Gluten-Free Strawberry Brownies with Chocolate Frosting
These easy Strawberry Brownies are gluten-free and made with almond flour. Baked in an 8-by-8-inch baking pan, the brownies are topped with diced, fresh strawberries and a deliciously smooth chocolate layer made from coconut oil, cocoa powder, and maple syrup. For best results, refrigerate the brownies for 1 hour before serving. Paleo-friendly.
I remember when my sister first asked me to try baking healthier gluten-free dessert recipes for her. When I was first learning how to bake eight years ago, it coincided with her discovering her intolerance to gluten. She would come into the kitchen and scoff at me for putting sugar and all-purpose flour into something. She was constantly begging me to please figure out how to make things delicious without all the sugar and gluten that I normally used. I heavily resisted, and for a long while, I held on to skepticism. Finally, my dad decided to try going gluten-free, and I acquiesced. So, the experiments began!
My first trials were definitely not successful. It took a lot of trial and error to figure out which flours I preferred to work with and their idiosyncrasies. Turns out, lots of gluten-free flours just bake differently than working with traditional all-purpose flour. I realized that my favorites in the gluten-free flour world – almond, coconut, and tapioca – are all Paleo-friendly as well!
As I experimented, I became genuinely surprised by how close I could get the taste of old faves into gluten-free + refined sugar-free versions. These Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies and Vegan and Gluten-Free Brownies have become staples in my home. I love to make them for my family, but they’re also recipes I can make for a crowd of people who normally eat gluten and not have one person complain (or really even notice) that they “taste healthy.” So, I started making all sorts of easy paleo recipes!
Even though I know exactly what goes into each of my recipes, sometimes I take a bite of a healthier gluten-free/refined sugar-free/paleo treat and I surprise myself! That totally happened with these chocolate-covered strawberry brownies. Who knew I would end up writing an entire cookbook of gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free recipes! Now, let’s get into some commonly asked questions about gluten-free brownies, and what makes these particular brownies so dang good.
Are boxed brownie mixes gluten-free?
Unfortunately, most boxed brownie mixes we know and love, like the Ghiradelli brownie mixes, are not gluten-free. Making a good gluten-free brownie can be tricky, but this one has all the things we want in a good brownie: rich, chocolatey, and fudgy, and thankfully, they’re not too hard to make either!
How do you make brownies moist?
It’s all in the chemistry! To make these gluten-free brownies moist, we make them with only 1/2 cup of almond flour. This keeps them from becoming overly dry because the almond flour has fat in it, which helps keep the gluten-free brownies nice and soft. If you follow the recipe, you’ll have perfectly moist and fudgy almond flour brownies.
What else makes these paleo brownies great?
We sweeten them with coconut sugar, keeping them refined sugar-free and bringing in the delicious caramelly taste that coconut sugar adds. Also, these brownies only use cacao powder for their rich chocolate flavor! There is no need to search for low sugar/high cocoa chocolate.
As for that gorgeous chocolate strawberry topping? We sprinkle fresh strawberries over the baked brownies. Then, we top that off with a mixture of coconut oil, cocoa powder, and maple syrup. After refrigerating, it firms up to create a deliciously smooth chocolate layer. It makes for the most fabulous strawberry brownies you’ve ever tried!
You’ve got to try these chocolate-covered strawberry brownies! They’re seriously perfect as a Valentine’s Day dessert, or whenever you have some gorgeous strawberries to use up. They’re so fudgy, and the freshness of the strawberries is the perfect thing to cut through the richness of the chocolate. You won’t believe these are gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and Paleo – promise! Enjoy :)
Want more delicious brownie recipes?
- Salted Almond Brownies
- The Best Fudgy Vegan Brownies
- Cookie Dough Brownies
- Ultimate Gluten-Free Fudge Brownies
Craving more strawberry recipes?
- Strawberry Chocolate Tart
- No-Bake Strawberry Lemonade Tarts
- Strawberry Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Bars
- Chocolate Strawberry Fudge
Gluten-Free Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Brownies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 16 brownies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These Paleo Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Brownies are a swoon-worthy gluten-free treat. You won’t believe how delicious this easy paleo brownie recipe is!
