The Holy Grail of Low Carb Brownies!
So many things went right in this recipe, it’s a wonder people eat “normal” brownies at all! Cast iron skillet brownies are easy to make and will give you both crispy edges and a delicious softer center! We finally broke in our small cast iron skillet that’s perfect for desserts like these. Our skillet is about 6 inches in diameter and can produce desserts to feed 4-8 people, depending on the sweet tooth ;). Read about how to season and clean your cast iron skillet so make it last forever.
To make this recipe even better, the TOTAL net carb count for a giant brownie is 12g of carbs! Split that between 4 hungry people and each would eat only 3g of carbs! Split it with even more friends and family and you’re all staying in ketosis just fine.
Erythritol, a sugar alcohol that is not digested by human bodies, was a miracle for us, so we use it quite frequently in baking. It’s low carb, low calorie and has a glycemic index of 0 so it does not spike blood sugar and does not cause an insulin response. It also doesn’t cause tooth decay like sugar does! A sugar alcohol that doesn’t sit well for us, however, is maltitol, so we try to avoid it. It’s commonly found in sugar-free syrups and Atkins bars. Then again, some people report no problems so it all depends on the body eating it.
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In this recipe, we used a smaller amount of erythritol than we would’ve sugar. And because it is only 70% as sweet as sugar, this seemed counter-intuitive; shouldn’t we be adding more? We thought that after so long in ketosis, our tastebuds and bodies should be desensitized to very sweet foods. A normal recipe would call for ⅔ cup sugar for about 4 people. We only added ⅓ cup, and at 70% the sweetness, that’s a lot less! We tested it, and the brownies turned out amazing. They were still sweet, but the rest of the flavors were able to shine through! The cocoa, the nuts, the peanut butter and vanilla were all noted!
The consistency was dense, moist and super filling. You can substitute walnuts for any nuts; chopped hazelnuts would make this recipe taste a little like Nutella! If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, try doubling this recipe and pouring it into your regular brownie pan or baking dish.
Try this keto recipe, we guarantee they’ll be the best low carb skillet brownies you’ve ever tasted! Check out those macros, they’re unbelievable!
A note on safety: cast iron skillets get HOT! That includes their handles, which are the same material as the entire skillet. Use an oven mitt to handle this pan whenever it comes out of the oven. Use an oven mitt even after it’s been cooling for a long time. They retain heat very well and will take a long time to cool off. Safety first!
If you loved this recipe and are looking for more tasty brownie recipes, check out these keto fudge brownies from Simply So Healthy! They are easy to make and are perfect for a quick dessert when you don’t have a lot of time.
Let’s make some skillet brownies!
| Servings: servings |
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup So Nourished erythritol sweetener
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 tbsp butter
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Melt your butter on a small pan and let erythritol, or your choice of granulated sweetener dissolve it in. This takes a little longer than regular sugar, about 5 minutes.
- Pour the butter and erythritol into a mixing bowl and add your cocoa powder, salt and vanilla extract.
- Add in an egg and beat until thoroughly combined.
- Add almond flour and baking powder to help the brownie rise a bit.
- This step is optional: fold in your choice of nuts or add-ins. We added chopped walnuts for that classic brownie taste.
- Pour your brownie batter into a 6 inch cast iron skillet.
- Optional peanut butter drizzle: melt a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of peanut butter in the microwave or a small pan. You have a choice of baking the brownie with this drizzle, or adding it after baking. We added it before, but think it’ll look a little better if added after.
- Place the skillet brownie into the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. The top will be set but slightly jiggly. Do not over-bake, the brownie will continue cooking even out of the oven (cast iron skillets retain heat very well).
- If you haven’t already, add your peanut butter drizzle. You can also top it off with whipped cream or sugar-free chocolate syrup.
Loved this recipe? Let us know! Something didn’t quite turn out right? Ask us in the comments below or contact us– we respond to comments every day and would love to hear from you and help you out! And check out all our keto recipes to learn to make more delicious and healthy meals!
NUTRITIONAL DISCLAIMER
The content on this website should not be taken as medical advice and you should ALWAYS consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. We provide nutritional data for our recipes as a courtesy to our readers. We use Total Keto Diet app software to calculate the nutrition and we remove fiber and sugar alcohols, like erythritol, from the total carbohydrate count to get to the net carb count, as they do not affect your blood glucose levels. You should independently calculate nutritional information on your own and not rely on our data. The website or content herein is not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose or treat any disease. This website shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on the Website or actions you take as a result. Any action you take is strictly at your own risk.
