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.
These are my go-to brownie. Instead of water I use leftover brewed coffee from the morning. It really makes the chocolate so much richer. I do cut back just a bit on the sugar because I add chocolate chips to the top and batter. I also put a bit of flaky sea salt on the top!
Hi Rachel. Yum! Thank you for sharing your feedback and ideas! I”m so glad you are loving the brownies!
I made this brownie recipe along with your vegan Blondie recipe (using 4T flax instead of applesauce) as a two-layer brownie with a layer of Oreos in the middle. Vegan blondie with vegan butterscotch chips on the bottom and the chocolate brownie on top. Baked it for about 40 minutes and it was DIVINE! Stuffed brownies – who’d a thought it would work? I’ll definitely make this again!
Almost forgot – I made it in a 13×9 pan.
Do you use dark brown or light brown sugar? Also, thanks for all your great recipes!
I use light but both options work!
Hi Nora,
I like it a little cake like. Can you tell me what to adjust to make it less dense?
You could try adding an extra teaspoon of baking powder to help them fluff up, omit the brown sugar, and reduce the butter to 1/4 cup. Hope this helps!
Awesome recipe!
My adjustments:
I whipped half the non-dairy butter with my leftover half of a medium avocado. Also, I added 1 tsp of espresso, 2 tsp of ground cinnamon and 1/4 tsp of cayenne (I like my cinnamon spicier!)
Wonderful! Thank you!
Thank you, Michelle, for sharing your ideas and ingredient adjustments! Sounds delicious! I’m glad you like the recipe!
Hi. I want to make but only have access to chai seed- do you think this would work to replace the flax seed? TIA
Yes, chia seeds will work just as well as the flax 🙂
Followed the recipe to a T so gooey fudgy chewy the best brownies I ever ate thanks for the recipe
You are welcome! I’m glad you love the brownies! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback!
Nora these are amazing! I will post a picture when they are down provided I don’t eat all the batter first.
LOL! So glad you love the brownies! Thank you for your great feedback! I look forward to a picture!
TRULY! the best ever vegan brownies!! followed the recipe to a T, and they are so gooooood. and even better the next day!
Thank you for sharing your fantastic review and comments!
Omg so thick and fudgey!! Can these be made GF as well?
Thank for your fantastic feedback! I’ve used a gluten free mix before and it worked well. I used King Arthur Measure for Measure flour. Hope this helps, and happy cooking!
The cake dried out completely, not good at all
These brownies are AMAZING, just as all of Nora’s desserts are. They’re honestly better than any brownie, vegan or not!
I’ve made them plenty of times in a pan, but was planning to make them in a Terra cotta pot for a cute themed party. How should I adjust the temp & time for this?
Made these to cheer myself up on a sick day. Thank you ?
PERFECTION!!!! Followed all instructions with the tiny additions of 1/4 t cayenne, 1 T molasses, and 1 T instant coffee in with the flax seed. Used Earth Balance and TJ vegan chips – clerks agreed whole-heartedly with those choices. I peeked at the brownies at 30 minutes – looked done. Took them out and they probably could have used another 5 – oh well. Firmed up, still gooey, hallelujah!
These are absolutely the best brownies I have EVER had, vegan or not. My 15 year old agrees. I. Cannot. stop. eating. them. When I think of a brownie, I am a fan of the gooey center, crispy sides, crackly top, rich center- I have no time for cakey brownies… this recipe NAILED it. I was skeptical as they do not look “done” when you take them out as mentioned, but give them plenty of time to cool and OMG. I both hate and love that these are so good.
I agree… a day out on the counter only makes them better somehow.
What could I substitute for vegan butter as I don’t eat oil?
Some have reported using applesauce instead of butter/oil.
They really are the best ever. Unfortunately didn’t have enough left over to test the fudginess on the next day, but I guess that’s a win!!!!!
Hi Amanda. Maybe a double batch next time! Thanks for your fantastic feedback! I’m glad you loved the brownies!
After 35 minutes in an 8×8 glass dish with parchment in the oven, these were definitely tasty after the recommended 30 min rest time, and my husband loved them then (seriously, he said he even had a dream about replacing the traditional brownies from his youth with these the night we tried this recipe LOL!), but ’twas not my favorite texture (except the corner pieces) initially. BUT the next day, after being left out covered on our counter, they’ve since become AMAZING to me (and he’s still obsessed!)… chewy, fudgy, chocolatey perfection. This recipe is a keeper 😀
Thank you for your wonderful feedback! I’m glad you love the brownies and consider them a keeper recipe!
I made these and they are absolutely amazing! I made a double batch. I also made a couple changes, I used half AP flour and half White whole wheat flour. I left out 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar. I subbed in 1/2 cup applesauce in place of 1/2 the vegan butter. I also baked them in a 13″x9″ pan for 45 minutes and they came out soooo rich and fudgey! Best brownies ever!
Thank you so much for sharing the substitutions you made and for your wonderful feedback! So glad you enjoyed the brownies!
If I’m honest, I was skeptical. These were delicious though! My SO wants me to make a second batch already.
I did use Dutch process as that’s what we have, and added espresso into the water volume required for the flax egg.
Definitely will be making these again, STAT.
I’m so glad you and your SO loved the brownies! Thanks so much for using my recipe and for sharing such wonderful feedback!
I love these… I’ve done a couple of batches, but they are not setting for me. They are mush after the cool time, and even after a night in the fridge they are still not set. Any suggestions on what I am doing wrong? Could it be the flax I’m using? How finely it is ground?
Are you making any substitutions at all? Are you using the correct size pan? The flax seeds should be ground to a powder form, with no whole seeds.
Perfection.
Thank you for this recipe. The brownies are so chewy. Delicious.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback! I’m glad you love the brownies!
I doubled the recipe and instead of using brown sugar just used organic cane sugar for all the sugar. They turned out hard on the top and very gooey underneath :/
I don’t know why this happened as I made the recipe before without doubling and it was fine
I’m sorry to hear that! Brown sugar can really make a difference when it comes to the moisture and fudginess in the brownies. The cane sugar might have burned, causing the top to harden.
Hello! Is there a way to make this without the chocolate chips?
Thanks!
Yes. You can leave them out.
These are absolutely nuts!! They are so good. I’ve made them twice this week so I would have enough for myself and to share with my friends. I have never left a comment on a recipe before but I just had to for this one. I had a sea salt dark chocolate bar in my cupboard when I made them so I did half a cup of that and half a cup for regular dark chocolate chips – it was fantastic and I will make them this way every time from now on! Love the sea salt flavour. Thanks for this great recipe!
Hi Morgan. I love the idea of the sea salt flavor – sounds delicious! I am thrilled you loved the brownies! Thank you for taking time to share your review and fun feedback! Happy cooking!