Ingredients
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (130g) coconut oil
- 1¼ cups (212g) coconut sugar
- ¾ cups + 2 tablespoons (70g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup (48g) blanched almond flour
- 1 cup (6 ounces) dark chocolate chunks, optional
For the chocolate topping
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, diced
- ⅓ cup (67g) coconut oil
- ⅓ cup (28g) cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons (42g) maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil leaving overhang on the sides, spray with cooking spray; set pan aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine coconut oil, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and heat on high power to melt, about 45 seconds. Stop to stir, and heat in 10-second bursts until mixture has melted and can be stirred smooth (mine took 45 seconds + 15 seconds). Whisk for about 30 seconds to help dissolve the coconut sugar into the oil.
- Add the vanilla, eggs, and stir vigorously until batter is thick, shiny, and well blended. Add the almond flour and stir until combined. Stir in the chocolate chunks. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Bake until a toothpick in the center emerges slightly moist with batter, about 22-25 minutes. Check with a toothpick – it should come out with moist crumbs attached. Don’t over bake! Let brownies cool completely.
- Spread the strawberries evenly over the brownies. In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, cocoa powder, and maple syrup. Pour evenly over the strawberries. Refrigerate for at least 1 hours before cutting into 16 squares.
- Brownies will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Paleo brownies are the BEST! I seriously think I love them even more than regular brownies! And case-in-point here. WHOA! I don’t think I’m gonna be able to stop drooling anytime soon because these gorgeous babies are UNREAL! Love all that strawberry goodness!
Thanks so much, Sarah!!
These brownies are GORGEOUS, Rachel! Seriously, I want to reach through my screen and grab some. I’ve never seen a strawberry version quite like this! I absolutely love these! So pretty!!
These are beautiful, and sound amazingly delicious! I love how the frosting is literally strawberries covered in chocolate.
Coconut sugar is just the best! Totally loving these brownies :) Pinning!
Pinned! I absolutely can’t wait to try these, Rachel!!
These are so pretty Rachel; the contrast of the strawberries on the chocolate is fabulous…. I’m thinking Valentine’s day! I want to use coconut sugar more in my baking.. so I’m looking forward to doing a bit of experimenting. Thank you for your motivation my dear!
You out-do yourself every single time :)
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These brownies are perfect in every way shape and form! They look super fudgey and full of chocolate strawberry goodness! LOVE THEM
These look amazing! I LOVE that there’s nothing processed in them, and they look completely and utterly delicious! Keep posting these great recipes! :D
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That strawberry and chocolate combination just looks HEAVENLY, Rachel! I can’t believe they are so healthy either – so excited to give them a go (also glad you have done all the experimenting with different flours so I can just get on and make them haha!). Seriously gorgeous <3
Thanks for introducing me to coconut sugar…I’ve never heard of it. These are so sweet looking, Rachel! A perfect Valentine’s Day treat! I love your dedication to your family, my friend… beautiful!
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Wow, that looks simply ridiculous, especially the strawberries on top, they add an amazingly gorgeous touch! Never seen anything like it before. Would like to make that soon.
One point though, since you are adding coconut sugar, I don’t think you can call it refined sugar free or paleo. If you were adding honey or pure unrefined coconut sap/nectar, sure, but coconut sugar is still a processed industrial product/sugar. People in the paleo era would have used coconut sap if they came across it, but they wouldn’t have made sugar out of it.
Another counterpoint is that weight by weight, coconut sugar has the same amount of sugar/calories as refined white sugar. Yes, it has some minerals, but only in trace quantities. Actually coconut sugar is analogous to unrefined cane sugar (turbinado, demerara, sucanat), as they are both dried plant juices. And if unrefined cane sugar is *not paleo* and is nutritionally considered a “refined sugar”, so is the case with coconut sugar, maple sugar, or other crystallized plant juices or saps.
Would appreciate your thoughts.
You sound like a fun person to have at parties
coconut sugar is Paleo, you can look it up.
I need these brownies like yesterday!! I love the combo of chocolate and fresh strawberries and these are healthy so I can eat the whole pan by myself :) Well, I guess I can share since I’ll make them for Valentines Day for me and Hubby.
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Man oh man those brownies look amazing. And you make paleo look so easy. I need to try these asap! Love all that gooey chocolate-ness. Yum!
These are SO beautiful, Rachel! I love that your family inspired you to make healthier treats :) My niece & sister-in-law found out they were gluten intolerant 5 years ago and it inspired me to learn more about gf baking then too. These would be a hit with everyone though! I love the strawberries!
