Quick and easy paleo brownies to satisfy your chocolate craving. Just throw everything in the food processor and they are in the oven in 5 minutes.
I originally came up with this easy paleo brownie recipe because I wanted a quick brownie recipe using ingredients I had in the pantry — a little bit of almond butter and some cacao powder. It was a happy coincidence as these brownies were a snap to put together, and they turned out to be one of my favorite brownie recipes. They are fudgy, buttery and sure to satisfy your chocolate craving.
What makes this recipe so easy is that everything goes straight into the food processor — no bowls needed. Because these brownies are made with cacao powder, you don't have to melt chocolate. You don't even have to melt the ghee. As long as it is at room temperature, just put it in the food processor with the rest of the ingredients. The brownies are in the oven in about 5 minutes.
This easy paleo brownie recipe is perfect when you need a quick dessert. They are great on their own and make a perfect base for toppings like banana ice cream or coconut whipped cream.
More paleo dessert recipes
Easy Paleo Brownie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup organic cacao powder
- 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup creamy almond butter
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup ghee
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease an 8 x 8-inch pan.
- Add dry ingredients to food processor and pulse to combine. Add remaining ingredients and process until well combined. Spread batter in pan.
- Bake 20-25 minutes, until set but still slightly moist in center.
Shirley @ gfe & All Gluten-Free Desserts
March 17 at 3:55 pmWill try these soon! Love the ingredients and how easy they are to make! 🙂
Shirley
Lisa
March 17 at 4:33 pmThanks Shirley! Hope you enjoy the brownies!
Rosemary
March 27 at 12:56 pmThese sound delicious. Do you think they would work with coconut oil instead of ghee since I don’t eat dairy products?
Lisa
March 27 at 2:58 pmI haven’t tested this brownie recipe with coconut oil, but it seems like it would work. If you try coconut oil, let me know how it turns out!
Aphra Adkins
July 15 at 5:47 pmI always use coconut oil when I make these and they turn out great every time!
Talia
March 31 at 11:30 amMade these tonight with cocnut oil and rice malt syrup and they were fabulous!
MASHA
March 10 at 9:01 pmGhee is not a dairy product 😊
Brenda
April 28 at 10:03 amDo you know what the nutritional value is for this recipe?
Lisa
April 29 at 5:35 pmI don’t track nutritional values, but MyFitnessPal app (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/) has a recipe calculator you can use for this and there are other websites, like SparkRecipes (http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp), that will provide more detailed nutrition info.
Mark
July 30 at 4:30 amLisa, you can also use popular CalorieCount (http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php) but I personally prefer HappyForks (http://happyforks.com/analyzer) – It’s the best recipe analyzer IMO, did you try this?
Lisa
July 31 at 6:26 pmMark, I haven’t tried them. Thanks for sharing!
Jaime
May 1 at 4:35 pmNutrition info from myfitnesspal.com
For 16 servings:
100 calories 12g carbs 6g fat 3g protein 47mg sodium 9g sugar
Jaime
May 1 at 4:36 pmThese are so delicious by the way! Love it 🙂
Lisa
May 2 at 11:27 amThanks for sharing the nutrition info. I’m so glad you love the brownies! 🙂
Joanna
July 31 at 8:37 pmExcellent! I made them with chunky almond butter for that extra crunch.
Lisa
August 1 at 10:05 pmAwesome! I’ll have to try the chunky – thanks for sharing!
Paulin Soleyman
August 1 at 10:02 pmThank you so much for this recipe! Since I started Paleo I’ve experimented with a lot of different recipes for brownies but this one is the best. Now, it’s the only recipe I use 🙂
Lisa
August 1 at 10:10 pmThank you so much for your comment! It’s my favorite brownie recipe. 🙂
Tim Moore
October 19 at 10:35 pmMade these and they came out great. On a whim, I added 1/4 cup each of shredded coconut, pecan bits, and chocolate chips. Wife says they are the best brownies she has ever eaten. I found them delicious too. Oh, I used room temp grass-fed butter instead of ghee.
kristi day (@kristikday)
November 14 at 6:47 pmCan you leave out the espresso powder? And if so, do you need a substitution?
Lisa
November 17 at 12:07 pmThe espresso powder enhances the chocolate flavor. You can leave it out or replace it with a little coffee.
Kay
January 23 at 4:51 pmUM…these were absolutely amazing! My judgmental hubby and his family even liked them. I will NEVER go back to boxed brownies again…obviously since we are eating Paleo…but you get the idea.
http://mommeetskitchen.blogspot.com/2014/01/celebratory-brownies-my-new-go-to.html
Lisa
January 23 at 6:04 pmThanks Kay! My husband likes these too – he says they taste like “regular” brownies.
The Paleo Princess
January 25 at 5:35 pmWould it be possible to use stevia in place of honey? My dad is diabetic and really can’t have any kind of sugar
Lisa
January 25 at 6:36 pmThe honey provides moisture as well as sweetness, so I don’t think substituting stevia in this recipe would work.
Cathy O.
February 22 at 6:10 pmI don’t follow paleo but look for these recipes because they are healthier, in general, and lower sugar. I made these today and they are amazing and my husband even liked them and said that they taste “normal.” Do you know if you could use natural peanut butter instead of the almond butter?
Lisa
February 24 at 1:30 pmCathy, I’m glad you and your husband liked the brownies! My husband said the same thing. 🙂
I have not tested this recipe with peanut butter (peanuts are legumes, not paleo), so I don’t know if it would work.
