These Instant Pot Brownies might be my favorite brownie recipe to date. They require just one bowl and 10 minutes to stir together, and are made without flour for a rich and fudgy texture.
Baking in the Instant Pot
What I love about baking in my Instant Pot is that you can’t mess it up. If you get distracted and forget that you’re baking something, the Instant Pot will turn off automatically when the cooking cycle is over.
Even if you forget your brownies are in there for TWO HOURS, they won’t burn. (Yep, I’ve done that.)
Since these brownies are cooked with steam pressure, they also won’t dry out or brown around the edges. This means you don’t have to worry about acrylamide forming, like you might in the oven.
Flourless Almond Butter Brownies
This recipe comes from my book, The Fresh & Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook, and I wanted to share it here so you could have a visual of what the batter looks like. It’s not your average “runny” brownie batter!
Because the Instant Pot keeps baked goods so moist, your batter needs to be thicker, almost like play-doh. Instead of pouring it into a pan, you’ll need to use your hands to flatten it into the bottom of the pan and then gently press the dark chocolate chips on top, if you want a double-chocolate-style brownie. (I highly recommend this.)
How to Make Instant Pot Brownies
To “bake” these brownies, you’ll need to pour a cup of water into the bottom of your Instant Pot. This is the water that will boil and will bring your pot to pressure.
Place the trivet that comes with your electric pressure cooker over that water, then place the pan of brownies on top of that. I like to cover my pan to protect it from condensation that could drip on the brownies, so I do that with an upside down plate. (Just make sure it’s oven safe and the same diameter as your pan.) Alternatively, you could cover the brownies with another sheet of parchment paper or with foil.
These brownies only need to cook at high pressure for 15 minutes, but keep in mind that you’ll need to wait roughly 10 minutes for the pot to come to pressure before the cooking cycle begins.
You’ll also need to wait another 10 minutes after the cooking cycle is over before you can take off the lid, so plan on these brownies taking closer to 30 minutes total. But all of that time is totally hands-off, so you can do something else around the house.
Instant Pot Brownies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup almond butter
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 egg (or flax egg; see notes)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Line a 7-inch round baking pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the almond butter, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, egg, salt, baking soda, and vanilla and stir well to create a thick batter.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and use your hands to press it evenly into the pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top and gently press them into the batter.
- Pour 1 cup of water into the Instant Pot and arrange the handled trivet on the bottom. Place the pan on top of the trivet and cover it with an upside-down plate or another piece of parchment to protect the brownies from condensation.
- Secure the lid and move the steam release valve to Sealing. Press the Manual or Pressure Cook button to cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. It will take the Instant Pot roughly 10 minutes to come to pressure before the cooking cycle begins.
- When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then move the steam release valve to Venting to release any remaining pressure. When the floating valve drops, it's safe to open the lid.
- Use oven mitts to life the trivet and pan out of the pot. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before cutting and serving, as they will be very fragile when warm. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 weeks.
Nutrition
Per brownie: Calories: 125, Fat: 7g, Carbohydrates: 11g, Fiber: 1g, Protein: 3g
Recipe Notes:
- You can make this recipe vegan by using a flax egg instead of a chicken egg, and adding 1 teaspoon of vinegar to help react with the baking soda. In this case, increase the pressure cooking time to 25 minutes and follow the rest of the instructions as given.
- Feel free to use cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, or peanut butter instead of almond butter, if you like. I have not tested these brownies with another sweetener, so experiment at your own risk, and please leave a comment below if you try something different. We can all benefit from your experience!
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Reader Feedback: Have you tried baking in your Instant Pot yet?
This is my favorite brownie recipe, too! I’ve been making these for my kids since I got your book in October, and EVERY recipe we’ve tried from your book has been such a big hit!
I hope there’s a second Instant Pot book coming from you– I’ll be first in line to buy it.
LOVE these brownies. Thank you for the pictures, because this batter is oddly thick, but it totally works and makes the best fudgy brownies. I probably make them too often… 🙂
Do you use sweetened or unsweetened cocoa powder?
Unsweetened.
Can you use raw cacao? I don’t have cocoa powder. Can’t wait to try them!
