How to Make Amazing Low Carb Peanut Butter Brownies
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Rich, fudgy, and bursting with peanut butter flavor, these decadent Peanut Butter Brownies will soon be a new family favorite.
Peanut Butter and Chocolate - a classic combination of flavors that has been tantalizing taste buds for decades! Combine peanut butter and brownies, and you have a show-stopping dessert that you can easily whip up in less than 30 minutes!
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Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
Fortunately for you, these tempting Peanut Butter Brownies are completely sugar free, low carb, keto-friendly, dairy free, and are a suitable S Fuel for Trim Healthy Mamas!
When I was a young teen, I once made myself sick by eating too many peanut butter chocolate no-bake bars. I couldn't even LOOK at the recipe for months without my stomach churning! Too much of a good thing, I suppose!
So I guess you could say chocolate and peanut butter and I go way back . . .
But chocolate brownies are one of my all-time favorite things - they always have been. I will confess to you that I have always loved boxed brownie mixes. (So much so that I would eat the batter straight from the bowl!)
I know those brownie mixes are filled with sugar, chemicals, and all manner of other things that are bad for my body.
So I’m always on the lookout for delicious, healthy brownie recipes.
But unfortunately, I have been disappointed over and over again with low carb, sugar free brownies.
I hopefully mix the ingredients, place the pan in the oven, and anxiously wait while they bake . . . Only to be disappointed when I taste them, as they do not quite scratch that brownie “itch.” (Perhaps you, too, have experienced this!)
Sometimes, I just want to curl up on the couch with a cup of coffee and a gooey, delicious, brownie. A brownie that tastes as close as possible to a “normal” brownie!
Fortunately, now I can! (And so can YOU!)
I am so excited to share this Peanut Butter Brownie recipe with you. It is the closest thing to “real” brownies that I have made yet in my kitchen! (Seriously!)
Brownies that you can eat for breakfast? Yes, PLEASE!
As a matter of fact, I ate a couple of these Peanut Butter Brownies for breakfast this morning, with my Collagen Coffee!
A Traditional Family Brownie Recipe
In my Healthy Challenge Tribe, I recently asked my readers for recipe idea makeovers. I received many requests (one of them for a graham cracker pie crust, hopefully coming soon)!
I am forever grateful to one of my readers for giving me a recipe from her Grandma, a recipe for Peanut Butter Brownies.
She shared that this recipe has been a family favorite for years, and the brownies never lasted very long at family gatherings!
The recipe seemed simple enough to convert, and since I already had a Low Carb Brownie Recipe, it was just a matter of changing a few things.
I was floored with my first bite. These are AMAZING! The first pan was gone within hours. (Yes, HOURS!)
We loved them so much that I made a second pan the very next day! (And ate a couple for breakfast this morning!)
How to Enjoy Low Carb Peanut Butter Brownies
With some THM (Trim Healthy Mama) or Low Carb desserts, it is best to let them cool completely before eating them (or even let them sit overnight in the refrigerator.)
But I am happy to report that these Peanut Butter Brownies are scrumptious at every single stage.
You can enjoy them straight from the oven, while they are still gooey and warm.
Wait until they are cooled, and enjoy them with a cup of coffee (check out this sugar free creamer, too!).
Or you can even freeze them in single serve portions - they are perfectly chewy straight from the freezer!
If you love super decadent desserts, these brownies would be fabulous topped with my Peanut Butter Frosting.
If there are peanut concerns because of allergies, you could easily sub almond butter for the peanut butter, and they will be equally delicious!
I love the ease of this recipe - you only need a hand mixer, a mixing bowl, and an 8x8 Glass Pyrex dish. This makes cleanup a breeze, and the brownies take less than 5 minutes to whip up!
Ingredients Needed for Peanut Butter Brownies
You only need a handful of ingredients to whip up these sugar free brownies - and it takes less than 5 minutes until they are in the oven! (See full instructions at the bottom of the post.)
Trim Healthy Mama Baking Blend (this is what I used, but see the notes section of the recipe card for an easy substitution!)
Gentle Sweet (you can use your favorite sweetener, or my Low Carb Powdered Sugar)
Cocoa Powder
Salt
Baking Soda
Vanilla Extract
Coconut Oil
Eggs
Natural Peanut Butter
Mix all of the dry ingredients with a whisk in a medium sized mixing bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix well with a hand mixer.
