We’re not a gluten-free household, however, we have family members who are. I’ve been experimenting with whole-grain gluten-free flour for a while now, and of all the alternative flour options, I really love the nutty flavor of buckwheat. I use it in this recipe for buckwheat brownies, in this buckwheat banana bread recipe, and again here in this gluten-free rhubarb crisp. Most people don’t realize they’re not eating wheat flour!
I tested this recipe with milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, and dark chocolate to find out which tastes best. Each batch was similar in texture, with a rich, dense, chew, but the dark chocolate yielded the best flavor and the most depth. Try to choose dark chocolate that’s at least 70% cocoa for the most decadent buckwheat brownies.
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💞 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
✔️ The brownies don’t take long to make and in one bowl to boot.
✔️ You can eat a small piece and still get a decent chocolate fix.
✔️ No one will ever know they’re gluten-free!
📋 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Dark Chocolate—The darker the chocolate, the more intense the flavor. I recommend using chocolate that’s at least 70% cocoa.
- Buckwheat Flour—I use finely milled light buckwheat flour for my baking recipes. Buckwheat flour is made by grinding the seeds of the buckwheat plant and is not related to wheat. Because buckwheat flour is gluten-free, it doesn’t have the same lift and stretch as wheat flour, however, it can act as a binder which it does here in these buckwheat brownies.
- Brown Sugar—Sometimes called dark or old-fashioned brown sugar.
It’s important to note when making substitutions in recipes, the texture and flavor may be slightly different. However, these substitutes are the best options if you are looking to change the original recipe.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Dark Chocolate—You can substitute any chocolate you like or have on hand. Note that chocolate chips may not melt as well as a chopped chocolate bar.
- Butter—I haven’t tested this, however, you could try substituting a good quality dairy-free butter for the butter. If you do, look for a brand with high-fat content to help with richness and mouthfeel.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of this post, or scroll to the bottom of the post, to see the PRINTABLE recipe card with ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
👩🍳 How To Make Buckwheat Brownies
STEP 1—Place the chocolate and butter in a mixing bowl set over a pot of simmering water.
STEP 2—Heat the chocolate and butter until melted and smooth.
STEP 3—Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the bowl of melted chocolate.
STEP 4—Whisk well to combine.
STEP 5—Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk well.
STEP 6—The mixture should be rich and smooth.
STEP 7—Sprinkle in the buckwheat flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Stir briskly until the batter emulsifies (blends together into one cohesive smooth and shiny mixture).
STEP 8—Spread the batter into a greased 8-inch (20-cm) square tin lined with parchment paper. Bake, cool, and serve.
🗣 Expert Tips
1. Using a double boiler is the best way to melt chocolate. Just find a heatproof bowl that sits snugly on top of a pot without touching the water.
2. This recipe is scaled at nine servings, however, the brownies are so rich I often slice them much smaller.
3. For the fudgiest buckwheat brownies, it’s important to remove the brownies from the oven when they are still slightly underdone. They will set as they cool.
📝 Recipe Notes
- Room-temperature eggs whisk much easier than cold eggs from the fridge. If you don’t have room temperature eggs, place cold eggs in a bowl of hot tap water and let them sit for a few minutes to warm.
- Once cool, store the brownies in an airtight container with a lid. You can keep them on the counter for a couple of days, or keep them in the fridge for up to a week.
🙋♀️ Recipe FAQ
No. Buckwheat flour is harvested from the seeds of the buckwheat plant which is not related to wheat. That being said, some buckwheat flour may be processed in places where wheat flour is also processed. Be sure to check the packaging of your buckwheat flour to ensure it is 100% certified gluten-free.
Buckwheat flour is great for recipes such as cookies, brownies, crisps, and cobblers, however, because it does not contain gluten, it may not be the best choice for cakes or other desserts that need a lift. Choose recipes that are tested specifically with buckwheat flour.
The best chocolate for baking is the one you like or can afford. That being said, it’s good to keep in mind the sugar content of different chocolates. For example, milk chocolate is much sweeter than a bar of 85% dark chocolate. For the most part, they can be substituted for one another, however, the sweetness and texture may change.
😋 Try These Recipes With Your Buckwheat Brownies
Did you make these buckwheat brownies? Please rate the recipe and tell me how it went in the comments below. Also, stay in touch with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to see more delicious food and recipes!
🖨 Recipe
Double Chocolate Buckwheat Brownies
Equipment
- 8-inch (20-cm) square baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Medium pot
- Large mixing bowl heat-proof glass or metal, not plastic
- Measuring cups and spoons or digital kitchen scale
- Knife and cutting board
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 6 ounces dark chocolate
- ½ cup butter, plus extra for greasing the pan
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup light buckwheat flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Lightly butter an 8-inch (20-cm) square baking pan and line it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place a medium-sized pot on the stove with 1 to 2 inches of water inside. Set a large heatproof mixing bowl on top of the pot so it sits snugly without touching the water. Bring the water to a boil then reduce the heat to a lively simmer. Add the dark chocolate and butter to the bowl and heat until smooth and melted, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove the bowl from the pot and turn off the heat. Add both the brown and granulated sugar to the melted chocolate and whisk to combine.
- Add the eggs and vanilla to the chocolate. Whisk smooth.
- Sprinkle the buckwheat flour, cocoa, and salt in the bowl. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stir the brownie batter until the flour is all mixed in.
