This really is the Best Ever Vegan Brownies Recipe! Fudgy, gooey, perfect squares of chocolate that cut easily and are easy to make. You’ll never buy a boxed brownie mix again!
In the last two days, I’ve made three batches of vegan brownies. That’s right, three. A few weeks ago, I tried some other recipes I was playing around with. All in an attempt to create the most perfect vegan brownies recipe in the world. It has been such a struggle you guys! (And yes I have a freezer FULL of brownies)
All of the recipes were edible (I mean, come on, it’s chocolate people!), but NOT the brownie perfection I was looking for. Either they were too fudgy, or too cake-like (my biggest peeve). Or one batch that cooked fine on the outside but wouldn’t fully cook near the middle.
I had to do some serious brownie research, read about ingredients, what makes a brownie cake-like, what makes them more fudgy, how to create the right balance for what I was looking for, and then think about the best vegan swaps for the result I wanted to achieve.
Finally, just a few days ago, I made one more batch of vegan brownies, after carefully creating the recipe on paper. I was SO excited as the batter tasted incredible, and after baking they looked good in the pan. Still having doubts, I let them cool a bit and then removed them from the pan and sliced them slowly.
When I looked inside and took the first bite, I knew, I had finally created the PERFECT Vegan Brownies Recipe! They are thick and hold together when you slice them. Fudgy, but not overly so, chewy, rich, ooey-gooey and full of chocolatey goodness. No one would guess they’re vegan!
What kind of chocolate chips should I use for vegan brownies recipe?
I used Trader Joe’s semi-sweet chocolate chips because they happen to be vegan and are quite inexpensive. It can be difficult to find chocolate chips that don’t contain dairy, so just check the ingredients list. Enjoy Life is a good brand and you can order them on Amazon. You can also use your favorite chocolate bar and chop it into pieces.
What kind of cocoa powder should I use?
I used Trader Joe’s unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe, Hershey’s unsweetened is also a good option. I would not recommend you use a dutch cocoa powder, as you will get different results.
What is the best way to cut brownies?
If you are making vegan brownies for a party or to serve to others, it’s important to follow a couple of steps to get really nicely cut brownies. This is true whether they are vegan brownies or not!
It is helpful to line your pan with parchment paper that hangs out the sides for easy removal. After baking, let the brownies cool off for 15 minutes in the pan, then lift them out of the pan with the parchment paper and let cool 15-30 minutes more on a cooling rack. The longer you let them cool, the easier and cleaner cutting will be.
To cut, use a big, heavy knife. Run it under hot water for 30 seconds, dry it quickly and cut the brownies. Clean off the knife in between cuts, and you will have clean brownie squares.
If you like this vegan brownies recipe, you may also want to check out these “best” dessert recipes:
Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you make this recipe, let me know how it goes! Rate it, leave a comment and tag a photo @noracooksvegan on Instagram or find me on Facebook. Enjoy!
Best Ever Vegan Brownies Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons ground flax
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegan butter (earth balance brand), melted *see instructions
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup non-dairy chocolate chips OR roughly chopped chocolate pieces
Instructions
- Make the flax eggs by stirring the ground flax and water in a small bowl. Set aside to thicken. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 7 x 11 pan with parchment paper.
- Melt the vegan butter (earth balance brand preferred), and measure 1/2 cup. I do this by microwaving the vegan butter in a glass measuring cup, in 30 second intervals, until melted.
- In a large bowl, whisk the melted vegan butter and sugars together. Add the flax eggs and vanilla, whisk until evenly combined.
- Over the same large bowl, sift in the flour and cocoa powder. Add the salt and baking powder and stir with a large wooden spoon until just combined, do not over mix.
- Fold in half of the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top with a spoon or your hands. Sprinkle the rest of the chocolate chips on top of the batter.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes. The brownies may still be bubbling and not look done, but they will firm up a lot as they cool.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then pull the brownies out, using the parchment paper and let cool for another 15-30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
- To sift, either use a sifter or a fine mesh strainer also works.
