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.
Hi Nora! Is it okay if I don’t use a sifter? I don’t own anything to sift with (including a whisk).
Also, I want to sprinkle these with powdered sugar to create a “snow” like effect. Will that make them too sweet? Any powdered sugars you recommend?
It will probably be fine without a sifter. If your cocoa powder is clumpy, you might have clumps of cocoa in your brownies which is not ideal, but it won’t ruin the recipe. Powdered sugar would be fun, and no I don’t think it will make them too sweet. I would recommend organic if possible, to ensure vegan friendliness. Thanks and enjoy!
I also struggled with the lack of baking powder or soda in the recipe… but I took a leap of faith, followed the recipe and they were perfect!!
So, I made the brownies again… But I wanted them with less butter… so, I did half butter and half apple sauce.
I used 1/4 cup less brown sugar and 1/4 less of cocoa powder, because I was running short on both. And guess what, the brownies are still fabulous!! ❤️
Yay, thank you again for a forgiving, yummy recipe!!
Hi, Vanshika here. Are there any substitutes for ground flax that is healthy except for chia seeds.
You could use 1/4 cup applesauce, but the texture will be different without the flax eggs. They help the brownies have a chewy quality. Thanks!
Hi, can I use Chia seeds instead of flax seeds? 🙂
Yes, that should work okay. Ground would be best or else you will have whole chia seeds in the brownies, which I personally don’t like.
What a delicious and beautiful recipe! My boys loved it and my non-vegan husband could not believe it is a vegan recipe!
Thank you for the best ever vegan brownie!
Woo hoo! So glad you and your boys loved the brownies!
5 out of 5, this recipe is magic! So easy to make and sooo yummy!!!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the brownies!
These were amazing – made them last night – shared with friends at work and saved some for family gathering this weekend!! Oh yes, they were my DINNER last night … best ever!!
So, I thought I had all of the ingredients necessary to make these brownies. I was so wrong.
Here are the list of my substitutions:
Replaced flax egg with Aquafaba
Replaced half of the vegan butter with peanut butter
Replaced flour with chickpea flour mixed with white rice flour
Added xanthan gum and baking powder
Replaced white sugar with coconut sugar
And it actually turned out AMAZING. Chewy, fudgy, dense.
I don’t know how or why but this recipe is magic.
Thank you for sharing it with the world!
That is amazing they turned out amazing with all those changes! I’m so glad! Thank you so much for your comment. 🙂
I always replace the sugar with coconut sugar… or a mix of both cane sugar and brown sugar — ideally, the less refined = better and more yummy complex flavored! And I love replacing oils and butters with organic creamy/drippy Almond Butter, too!
Will raw sugar instead of granulated sugar work? What about coconut flour instead of all-purpose flour? Trying to make a gluten-free option. I can’t wait to make these tonight!
Raw granulated sugar should work just fine, if it’s really coarse it will probably ruin them though. Unfortunately I don’t think coconut flour could be subbed for the all purpose flour. A gluten free blend would probably be a better choice, but I’ve never tried them gluten free so I can’t say for sure it will work.
I’m getting ready to try this recipe, but I only have a 7×11 glass pan. Should I adjust the baking time? Thank you!!
No it should be fine. Enjoy!
The besssst vegan brownies ever! I made them the other day and am about to go make more. I baked mine for 45 minutes, let it cool for an hour on the counter and refrigerated overnight. DELICIOUS fudgy brownies!! I also added a bunch of enjoy life mini chips ❤️
These came out wonderfully! I halved everything, as my baking skills are still developing and I didn’t want to risk wasting a huge batch. It was so fudgy and nice.
These are ridiculous! I hadn’t made brownies since going Vegan approx 2.5 yrs ago. Glad I started with this recipe…I won’t need to try any others!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed them and will make them again and again I hope! 🙂
All I am getting when I bake these is an oily mess. I am following the recipe to a T except that I am using GF all-purpose flour. What am I doing wrong?
