These über-chocolatey almond pulp brownies are an easy and delicious way to use up almond pulp leftover from making nut milk. This reader-favorite almond pulp recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, and refined sugar-free to boot.
You might also like these cocoa-hemp nut pulp energy bites!
What to do with Almond Pulp?
The question every nut milk aficionado finds themselves asking is "what to do with all the pulp?" I've recently found myself in the same quandary. I make a batch of my favorite homemade vanilla maple almond milk or this almond cashew milk that I like in my green smoothies once a week.
The nut pulp quickly adds up.
Organic almonds and cashews aren't cheap. Tossing cups and cups of pulp into the compost every week feels a little like throwing wads of cash in the toilet. I managed to get the pulp down to more reasonable amounts by using a combination of cashews and almonds in the milk; since cashews are mostly fat, they have less fiber to leave behind.
But still, the nut pulp increases.
Many almond pulp recipes are of the raw vegan variety. During a previous nut milk phase, I tried making one of these – a layer cake comprised of nut pulp mixed with coconut oil, pureed dates, and flavorings. The recipe made about ten gallons of cake, with a soggy texture that I did not find delicious.
We reluctantly ate it until we never wanted to think about nut milk or raw cakes again.
Next I tried drying out the nut pulp, whizzing it in a coffee grinder, and baking it into cookies loaded with chocolate chips and spelt flour. But the drying/grinding process was tedious, and the recipe didn't use enough to really put a dent in the growing mountain of pulp.
Almond Pulp Recipes to the Rescue
I needed a solution, and decided that almond pulp brownies might be a good way to go, since they're mostly held together with eggs, sugar, and chocolate or cocoa powder. But most of the almond pulp brownie recipes I found were both raw and vegan, and I wasn't about to repeat the dreadful cake experience.
Luckily, a couple of recipes set me on the right path: these Grain-Free Fudgy Brownies from Detoxinista, and this Amazing Chocolate Cake from The Veggie Voyager. I took a stab at an almond pulp brownie recipe using ingredients I had on hand – unrefined sugar, eggs, cocoa powder, nut pulp, coconut oil, and salt.
They were some of the best brownies I've ever tasted – deeply chocolatey with a top note of coconut, and a melt-in-your-mouth texture reminiscent of flourless chocolate cake. (In fact, bake this in a round cake pan and serve wedges with whipped cream, and you'll have yourself one fancy-pants dessert.)
An Easy Almond Pulp Brownie Recipe
For this almond pulp recipe, I like to whip the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy, which gives the batter some lift; but I've also successfully made these brownies by simply whisking all the ingredients together. The nut pulp goes in damp – no drying or grinding necessary. It will keep refrigerated for up to a week, or you can freeze it for a month or two.
Despite my best efforts, the brownie tops refuse to form a pretty crust on top, but a flutter of cacao nibs disguises this fact, and also adds a habit-forming crunch. Or you can do as one commenter suggested and slather them with a layer of dairy-free chocolate ganache.
Despite tasting super rich and decadent, these almond pulp brownies are relatively healthy, being free of grains, gluten, dairy, and refined sugar. They're also paleo! Best of all, they use up almost a whole cup of almond pulp.
Of course, the best accompaniment to warm, chocolatey brownies is a tall glass of cool, fresh almond milk, so you may find yourself in a bit of a vicious cycle.
Or a virtuous cycle, depending.
More Almond Pulp Recipes:
- Make some nut milk first with my Vanilla Maple Almond Milk Recipe
- Almond Pulp Energy Bites with Chocolate and Hemp Seed
- Spelt Almond Pulp Chocolate Chip Cookies
More Paleo-Friendly Vegan Chocolate Desserts:
- Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Tahini Tart
- No-Bake Hazelnut Ganache Brownies {gluten-free, vegan, refined sugar-free}
- No-Bake Chocolate Cream Tart {vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free}
- Raw Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake
- Vegan Chocolate Chile Coconut Milk Truffles
More Gluten-Free Chocolate Desserts:
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Almond Olive Oil Cake
- Gluten-Free Congo Bars
- Gluten-Free Blondies
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Cookies
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Desserts Round-Up!
*Bojon appétit!For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along onInstagram,Facebook,orPinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbookAlternative Baker, orsubscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this nut pulp brownie recipe, I’d love to see. Tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.*
4.92 from 24 reviews
Baked Almond Pulp Brownies {Paleo, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free}
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These fudgy brownies are a great way to use up nut pulp leftover from making nut milk at home, and they're naturally free of gluten, grains, and dairy. Your nut pulp should be well-squeezed so that it feels like crumbly moist clay. See the ingredient photo at the start of the post for a visual! More recipe notes below.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total: 35 minutes minutes
Servings: 16 (2-inch square) brownies.
Ingredients
For the brownies:
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups coconut sugar, maple sugar, or brown sugar (7 ounces / 200 grams)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup extra-virgin coconut oil (4 ounces / 110 grams)
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons packed moist almond pulp or other nut pulp (6 ounces / 170 grams)
- 1 cup cocoa powder (preferably dutch-processed, though natural or raw will work, too) (3.25 ounces / 90 grams)
- 2-3 tablespoons cacao nibs (optional)
Instructions
Make the brownies:
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF (175ºC). Line the bottom and sides of an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the eggs, sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until very light and fluffy, 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Meanwhile, gently melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan set over a medium-low flame. Add the nut pulp and stir to combine. Continue to heat, stirring frequently, until the nut pulp mixture is warm to the touch, about 5 minutes. (This prevents the batter from seizing up when all the ingredients are added.)
Turn the mixer to low, and add the nut pulp mixture, stirring just to combine. Sift the cocoa powder over the egg mixture and mix on low until just combined; the batter will deflate a lot.
Spread the batter in the lined pan, sprinkle with the cacao nibs, and bake until the brownies are matte on top, slightly puffed, and a tester inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging, 15-20 minutes. Don't overbake.
Let cool completely, then lift the brownie out of the pan and cut into 16 squares. The brownies keep well, airtight at room temperature, for up to three days.
Notes
The best thing about these brownies, aside from being free of grains, gluten, dairy, and refined sugar, is that they use up the leftover pulp from making Cashew Almond Milk or Vanilla Maple Almond Milk, or any other nut pulp you may have on hand. The pulp should have been firmly squeezed dry but still slightly damp, similar in texture to clay.
If you lack a stand mixer or are in a hurry, you can simply whisk together all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
Do take the time to warm the almond pulp and bring the eggs to room temperature (you can place them in a bowl of hot tap water for 5 minutes) as this will prevent the batter from seizing once you add the coconut oil.
I baked these in a 9-inch square pan; an 8-inch pan will yield thicker brownies. Alternatively, bake the batter in a round cake pan and serve wedges on plates topped with whipped cream.
Another way to fancy these up would be to top the cooled brownies with a layer of dairy-free chocolate ganache - yum!
All ounce measurements are by weight.
Nutritional values are based on one of sixteen brownies.
Nutrition
Calories: 159kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 3gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 90mgPotassium: 109mgFiber: 2gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 60IUCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg
Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!
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