Favorite Vegan Brownies
These vegan brownies are indulgent, fudgy, chewy, and gooey in all the right places and studded with chocolate chunks. They are my favorite chocolate brownie recipe!
Good old-fashioned, moist, and fudgy brownies made from scratch have landed a spot in the ever-expanding collection of vegan dessert recipes!
Rich and decadent, without being overly sweet, these classic homemade vegan brownies are completely dairy-free, egg-free, healthy-ish, and downright delicious! Easy to make, you can whip up a batch in about 45 minutes.
They’re pretty much fail-proof too. I have made 4 batches of these vegan brownies over the last few days (with minor tweaks here and there), and the whole family loved them all!
Ingredient Notes
It only takes a few simple ingredients to make my favorite vegan brownies.
Here is everything you will need, plus ideas for substituting ingredients:
- Flour – I used white whole wheat flour here, but all-purpose, spelt or whole wheat pastry flour would also work. Make these vegan brownies gluten-free by using all-purpose GF flour.
- Cocoa Powder – Seek out cocoa powder with no additives, it should 100% cocoa powder. Dutch or natural cocoa is fine, and raw cacao powder is great too! Dutched cocoa is treated with alkaline giving it a deep dark chocolate color and milder taste, while both natural cocoa and raw cacao are free from any processing and lighter in color.
- Sugar – Use pure cane sugar, white or brown, or coconut sugar (I used the latter because it’s not as sweet as other sugars and has a caramely flavor). If you prefer sweeter brownies, use pure cane sugars.
- Baking Powder – If you don’t have baking powder on hand, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda will be fine.
- Non-Dairy Butter – I use Miyoko’s butter, it’s my favorite. I’ve used light flavored olive oil (as shown above), but any neutral oil will work. For oil-free vegan brownies, unsweetened applesauce is terrific (although they may be a little more cakey)!
- Flax Eggs – I love this handy bag of flax meal from Bob’s Red Mill (Target carries it a little cheaper, sorry Bob!), it makes having flax meal on hand for flax eggs whenever I need them.
- Vanilla – And finally, a dose of vanilla takes just about anything chocolatey over the top!
And for extra brownie love, add chunks of dark chocolate before baking and course sea salt after. It makes for gooey chocolate studded vegan brownie with just the right touch of salt to complement the subtle sweetness. Complete perfection!
How To Make Vegan Brownies
(Note – The full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post)
- Mix: Mix the wet ingredients until combined, add the dry ingredients, mix again as shown above.
- Pour: Pour brownie batter into a prepared 8 x 8 baking dish. Top with optional chocolate chunks as shown below.
- Bake: Place in center of the oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes.
While you’re waiting for the brownies to bake, enjoy scraping every bit of batter off the side of the bowl!
Tips For Success!
- Use quality ingredients! With only a handful of ingredients, sourcing the best will make for the ultimate vegan chocolate brownies.
- Let flax eggs set. Make sure your flax eggs have time to set, at least 10 minutes, before using.
- Give your brownies wings. It helps to line your pan with parchment paper. Leave an overhang on the sides to create handles. This way, when your brownies are done, you simply lift by the overhang to pull out the brownies. I use these pre-cut sheets and cut one in half and placed crossed on each other, it fits perfectly in an 8 x 8.
- Ensure oven in hot. Wait for the oven to be completely preheated before adding the brownies, placing them in the center of the oven for even baking. Baking time will vary from oven to oven, so use your best judgement.
How To Store
- Counter: Store leftover brownies in an airtight container at room temperature on the counter for 3 – 4 days.
- Refrigerator: They will stay fresh longer if stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freezer: These vegan brownies freeze beautifully for up to 2 – 3 months. The best to freeze brownies is to let them cool completely, cut them into squares and individually wrap them in saran wrap. Let them thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter for a few hours before serving.
Serving Suggestions
These are a gooey, fudgy vegan brownie that’s a true crowd-pleaser. They are perfect for parties, potlucks, or just because you deserve to treat yourself to something wonderful!
Here are a few of my favorite ways to enjoy these brownies:
- Serve as is.
- Serve with a side of coconut whipped cream or non-dairy vanilla ice cream.
- They’re also great with a tall glass of ice cold no-dairy milk or hot cup of coffee!
More Vegan Chocolate Recipes!
- Supreme Black Bean Brownies
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chia Pudding
- Chocolate Cherry Smoothie
- See all vegan chocolate recipes on TSV!
If you try these easy vegan brownies, please let us know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintFAVORITE VEGAN BROWNIES
This vegan brownie recipe is the only no-fail recipe you’ll ever need! Perfect gooey brownies, incredibly fudgy, super easy to make and downright indulgent!
