This Peanut Butter Swirl Brownie recipe is gooey, fudgey, and you’ll never believe it--low carb and gluten-free. Moist and chocolatey, these keto brownies are swirled with peanut butter for a decadent, rich dessert without all the sugar and carbs. This delicious chocolate dessert can also be made paleo and dairy-free with a few quick swaps.
Best Peanut Butter Brownie Recipe - Keto, Low Carb, LCHF, Grain-free, Gluten-free, Sugar-free, Paleo, Dairy-free
I’m not exaggerating when I saw these are the world’s BEST keto brownies. Moist, chewy, fudgey and utterly decadent, these are one of those low carb desserts that no one will ever believe is sugar-free and gluten-free. With a swirl of peanut butter, these can’t be beat. My husband and son will actually eat them without complaint, and these low carb peanut butter swirl brownies just disappear from the pan faster than I’d like to admit!
Not only are these keto peanut butter brownies delicious, they can easily be made dairy-free or paleo friendly. With a few quick swaps, you have a delicious paleo dessert that is also low carb. Some dairy-free desserts don’t turn out, but this low carb brownie recipe is one that works with or without dairy. See the recipe adaptations below for more directions on how to make this recipe work for any body.
I love chocolate and peanut butter as a dessert combination that I’m constantly inventing ways to incorporate it in my recipes and low carb dessert adaptations. Once you’ve mastered these delicious peanut butter swirl brownies, try my No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie or Keto Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse.
How to Make Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
Ingredient Notes
This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Almond Flour. This keto peanut butter brownie recipe is naturally gluten-free because of the use of a nut flour. This recipe is best with a super fine blanched almond flour. Using almond meal will result in a very dense, crumbly, and dry bread. I personally use Kirkland brand (Costco), but Bob’s Red Mill is also fantastic!
Sweetener. For this peanut butter brownie recipe, I’ve provided directions for sugar-free and conventional sweeteners. Select what works for your dietary needs.
Sugar-free sweeteners are not created equal. Some people cannot stand the cooling sensation that comes with erythritol. I find that that varies even amongst different brands. Swerve is great and readily available, but for me, it probably has a medium level when it comes to the cooling effect. Sukrin, while harder to find, has the least. But it’s all down to personal taste here. You can easily use monkfruit too, or a stevia baking blend. Just keep in mind that some of these are sweeter than others, so you may have to adjust the amount used to suit your tastes.
If you’re not concerned about keeping the recipe sugar-free, you can easily swap out coconut sugar or organic evaporated cane juice for this gluten-free peanut butter brownie recipe. Coconut sugar is not quite as sweet as sugar-free sweeteners, so I would suggest using ¾ cup instead.
Peanut Butter. For this brownie recipe, use creamy, natural peanut butter to ensure that you are watching the added sugar content. If you don’t do peanuts, you can easily swap this out for almond butter. Again, opt for creamy almond butter instead of crunchy.
Dark Chocolate. Dark chocolate with a cocoa percentage of 65 to 85 is typically used in baking given its bittersweet taste. Anything lower than that will contain milk solids and won’t keep your brownies dairy-free. I suggest a high-quality, organic chocolate like Theo's (made here in Seattle!) instead of Hersheys or baking chips. However, those will work in a pinch, but you get an incredible flavor in these brownies from good quality chocolate that can’t be beat. If you need to keep this sugar-free, opt for a high percentage like 85 or 92% or look for Lily’s Dark Chocolate at the store or online.
Directions
To make this low carb peanut butter brownie recipe,
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8x8 inch pan with butter or neutral-tasting oil and line with parchment paper.
In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter (or coconut oil) and chocolate for 30 seconds to 1 minute until melted and stir to combine. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
While chocolate is cooling, prepare peanut butter swirl. Combine peanut butter and butter (or coconut oil) in a large microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds to 1 minutes until butter is melted and peanut butter is soft. Stir to combine. Mix in powdered sweetener and vanilla. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs, sweetener, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Whisk in cooled chocolate. Gently whisk in dry ingredients until just mixed through (avoid over-mixing as batter will become cakey and tough).