You’ll Love Our Dessert in Five Cookbook!
We believe that the key to success is simplicity and satisfaction with your diet. That’s why we created Dessert in Five – 30 low carb dessert recipes all using just 5 ingredients and 5 net carbs or fewer!
Enjoy strawberry cheesecakes, brownies, coconut cream pies, raspberry Danish cookies and much more every day of the month.
Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD is an aesthetic medicine specialist whose work focuses on patients who are treated for obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other weight-related issues through nutritional analysis, keto diet programs, and supporting medications.
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Hi! Where I live we don’t have such a thing as erythritol, monk fruit, etc. I only have liquid stevia!
Would it change THAT much if I used chocolate whey protein powder instead of erythritol, and add more stevia to sweeten it?
I can’t really say for sure since I’ve never tried a stevia-only brownie recipe. Sorry!
Trust me on this… double the recipe except use 2 sticks of butter and 4 eggs. Add 1 tsp of stevia. No need for vanilla.
Must make whip cream too to go on top. Deeeeelicious
Delicious! I could eat the whole thing, except I already told my family about it… 😉 We will make this regularly. Thank you!
I didn’t have a skillet so I divided the batter into 3 ramekins. It’s not a lot of batter- I’m really surprised the recipe calls for 30 minutes of baking. I guessed at the time and 13 minutes resulted in a well cooked, crumbly brownie. I would try for 8-9 minutes next time because I like a moist fudgy texture. Taste was good. I used confectioners swerve because that’s all that was available where I cooked it. Will try again!
I’m trying to do this right and would appreciate some advice. Does it matter if you use salted vs unsalted butter and does unblanched almond flour/meal work? It was all I could find. Mine didn’t come out perfect on the first try.
We use unsalted butter since that makes controlling the amount of salt in a recipe easier. We prefer blanched almond flour (not meal) because it more closely resembles wheat flour in the finished product. I hope that helps!
Hi, I’m new to keto and need a sweet fix. I have granulated stevia at home. Can I use that and if so how much? Or should I go in search for erythritol? Thanks!!
You can use stevia, though you’ll end up with a smaller end-result, but it should be sweet! We recommend erythritol, it’s our go-to sweetener and we highly recommend it. Here’s ours – So Nourished Granular Erythritol.
Made this for the first time my pan I used was a little big so more like a big chocolate cookie but still tasted awesome my husband was very happy to have a little desert and so far hasnt said anything about the sweetner. Thanks
I just mad these in a glass pan because I do not have a cast iron skillet….WOW!!! Best low carb brownie ever!!! I left the drizzle off…. three of my little ones LOVED them, the others were already asleep…. Great Job!!!!!
That’s high praise! Thanks so much for letting us know you and your little ones loved them. Enjoy!
Could these be made in a muffin/cupcake pan instead?
You could try that but the baking time might be shorter. Check up on them frequently when baking. A toothpick inserted into the middle of one of them should come out clean when they’re ready!
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT!!! use a stevia/inulin blend with this recipe. I learned the hard way that when heated, a blend of those sweeteners will congeal into a semisolid, unusable mess. Really disappointing. You might want to add that to the recipe, just in case other folks, like me, attempt this recipe with the sweenters that are available to them. 🙁
Not sure why that happened! We use our trusty erythritol, hasn’t failed us yet 🙂
After some additional research, I’m pretty sure it was due to the fact that I used powdered sweetener and not granulated. I’m going to try an erythritol/stevia mix next, and hopefully that’ll work better! So perhaps that’s the more useful note–make SURE whatever you’re using is granulated. Looking forward to getting this recipe right! 🙂
These are so easy to whip together & nearly as good as the real thing. I put a dollop of keto cream (a blended mixture I keep in my fridge of coconut oil, coconut cream, & erythritol) on top. Superb, thank you!
You’re very welcome!
I don’t have a 6″ cast iron skillet.. What could be substituted??
Any other baking container! The closer to 6 inches the better.
Would Splenda work? It’s all I have on hand currently.
We advise against Splenda! It’s not natural and causes blood sugar spikes in some people. We stick to erythritol, stevia or monk fruit 🙂