Skip to main content

Gluten-Free Chocolate-Tahini Brownies

Square slices of glutenfree chocolatetahini brownies on a plate.
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li

David Lebovitz’stimeless browniesinspired our own take with a modern sweet tahini swirl.

Ingredients

Makes 16

3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
4 tablespoons tahini, divided
2 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon light agave nectar
  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8" baking dish with 2 overlapping pieces of parchment, leaving overhang. Whisk cornstarch and cocoa in a bowl until no lumps remain. Heat chocolate, oil, and 1 Tbsp. tahini in a small saucepan over low, stirring, until melted and smooth, about 1 minute; remove from heat.

    Step 2

    Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat eggs and both sugars in a large bowl until light, smooth, and doubled in volume, about 4 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and beat in salt and vanilla. Scrape in chocolate mixture and beat to incorporate; beat in cornstarch mixture. Increase speed to medium-high and mix until batter is thick and stiff, about 1 minute. Scrape into prepared baking dish and smooth top.

    Step 3

    Stir agave nectar into remaining 3 Tbsp. tahini in a small bowl. Dollop spoonfuls over batter in 5 or 6 spots; drag a skewer or toothpick through to swirl.

    Step 4

    Bake brownies until edges are puffed, top is browned, and a tester inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 22–26 minutes. Let cool. Remove from pan; cut into squares.

    Step 5

    Brownies can be baked 3 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Sign InorSubscribe
to leave a Rating or Review

How would you rate Gluten-Free Chocolate-Tahini Brownies?

Leave a Review

Reviews (13)

Back to Top Triangle
  • Used regular salt instead of kosher salt and they were way too salty! Just a heads up in case you only have table salt.

    • Anonymous

    • 12/24/2021

  • 这几次和每批粘性,rich and delicious. After reading some of the reviews I wonder if the Tahini that was used was not the pourable kind. Most grocery store Tahini is thick and chalky, like natural peanut butter. You have to stir the heck out of it to make it work. Try the SOOM premium Tahini. It's hands down the best there is short of making your own. Also, don't substitute coconut oil for anything else. You need that richness.

    • Maria

    • Lakewood, CA

    • 12/14/2021

  • Okay, I gave this two stars with the caveat that I subbed corn starch for potato starch because of an allergy, these were EXCRUCIATINGLY dry and inedible, and then I realized I left out the granulated sugar but Epicurious won't let me change my rating anymore. I'm not positive I would've liked them with the extra sugar but folks seem to like this recipe so it is very possibly just me.

    • Mar

    • Miami, FL

    • 9/5/2021

  • Decadent, fudgy brownies that are a widespread crowd-pleaser.

    • RiotLily

    • MT/NM

    • 2/27/2021

  • Quickly became a family favorite. We replaced agave with honey and sprinkle flakey sea salt on top. Brownies are full of chocolate flavor without being overly sweet.

    • cindybanana

    • 12/6/2020

  • Amazing!! Love that these are flourless. Great complexity added by the tahini - its a new go to. Think I may beat my eggs white separately next time round to gain some height they are a little flat. Has anyone else tried this?

    • robyn@robynfield.com

    • New York

    • 11/6/2020

  • Love these brownies. I increased the brown sugar to 1/3 cup and left out the white sugar completely. They were still plenty sweet. It's a challenge to get the batter even in the pan because it's so sticky. Be careful not to overcook. I've made them twice to rave reviews..

    • luvcards

    • Vegas

    • 4/29/2020

  • I’ve made these twice for groups and they were a big hit both times. This is a brownie for people who don’t normally even like brownies and a dessert for those who typically abstain. They aren’t cloyingly sweet, there is a complexity that my guests couldn’t quite figure out. They are very rich without being chocolate bombs. Small (1.5”) bite sized portions are perfect.

    • lorained

    • Portland, OR

    • 3/24/2020

  • This tasted good. You can’t tell it's gluten free by the taste. I substituted vegetable oil and honey for the coconut oil and agave nectar as I didn’t have those on hand. I also didn’t taste the tahini, so when I make this again, I will add an additional tablespoon of tahini for the swirl.

    • liketoeat

    • New York, NY

    • 1/6/2020

  • The taste is fabulous, intense dark chocolate flavor with the nutty, slightly sweet tahini "swirl". I substituted aquafaba for the eggs so they would be vegan, and rice syrup for the agave because that's what I had on hand. Not having made them a true to the recipe I can only comment on how mine version turned out. They were chewier than I expected but as I say still delicious.

    • anne_vsa

    • Sacramento, CA

    • 2/3/2019

  • Very good for a gluten-free brownie! Needed to bake it for the full amount of time for the brownie batter to set - and it was still very moist.

    • jsbjk

    • Winnetka, IL

    • 6/1/2018

  • We loved these! My daughter has recently had to go wheat free, gluten free and dairy free and we made this to satisfy her sweet tooth, and they are perfect. We did not put the tahini on top, it might have scared her off.

    • bethpark67

    • Atlanta, GA

    • 2/28/2018

  • This makes a fairly thin, fudgy, slightly chewy brownie. I baked mine for the minimum 22 min and I think any longer and they’d be overdone. Also, 1 tsp of salt seemed like a lot to me so I only used 1/2 tsp. Overall a pretty good gluten free recipie, I’ve had some disasters with gluten free baked goods in the past. I’ll def make it again, not a ton of tahini flavor tho- I’d maybe add a little chunky peanut butter to the tahini swirl mixture next time

    • gorillafran

    • Los Angeles, ca

    • 2/27/2018

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

Read More
Triple-Chocolate Brownies
Meet Chris Morocco’s ideal brownie: fudgy, rich, and plenty chocolaty.
Turrones de Casoy MSG Brownies
MSG brings a burst of umami into these five-spice nougat brownies.
Crispy Salmon With Fennel-Date Salad
Crispy salmon skin, crunchy fennel salad, and creamy tahini yogurt make this a texture-seeker’s dream dinner.
White Chocolate Brownies With Toasted Sesame Caramel
Toasted sesame oil may be great in savory dishes, but it’s even better when paired with sugar and white chocolate, like in these white chocolate brownies.
Classic Vanilla Bundt Cake
这种香草盘蛋糕可以吃的s you head out the door or just as easily dressed up with whipped cream and fruit.
Lime Squiggles
Make these irresistible melt-in-your mouth shortbread-style cookies, which are topped with lime glaze and zest for a tangy and citrusy punch.
Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
This is a no-nonsense oatmeal cookie recipe—no raisins, chocolate chips, or anything else to divert attention from the comforting classic.
Devil’s Food Cupcakes
The secret to these devil's food cupcakes is mixing natural cocoa powder with boiling water, which allows the flavor to bloom and adds moisture to the cake.