Fudgy Oat Flour Brownies Recipe: Easy & Gluten-Free
Attention chocolate lovers – these oat flour brownies are for you! They're the thickest brownies ever and bake up super moist and fudgy. To make them even more rich and chocolatey, they are full of delicious, dairy free chocolate chunks.
This recipe is a little different than a traditional fudgy brownie recipe or even these flourless brownies, because it uses melted butter and involves dissolving the granulated sugar into the butter. Both of these things help keep these oat flour brownies incredibly soft and moist. It is sure to be your new go-to brownie recipe!
Hungry for more oat flour recipes? Check out these oat flour biscuits, this oatmeal bread and this oat flour banana bread.
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Fudgy Oat Flour Brownies at a Glance
I love these oat flour brownies because they are the perfect balance between cakey and fudgy. Made with simple ingredients, here are a few more great things about this recipe:
- It’s perfect to satisfy your chocolate craving (chocolate fans, also check out these chocolate chip cookies!)
- It can be made with store-bought or homemade oat flour
- The batter only needs to rest for 10 minutes
- It’s both gluten and dairy free
- It makes 12 super thick brownies
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Vegan butter - This recipe was tested using Earth Balance vegan butter. Regular butter also works well for these brownies. Coconut oil may be another good dairy free substitution, however, it has not been tested in this recipe.
- Granulated sugar - White sugar was used in this recipe. Other sugar options include: coconut sugar, cane sugar, or a sugar substitute like Swerve sweetener. I would not recommend a liquid sweetener as it would change the balance of the brownie batter.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder - I use Hershey’s brand cocoa powder. Genuine cacao powder may be used as well. I would not recommend any substitutions in this recipe.
- Pure vanilla extract - This recipe was tested with Simply Organic pure vanilla, but any high-quality vanilla extract will work great.
- Eggs - Because oat flour tends to be more crumbly, the eggs are needed to act as a binder in these brownies. An acceptable egg replacer would be flax eggs or chia eggs.
- Oat flour - I use Bob’s Red Mill certified gluten free oats to grind my own oat flour. Any store-bought or homemade certified gluten free oat flour can be used in this recipe. Reference the section on grinding oat flour below.
- Flax seed - Flax seeds also act as a binder in this recipe. They can be substituted with chia seeds if desired. Find out more about chia and flax seed in this article.
- Baking soda - There are no substitutions for baking soda in this recipe.
- Espresso powder - There are no substitutions for espresso powder in this recipe, however, it can be left out if needed.
- Salt - There are no substitutions for salt in this recipe.
- Dairy free chocolate chunks - The Enjoy Life brand of semi-sweet chocolate chips work very well in this recipe. They're delicious and no one will ever guess they're dairy free!
Measurements for each ingredient, along with instructions for making these oat brownies are in the recipe card below.
Step-by-Step to the Best Gluten-Free Brownies
Mixing up the batter for these gluten free oat flour brownies can be easily done in about 20 minutes. First, add the butter to a medium saucepan and heat on medium low until melted (step 1 above).
Add the granulated sugar to the melted butter and stir over low heat until dissolved, about 30 seconds (step 2). Then, remove the mixture from the heat and add the cocoa powder. Whisk until fully combined (step 3).
Next, add the rest of the wet ingredients - vanilla extract, then the eggs, one at a time, whisking between the addition of each egg until completely incorporated (step 4). Scrape the chocolate mixture into a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients - oat flour, flax seeds, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt - to the bowl and use a sturdy spoon to stir the mixture together for 1 minute (step 5).
Finally, mix in the chocolate chunks (step 6) and then let the batter rest for 10 minutes before adding to the pan and baking.
Baking & Serving
Once it's done resting, scrape the batter into a greased 8” x 8” baking pan. Bake the brownies at 350°F for 35-42 minutes – you can use a toothpick to test doneness. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for 30 minutes before cutting and serving.
Storage Tips
These fudgy brownies are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They will last for two days if wrapped well. For longer storage, freeze individual brownies and defrost in the microwave for 30 seconds-1 minute each.
Add-ins
These oatmeal brownies are fantastic as they are, but if you want to add a little more to them, feel free to add-in one of the following:
- Dark chocolate chips
- Peanut butter chips
- Chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans
- Or, serve baked pieces with a scoop of ice cream!
How to Grind Oats for Oat flour
Although certified gluten-free oat flour can typically be found in a grocery store, it can easily be made at home as well.
Oat flour recipe:
- Measure the amount of gluten-free oats (rolled oats or quick oats are fine)
- Add them to a food processor or high-speed blender
- Blend for 5-7 minutes, stopping to shake or scrape as needed
- Use oat flour as directed
Note: There may be small particles of oat left even after a thorough blend. Those particles can be sifted out using a regular hand sifter.