Then pour the batter into a prepared pan and place the pan in the oven. In less than 25 minutes, you can be eating decadent (healthy) peanut butter brownies!
One of the best tips I can give you is this: "Make sure you do NOT over-bake them." If you must, err on the side of not baking long enough, not over-baking. This will ensure that you have an ooey-gooey perfect brownie.
I have only tested these brownies with Adams No-Stir Natural Peanut Butter (linked below in the recipe card). It acts just like "normal" peanut butter and works great in this recipe. The Adams brand in the West is the same as the Smuckers brand in the East.
(Some people have been telling me that the brownies turn out dry - I have not experienced this at all, but after further testing, I'm sure it is because of using a different peanut butter. I highly recommend the Adams brand no-stir. If you DO use the normal "oil-on-top" natural peanut butter, I would reduce the amount to ¼ cup and add an extra egg. You can see my Brownie Troubleshooting Video Here!)
See how simple that is? It truly couldn’t be any easier!
You can even make an easy brownie sundae - simply top a brownie with Low Carb Homemade Ice Cream, and Salted Caramel Sauce (leave out the maple flavor).
These are so simple that you can mix up a batch along with your dinner tonight! You won’t be sorry, I promise!
And if you are a brownie snob, (like me), you'll want to check out all of my other brownie recipes!
Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies
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Low Carb Peanut Butter Brownies
Peanut Butter and Chocolate – a classic combination of flavors that has been tantalizing taste buds for decades! Combine peanut butter and brownies, and you have a show-stopping dessert that you can easily whip up in less than 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Trim Healthy Mama Baking Blend (see below for substitutions)
- ½ Cup + 1 Tablespoon Gentle Sweet (see below for substitutions)
- 2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
- ¼ Teaspoon Mineral Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ⅓ Cup Coconut Oil, Melted
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 2 Eggs
- ½ Cup Natural Peanut Butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk dry ingredients together.
- Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Spray an 8x8 glass dish with coconut oil spray, then pour batter into prepared pan (it will be thick).
- Bake for 18 - 22 minutes, or until edges are set, and center is still a bit jiggly. (This will ensure gooey brownies.) (Please read all of the notes below!)
Notes
If you do not have the Trim Healthy Mama Baking Blend, you can make an easy substitute by mixing together equal amounts of almond flour, coconut flour, and flax meal. Then simply measure it the same as the Baking Blend.
If you do not have the Gentle Sweet, you can use equal amounts of my Low Carb Powdered Sugar, or you can use Pyure (available at most Walmarts). If using Pyure, you should cut the amounts in half.
I have only tested these brownies with Adams No-Stir Natural Peanut Butter (linked below). It acts just like “normal” peanut butter and works great in this recipe. The Adams brand in the West is the same as the Smuckers brand in the East.
Some people have reported that the brownies turn out dry – I have not experienced this at all, but after further testing I believe it is because of using a different peanut butter. For the best results (and brownies that look like the photos) I highly recommend using the Adams Natural No-Stir Peanut Butter.
If you want to try to use an "oil-on-top" natural peanut butter, I would reduce the amount to ¼ cup and add an extra egg. Bake for 20 minutes.
And if you want to see my "Brownie Troubleshooting Video" you can see that here!
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Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1 BrownieAmount Per Serving Calories 158Total Fat 13gCarbohydrates 5gFiber 2gProtein 5g
Hi Sarah, I just finished dinner but you still have my mouth watering after reading this!! 🙂
I do not have the natural peanut butter. Will it turn out okay if I use the Jiff that I keep on hand?
Thank you so very much for working at many recipes so they turn out great for us!! Blessings.
Yes, it should still work with regular peanut butter. 🙂
Hi can I use the pressed peanut flour from THM? Thanks
I have not used that in this recipe. A couple of people have said they used the "Peanut Junkie Butter" made with peanut flour, but I cannot guarantee the results.
So excited to try these! I would love to make them tonight, but can I substitute 100% Erythrital for the gentle sweet? Or would hat throw off the taste?
You can use erythritol, but I would start with 1/3 of the amount, then see if it needs more. Erythritol on its own can sometimes have a "cooling" effect.
I love, love all your brownie recipes, so does my husband! I couldn't wait to get home from my grand-kids home so I could make these! Such a great balance of chocolate and peanut butter flavors! Thanks!
