Engelbrecht was born in Paris. She is the daughter of the Actress Constanze Engelbrecht, and made her acting debut at 12 years old, appearing with her mother in the 1996 TV film Adieu, mon ami. From 2004 to 2007, she attended Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg.
Engelbrecht gained recognition for her role as Valerie Ulmendorff in the 2005–2006 miniseries Mutig in die neuen Zeiten, for which she received a 2007 Undine Award nomination for "Best Young Actress in a TV film|".
In 2008, she played Johanna Palmquist in the TV movie Rasmus and Johanna, based on the Inga Lindström series, and Ilse in the 2008 film The Red Baron.
In 2009, she appeared as the high jumper Elisabeth 'Lilly' Vogt in Kaspar Heidelbach's film Berlin 36, and also in 2009, she starred as Müllerstochter Lisa in the ARD adaptation Rumpelstilzchen alongside Robert Stadlober.
In 2011, she played Maren Elkberg in the TV film Die Hochzeit meines Mannes, also based on the Inga Lindström series, and followed with her role as the young ballerina Anna Castell in the film Die Tänzerin – Lebe deinen Traum.
In 2015, she played the lead role in the video for Anna Naklab and Alle Farben's single "Supergirl".