💭Pro Tips for Making the Perfect Brownies
Because gluten free baking can be a bit tricky, there are some important things to consider when making this recipe. Here are a few baking tips to guarantee your oat flour brownies turn out perfect every time.
1. Measure by weight
Using a digital kitchen scale to measure the ingredients by weight is the best method of measurement in gluten free baking. This is a vital step in this recipe because it ensures the ingredients are measured accurately. More on why that's so important here.
2. Heat the specified ingredients on a stovetop
In this recipe, the butter is melted on a stovetop and is used to dissolve the sugar. The cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and eggs are then mixed in to the warm butter mixture. This process keeps the brownies moist and fudgy and helps bring out the rich chocolate flavor. Note that the butter and eggs do not need to be at room temperature since they are heated in this recipe.
3. Use a sturdy spoon to mix
To make mixing a little easier, you will want to use a very sturdy spoon when combining the dry ingredients with the liquid cocoa mixture. Because it will be on the thicker side, it may be slightly difficult to stir.
4. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes
Giving the batter time to rest before baking allows the dry ingredients to fully absorb the liquid ingredients. It also gives your brownies the perfect soft texture!
5. Cool the brownies for 30 minutes after baking
After pulling your brownies out of the oven, let them cool for about 30 minutes to set up before cutting into them or else they may be a bit crumbly or fall apart.
6. Helpful tools
These tools will help you to effortlessly prep your oat flour brownies:
- Digital scale
- Medium saucepan
- Sturdy spoon
- Whisk
- Large mixing bowl
- 8” x 8” baking pan
Oat Flour Brownie Recipe FAQs
Once baked and cooled, these brownies can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to two days. For longer storage, wrap brownies individually and freeze.
Any certified gluten free rolled oats work great for homemade oat flour.
The espresso powder enhances the chocolate flavor of these brownies to make them even more rich and flavorful.
More Gluten-Free Recipes
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Recipe
Oat Flour Brownies (Dairy Free)
Ingredients
Method
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat until melted.
- Add the granulated sugar and stir over low heat to dissolve, about 30 seconds.
- Remove from the heat and add the cocoa powder. Whisk or stir to combine.
- Add the vanilla extract and 1 egg. Whisk until egg is completely combined.
- Add second egg and whisk. Add third egg and whisk until completely incorporated.
- Scrape the chocolate mixture into a large bowl.
- Add oat flour, flax seeds, baking soda, espresso powder and salt in large bowl. Use a sturdy spoon to stir mixture together for 1 minute.
- Stir in chocolate chunks. Set batter aside while oven heats.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray an 8" x 8" baking pan with cooking spray.
- After a 10 minute rest time, scrape batter into the baking pan and bake for 35-42 minutes or until a toothpick tests done.
- Let brownies cool for 30 minutes before cutting.
Video
Notes
- Make sure to measure the ingredients by weight.
- The flour and other dry ingredients should be at room temperature. Eggs and butter are heated on the stove, so they do not need to be at room temperature.
- Unlike most gluten free recipes, the batter only needs to rest for 10 minutes.
- Be sure to let the brownies cool for 30 minutes, otherwise they may crumble when trying to take them out of the pan.
- The Enjoy Life brand of dairy free chocolate chunks was used in the recipe.
I used Country Crock margerine, and two t. of flaxmeal (I was out of flax seeds), but these turned out very dry and crumbly. My family ate them, but it reminded me more of oatmeal with chocolate than a brownie. Perhaps I need to make my oatmeal flour finer or use different dairy free butter?
Hi Linnea,
Oh goodness, they should definitely not be dry and crumbly. Did you measure the ingredients by weight? Some times when GF baked goods are dry it's due to too much flour or dry ingredients. Let me know, these are spectacular brownies and I would love for you all to enjoy them!
Christine
I appreciate a healthy recipe for something sweet. Your directions and alternate ingredient ideas were well described. Oats are so good for us. I have gotten used to almond milk, and finding alternatives to unhealthy foods like bacon ( I use turkey sausage) and sugar loaded caffeinated drinks so use Bubble. Do you know of a tasty goat cheese?
Hi Nancy,
Thank you for the kind words. I appreciate that!
I have not found a dairy free sub for goat's milk. If I find one I will definitely share it.
Thank you!
Christine
Looks yummy! I like that it uses oat flour and flax seeds for extra fiber.
Can flaxseed meal substitute for the flax seeds? Or should I use the chia seeds substitute instead?
Hi Jo,
Thanks for asking! So flaxseed meal works great - use that.
~Christine