Yes, I find that I can use that interchangeably in recipes without much of a flavor difference.
Did you experiment with a springform pan? That’s all I have on hand, so curious if I can make it work.
That should work just fine! This batter isn’t runny at all, so it won’t leak through the springform pan.
Great recipe! Made it today and it worked out wonderfully! I used 1/2 cup almond butter with 1/4 cup peanut butter, since that was all I had and it worked well. So yummy! Next time I would like to try replacing the sugar with honey, do you have any suggestions for this?
First made these brownies from your Instant Pot Cookbook! Best brownies I’ve ever had, healthy or not! Whole family agrees! 💯
I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you for letting me know!
Can you substitute almond butter with coconut butter.
I made these today. So simple and I like that
the recipe doesn’t make a huge pan.
I have your Instant a pot recipe book and have made more than 20
Recipes from it. It’s my go to book for the IP. Thank you for
Making my life so much easier!
I’m so sad because I have an Instant Pot Duo Mini and I don’t have a baking pan small enough to fit inside to make this !! 🙁 I too love your Instant Pot cookbook!
You can find one on Amazon… 6″ springform pan. Love it
Love your recipe and instructions!!
I did use Danette Mays CacaoBliss with raw cacao. Going to check out your other recipes and cookbooks! 😀
These were amazing! Decadent and delish. My whole family loved them!
These were out of this world and I mine didn’t even quite turn out right. I have a “crockpot” instant pot with no manual setting. Mine came out very underdone but never min, I kept them in the fridge and they tasted delightful!. Thank you, Megan!
Any suggestions how to bake this in the oven if you don’t have an instapot?
I would do 10-15 minutes at 350ºF. I’ve only done this in the small 7-inch pan, but it worked well! If you’re baking them in a larger pan, they’ll finish quicker.
What size instapot are you using?
I use my 6 quart most often.
Do I need a special dish/pan (as the white one you use for the pictures) to bake the brownies? Or can I use any oven-safe pan?
Really looking forward to trying this recipe!
Thanks!!
These were delish! I was a little skeptical because the batter was so thick, but once they came out of the IP and cooled, they were perfection!
Can you add walnuts instead of the chocolate chips? Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Sure!
Hi Meghan, can I use regular butter instead almond? And what can I replace for coconut sugar? As we have tree nut and nut allergy. Thank you
Hi Megan,
Great recipe, I have made these for several years but never in my Instant Pot! I was wondering about the pan you used to ‘bake’ the brownies in the instant pot, is it ceramic? If so may I ask where you purchase it?
Thanks for all the recipes and inspiration!
Bernadette
The pan I use is aluminum, which is why I always use parchment in the bottom so that my brownies don’t touch the metal. I would love to find a ceramic option, but I haven’t found one small enough yet! A glass round storage container might work, though.
I tried using a glass Pyrex bowl. It ended up requiring at least an extra 20 min of time in the Instant Pot, and they were still a little under done after that, which I didn’t mind. In summary, if time is of concern for you, don’t use a glass Pyrex bowl. However, if it’s all you have lying around, like me, then know it does work with extra cook time.
I subbed pure maple syrup instead of the sugar. It came out very gooey (had to eat with a spoon). I’d love to be able to perfect his recipe with syrup since we tap trees and have a surplus of it. Would you reduce the amount? Add more time for the cooking?
Aloha Kim, please see my comment below yours.
I LOVE these and have tried two variations. I replaced coconut sugar with regular sugar, and followed all other instructions exactly. These turn out crumbly and dense, with non dissolved sugar crystals. I tend to like the edges of brownies, and these resemble that for me, so I enjoy this recipe best. Most recently, I used 4.5 oz of maple syrup to replace the coconut sugar, and altered the time to 18 minutes. The result was more fluffy and cake-like, and perfectly sweetened. This seemed to be the preference of everyone I shared a brownie with.
Has anyone tried this recipe with dates?
I haven’t tried this recipe with dates, but there’s a date-sweetened brownie recipe here if you’d like to try it: https://detoxinista.com/date-sweetened-flourless-brownie-recipe/
I made this recipe but I used 1/2 cup of honey as the sweetener. They turned out too gooey to pick up and eat but I don’t mind eating tkhem with a spoon because they are so yummy!!!!!