Transfer batter into a baking dish. Top with spoonfuls of peanut butter mixture and use a knife to swirl through the batter. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out moist, but not wet. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan to a cooling rack. Allow gluten-free peanut butter brownies to come to room temperature before slicing.
Tips, Tricks, and FAQs
How do I melt chocolate without it getting hard and grainy? This is called seizing. Seizing occurs when you add moisture to chocolate which results in a hardy, grainy, lumpy mess. To melt the chocolate for this keto peanut butter brownie recipe, you have two options. The easiest is using the microwave. Add the chocolate and butter to a medium, microwave-safe bowl and heat in 10-15 second increments, stirring between each. If that option isn’t available to you, use the double-boiler method, which is heating the chocolate over a water bath.
How to Serve and Store Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
Allow the peanut butter swirl brownies to cool for 10 minutes before lifting and removing from the pan. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow the brownies to cool to room temperature before slicing. Almond flour baked goods are very crumbly until fully cooled. Slice and serve.
Store any leftover low carb brownies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. These brownies can be portioned and frozen as well. Individually wrap with cling wrap and place into an airtight freezer bag. Grab a brownie, let it defrost, rewarm it in the microwave for 15 seconds, and enjoy.
These keto brownies are delicious on their own, with a scoop of sugar-free vanilla ice cream, or alongside a fun toasty beverage like a Cinnamon Dolce Latte.
Healthy Variations for Any Body
This healthy peanut butter swirl brownie recipe is easily adapted to fit other diets or flavors.
Dairy-free: Use coconut oil or vegan butter and 85% or higher dark chocolate
Paleo: Use coconut oil, 85% or higher dark chocolate (or paleo chocolate if you can find it), coconut sugar as the sweetener; use natural, creamy almond butter in place of peanut butter
Optional add-ins: Stir in ½ cup of sugar-free chocolate chips or nuts of your choice into the batter after it is completely mixed. Bake as directed.
Other Low Carb Keto Chocolate Dessert Recipes you’ll love
- Keto Chocolate Lava Cake for Two
- Mexican Hot Chocolate Pudding
- Sex in a Pan Dessert
- Death by Chocolate Cake
Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
This Peanut Butter Swirl Brownie recipe is gooey, fudgey, and you’ll never believe it--low carb and gluten-free. Moist and chocolatey, these keto brownies are swirled with peanut butter for a decadent, rich dessert without all the sugar and carbs. This delicious chocolate dessert can also be made paleo and dairy-free with a few quick swaps.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter (coconut oil for dairy-free)
- 2 ounces dark chocolate (85% or higher)
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2/3 - 3/4 cup sweetener (see notes)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Peanut Butter Swirl
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 4 tbsp butter (coconut oil for dairy-free)
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup powdered sweetener
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8x8 inch pan with butter or neutral-tasting oil and line with parchment paper.
In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter (or coconut oil) and chocolate for 30 seconds to 1 minute until melted and stir to combine. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
While chocolate is cooling, prepare peanut butter swirl. Combine peanut butter and butter (or coconut oil) in a large microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds to 1 minutes until butter is melted and peanut butter is soft. Stir to combine. Mix in powdered sweetener and vanilla. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs, sweetener, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Whisk in cooled chocolate. Gently whisk in dry ingredients until just mixed through (avoid over-mixing as batter will become cakey and tough).
Transfer batter into a baking dish. Top with spoonfuls of peanut butter mixture and use a knife to swirl through the batter. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out moist, but not wet. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan to a cooling rack. Allow brownies to come to room temperature before slicing.
Notes
Sugar-free sweeteners use 2/3 cup; for conventional sugar or coconut sugar use 3/4 cup
Sugar-free powdered sweeteners use 1/3 cup; for conventional powdered sugar use 1/2 cup
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 186Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 104mgCarbohydrates: 3gNet Carbohydrates: 1gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 5g
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and calculated to the best of my ability using online databases. It is suggested that you perform your own check to ensure that a recipe fits within the scope of your dietary needs.
Pin it for Later!
Did you make this recipe? Let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and make sure to join the @noshinandnumnums community on instagram or facebook and tag me in your cooking pictures!
Want more recipes? Join my mailing list or subscribe by RSS to keep up with new posts. You can also find me and my collection on Pinterest.
Noshin' & Num Nums is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Leave a Reply