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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!

vegan brownie ingredients

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 be 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. 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’s nice having flax meal on hand for flax eggs whenever I need them.
  • Vanilla – 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 coarse 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!

vegan brownie batter mixed in a glass bowl

How To Make Vegan Brownies

(Note – The full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post)

  1. Mix: Mix the wet ingredients until combined, add the dry ingredients, and mix again as shown above.
  2. Pour: Pour brownie batter into a prepared 8 x 8 baking dish. Top with optional chocolate chunks as shown below.
  3. Bake: Place in the center of the oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes.

While waiting for the brownies to bake, enjoy scraping every bit of batter off the side of the bowl!

How To Tell When Brownies Are Done

Brownies, unlike cake, can be a little harder to tell when they are done. A good rule of thumb goes as follows. For cake-like brownies, bake until the edges start pulling away from the pan’s edges. For fudgy brownies, bake using the time range given in the recipe.

brownie batter in baking dish topped with chocolate chunks

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 them by the overhang to pull out the brownies. I used these pre-cut sheets, cutting one in half and placing the halves crossed on each other. It fits perfectly in an 8 x 8.
  • Ensure the oven is 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 judgment.

fudgy vegan brownies in a baking dish, fresh from the oven sprinkled with course salt

How To Store

  • Counter: Store leftover brownies in an airtight container at room temperature 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 2 – 3 months. The best way to freeze brownies is to let them cool completely, cut them into squares, and individually wrap them in Saran Wrap. Before serving, let them thaw in the refrigerator or counter for a few hours.
vegan brownies cut into slices

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, non-dairy milk or a hot cup of coffee!

More Vegan Chocolate Recipes!

fudgy vegan brownie on a blue and white plate

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.

Print

FAVORITE VEGAN BROWNIES

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.9 from 27 reviews

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!

  • Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
  • 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

Units Scale
  • 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, as ovens may vary. Brownies are a bit harder to tell doneness compared to cake, so we recommend using a butter knife to check for doneness. Place in the center of the brownies, and once removed, it should come out without excess batter clinging to the knife.

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.

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74 Comments

  1. 1 1/4 cup of sugar to 1 cup of flour? Surely this can’t be right

  2. Good recipe thanks. I was chec the second recipe for the bigger batch and realized that the gram amounts on the recipe for the 9 x 13 dish are the same as the ones for the 8 x 8 recipe.






    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Thank you for pointing that out! Not sure how we missed it, but it is fixed with the correct grams, along with a reference for double-checking specific ingredients. Thanks for sharing, Tomo!

  3. This looks fantastic! Do you think I could add peppermint extract to make peppermint brownies? and if so how much do you think I should add? Thank you!






  4. Paula faraco says:

    Hey! I’m flaxseed intolerant… what could i use instead?

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Great question, Paula! You can try using 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana. The texture may be a bit denser, but it will still be delicious! Would love to know how it goes as it’s super helpful to others!

  5. I am currently on the Starch Solution and I was a little weary about this recipe tasting good. I’ve tried other recipes using applesauce and the texture doesn’t come out right. This one was delicious even for my husband who isn’t on the Starch Solution. Highly recommend and this will be my go to dessert.






  6. First time I made this my butter wasnt soft enough so the batter was like cookie dough consistency?
    This time it turned out really well!
    I have never had it fully cooked by 30 mins though. Always takes about 35 or 40.
    Best brownie recipe using cacao powder!






  7. Sarah Ziffer says:

    If I want to use vegan butter – is it room temp and then creamed or supposed to be melted? There’s no directions for what to do with it.

    Thanks!

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Great question, Sarah! The vegan butter can be room temp, you want it to be softened enough so it will cream together or mix easily with the other ingredients. I’ll make a note in the recipe card. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Enjoy the brownies! :)

  8. I am making this tomorrow for a friend and I can’t wait! It seems like 1/2 cup of light oil is still a lot of oil. Have you ever used 1/4 of a cup of unsweetened apple sauce and 1/4 of a cup of oil to cut down on the fat?

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Yes, replacing half of the oil with unsweetened applesauce will work just as well! Enjoy!

      1. Thank you so much Julie! I’ll let you know how it goes!

  9. After reading way too many recipes I finally chose yours and I am so glad I did!!! I don’t need to try another, it’s all I need. I used the 9×13 recipe, chia eggs because I don’t have flax, and went a little less than 2 cups in the cane sugar, and no chocolate chips. Garnished with flake salt when they came out of the oven. Dangerously quick and easy!






  10. yo everyone needs to make this recipe! so so sooooo good. add choc chips to to batter before pouring in the pan and then add extra on top! we baked for 25 minutes and then let them cool outside in the porch. so perrrrfect:)))






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