Ultimate Paleo Fudgy Brownies (Crackly Top + Easy!)

These are the ultimate Paleo fudgy brownies with a crackly top! Easy to make, these Paleo brownies are nut free and gluten free, yet taste like the best homemade brownies ever!

Have you ever had a life-changingly amazing dessert? Like, a sweet so good, you’re ready to drop down to one knee and vow to never part with them again kinda a good?

Well, prepare yourself, my sweet-loving friend, because these ultimate Paleo fudge brownies just about broke my dang heart they were so good.

I literally did a double take at all of my ingredients because they taste just like a Ghiradelli brownie…I’m serious! I thought I was hallucinating! Or, ya know, maybe my tastebuds have changed so much that I don’t even know what “good” is even more when it comes to healthy recipes (just kidding, just kidding, I know how to make a good recipe on here 😉 ).

But then I had my taste testers (which more often than not prefer the classic versions of food to healthier versions…although when it comes to my cooking, every recipe on here needs to be approved by them!) give them a whirl, and they were speechless as well. Thought I bought a brownie mix and doctored it up.

Let me explain one thing to you, people. I am no boxed brownie baker (try saying that 10x fast ha!).

These Paleo fudge brownies are for real: decadent, chewy, gooey, AND A FREAKING CRACKLY TOP!

I mean, does life get any better than crackly top Paleo brownies that taste like they came from the best brownie baker in the world?!

Well, you are about to become that best brownie baker, because these gluten free, dairy free, and nut free Paleo brownies just so happen to be easy as 1, 2, 3! I’m serious, only 3 major steps!

So enough chit chat, let’s dive in!

Ingredients for Paleo Fudgy Brownies

Eggs: for these Paleo fudge brownies, we’re using 3 eggs. This helps to create a bit of life and aeration in the brownies. I have not yet found a way that works for a vegan version of these, but if you don’t do eggs, that’s why I have my Paleo vegan sweet potato brownies for ya!

Coconut Sugar: I know you’re probably shocked if you aren’t new to the Banana Diaries- normally I’m all about my maple syrup 😉 just check out this vegan gluten free cannoli cheesecake for more info on my love of maple syrup ha! But I needed something to soak up the liquid from the eggs…and butter…and melted chocolate, and that just can’t happen with a sticky maple syrup! For keeping coconut sugar in budget, I purchase mine at Trader Joe’s- they have an awesome organic one that’s affordable!

Chocolate: not cacao powder (that’s later), but actual chocolate! Now, hear me out because I’m going to recommend you use a 100% chocolate bar or chips here. I know that sounds like it’s going to taste bitter, but after multiple rounds of testing and the approval of several resident sweet tooth (and I’m not talking like, “oh, I like dessert,” I’m talking, “I am a sweets connoisseur”), 100% chocolate is the way to go! However, if you’re pressed on finding completely black out chocolate for these crackly top fudgy brownies, go for your favorite! Don’t stress about it, these are supposed to be easy!

Vegan Butter or Coconut Oil: or you can use grass-fed ghee here as well! Whichever works best for you. Or even if you’re not strictly Paleo but are interested in trying out grain free brownies, just use whatever you have in your fridge, including regular ol’ butter! I personally love the taste and texture that vegan butter creates (which is very similar to regular butter), and there is one brand called Miyoko’s that’s Paleo-friendly. However, coconut oil works just as well here!

Vanilla Extract: this is so key as a base flavor for basically every other flavor that exists (and honestly, you can tell when there’s no vanilla!). You may only need a little, but this is one of those instances where a little goes a long way!

Cassava Flour: for making homemade brownies, you weirdly enough don’t need a lot of flour! I’ve tried making brownies from scratch before, just your regular ol’ run of the mill brownies, and I remember the first time I tried being shocked at how little flour is actually used! With these Paleo fudgy brownies, you’ll need even less flour than your typical brownies from scratch! Most of the density and aeration comes from the eggs and vegan butter or ghee!

Cacao Powder: ironically enough, you actually don’t need that much cacao in here, thanks to how rich the melted chocolate makes these chewy brownies! Just a few tablespoons and you’ll be all set 🙂 I personally emphasize using cacao powder over cocoa powder because you’ll get a richer taste and more benefits. A few of my favorite brands are Navitas Organics, Terrasoul, and Imlake’sh!

How to make the ultimate Paleo Brownies

These fudgy nut free Paleo brownies come together so easily, you’re going to be making them all the time! Really, it’s only three steps all together, with just a little prep beforehand, which I’ll walk you through here.

Just make sure that your oven is preheated to 350F and you’ve greased an 8×8 baking dish with coconut oil or lined it with parchment paper! Next, just sift together the cassava flour, cacao powder, and sea salt 🙂

Now let’s get to making these beautiful Paleo brownies from scratch!

Preparing the melted chocolate

Place the vegan butter, coconut oil, or ghee into a microwave safe bowl and microwave until completely melted and hot. If you prefer, you can also melt it on the stovetop, but make sure to pour the melted butter back into a medium sized bowl.

Add in the chocolate chips and stir continuously until they’re completely melted into the butter and it becomes sort of like a ganache.

Set this aside as we move onto the next step!

Beat together the eggs, coconut sugar and vanilla extract

Add the eggs, coconut sugar, and vanilla extract to a large bowl, and using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients together on medium to high.

You want the eggs and the coconut sugar to be completely whipped together like the photo below!

Combine it all together

This you will do in two stages. First add in the melted chocolate to the beaten egg mixture and continuously beat the batter as you pour.

Once the batter is completely mixed, next sift in the cassava cacao powder mixture, or if you don’t have a sifter, you can pour lightly. Both should be done incrementally, so only a little at a time so as not to overwhelm the batter.

Continue to beat the batter while you’re pouring the flour until it’s completely combined into a thick yet pourable batter. Here, you can fold in the optional (but highly recommended) chocolate chips using a spoon to mix!

Pour the batter into your baking dish and then place into your preheated oven to bake for 20-22 minutes.

Once they’re done, you should see slightly crackly top fudgy brownies ready to be served! But wait just a few minutes to cool before diving in 😉 I know, I know, the hardest part! But it won’t taste good with a burnt tongue now (or fingers) ha!

Now you can devour them 😉

I hope you love these gooey homemade brownies as much as I do! Let me know if you give them a go (heh, that rhymed!) in the comments below (jeez, Britt, slow it down)! As always, I can’t wait to see your recreations on Instagram and Pinterest!

If you liked these Paleo brownies, you might also enjoy:

Vegan Baked Chocolate Cheesecake

Paleo Vegan Sweet Potato Brownies

Paleo Blondies

Simple vegan chocolate chip cookies

Vegan S’mores Stuffed cookies

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