake for 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and bang on countertop 2 to 3 times to release any air bubbles.
  • Return pan to oven. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • Finally, cool brownies completely before slicing and serving.

Notes

  • Use coconut sugar for Paleo.  White granulated sugar works as well.
  • Tapioca flour can be replaced with cornstarch or arrowroot powder.
  • Brownie batter will be just slightly thicker than traditional boxed brownie mix.
  • To bang pan on countertop after initial baking time, wear oven mitts.  Lightly drop pan onto countertop, about 2 inches in depth.  This releases any air bubbles.
  • My brownies were done after 25 minutes total.  Check doneness by inserting toothpick into middle of brownies.  If it comes out clean, they are done.
  • These brownies are gooey!  Allow them to cool before digging into!
  • My favorite dairy free chocolate chips are Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips.
  • These brownies do not taste like coconut.  If you’re concerned about that, I suggest using refined coconut oil which is neutral tasting.
Calories: 178kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 28mg, Potassium: 18mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 30IU, Calcium: 22mg, Iron: 1mg

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