These avocado brownies are egg-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, gluten-free, and lectin-free, and basically made with just three main wholesome ingredients: avocado, hazelnuts, and cacao. They are the perfect sweet treat if you are on a keto diet and love the rich, chocolate taste.
Egg-free, dairy-free, grain-free, sugar-free baking
There is no applesauce, bananas, sweet potato, or other known binders. It worked, and I reached one conclusion: avocado is great for vegan baking. Even my fussy husband loved these avocado brownies, and he is not much into baked stuff.
They taste like dark chocolate. Initially, I made them very dark, but I increased the amount of sweetener to fit all tastes.
There is no flour in this avocado brownie recipe, but I used coarse ground hazelnuts made in the food processor.
100% hazelnut butter is relatively easy to find. Check out my SHOP page for suggestions if you can’t find it in a store near you. Or, you can make it yourself at home, using a food processor.
It would be best if you had a small baking dish for this quantity, about 5 x 7 inches, but you can also double the quantity and make a bigger portion.
This quantity makes 6 generous servings, 5.4 net carbs each, and 7.3 grams of protein.
Ingredients for these chocolate avocado brownies
- coarse hazelnut flour (I used raw hazelnuts I processed in my food processor; alternatively, you can use almond flour)
- ripe avocado
- raw cacao powder (not cocoa powder, which is a more processed version of cacao powder)
- hazelnut butter
- monk fruit (or another granulated sweetener)
- baking powder (which you can also make by mixing baking soda with cream of tartar, in a 1:2 ratio)
- pure vanilla extract
- avocado oil or MCT oil (plus a little more for the dish)
- Himalayan pink salt
- dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate, above 80% cacao (it doesn’t have to be sugar-free if it has less than 2g of sugar per serving, but you can also choose a bar of sugar-free chocolate sweetened with stevia or keto chocolate).
Just a reminder about sweeteners. Some might think that maple syrup, agave syrup, or coconut sugar are better replacements for sugar, but that’s not the case. They are processed by our bodies in the same way as sugar. And agave syrup, which many use as a sugar replacement, is pure fructose, fast absorbed, with a very high glycemic index.
For more information or giving up sugar and better alternatives to sugar, check out our article:
How to make these keto brownies
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 5 x 7 inches baking dish (or something similar) with parchment paper. You can only line the bottom with a piece of paper that is long enough to give you some ‘handles’ when you want to remove the cake from the pan.
Grind the raw hazelnuts in a food processor until you get coarse flour (the brownies had crunch and texture from the bigger pieces of hazelnuts). Take them out and measure one cup.
Add all the ingredients (minus the chocolate chips and the hazelnuts) to the food processor and process until well mixed, but don’t overdo it. You will get a thick paste. Add the hazelnuts and pulse one more time to combine.
Add most of the chocolate chips (keep a few for decoration) and incorporate them with a spatula.
Fill the greased baking dish with the brownie batter, level, and add the rest of the chocolate chips on top.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. It will be soft on top but don’t worry, it will settle once it reaches room temperature. I recommend refrigerating for about an hour before eating.
Other lectin-free brownie recipes
I hope you like these keto avocado brownies. Also, check out my other brownie recipes:
- Hemp Seed Butter Brownies (Vegan, Sugar-Free)
- Sweet Potato Brownie, Vegan, Low-Histamine
- Adzuki Bean Brownies with Olive Oil and Macadamia Nuts
*This post contains affiliated links, which means I get a small commission if you choose to purchase something via one of my links, at no extra cost to you.
Avocado Brownies with Hazelnuts (Keto, Vegan)
These avocado brownies are egg-free, dairy-free, lectin-free, and basically made with just three main wholesome ingredients: avocado, hazelnuts, cacao.
Ingredients
- 1 cup coarse hazelnut flour (I used raw hazelnuts I processed in my food processor)
- 1 1/2 ripe avocado (or two if they are smaller)
- 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
- 3 tablespoons hazelnut butter
- 4 tablespoons monk fruit (or another granulated sweetener)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil/MCT oil (plus a little more for the dish)
- pinch of Himalayan pink salt
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate, above 80% cacao
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 5 x 7 inches baking dish (or something similar) with parchment paper. You can only line the bottom with a piece of paper that is long enough to give you some 'handles' when you want to remove the cake from the pan.
Grind the raw hazelnuts in a food processor until you get coarse flour (the brownies had crunch and texture from the bigger pieces of hazelnuts). Take them out and measure one cup.
Add all the ingredients (minus the chocolate chips and the hazelnuts) to the food processor and process until well mixed, but don't overdo it. You will get a thick paste. Add the hazelnuts and pulse one more time to combine.
Add most of the chocolate chips (keep a few for decoration) and incorporate them with a spatula.
Fill the greased baking dish with the batter, level, and add the rest of the chocolate chips on top.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. It will be soft on top but don't worry, it will settle once cool. Cool completely and I recommend refrigerating for about an hour before eating.
7 Comments
Liz Brumer-Smith
July 7, 2018 at 4:28 amI tried these as our 4th of July dessert. They were a hit dry and ended up being bitter even though I put 2 tablespoons of swerve in. Next time I will put a 1/4 cup and be really careful with my hazelnut flour measurements so it’s not as dry.
Claudia
July 7, 2018 at 5:27 pmHi Liz, regarding the bitterness, yes for some people this might be too bitter, not for anyone who doesn’t enjoy 90% and above chocolate. Regarding the dryness, it can be the size of your avocados too. You can up your avocado oil too. Usually with these type of brownies, if you add a little extra fat it’s not going to ruin the cake, it’ll just make it more moist. So yea, if your avocados run on the small size, maybe just add 2 of them instead of 1 1/2.
Gigi
July 25, 2018 at 6:46 pmHi Claudia, what are your thoughts on switching out the hazelnut butter for almond butter? TIA.
Claudia
July 25, 2018 at 8:15 pmI think it will work well. There is something about hazelnut and cacao that works really well (we all know how good nutella is) but it works with any kind of butter. Taste will slightly differ. I haven’t tried this version yet but have made other brownies with almond butter. Make sure is blanched almond butter if you follow the plant paradox. xx
Sue S.
February 13, 2019 at 9:15 pmFirst of all, you have a great site and am always inspired by your creations. I am at the 6 week mark of the plant paradox and it has been a lot of fun trying new foods and recipes. I made these for Valentine’s Day tomorrow but had to test the product and they are rich and satisfying. I used 2 avocados, tahini, 2 T. Swerve, half hazelnut/pecan flour and Lilly’s 55% stevia sweetened mini chips. They are almost moouse like, they may needed longer due to the extra avocado, but honestly I would make them again the same way or enjoy tweaking the recipe another way. I am writing this recipe down to keep it handy. Thank you for sharing and supporting others on a healthful journey.
Claudia
September 17, 2019 at 7:18 amHi Claudia, just wondering if the chocolate chips are 1/3 cup or 1/3 package?
Thank you! 🙂
Claudia
September 18, 2019 at 2:41 pmHi Claudia, 1/3 cup! Thanks for bringing this to my attention, fixed it now xx