- Coconut oil does not work very well in place of the vegan butter; it makes them very oily so I don't recommend it. You could sub applesauce for the vegan butter if you are oil free.
- If you don't want the brownies as sweet, it is perfectly okay to reduce the sugar, even to 1 cup. They will still turn out well, just not as sweet.
- When you initially take the brownies out of the oven, they will appear underdone and soft, but give them time to cool. They are even better the next day; fudgy and rich. These are NOT cake-like brownies.
- You may also use dutch processed cocoa powder for slightly different results. They will be a little less fudgy, and darker in color.
Have made these twice now and have to echo the conversion issues other people have mentioned. Made them using the metric quantities the first time and the batter came out too thick, cooked to a really hard crystallized layer around the edges, and the tin was very obviously too large. When using the US standard measurements the brownies came out as (I assume) they are supposed to – had to use a smaller square tin as well. Lovely recipe, definitely something off with the conversion rates.
The brownies turned out chewy and delicious. Not dry at all and very chocolatey!
I used 3/4 of both sugars. Everything else was followed as written.
I’m glad you loved the brownies, Evelyn! Thanks for your awesome review and feedback!
Yum! Best I’ve had!
Thanks for your awesome review! I’m thrilled you loved the brownies!
I made this yesterday and swapped the vegan butter with apple sauce. They were pretty dense after mixing everything so I added 1/4 cup more of apple sauce. They turned out a little cakey and not fudgy. What would you recommend? I’ve read in the comments that melted chocolate works. How much of that should I add or do you recommend something else.
Other than that I really liked them
Hi there! Well subbing applesauce for vegan butter really changes the recipe and is what will make them cakey. Which is totally fine if you don’t mind! Adding melted chocolate and subbing applesauce would make this an entirely different recipe and I can’t really just say what will work, but you can play around and see what happens. 🙂
I tried this recipe multiple times and it is seriously the most disastrous baking endeavor I have ever undertaken. By the time the insides would even approach a cooked state, the tops and edges had turned into crystallized sugar, nearly as hard as a rock. I also tried using a brownie pan with individual compartments for each brownie, but that was the worst disaster of them all. The batter came spilling out of the compartments all over my oven and despite 40 minutes of cook time, the middles were still completely raw. The parts that did cook tasted good, but this recipe is otherwise not a winner.
I’m sorry to hear that things didn’t go well for you! With this brownie recipe, they will seem underdone and maybe even seem “raw” in the middle straight out of the oven. If you bake as directed, remove from oven and let them cool, they will firm up and become fudgy, chewy brownies. But if you are judging them by how they are immediately out of the oven, yes, they appear underdone, as I say in the instructions. Of course if you are looking for a more cake-like brownie, these are not it. They are quite fudgy with chewy edges and a rather crinkly top. It doesn’t sound like you will try them again, but for anyone else reading, cooling the brownies is key! And if you over bake them because you think they aren’t done, yes, your edges and top will turn super hard.
These brownies were delicious and perfect, and even better the next day!
Non-vegan guests loved them!
Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
I made these & feel like it came out really doughy tasting. Is there any tips on what I could have done wrong?
Oh that’s odd, I’ve never heard that before! Did you use regular flour and all ingredients in the correct measurements? These should be very fudgy, and they are better if you let them cool for quite some time.
These were so good. And, so so so so so sooo good the next day after being in the fridge.
I added less sugar and the sweetness is just about right, however, when I tried slicing the brownies into pieces they fell apart 🙁
I was going to gave them to my friends but it’s a bit difficult to do so now
Are there any reasons for this issue and I wonder if i could do anything to fix it
The trick is letting them cool completely for clean cut brownies. And follow my tips in the post, like use a big knife and run it under hot water, dry, then slice, between every brownie you cut.