Unfortunately I think it is the flour. I’m not sure what brand you are using, but it could be that you need to use a different kind of all-purpose GF flour, or it may not work at all GF. I haven’t tried them with anything other than white flour. You would have better luck making my Chewy Vegan Brownies, with GF flour. The recipe is more forgiving. Thanks!
Hi !
Looking forward to trying this recipe. I noticed in the instructions you just wrote “bake for 35-40 min” but what temperature should I be setting my oven to?
Also will be making these in France so…French grocery stores… I saw you mentioned coconut oil as a substitution for the vegan butter. If I can’t find a good vegan butter option would you say that’s the next best thing?
Thanks !
Hi Gloria! You set the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, as stated in instruction #1. 🙂 I would suggest coconut oil if you can’t find vegan butter, but maybe use only 1/2 cup of it, melted. It tends to make them greasier and I’ve found you don’t need quite as much. Hope you enjoy the brownies!
These are soooo good!! I have tried a few vegan brownie recipes and they weren’t my favorite. This one is so delicious!! I want to keep making more. I made your chocolate cake recipe and loved it, which is why I thought i would check and see if you had a brownie recipe as well. ?
Thanks Anna! I’m so glad you love the chocolate cake and now the brownies, too! 🙂 I have another brownie recipe as well you might like, they are more chewy and a bit different, but I love them too! 🙂
Those are VERY GOOD, but they came out too salty, I don’t know why !! :O But they’re delicious ! Maybe I did something wrong.
I think the salt brings out the flavors well, but just omit it next time if you don’t like it, or use 1/2 the amount called for. Perhaps your vegan butter was extra salty for some reason? Anyhow, glad they were delicious. 🙂
Can you freeze these and what’s their shelf life please?
The brownies will keep at room temperature, covered, for 3-4 days. In the refrigerator up to a week, and yes I have frozen these with success. They are delicious when eaten out of the freezer, I just usually give them 10 minutes to soften a bit at room temperature before eating them! Thanks!
I love vegan brownies.
I don’t usually go to the trouble of commenting on recipes but wow these were amazing! Took them to a family party and they were loved and highly complimented by all! I used just regular vegan butter that I had in the fridge (it’s more of a spread) and they still worked out perfectly! Thanks for the fantastic recipe, about to make these again 🙂
Aw thank you!! That means so much to me! I’m so happy you and everyone else enjoyed the brownies.
Hi Nora!
Can you please suggest any good gluten free flour to substitute the all purpose flour? I have gluten allergy and really want to male these,what are your thoughts on oats flour or cassava flour?
Unfortunately, I don’t think either of those will work well in this recipe. Your best bet would probably be a good quality gluten free flour mix, like Bob’s Red Mill. Or try this recipe I have for Chewy Vegan Brownies, and use gluten free flour (oat flour would likely work in that recipe) in place of the regular flour. They are more easily made gluten free. Hope that helps!
My daughter and I made these tonight and they were AMAZING! We used whole wheat flour–our only substitution. We used a brownie pan with the individual dividers so each brownie gets that crispy edge. They were perfect–fudgy inside and a tad crisp on the outside. We each had a scoop of vanilla soy “ice cream” on top while still warm. Wow! THANK YOU! Next time we thought we’d prefer a little less salt. (could’ve been the vegan butter we chose)
Thanks Jen! So glad you enjoyed the brownies with your daughter, that’s wonderful! Love the idea of serving with ice cream, yum!
Can i change the ground flax with chia seeds?? Thank you!
Probably, but I’ve never tried it. It should work.
Hi nora, so a while back I bought cacao powder instead of cocoa… I’m wondering if I use that for this recipe if they will still be tasty.. should I add more sugar?
It should work out just fine, no need to add more sugar. The cocoa powder I use is natural and unsweetened. Enjoy!
Made these twice over the Christmas period for vegans & non vegans. I’ve tried many brownie recipes but they’re never quite right. Everyone loved these ones, definitely the Best Ever Brownies, turned out perfect. Thanks for the recipe. ?
I am so happy to hear it! I think so, too. 🙂 Thank you so much for the wonderful comment.