Deep Dish Keto Brownies with Allulose

I've made a lot of keto brownies, but this recipe for Deep Dish Keto Brownies with Allulose is still at the top of my list. It makes big, thick, fudgy brownies that do not have an artificial sugar aftertaste thanks to the allulose. It's quickly becoming my favorite alternative sugar, and it's perfect for this keto brownie recipe. Update: By request, I've added an 8-inch square nut-free version as well! There are now two recipe cards on this page.

What is Allulose?

Allulose is a rare sugar that occurs naturally in small amounts in foods such as figs and raisins. However, the kind we buy is made by enzymatically converting corn or sugar beet starch into allulose. It tastes about 70% as sweet as sugar and doesn't spike blood sugar because your body absorbs it but doesn't metabolize it much. How it affects the body is going to differ from person to person. Some people can handle it, while it causes problems for others. Personally, I find it makes me thirsty and sometimes less hungry, which is interesting because there are studies saying it may stimulate the gut to release GLP-1. But why use it in brownies?

Brownies With Allulose

Allulose doesn't have much if any aftertaste, so deep dish brownies with allulose will not have that mouth cooling effect. Allulose also keeps baked goods soft, so while it's not perfect for crumbly chocolate chip cookies, it works beautifully in cakes, muffins and brownies. You just need to use a little more of it. This recipe calls for a full cup -- actually, more than a cup if you happen to have powdered allulose.

Grinding Allulose

Grinding the allulose into a fine powder gives brownies a smoother texture. So far I've been using regular granulated allulose and grinding it into a powder using a coffee grinder designated for tasks like that. If you buy confectioners' sugar type allulose you can skip the grinding step altogether and use the equivalent weight. Just be careful because there are some brands that are called "allulose powder" but are still granulated and still need to be ground. Duralife is a good one, but I grind it. And I love Wholesome Sweeteners too, but it definitely needs to be ground for extra smoothness.

Skipping the Grind

I've always made these brownies with ground allulose because it disperses easily and gives consistent results. Recently, I've been experimenting with an easier method that skips the grinding step altogether. Instead, I stir the allulose into the hot butter and chocolate mixture and let it begin dissolving before adding the cocoa powder.

So far, both methods have worked well. If you'd like to skip the grinding step, partially melt the butter and chocolate together, stir in the allulose, then add the cocoa powder and stir until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Let it cool for a few minutes before whisking in the eggs and continuing with the recipe.

Loaf Pan Deep Dish Keto Brownies

Bake the brownies in a 9x5 inch loaf pan. If you use a smaller size, such as an 8 ½ by 4 ½, you may need to bake them longer than 30 minutes. If you use a larger size loaf pan, the bake time may be shorter. They'll still look a little underdone in the center, so it's best to immediately test with a probe thermometer to ensure they are done. The temperature should stop rising at about 204 F. Note: Even a little lower is still okay. Underdone is better than over when it comes to these brownies.

Some Ingredient Notes

Most of the ingredients are pretty straightforward including the allulose. Just be sure to use straight allulose and not a blend. For the cocoa powder I use Dutch process (Ghirardelli) and for the almond flour I use extra fine blanched. Use unsweetened chocolate to melt with the butter. For the chips that go in later, you can use Lily's sugar free. I have them listed as optional, but they really do add a little bit of richness to the brownies so I never leave them out.

Trader Joe's Chocolate Chips

At one point I tested with a product pictured below called Trader Joe's Completely Cacao Chips. They were plain unsweetened chocolate chips for baking. I haven't been to Trader Joe's in a while, but a friend told me they have new ones in an orange bag which are sweetened with allulose. They're called Dark Chocolate Chips No Sugar-Added. They would be great as add-ins in this recipe, but for the melted chocolate that goes into the batter, stick with plain unsweetened. Baker's is fine, or you can buy one bar of 100% Lindt.

