Easy Gluten-Free M&M Brownies

Gluten-Free M&M Brownies – Chewy gluten-free brownies topped with colorful M&Ms! These are such a fun, easy gluten-free dessert!

When I went to college, I started cooking & baking ALL the things from scratch for a while. It was fun to see what tasted amazing from scratch (pasta sauce!) and what wasn’t really worth the effort (crackers).

These days, I definitely do NOT make/bake everything from scratch, but one thing I *almost* always bake from scratch is brownies. Gluten-free brownies (and most homemade brownies, for that matter) taste AMAZING. I genuinely like a good box mix brownie, but a homemade brownie is almost as fast and MAJORLY delivers on flavor.

Take these gluten-free chocolate m&m brownies for instance: you mix a few pantry staple ingredients together in just a few minutes, top them with colorful m&ms, and pop them in the oven. Out comes chocolatey, chewy gluten-free brownies that taste AMAZING and look adorable to boot!

I promise they’re worth the extra 5 minutes it’ll take you to pull them together, and they make a delightful treat for holidays, special occasions, movie night, and more.

Here’s what you need to make our easy gluten-free m&m brownie recipe…

Here’s What You Need To Make Chewy Gluten-Free M&M Brownies:

• Butter & Oil. I learned from the experts that the secret to a chewy brownie (rather than a fudgy or cakey brownie) is the ratio of fats to dry ingredients. One big secret is using a mix of butter and oil. Oil is 100% fat, while butter is about 80% fat, depending on the brand. Using a blend of these two, along with chocolate + cocoa powder is the secret to getting gorgeously chewy gluten-free brownies.
• Sugar. The secret to a glossy top to your brownies is properly dissolving the sugar. Don’t rush this step!
• Chocolate Chips. We’ll use a double dose of chocolate chips here! Half of the chocolate chips get melted with the butter, oil, and sugar, while the other half get stirred into the brownie batter. The better the quality of your chocolate chips, the better the quality of your brownies! We love these semisweet chocolate chips or these dark chocolate chips.
• Eggs & An Egg Yolk. Using two eggs + another egg yolk keeps the density of these m&m brownies right where we want it. (Learn how to separate eggs here–save that extra white for another day!)
• Vanilla. Next up is plenty of vanilla, which plays up the chocolatey notes in these brownies.
• Gluten-Free Measure-For-Measure Flour. To keep things simple, I like to use this gluten-free flour blend from King Arthur Flour. Make sure to weigh or scoop and level the flour so you don’t end up with dry or cakey brownies!
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder. Using unsweetened cocoa gives m&m brownies a deep chocolate flavor & chewy texture, and helps balance the ratio of fat to dry ingredients. (Rather than using all melted chocolate or all cocoa powder).
• Salt. Just enough salt to balance the flavors. (I usually bake with kosher salt.)
• Baking Powder. The teeniest bit of baking powder helps with the texture here & keeps the brownies from getting too dense. You don’t need much, but make sure it’s fresh! (Here’s how to check in seconds)
• M&Ms! Last, but not least is plenty of M&Ms! I usually use the mini m&ms, but regular-sized milk chocolate m&ms or dark chocolate m&ms work really well, too, and often come in fun seasonal colors! (So great for holidays & special occasions!)

How To Make Gluten-Free M&M Brownies, Step By Step:

1. Preheat The Oven & Prep The Pan. Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8×8″ metal pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Melt The Butter, Sugar & Chocolate. In a medium saucepan, melt butter, sugar, oil, and 2/3 cup chocolate chips over low heat. Stir until the chocolate chips are melted and remove from heat. (The sugar will likely still look a bit grainy. This is fine!)
3. Beat In The Eggs & Egg Yolk. Whisk in the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, stirring to fully incorporate before adding the next egg/yolk.
4. Add The Vanilla. Mix in the vanilla extract.
5. Stir In The Dry Ingredients. Add the gluten-free flour blend, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. Stir until just combined.
6. Fold In The Chocolate Chips. Add the second 2/3 cup chocolate chips and fold until just evenly distributed. Pour the brownie batter mixture into your prepared baking dish and smooth the surface evenly.
7. Sprinkle With M&Ms. Add the M&Ms to the top of the brownie batter, doing your best to distribute them evenly.
8. Bake & Cool. Pop the brownies in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the surface no longer jiggles in the center and the brownies look set around the edges. (Try not to over-bake, as this will dry the brownies out a bit.) Let the brownies cool at least 30 minutes before slicing. (I recommend cooling the brownies completely for the neatest cuts.)
9. Slice & Enjoy. Cut into slices (9 large squares, 12 rectangles, or 16 small squares) and enjoy. Store leftover M&M brownies in the fridge 2-3 days, or in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container in the freezer up to 2 months.

Mix It Up! Dress Them Up For Holidays & Special Occasions:

• Valentine’s Day: Who’s up for gluten-free Valentine’s m&m brownies? Red, white, and pink M&Ms add a lovely touch to Valentine’s Day.
• Spring & Easter: Pastel M&Ms are my favorite M&Ms. They look so soft & lovely for spring!
• 4th Of July: Lean into a patriotic look with red, white, and blue M&Ms. They look so pretty next to the dark cocoa color of the brownies!
• Halloween: Combine fall colors (red, brown, orange, yellow), or use a fun Monster Mix variety of orange, green, and purple for some spooky fun.
• Christmas: Pick up a bag of red & green M&Ms or pick out the colors you need from a standard bag of milk chocolate or dark chocolate M&Ms to make a batch of gluten-free Christmas M&M Brownies!
• Birthdays & Special Occasions: M&M sells custom colors so you can mix & match your own blend to fit your special occasion. So fun, right!? Places like Party City often also carry single color M&Ms that make it easy to create your own blend.

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The BEst Gluten-Free M&M Brownies

Are M&Ms Gluten-Free? Many varieties ARE considered gluten-free, but not all. Get a full list of gluten-free M&Ms here.

Do You Use Regular or Mini M&Ms For M&M Brownies? I usually prefer the M&M Minis for gluten-free brownies because they distribute better across the surface of the brownie batter. That said, the regular ones usually come in fun colors!

How Do You Make Chewy Gluten-Free Brownies? The big trick to brownies with a chewy center is the ratio of dry ingredients to fat & chocolate in the brownie recipe. Our m&m brownie recipe gets that ratio just right! These feel like an elevated box mix brownie texturally in all the best ways.