- Pour the batter into the prepared square pan. Use an offset spatula or butter knife to smooth the top. Bake the brownies for 22 to 24 minutes, or until the edges are set and the middle is still slightly underdone. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack. Let the brownies cool in the pan before lifting them out, slicing, and serving.
Notes
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- Room-temperature eggs whisk much easier than cold eggs from the fridge. If you don’t have room temperature eggs, place cold eggs in a bowl of hot tap water and let them sit for a few minutes to warm.
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- Once cool, store the brownies in an airtight container with a lid. You can keep them on the counter for a couple of days, or keep them in the fridge for up to a week.
Elaine says
Fudgy brownie fan right here! And buckwheat works well for those who are on a gluten-free diet. Pinned!
Isabelle @ Crumb says
I’ve been trying to incorporate more whole-grain flours into my baking, so this recipe is right up my alley (especially since I am a card-carrying member of Team Fudgy when it comes to my brownies). It just so happens I have a bag of buckwheat flour sitting in my pantry right now, so if that’s not a sign that I’m destined to bake these brownies, I don’t know what is!
Colleen says
I’m with you in the fudgy vs cakey camp. Fudgy all the way, and these brownies look ultra fudgy. Delicious!
Denise@urbnspice says
These Double Chocolate Buckwheat Brownies looks delicious and fudgy (just the way I love them), Kelly! I have not experimented much with buckwheat flour and this is a perfect recipe to try. Many thanks for sharing your recipe. I am pinning to try.
Matt - Total Feasts says
I had a good laugh at the comment about having a homemade buffet for a wedding. I suggested that for our Nova Scotia celebration, and was told no by both my husband and my mother! Delicious sounding brownies, I just want to take a warm slice and gobble it up!
Kelly says
Ha! I know right?! And I didn’t even mention the egg salad with Cheez Wiz, or cream cheese and maraschino cherry sandwiches! lol
Terri says
I love rich and cakey brownies. Yeah, most of the time at funerals, the ‘dainties’ as I grew up calling them in MB, left a lot to be desired. These look fantastic and yes, more chocolate photos requested!
Leanne says
I have a hankering for brownies tonight, and I actually have all the ingredients to make these! I’m a huge fan of baking with buckwheat, and the texture of these brownies looks perfect!
sofia says
I made these and they were a hit! I only had one egg so I substituted a flax egg for the other one and i think it worked out well.
Kelly says
Oh that’s so great to know!! I’m so happy you like them!
Mariyam Khan says
Wow that’s really amazing, I loved these brownies and I was more amazed when my husband ate a piece and he loved it too though he had no idea he was eating something made with buckwheat flour because they taste just like the ones made with all purpose flour. And they are so filling one piece was enough for once but very tempting., I couldn’t resist. Thanks for this healthy version of my favorite brownies.
Kelly says
Oh I’m so glad! We’re not exclusively gluten-free, and I always have buckwheat flour on hand because I like the taste of it. I’m so happy you liked them! Thanks so much for letting me know.❤️
Croostifoodi says
Hi! What kind of brown sugar do you use (light or brown, muscovado/cane/rapadura)?
Kelly says
Hi there! I generally use dark or “old-fashioned” brown sugar made by a company called Lantic. Here is a link to the one I use the most – https://www.lanticrogers.com/en/products/dark-brown/
SLJ says
Just a quick thank you for this recipe! Made these today and they’re DELICIOUS! I am not gluten free but my best friend is and I’ve been searching for a treat to make for her that doesn’t taste weird or have an awful texture. You’d never know they are gluten free. I made them in a muffin pan (got 9) because I wanted single servings and they came out great. Awesome recipe 🙂
Kelly says
Hooray that makes me so happy to hear!! Thank you so much for letting me know! Xx.
SLJ says
I’ve since made these twice in a mini muffin tin to make bite size versions (using a 2 tbsp scoop). Still amazing. Had to reduce the baking time to about 11 minutes. To me these are best right out of the freezer, they’re so fudgy 😉
Kelly says
Oooooh that’s a great idea! Definitely trying this next time!🍫🍫🍫
Stela says
Hello, I just made this recipe but my dough didn’t look very good, it looked broken from butter I don’t know. It ended up in the trash. The baked brownie was like a rock it didn’t have the nice cover light brown top as you have. I baked it at 170 C = 350 F.
Kelly says
Hi Stela! Hmmm, I’m not sure what happened here but it sounds like your butter and chocolate may have gotten too hot which can cause separation. I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t work out for you! I’m going to make the recipe for my family this week to re-test. Thank you for letting me know!
Sheena says
Did you just use any random dark chocolate bar or specifically 100% cacao baking chocolate?
Kelly Neil says
I always use random because I usually buy whatever is the most reasonably priced!
Whitney says
Something is wrong with this recipe which is frustrating because it feels like I wasted ingredients now. It was super liquify and didn’t bake right. I followed it correctly. I think the flour or butter is off. Really disappointing.
Kelly Neil says
Hi Whitney, sorry this reply is coming to you so late. I know how frustrating it is when recipes don’t work out so I just retested my brownie recipe because of your comment. I wanted to see what may have gone wrong, however, mine turned out perfect. They are super rich and fudgy. I’m wondering if maybe your oven temperature could be off. I have three oven thermometers in my oven because my oven overheats by 25ºF. I’d love to help you troubleshoot this further if you want. Thanks!