Seriously, the Best Healthy Brownies Ever

Wildly chocolatey, super easy healthy brownies with major fudge factor and chewy edges! They taste like a boxed mix in the best way. Shockingly fast to make in 1 bowl with almond flour and a secret ingredient: olive oil for decadent chocolate flavor. The search for the most amazing brownie recipe with better-for-you ingredients ends here! Grain, gluten and dairy free.

SHE IS BEAUTY, SHE IS GRACE.

I tested these brownies 79 times and every time someone took a bite, they exclaimed, "Wow...these taste like a box mix!" Could there be any higher praise for a brownie made with almond flour and olive oil?

We're talking melt-in-your-mouth fudgy with pockets of chocolate for textural intrigue (store them in the fridge or else), those barely crisp edges you'd do anything for, and a flaky salt finale.

I've mastered many reader-loved healthy brownies in my day (hello, flourless banana brownies and healthy zucchini brownies) but this is EASILY the most impressive brownie recipe I've ever made. See for yo'self!!

A bit more info on our key ingredients

• Almond flour: Look for super fine blanched almond flour, not almond meal which has the skins. Almond flour has healthy fats and is naturally sweet, which keeps these super moist. No other flour will work here; this recipe is all based around the unique fat profile of almond flour!
• Cane sugar: Basically granulated sugar, just a bit less processed, but either works. When I developed this recipe, I realized this is what make these taste eerily similar to a boxed mix! Don't skip it. I recipe tested these with coconut sugar and they were less sweet and fudgy, and just overall inferior. I like the chocolate flavor to be the star of my brownies, so I find ½ cup great for a lower sugar version, ⅔ cup cup for an epic treat, and also loved them with ¾ cup, LOL. The perfect amount of sweetness without that cloying vibe!
• Cocoa powder: It took some trial and error, but I tested these with regular unsweetened cocoa powder, raw cacao powder, and Dutch-process cocoa. Honestly they all tastes amazing, but Dutch process (Guittard was my fave) with the most intense chocolate flavor. I make them the most with raw cacao since I always have it (and it has the highest antioxidant content). Since there's no leaving agents to interact with cacao, they all will also work fine.
• Extra virgin olive oil: Because it's an absolutely stunning complement to chocolate here, trust me. I buy Corto fresh extra virgin olive oil from California. You can't beat the flavor of quality olive oil! The complexity of flavor blows butter brownies out of the water--trust me, I tried both. This also makes them dairy free, winning.
• Eggs: Essential for moisture and rise. Why room temp? Because I discovered during testing that they're easier to incorporate which yields a smoother batter and lighter brownies. I did test these with two flax eggs and they were delish, just way flatter, more chewy, and more fudgy. The batter is also much thicker. Not a bad thing, just don't expect them to be as tall! (My fan-favorite healthy pumpkin brownies also are egg-free.)

Let's make 'em!

Healthy brownies...for real?

To Sandra in the comments who's gonna lose her marbles because I called something with sugar healthy: while these surely aren't a salad and yes they have some sugar, compared to classic recipes, they...

• have HALF the sugar
• have more heart-healthy fats and less saturated fat
• are made with nutrient dense, brain-boosting ingredients like almond flour anf olive oil versus white flour and butter
• are lower in carbs
• taste as good as regular brownies (!!)

I hope you're as obsessed with these brownies as I am!

I'd be super grateful if you'd take a moment to leave a quick star rating and review below. Comments mean the world to me and your honest feedback helps me to continue to share recipes you'll crave!

Serve with a chilly glass of [almond] milk and praise the brownie gods above.

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