Alexis
March 10 at 9:13 pmThese are absolutely AMAZING!! We are not strictly paleo or GF, but like the recipes as they are often healthier and more nutrient dense. I can’t get over how good these are… And so guilt free! I am almost 8 months pregnant and we have made these twice in the past few weeks. This recipe has made me so happy =)
Lisa
March 11 at 3:02 pmThanks, Alexis! I’m so glad you are enjoying the brownies. And congratulations! 🙂
Di
March 12 at 3:26 amHi I was just thinking do you think I could sub in pureed baked sweet potato for the almond butter? I have seen sweet potato brownies before. Thanks!
Aphra Adkins
May 8 at 8:54 amI made these last night and immediately ate half the batch myself – I’ve never had better brownies! I have severe dairy and gluten allergies but also a severe sweet tooth so these are a life saver. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Lisa
May 10 at 11:07 amYeah! This is my favorite brownie recipe – I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Tina
July 5 at 10:47 pmI just started eating paleo a few days ago, literally Monday, and these are AMAZING!! I have never left a comment for a blogger and these brownies inspired a first for me!! Thank you for making a lifestyle change a lot easier with this delicious recipe!!! Everyone needs to make these brownies!!!!
Lisa
July 7 at 2:45 pmThank you for the comment – I’m so glad you love my paleo brownie recipe! And congrats on starting paleo!
Amy
August 16 at 9:31 pmThese are delicious!!! My kids and I love them!! What’s the best way to store them and for how long? Thank u!
Lisa
August 18 at 4:40 pmYay! I’m so glad you love them! To be honest, they never last more than a day or two in my house. I store them on the counter and they seem to disappear as soon as I leave the room. 🙂
Kristin Girod
December 4 at 9:26 pmMy 15 yo daughter made these tonight and they were divine!!!! Our family of 8 made quick work of these brownies. I’m just glad I grabbed a piece before they were wiped out 🙂 The only mod we made was to add mini chocolate chips. I’m sure this will be our go-to brownie recipe from now on! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
Lisa
December 5 at 1:36 pmAwesome! I’m so glad you all enjoyed them!
Rita
December 15 at 10:06 amMy food processor is dead so I did some manual labor for this one. When I tried the finished product I literally said out loud, “How is this even possible?” because they not only tasted like regular brownies but like AMAZING regular brownies and my entire non-Paleo family devoured them. This will be my go-to brownie recipe for the rest of my LIFE. 😉
Like others, I used coconut oil in place of the ghee and added 1/3 cup Enjoy life chocolate chips. Any thoughts on replacing half the oil with some applesauce? Or using avocado instead of the coconut oil?
Lisa
December 15 at 12:41 pmYay! I’m so glad you loved the brownies! I have not tried subbing applesauce or avocado – if you try it, let me know how it turns out.
Kate
February 22 at 2:58 pmJust made these with my (picky-picky-picky-eater) boys 4yo and 7yo, and they loved them! Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Lisa
February 22 at 6:10 pmThat’s awesome, Kate! Glad they loved them. 🙂
Laura
January 31 at 9:29 amThese look so delicious!!! Could I substitute coconut oil for ghee? Or do you have a brand of ghee you really love? Can’t wait to try there!
Sandy
February 2 at 9:50 amI don’t use dairy in baking. Is there anything I can substitute for ghee in the brownie recipe?
Lisa
February 4 at 2:43 pmHi Sandy, I haven’t tested it in this recipe, but coconut oil can usually be substituted for ghee. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Barbara
February 4 at 11:29 pmEasy + chocolate, yes! And only 100 calories. I’m really loving these. Thanks!
Tina
February 7 at 11:01 amShould the ghee be melted?
Lisa
February 9 at 1:26 pmHi Tina, it doesn’t have to be melted. As long as it’s at room temperature the food processor will incorporate it into the batter.
Shari
February 11 at 8:53 pmThis Paleo Brownie recipe was a hit with my family so I made them again for Valentines Day. I added some dark chocolate chips and there was just the right amount of batter to make 24 Brownie Bites using a cookie scoop to drop into mini muffin cups. Bake 15-20 mins at 325.
Wendy Buckingham
March 3 at 8:47 pmHere in Australia Almond Butter is incredibly expensive. Is there anything that can be used as a substitute for using it apart from making my own.
Lisa
March 4 at 12:57 pmHi Wendy, I haven’t tested it with anything else. But I think another nut or seed butter might work if you have one that is more affordable in Australia.
AnnMarie
March 17 at 2:32 pmYES! These are totally AMAZING! I just found this recipe and have made the brownies twice. My husband said he wants this for this birthday. I brought a couple brownies with me to a 4 hour meeting knowing there was going to be “bad” baked goods available. I was STARVING and had my brownie with a cup of coffee and it curbed my hunger plus I was able to walk away from the lunch they provided. Thank you
Megan
March 21 at 3:12 pmBy far the best paleo brownie I have ever made. They even got a thumbs up from all six of my children–a rarity with paleo baked goods! Thanks so much for the recipe. I’m sure we will be making these again soon!
Grace
April 8 at 2:34 pmOkay, I was skeptical. I’ve tried low-cal (not necessarily paleo-diet friendly) dessert recipes before and they tasted like cardboard. I made these last night and we were both impressed. I did add walnuts and might add coconut the next time. We ate them with no guilt. Thanks for the recipe!!
Lisa
April 9 at 12:02 pmYay! I’m so glad you liked it!
Bryan
August 28 at 12:13 pmI’m saving this link so I can make this recipe soon! My chest day is coming up and I’d love to a brownie food coma!