I make these brownies quite often, especially for groups. I prepare them exactly as written and they are always fabulous. If you are looking for a cake-type brownie, this is NOT your recipe. But for fudgy deliciousness, they can’t be beat. I often bring them to parties on a tray side-by-side with Nora’s lemon brownies. Always a hit and no one can believe either brownie is vegan.
The batter was way too thick so I had to add a quarter cup of apple sauce to be able to spread it. Otherwise it’s rich and dark from the Belgium cocoa I used.
Forgot the stars…
Delicious – rich and decadent. Vegan brownies recipes have been “almost good” for years, in my experience. These are fantastic
Great taste but the pan size was wrong and the batter was very thick. It might have worked in that pan if I doubled the recipe but I doubt I’d be able to stir it. I’m not sure where I went wrong. Either way it tastes great!
Best brownies I ever made! Followed the recipe exactly, but used a square pan (glass). Thanks once again, Nora, for making my baking adventures stress free and delicious!
Hi thanks for this wonderful recipe..can l use only brown suger?
I’m not sure, but possibly. They might be very moist if you do, but I haven’t tried it.
Help! I’m in the UK and have just made these but had a real promising them. I used the metric measures but double checked the conversion and it seems good. However, the mixture was extremely dry and solid and there was no way I could pour it into the tin! I added more water just to give it some movement. Also the recommended tin size appeared to be very large and I had to use a smaller square brownie tin. I’ve checked and double checked but can’t find where I’ve gone wrong! 😢 They’re still in the oven… xx
Hi Cathy, gosh it’s a little hard to say what’s going on. Did you make any substitutions at all? The batter is thick, but shouldn’t be solid. I wonder how they turned out in the end?
Hi Cathy I’m in Australia, i was checking the conversion from US to metric and its wrong.
I would look at the US recipe and convert it yourself for example 4 tablespoons of ground flaxseed is 60g not 24g etc
I’m gonna convert it myself and give it a go!
I hope this helps
I double checked all of the ingredients and the conversion I have is accurate. I’m not sure if cups/tablespoons are different sizes in Australia, but the metric measurements are correct for my recipe. For example, 1 tbs ground flaxseeds is indeed 7 grams (so 28 grams total for 4 tbs).
Hi Clair, I’m also from Australia and was wondering what butter you used?
This is good but I’d recommend only adding one type of the sugar. I found the sugar to flour ratio made it so it just wouldn’t bake properly and came out with a very soft consistency that wouldn’t fully set. Playing around with it for me worked really well. Just add the brown sugar!!
Perfect brownie recipe!
Hi _ I am wondering if I can use Aloluse sugar instead for this brownie recipe? They sound so wonderful in my head haha
I’ve never tried it but I don’t know how they will turn out. You could always try it!
Hi! Can you switch the flax seeds to chia seeds?
Sure, but I would use ground unless you don’t mind whole chia seeds throughout your brownies.
These really are the best brownies ever. I’m not even a big chocolate person and these were amazing…..they had a nice crispy outside and the middle was super fudgey and gooey. I shared them with some non vegan relatives….didn’t tell them they were vegan till after they tried them; and they all went crazy for them….that’s when I told them they were vegan, and they couldn’t believe it.:) so good.
These are my favourite brownies ever! I tend to press Oreos on top before baking. What is the best way to store these, and how long will they last?
I just store them on the counter, covered. If I have a lot of extra brownies that won’t get eaten within a few days, I like to freeze them in a freezer friendly container. At room temp, they will last a few days, in the fridge, perhaps up to 5 days or so. I’m glad you love them, thanks!
I’ve made this several times and its AMAZING!
wondering if I can use apple sauce instead of the flaxseeds?
Thanks!
Hi Ally. I’ve used applesauce before, it makes them less chewy though and more cake-like. Other egg replacers might work, but I haven’t tested it. Let me know how it works for you!
I’ve made these several times and they are amazing. Question: can you freeze them?
Yes, they freeze very well. Thanks!
These is my go-to brownie recipe. Perfect every time. 😍