My girlfriends and I went nuts over these last night! I should have made 2 batches lol. I had to use almond and peanut butter because I didn’t have enough of either. And used coconut sugar and light brown sugar, but you have to use less because it’s more sweet than the coconut sugar.. Also used cacao instead of cocoa. Still came out amazing.
I haven’t tried baking yet. What pans are approved for the instant pot ?
I use an aluminum 7-inch pan for these. Stainless steel would work, too! It’s important that there is room around the pan when it’s in the Instant Pot, so that the steam can build up around it, so I never use anything larger than 7 inches wide in a 6-quart pot.
!LOVE THESE BROWNIES! even my man who doesn’t love sweets will indulge! wondering how to modify the amount of cooking time and steaming water for a double batch. is it as simple as doubling both?
I don’t think you’d have to double the cook time if you stack another pan on top. It will naturally take longer for the pot to come to pressure in that case, so the brownies will naturally take longer to cook even without changing the cook time. The only concern might be if they rise up into the bottom of the other pan. I’ve had that happen with cakes before, but they still turn out fine– the bottom cake just doesn’t look as pretty on the top. You won’t need to double the water at all. 1 cup of water is sufficient to bring the pot to pressure no matter how many pans are in the pot.
Has anyone tried substituting stevia for the sugar? I wonder if anything else would need to be altered since there would be less dry ingredients
I made these yesterday and they tasted like a fudgy brownie! I cut them into tiny bites for fun. I can’t wait to make them again! I followed the recipe and used butter. It’s SO yummy! Thank you for this instant pot recipe!
I would love to try these, but I don’t eat sugar. Could I substitute erythritol, a little glycerine and stevia?
The granulated sugar is responsible for the texture here, so I’m not sure how sugar substitutes will turn out. Feel free to experiment!
Hi Megan,
I am new to instant pot but a fan of your blog. I tried these brownies when my sister made them – totally yummy! I have 2 questions that I hope you can answer:
1.I noticed the brownies call for a 7-inch pan. Did this come with the Instant Pot that you have? I have the 6-quart Instant Pot Duo. This came with the large inner pot and the wire rack.
2.I have recently started using monk fruit instead of white sugar, I would like to use monk fruit in this recipe but I am not sure how to make the conversion. How would I incorporate the appropriate amount of monk fruit (mine is in powdered form) ?
Thank you so much for all of your recipes! PS I have made and loved your no flour birthday cake with the chocolate frosting!
Take Care,
Tee Tee
This is another of our favorites for road trips! It’s nice to have healthy treats while traveling, and these are so quick and easy!
Thank you so much for letting me know, Lisa. I’m glad you’re enjoying them!
I have made this recipe THREE times in the last three days!
When my oven broke, I thought, “Oh no, how am I going to bake until it’s fixed?”
I searched the internet and found this recipe. Because I didn’t have a 7 inch springform pan to fit my Instant Pot, I used two mini loaf pans.
This recipe is a HUGE success. Thank you. And my non-vegan friends said, “Best brownies ever.”
My oven is now fixed but I’m going to continue to bake brownies in the Instant Pot.
Thank you!
It is good but, not really done. I used flax egg and the only thing I changed out was the sugar. I used maple syrup instead of the coconut sugar. Also, I used natural peanut butter instead of almond butter.It was fudgy but doesn’t hold it’s shape so I feel like it should have cooked longer.
This is the 3rd time making this recipe. Truly divine! I mixed all the dry ingredients first, then added the almond butter and beaten egg. It was a bit easier to mix this way. I poured it into my Pyrex bowl that could fit into my 6 qt Instant Pot and used the Pyrex lid that came with the bowl. Turned out incredibly moist with perfect sweetness. Topped it a slice of brownie off with some vanilla ice-cream/yoghurt and you’re in heaven.
Do you use 12 tbsp to regular butter if not using the almond?
No, regular butter doesn’t have the fiber that almond butter contains, so I don’t think it will act as a flour substitute in these. Peanut butter, cashew butter, sunflower butter, and maybe even coconut butter would be better options.