I'm so glad you enjoyed them, Sharon!
I always use stevia to sweeten, can I use that in these brownie so?
I think this particular recipe needs the bulk of the sweetener, so I'm not sure that stevia alone would work.
I don't have an 8x8 pan.... would a 9x9 be okay? Or should I use a smaller round cake pan? I'm assuming a bigger pan would make them thinner and therefore less gooey which is super sad.
I would say use a smaller round cake pan. 🙂
I made these lastnight. 14 minutes was too short; it seemed to take every bit of 20 minutes before it fully set. After that, it seemed a bit dry. Did I overcook them? Maybe they don't need to "fully set"....?
They should still be jiggly in the center when you remove them from the oven. I usually bake them until the edges are "just set." As they cool, the brownies "collapse" a bit and that is what makes them so fudgy.
Would you think that butter of the same quantity could take the place of the Coconut Oil?
I would think so, but I have not tried it yet.
I was wondering if you have to refrigerate these brownies?
They can be left on the counter for a couple of days. I usually put mine in the freezer, though. I love to eat them frozen!
Do you wrap them individually or put them in a container already cut? By the way I made these. They are a bit dry and I used the Skippy. I think I may have baked too long. I will try again. In the mean time they are good for an in plan dessert. Thanks!
I would wrap them individually for the best results. Unfortunately, using a different brand of peanut butter does seem to affect these brownies.
When substituting Pyure for Gentle Sweet should I grind the Pyure to a powder? If so, do you measure before or after grinding?
I usually don't grind it.
I made the brownies with Kirkland organic peanut butter, the kind where the oil separates, and they turned out perfectly. I baked them for 18 min and they looked like they weren’t fully cooked, but as they cooled the texture was just like the boxed brownies! I was impressed. This is the first low-carb recipe that turned out like the ooey-gooey boxed kind!! Thank you for perfecting it!
I am so glad that it turned out for you!! Thank you for letting me know!
Can we use regular sugar if we don’t like the xylitol and other sweetener options?
I would think so, but I have not tried it.
Hi Sarah, I waited until I bought the Adams Natural no still peanut butter and they turned out perfect. I cooked for 18 minutes and they were not dry at all. I used Swerve as the sweetener since anything else give me GI issues. My 89 year Mother loves them too!
Was so excited to see this recipe. I wanted to share my results as I needed to make several changes. I don't eat nuts or chocolate so I substituted the following: Sunbutter (instead of peanut butter) but the stir "oil on the top kind"; Maya Superfood, Dark Roast for the cocoa powder and your substitute for the THM Baking Blend without the almond flour. (I did use a GF non THM flour blend, coconut flour and flax meal.) I followed the instructions in the Notes section using the additional egg and reducing the amount of sunbutter to 1/4 cup. What I got was a very delicious chocolate-sunbutter cake-not brownie-like at all. Thoughts??
Hi Eve, thank you for sharing your substitutions! I would suggest baking them for a shorter period of time - perhaps 14-15 minutes?
So happy to have found your site! I'm eager to try this recipe and the others. I read everything including the comments so I'm set with substitutions...and anticipation! Thank you!
I tried these and they were dry and crumbly and awful. So I came back here, read the comments and your notes, which I neglected to do earlier, and back into the kitchen I went. I am so happy I did too. PMS has been rough since starting keto, especially since all it seems to want is brownies and I have been unable to find decent ones, till now. I decreased the amount of peanut butter and added an extra egg, per your suggestions, I also cooked them for about 14 minutes instead. These are amazing. I may have eaten two and I have no regrets. You are a life saver!!
Oh, I am SO glad to hear that they worked for you!! I was in a state of semi-panic for a while because I could NOT figure out why they were turning out so differently for people! I'm so glad we figured it all out! PMS-ing Brownie Lovers UNITE! lol!
Peanut butter and chocolate is my favorite combination and these are low-carb. Have I gone to heaven?
I have many friends doing low carb or keto, so it's awesome to have a recipe I can make that everyone can enjoy! Thanks!
It took longer than 20 mins for my edges to set, and I had the oil on top, so I had read the notes and added the extra egg but got the cake like results 🙁 I ALMOST read through the comments before making and I guess I should have lol it just seemed like even at 20 mins they were still really jiggly...not just the center.