This looks just amazing. I love a good healthy brownie recipe. Especially ones that look as moist as this one. I will have to get some strawberries and try this.
First of all, what the hell is “paleo”. Secondly i’m annoyed that buzzfeed shared this because it looks great, but to make it I’m required to go buy a bunch of weird gluten free ingredients that definitely won’t be at my local store, instead of just using stuff I already have in my cupboard. Guess i’ll have to look elsewhere for something similar.
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Hi Charlie, Paleo is a specific type of diet that eliminates grains and refined sugars (as well as a bunch of other stuff, but it get’s complicated so I won’t get into it). If you want to make these brownies in their full chocolatey caloric form, you can use your favorite brownie recipe and just do the strawberry/chocolate topping – you’ll get the same delicious chocolate covered strawberry flavor! I’m leaving my favorite brownie recipe with the chocolate strawberry topping added below in case you want to try that. Enjoy!
6 oz. dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter
¾ cup (5¼ oz.) granulated sugar
¼ cup (2 oz.) light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
⅔ cup (2¾ oz.) all-purpose flour
For the chocolate strawberry topping
1 cup fresh strawberries, diced
⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
⅓ cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line with parchment and lightly grease an 8×8” baking pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.
Put the chocolate and butter in a large glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir, and repeat until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined.
Add 2 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Add the vanilla and stir.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached. Let cool.
Spread the strawberries evenly over the brownies. In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, cocoa powder, and maple syrup. Pour evenly over the strawberries. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting into 16 squares.
Can the coconut oil be substituted for any other vegetable oils?
Hi Miriam, I’d recommend butter instead of coconut oil if you’re going to substitute – I haven’t tried it with vegetable oil so I’m not sure if it’d work.
Yes, I’m curious if anyone has tried butter/trans-fat free margarine. As a dietitian, I cannot hop on board the coconut oil fad since 14 of the 15 grams per serving are saturated and therefore, not heart healthy.
Hi Jamie, you could definitely use butter instead of the coconut oil if you prefer.
Ha Charlie is a hoot! I was kind of wondering the same thing. I only wrote down the topping, I figured I would my own brownie mix.
Rachel, you must have a lot of patience! LOL have a great day.
I know this is getting lots of compliments on looks but I tried to make this 2 times with just the paleo ingredients and came out completely different. What did you use to make it rise? The second time I made this it was with baking soda and that has little effect. Both times it came out oily and I didn’t even use the 2 tlbs added to the 1/2 C.
Hi Jessica, sorry you’re having trouble! I usually don’t use leaveners in my brownie recipes because it keeps them fudgy. These are definitely fudge brownies, if you’re looking for something cakey these aren’t for you. How did they come out differently each time? Did you use different brands of ingredients? Unfortunately, because I wasn’t in the kitchen with you, it’s hard for my to say why it didn’t work. Feel free to send me an email if you want to discuss further!
Love how the strawberries look on the chocolate. I just had my daughter look over my shoulder saying, “I want these, I want these”!!! So they’re a hit here I guess! :)
I’m not sure what I did wrong, but my brownies came out really oily on top? It’s like the coconut oil didn’t completely mix in?? Any help??
How odd! Did the oil seem fully incorporated when you mixed it in, or did the batter seem oily? I’ve made these brownies a number of times and haven’t anything similar to that happen. Unfortunately without being there with you, it’s hard to say what went wrong. The oil should have incorporated smoothly into the batter when you mixed in the eggs.
I just made them and mine also came out swimming in the oil. They have cooled now and I have put them in the fridge to solidify further. I think next time I will use less coconut oil and coconut flour instead of almond.
Hi Carol – sorry to hear you had issues! I’ll do more testing with this recipe to see if I can replicate the problem and see what’s causing it.
This recipe is amazing, I just made it with my sister earlier this evening. At first she was skeptical to try it because it was gluten-free but the brownies won her over! This will definitely be one of my go-to recipes.
Asha
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!! I love hearing about converts :)
Can you use just coconut flour? I have adverse reactions to almond flour…..