These are amazing! I used monk fruit sweetener instead of coconut sugar. Turned out great!
My goodness, you are truly a magician! I cannot believe how delicious these brownies are with such wholesome ingredients and so simple a recipe. I love many of the recipes from your Instant Pot cookbook, and a couple of them are in my family’s regular rotation now, but this recipe is the crown jewel of the cookbook! Amazing!
Too too sweet and, for some reason, too salty even with only 1/4 tsp salt in recipe. And I eat a piece of dark chocolate every day!
I have an instant pot mini 5” diameter pan. How do I adjust this recipe?
Since they will be thicker in a smaller pan, you might want to add an extra minute of cooking time. Hope you’ll enjoy them!
Wow! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. I’m not sure how I lived without it all these years.
I have recently gone keto so I tweaked this recipe, slightly, to fit my new lifestyle. I get eight nice-sized brownies with just 2g net carbs. Here are my tweaks:
Instead of coconut sugar, I use the same amount of allulose. You can find allulose in the baking aisle of most supermarkets. I swapped out the chocolate chips for 1 ounce roasted walnut halves and pieces. I roast the raw walnuts in the microwave for about a minute and a half, stirring every 30 seconds.
Because the batter is so thick and user-friendly, I mix the ingredients (except the walnuts) with clean hands. In order to get a more uniform size/shape, I invert the edge portion of the springform pan onto a baking mat or other flat surface covered with a flat piece of parchment or foil. I put the batter inside the inverted pan and use the bottom part of the springform pan to push the batter into an even round inside the pan. Then I flip the pan back over and buckle the bottom in place. I remove the foil or parchment from the top of the brownie and press the walnuts on top. I then cover it with foil to prevent water seepage.
I baked this in my Instant Pot as directed and got wonderful, moist brownies. Fudgy and decadent. Because my husband likes a cakier brownie, I tried it a different way and cooked it for 20 minutes before allowing the pressure to drop. These were equally as good but I much prefer the original bake time.
I use Carb Manager to track my macros and when I put this version of the recipe in Carb Manager, I get 18g Total Carbs with just 2g net carbs, 5g fiber, 7g protein, 16g fat, and 181 calories per serving.
I’m going to try them with sunflower seed butter next time. Thank you, again, for this awesome recipe. The only drawback is I am trying to rid my diet of sweets but these brownies won’t allow it. Oh well. My one guilty pleasure!
Oh my brownie heaven! I had no idea this recipe was going to turn out so well! I viewed this last week on your IG stories. I had to modify a bit from the ingredients I had on hand, so I don’t know what the original recipe taste like. I used crunchy peanut butter and chocolate vegan protein powder. Wow the crunchy peanut butter added yummy texture and the protein chocolate worked well. I also used a 7 inch spring pan. After the brownies cooled, made it so easy to un-mold. I used parchment paper to help with condensation. Great tip as there was definitely water on top of the paper. I did have to add 1 1/2 cups of water to the insta pot as the burn notice came on-after that adjustment it was an amazing journey!
Hi, I try this recipe earlier today, and it came out very dry and they crumbled when they were cut. Not sure what I did wrong but I am pretty sure that I followed the recipe and didn’t miss any ingredients. I used a 7 inch stainless steel pan which comes with a silicone lid. Could that have been the problem? I love to try these again but I’m not sure if they’ll turn out the second time.
Thanks to you, I have just purchased an Instant Pot and this is the first recipe I tried. I have osteoporosis and so I am trying to eat 80% alkaline foods and 20% acid foods as well as food combining. So with this recipe I replaced the coconut sugar with 109g of Medjool dates and 5 tbsp water and pulsed together and set aside for 10 minutes. I used flax egg and 1 tbsp cider vinegar. I had no chocolate chips so used grated chocolate on top. Oh my word what a decadent delight. It just melts in the mouth. Even my husband sang its praises. I am now preparing your egg frittata it will ready in 4 minutes. Thanks for making cooking a joyous experience. I am loving your recipes and my new Instant Pot ☺️.
A regular road trip treat for us.