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 9, 1 brownie per serving 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: mix, bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113g) non-dairy butter, applesauce or light flavored olive oil
- 1 1/4 cups (282g) sugar (organic pure cane or coconut)
- 3 flax eggs (see instructions)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (125g) flour (all-purpose, spelt, whole wheat, or gluten free all-purpose)
- 2/3 cup (65g) cocoa/cacao powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- generous pinch of salt
- 2 oz. dark chocolate bar, chopped
- coarse salt, for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line and 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper, or lightly grease with oil. If using a 9 x 13 baking dish, see recipe instructions below.
Flax egg: In a small bowl, combine 3 heaped tablespoons flaxseed meal with 1/2 cup water or unsweetened non-dairy milk. Let rest for 10 minutes to thicken.
Mix: In a medium size mixing bowl, add the 1/2 cup butter/oil/applesauce and sugar, mix well. Add in the flax eggs and vanilla, mix again. Add in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, mix well to combine. May take a minute or so to completely become mixed.
Pour: Pour brownie batter into the center of the prepared baking dish. Spread to the edges as needed. Optionally top with chopped chunks of dark chocolate or vegan chocolate chips.
Bake: Place in the center of the oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes.
Cool: Let cool in the baking dish. If you used parchment paper, after 5 – 10 minutes, lift the edges and move the brownies to a wire rack to cool.
Store: Keep loosely covered on the counter for up to 4 – 5 days. They keep longer in the refrigerator, up to 2 weeks.
Notes
My favorite butter is Miyoko’s Butter, it is a little more expensive, but it’s quality. I’ve also made these with light flavored olive oil (as shown here) and applesauce with great success! Note, using applesauce may make the brownies more cake-like.
I find that organic pure cane sugar is much sweeter than coconut sugar. If you’re looking for sweeter brownies, definitely stick with pure cane sugar.
If using applesauce, these are low-fat brownies.
Recipe for 13×9 baking dish:
- 3/4 cup (169g) non-dairy butter, applesauce, or light flavored olive oil
- 2 cups (396g) sugar (organic pure cane or coconut)
- 5 heaped tablespoons flaxseed meal + 3/4 cup water or non-dairy milk (for flax eggs)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (180g) flour (all-purpose, spelt, whole wheat, or gluten-free all-purpose)
- 1 cup (84g) cocoa/cacao powder
- 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
- generous pinch of salt
- 3 oz. dark chocolate bar, chopped
- coarse salt, for garnish
Bake for 40 – 45 minutes.
Making conversions? I recommend double-checking the King Arthur Ingredient Weight Chart for your specific ingredients.
Keywords: vegan brownies
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Hi, can I use vegetable oil instead of olive oil?
Yes, use any neutral flavored oil you prefer! Enjoy :)
Followed the large recipe using applesauce…also followed the direction to bake the same length of time as the small pan. Don’t do that. Threw the batch out. They need about 45 minutes, not 30. Now I have to make another batch for my event tomorrow. So disappointed.
Hi, this recipe is to try, i love chocolate and brownies, I decided to learn how to make them, because in Italy you can’t easily find vegan brownies at bakery house or pastry.
Thank you!
I accidentally made the larger recipe but put in the 8×8 pan… Have you tried this before ? I’ll let you know how it turns out – ty so much!
When you give the instructions for the flax eggs, do I still need to triple the recipe because I need 3 eggs or are the instructions already tripled?
Great question, Keely! It’s already calculated for you, so just use the measurements listed on the flax egg line in the instructions. Enjoy the brownies, and do let us know how you liked them (or not)!
I made these tonight and they were amazing.I used spelt flour, and applesauce, which made them cakey just like you said it would, but it was the perfect balance of brownie and cake.They were very moist and a hit for even my non-vegan friends. I also added some coffee grounds to really bring out that rich taste. Next time I will use cocoa powder instead of dutch though to see if it provides a tad bit more sweetness. Great recipe, thank you.
★★★★★
Sorry they didn’t quite turn out right texture wise, but I’m so glad they were delicious! Not sure what could’ve happened. I do hope you try again!
I use applesauce instead of oil and they come out great.
just wondering if i can sub almond butter for oil/butter? do you think it will work & will it change the texture? thanks!
That’s a great question! I’ve never tried and would think it would be too thick and different consistency. But then again, it just might work since almond butter is naturally made and runny. Honestly, I can’t say for sure, but if you’re up for a challenge give it a try. I would use a little more than what’s called for. Do let us know if you try, it would help others too!
Best brownies by far! These were a huge hit with my husband and community leasing office and paired very well with your Banana Coconut Ginger Ice Cream Recipe.
★★★★★