Using Other Sweeteners

I did a lot of experimenting and kept coming back to the 100% allulose brownies. There are a lot of other great keto brownies out there that use things like Swerve or monk fruit blends, but this recipe is best with the allulose. I stopped messing around with different sweeteners and started experimenting with variations, such as peanut butter swirl.

Peanut Butter Swirl Keto Brownies

To add a peanut butter swirl, mix about 2 ½ tablespoons of peanut butter with a teaspoon of olive oil. Drop it over the brownie batter and swirl gently before baking.

8-Inch Square Pan Version

I'll be adding a new recipe card with an 8-inch square pan version. The 8-inch square pan version will not be deep dish.

Substitutes for the Almond Flour

I've been testing these brownies with various substitutes for the almond flour. I've tried using combinations of all-purpose flour and milk powder and gluten-free flour mixed with milk powder. So far, the almond flour is the hero of the recipe because none of the other flours work as well. Update: Have added a second recipe card with a version made with gluten-free flour and milk powder.

More Tips

• If the chocolate doesn't fully melt into the butter, microwave the mixture for another 10-20 seconds. This can sometimes happen when using lower-quality unsweetened chocolate.
• Measure the allulose by weight.
• Measure the almond flour by weight
• Expect a thick, dark sludge after adding the cocoa powder. It will become shiny and fluid again as you add your room temperature eggs.  Just add them one at a time and stir each egg until incorporated.  Do not use cold eggs unless you are using the no-grind method I mentioned above.
• Do not overbake the brownies. Err on the side of underbaking if possible.
• For some reason these brownies improve after being frozen and thawed. Let the brownies cool, maybe cut a few for tasting, then wrap the rest and freeze them. Thaw and serve and see if you notice a difference.

Recipe

Deep Dish Keto Brownies with Allulose

Anna

Deep dish brownies baked in a 9x5 inch loaf pan. This recipe works with 100% allulose. Any changes or substitutions to the sweetener will change the overall brownies. I've listed a substitution for the unsweetened chocolate in the notes.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Cooling Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Ingredients

 

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter (100 grams)
• 18 grams unsweetened chocolate, chopped (18 grams)
• ½ cup Dutch process cocoa powder (45 grams or 40 grams if Hershey's brand)
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 180 grams of allulose (Best to go by weight) or powdered allulose if you can find it. (14 tablespoons)
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup blanched almond flour (60 grams)
• ¼ cup sugar free chocolate chips (Lily's) optional
• 1 tablespoon chopped pecans optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line inside of a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper or nonstick foil.
• In a microwave-safe mixing bowl, melt the 7 tablespoons of butter. Add the unsweetened chocolate and stir until melted, then stir in the cocoa powder. Alternatively, you can do this over the stove in a large saucepan.
• Grind the 180 grams of allulose so that it is powdered (or weigh out 180 grams of powdered allulose). Stir into the chocolate mixture. Add the room temperature eggs one at a time and stir until smooth, then stir in the vanilla, baking powder and salt.
• Lastly, stir in the almond flour. At this point you may want to let the batter cool down (if it's still warm) and add ¼ cup mini chips, but they are optional.
• Pour mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake at 325 for about 30 minutes. The brownies should look pretty underdone in the middle, but if their internal temperature hits 204 they are done, so don't overbake them.
• Let cool before slicing. If you have time, you can cool, chill and cut while cold.

Notes

If you don't have unsweetened chocolate, make the following changes.  Use only 6 tablespoons of butter, but add 2 tablespoons of olive oil or any other oil. To replace the missing chocolate, and an extra 1 ½ tablespoons of cocoa powder.

Keyword brownies, Keto

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Nut-Free, Gluten-Free Allulose Brownies

These are lower calorie than the almond flour version and have a texture somewhere between fudge and cake. They should NOT be dry. I've tested them over and over. They do start out firm and soften up as they sit, and they are even better if you freeze them then thaw. You'll noticed this recipe is very similar to the original The changes I made were to increase the pan size, change the almond flour to a mixture of gluten-free flour and milk powder and reduce the amount of baking powder.

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