I really enjoy making things using your recipes. Thanks. When I made these they were good but didn’t quite taste like the ones my daughter made using the same recipe. When I checked I realized I’d misssd adding the peanut butter. 😂 (And I’d doubled the recipe) I’m making these today the right way to have with your ice cream recipe. The one with the cottage cheese. (My favorite) yummy
I made these twice today. Since I have the stir needed peanut butter I adjusted the amount and added an egg as the note suggested. These did not turn out like brownies, but a cake consistency. They are REALLY good. My first successful dessert made sugar and gluten free. And my family likes them. I will habe to,try it like the recipe tonsee if they come out gooey. Thanks.
I am so glad you still enjoyed them, Donna! And yes, the peanut butter really does make a big difference!
Hi Sarah,
What are these brownies condsiered? An S or E?
Thank you! Renee
These brownies are a Trim Healthy Mama S Fuel!
Looks like I just found my new brownie recipe. Thanks - great post!
Hi, just tried peanut butter brownie recipe, turned out dry and crumbly. Also never heard of mineral salt, so just used couple turns of himalayan, sure was salty. Used your suggestions for everything else. I mixed dry ingredients with a hand wisker, so just followed with wet stuff mixing by hand, any recommendations? Help!
Did you use the specific brand of peanut butter (Adams Natural, No-Stir)? Unfortunately, that is needed for this particular recipe to work.
Which coconut oil do I use? Liquid or solid ?
Thank you!
I use the solid variety, but it is melted when I measure it.
These were good, unfortunately I made a bit of a mistake. I was following the recipe measurements exactly (except adjusting for Pyure) but I was using Briana's Baking mix which is about 2× drier than the THM blend so as I was adding the mix the batter practically turned into dough. So I added more oil, another egg, and splash of almond milk. I think I did a pretty good job salvaging it but it wasn't the texture you described, more of a cakey brownie than gooey one. I will make these again but I think I'll use a little less sweetener and a little more cocoa and use only 3 tbsp (to start with) of baking mix. Even with all of these hiccups though it was still a great, much needed, chocolate treat. 😉
Oh my, these are absolutely fantastic! I used butter instead of the coconut oil. Also, I make Laura's Fabulous Baking "flour" (here on Pinterest) version of baking blend and it worked just fine. I baked them 17 min. They were a bit cakey on the edges and gooey perfection inside - so delicious. Thank you for your hard work developing and sharing your recipes!
Can I sub. the coconut oil for regular olive oil? I cannot eat butter, and do not have coconut oil--will that work out OKAY?
Looks great, thanks!
I believe it would work, but I haven't personally tried it! 😉
Can I get away with using monk fruit mixture (monk fruit and erythritol) ? Or would I be better off using the gentle sweet? Can’t wait to try these!
I think you could swap the sweetener, but I haven't personally tried it!
I’m a Montana girl myself and look forward to trying your recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Welcome! I hope you'll find many recipes here to enjoy!
The flavor was okay, but they were so dry and crumbly we couldn’t even swallow a bite without water. I only cooked 18 minutes and I followed the instructions for using a different peanut butter (only used 1/4 cup and added an additional egg.) How is everyone else getting moist, fudgy brownies??
Truly, for this recipe to turn out the absolute best, it needs to be the specific peanut butter stated.
I was just about ready to throw in the towel on finding a good brownie recipe but since it's Sarah, I was willing to give your recipe a try.
I'M SO GLAD I DID!!!
These brownies are spot-on delicious! I had to eat 2 to make sure my mouth wasn't lying to me!!! I highly enjoyed and highly recommend this recipe.
Thank you, Sarah...
Connie, Grateful in Georgia
Awe, you are sweet! I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
Doubled the recipe. They are the best DFGF brownies I’ve had. Making again. Rich flavor. Yum.
I made my flour according to your directions as well as the sugar. Here are the changes I made. Although I didn’t have the specific peanut butter, I did have a different brand of no stir. I used a little less cacao powder because I don’t like extreme chocolate. My vanilla is from Mexico and a little stronger than what we have in the states. I left the brownies in 2 minutes longer than I should have.
So here’s my redo plans for the next batch.
1. Add the full amount of cacao
2. A little less vanilla.
3. Bake for 18 minutes
With all that being said, the brownies were good, and they weren’t too dry. I’m looking for even better results the next time I fix them. Thank you so much for your “unboxed” brownie recipe!!!