Hi Adele. Coconut flour is much more absorbent than almond flour and doesn’t substitute well for it. You could use another nut flour or sunflower seed flour in it’s place, or if you want to use coconut flour, I’d recommend finding a brownie recipe that uses coconut flour and just adding the chocolate strawberry topping. I hope this helps!
I used coconut flour and they turned out perfectly! (Same amount)
That’s great to know – thanks for sharing, Shanelle!
I made these today and they are awesome!! Very rich and decadent for sure. Everyone loved them :)
So glad they were a hit, Michelle!
I love chocolate and strawberry combination. What can you substitute for eggs, coconut and almond items? I am allergic to them all.
Hi Beth. I haven’t tried making these brownies any way except how the recipe is written, but here’s a few suggestions you could try. In place of the eggs, I would try using flax eggs. For the coconut oil, you can substitute unsalted butter. For the coconut sugar, any granulated sugar would work – if you eat refined sugars, you could do 3/4 cup light brown sugar + 1/2 cup white, or sub in maple or date sugar. For the almond flour, I would recommend another nut flour, like hazelnut. Oat flour might would too. Again, none of these are tested. Good luck! I’d love to hear how they turn out.
Holy fudgy-ness!!! These are so rich being Paleo I needed a glass of milk or water afterwards! These were delicious though! Thank you!!!
Hi Rachel,
So I love these brownies, I have been making them without the strawberry topping just as regular brownies, but now I am supposed to only use honey as a sweetener. I was wondering if you could tell me how to sub honey for the coconut sugar, or if you could create a brownie recipe that uses only honey for the sweetener and is similar to this grain free recipe? I am scared to try it on my own and waste ingredients. Almond flour is like gold, lol! Should I sub the honey for the coconut sugar by weight?
thanks,
Robin
Hi Robin. I’m so glad you’re enjoying the brownies! I haven’t tried making these brownies with honey (or just a liquid sweetener) so I can’t confidently give you a recommendation as to how to substitute it and still get the same texture – I do know that subbing 1 1/4 cups of liquid sweetener for a granulated sweetener would definitely mess with the texture though. I can put a honey-sweetened brownie on my recipe to-do list for sure, but I just moved so it might be a little while before I get a recipe perfected. My apologies I can’t be more helpful at the moment!
These look amazing! Have you had any success making these with coconut flour? I’m allergic to nuts so almond flour is a no-go for me. I’m curious to find out if you’ve had success. :)
Hi Betsy – I haven’t tried it, and since coconut flour performs pretty differently than almond flour, I think a unique brownie recipe using coconut flour specifically would be a better bet. I’ll definitely add that to my list of recipes to develop, but in the meantime, you can find a different basic brownie recipe online using coconut flour and use the topping I used here on top! :)
Hi Rachel, I’m having a problem with the sugar dissolving, I know you used cocount sugar, and I’m using orangic sugar. The problem is the sugar isn’t dissolving. Does it matter if the sugar dissolves?
Hi Natasha. Do you mean in the brownies themselves? It doesn’t need to be completely dissolved because it will dissolve when the brownies bake, but the batter should come together and be smooth! Hope this helps.
Heavenly! Hubby who is trying to steer of sweets ate half the cake, I found the rest of fam fighting over who had the biggest piece before and who should have the last one…I think I might have had about a corner of it. Awesome recipe! Thank you!
That’s what I like to hear!! So glad that your whole family enjoyed the brownies so much, Ezra!
Someone may have already asked this, but do you think I could use rice, tapioca, or coconut flour in place of the almond flour? I have a nut allergy *womp womp* Thank you!
Hi Caitlin. I wouldn’t recommend coconut flour since it’s much more absorbent than almond flour. I haven’t worked a lot with rice flour, but from what I know about it, it should work. I wouldn’t recommend all tapioca flour, but you could use part tapioca flour and part rice flour. Because I haven’t tried it, I can’t guarantee the outcome of any of the these changes. Let me know what you end up trying, and how it works. Good luck!
These are so yummy! Do you have any idea what the nutrition facts are? Thanks for the recipe!!
Hi Julia – so glad you like them! The recipe card has been updated to include the nutritional info.
Thank you!!! You’re quick too!
Looks very yummy! Just one question: can you use frozen/thawed strawberries?
Hi Dana – it won’t have quite the same texture as fresh strawberries, but thawed strawberries should work. Just make sure your fully thaw and drain them so the brownies don’t get soggy. Enjoy!
Hi,
this receipe sounds awesom. I definitely will give them a try next time!!
Can you recommend how to make these beauties vegan?
Thx!
Laura
Hi Laura, you could use flax eggs here and I think they’d be just fine :) enjoy!
I’m thinking Ghee might be a healthier alternative to either butter or coconut oil. Also have you considered making these with Cacao powder rather than Cocoa powder, it would boost the nutritional benefits.
Hi Alexis, cacao and cocoa powder can be used interchangeably, so feel free to use it if that’s what you’d prefer. Ghee could also be used if you like.
Hi Rachel, Can not wait to make them. One question regarding the Nutrition Facts, I guess when you put Serving Size 1 g you mean 1 square of 16 squares of the whole recipe? Only asking because Im counting macros.
Please advise
Thank you
Whoops, yes, the nutrition facts are for 1/16th of the recipe!
Where are the nutrition facts? I was looking for at least calories per serving. These are so delicious and an often requested favorite at our house. Thank you!!
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Hi Melissa, I don’t include calorie counts for dessert recipes on my website for a variety of reasons, but you can always calculate yourself on one of the many nutrition calculators out there. So glad you’re enjoying the recipe!
Hi! Just made these and they look gorgeous! Only problem is they aren’t thick brownies like the images you have!!! They are very thin like brownie or cookie skillet. Do you know why? I have been baking Paleo for over 5 years now and followed the recipe to the t!. I want thick fudgy brownies!!!
Hi Sarina, I’m guessing your pan was bigger than the one I used! That’s the only explanation for why the brownies would be a little thinner if you followed the recipe exactly! Id’ try using a smaller pan next time.
Hi, Rachel thank you for this wonderful recipe cant wait to make them ..but could you please tell me the recipe in grams, please.many many thanks from Korea!
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Hi Donny, the recipe has been updated with gram measurements. Hope this helps!
This looks amazing but I don’t have any almond flour. Is it okay to use regular flour?
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It hasn’t been tested that way, but usually regular flour will work in place of almond flour. Enjoy!!
Hi Rachel,
I tried this recipe and absolutely loved it!
I want to make it again though and I had 2 questions:
1) After refrigerating the brownies, I noticed a white layer around the edges of the brownies, I’m assuming this is the frozen coconut oil. Is there any way to avoid this?
2) Not sure during which step to add the chocolate chunks so that they look like in the photos haha, I couldn’t find this in the recipe. Could you advise?
Thanks for the amazing recipe <3
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Hi Albesa! So glad you’re loving the recipe. For the coconut oil, I’m guessing the chocolate layer separated a bit. Make sure it’s super well mixed and incorporated together before pouring it over the brownies. Sometimes letting it partially cool on the counter and stirring every so often helps integrate everything, and then pour when it’s lukewarm. Also, I added when to add the chocolate to the recipe!! Hope this helps :D
These have become a crowd favorite over the last few years (with or without the strawberries)! Thank you very much.
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Wonderful!! So glad you love them, Lynne.
I have probably responded before, but I must say again…these are my go-to, often-requested treat. Delicious no matter what your diet preferences/restrictions. And they look pretty, too! Thank you for this recipe.
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Thanks so much Lynne, so glad to hear you’re loving them!!
This recipe was REALLY GOOD! I don’t think I made any substitutions. My dairy free, refined sugar chocolate bar had almond bits in it so the brownies ended up having bits of almond but that’s the only difference. The recipe was very rich and chocolate-y, in a good way. You only need small squares because they’re very rich. One complaint is that I felt the time/temp was not accurate and maybe needs adjusting. I cooked for 22 mins and checked and the brownies were bubbling but still very wet looking and wet when I checked with a toothpick. Put in for a further 5 mins and they looked the same and toothpick still didn’t come up clean. Another 5 mins and I checked again and still same but I thought by this time I should just take them out. I was right. I had overcooked them I think, quite a bit. They came out really good and kind of more chocolate-y than brownie texture (after being in the fridge, of course) but no one was complaining. I would make them again cuz they are easy and yummy and next time I will only cook 25 mins and see how they turn out
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Glad you enjoyed them! Every oven bakes differently, so sometimes things can be a little bit different for each person’s experience. I’ll test these again soon though to double-check time and temp :)