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.
I just made these today. I’ve never had any luck with vegan cooking but thanks this helped! However they’re toooo sweet I’ll make sure to use much less sugar next time. Looking forward to try more of these recipes.
Thanks for your review and feedback!
I’ve made these at least a dozen times. They are consistently delicious and a great way to curb a chocolate craving. I like that the flax adds some nutrition and sometimes I mix it up by adding a vegan caramel, cherries, etc.
I am going to try this recipe for a bbq I will be having. My cousins are vegetarian and not vegan. I will be using regular eggs. Am I using 4 eggs, or is that too much?
Yes, that should be enough.
Hi, and thanks for the wonderful recipes. I baked the brownies yesterday, using Saco cocoa powder, I can’t believe it’s not butter, a 1/2 cup of bold coffee to hydrate the ground flaxseed, and dark brown sugar. I baked them for a solid 35 minutes and they were perfectly done.
My chocoholic friend is not vegan, however, he does have high cholesterol issues, and he loves the brownies!
I have also used your wonderful oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe for a Wellness Event, and they were the talk of the presentation! I made them with avocado oil buttery sticks.
Next, going to try your ginger cookies, however, I think I will chop in some non-crystalized ginger. Thanks for all your research, Linda
Hi, I tripled the recipe and the brownies are baking right now. I was planning on offering them for my toddler’s birthday party so I reduced the sugar amount to half and used semi whole flour.
Since this is just a try out and I’m gonna end up with so many brownies, do you think I can freeze some for later? Also, can you think of a good substitute for reducing the sugar amount without altering the taste?
Hi Sham. These brownies do freeze well. I have not used alternate sugar substitutes, however, some bakers have commented they used monk fruit sugar, and that it worked well! You could give it a try! Happy cooking!
Thank you. The brownies turned delicious (and sweet enough) but really crumbly. Maybe it’s the flour I used or the walnuts I added? Otherwise, I used the flax eggs and respected the recipe.
Hello! Can I use a glass 7 x 11? Can’t find a metal pan that size….how long to bake please? Thanks! I love your recipes ❤️💫😋
Sure! You can check the brownies for doneness around the 30-35 minute mark.
Hi Nora, quick question: how long should I bake the brownies if I am using a muffin/cupcake tin and not a pan? And how much of the way do you recommend I fill up the muffin/cupcake tin with batter? Thank you!
Hi Katie. I have never tried baking these in a muffin pan. They would probably need to bake about 20 minutes at the temperature indicated in the recipe.
Another delicious recipe, as always! I’ve never trusted anyone’s recipes more! These are better than non vegan brownies I had before going vegan!
I agree – I love these brownies! I appreciate your fantastic review and feedback!
Hi Nora, how would you make them more cake like? While I do love the fudgey ones, my family likes a more cakey brownie.
Hi Misty. Adding a bit more liquid to thin out the batter some will result in more cake like brownies. Hope this helps!
These are incredible. Highly recommend.
I’m so glad you like them!
I wanted to make vegan brownies to take on a recent hen-do. I was in charge of desserts! I found this recipe and wasn’t disappointed – They are amazing! I’m in the UK so I used ingredients I could get easily from local supermarkets. They went down a treat served warm with vegan cookie dough ice cream. All that ate them wanted the recipe. I will definitely be making them again xx
Thank you so much for having a metric converter in your blog!
Can you double this recipe? If so will it turn out okay?
Thanks
Hi Adriana. Yes, you could double the recipe and bake in a 13×9 inch pan. They will need a bit longer in the oven. Enjoy!
I’ve made these a few times and unfortunately only once was able to get them to come out right (the one time was amazing)! I’m decent at baking, I’ve made cookies, cakes, scones etc without fail, but for some reason when I make this recipe (and any vegan brownie for that matter) the oil separates out either on top or the bottom while cooking. Have you had experience with this or know how to fix it? Thanks!
Did you make them with melted vegan butter or oil? If you are using butter, what kind of butter are you using? I’ve never had this happen when I make the brownies with Earth Balance butter but if you don’t have access to this, try using a little less butter in the recipe (about 1/4 cup) or try the oil free version with applesauce instead. Hope this helps!
Hi Nora. I love all your recipes. I don’t have flax seed How many eggs is in this recipe? I have another substitute. Thanks and have a great day❤️
It’s 4 eggs worth of substitute, hope that helps!
After leaving these to cool a bit I put them in the fridge to let them set up. If you have the willpower to leave them overnight in the fridge, trust me, it is worth it!!!
I’m thrilled you loved the brownies! Thanks for you wonderful feedback and review!
Hi Nora,
Can i replace the ground flax meal with the Ground almond flour.
The flaxseeds are used to make an egg replacement, and I don’t think almond flour will work in place of it. You could use a different egg replacer, such as JUST Egg or Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer.
I’ve made these brownies a few times now and although they are delicious, they always fall in the middle! What am I doing wrong?!
I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong, mine tend to fall some in the middle, not too much, but definitely some.
I made these yesterday and they were so easy to make with ingredients I already had in the cupboard, I used some whittakers dark chocolate and some vegan easter eggs I needed to use up from easter as the chocolate chips
note: they’re even better the next day! (if they last that long, my non-vegan partner ate most of the batch the day I made them)
Thanks for your wonderful feedback and review!
These are AMAZING. I’m not vegan, and I’ve made/eaten a lot of brownies in my day… I baked these for my vegan boyfriend and I’m telling you, they’re some of the best brownies I’ve ever had. The only thing I changed is that I made the flax egg with brewed (decaf) coffee instead of water to enhance the chocolate flavor. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly, even using Earth Balace brand vegan butter. I baked in an 8×8 pan instead of 7×11 for a thicker brownie, and ended up baking for 45 minutes. When I took them out, they had a nice crust on top, which made me worried that I over-baked them since the recipe notes said it should look a bit underdone.. but they’re perfect, and not over-baked at all. So gooey and fudgy on the inside with a perfect crust on top and on the edges. I will make this recipe again and again!!!
I’m thrilled you loved the brownies! Thank you for your great feedback and review!
The coffee is such a good idea! I’ll try that next time!
Can I use an egg replacer in place of the ground flax meal?
Yes, you can use ground chia seeds instead of the flax or replace the flax eggs entirely with a powdered egg replacer. Enjoy!
These were soooo good! I substituted the sugars for stevia! Thanks for this recipe ❤️
You bet, Kendra! Thanks for feedback and review!
These were so good and easy to make! My son absolutely devoured his piece and licked the spatula like there was no tomorrow 🥰 I had to add around 1/2 cup of milk (I used chocolate soy milk) because the batter was too dry to work with but other than that, it was great! Thank you ♡
Made these for dinner party. Those who love their brownies fudge loved them. I thought too sweet and oily, but I prefer less fudgy.
Thank you for your feedback and review!
Could I substitute the flour for a gluten free flour?
You can, yes. The outcome will be a bit different, but it works!
Hey Nora, I made them and left them in the oven 37 minutes and did the waiting time before removing it with the parchment paper but it was still very soft and probably needed to bake longer, just like Shaniece,, even after the 30 minutes to let it cool ( that wasn’t enough) the soft chocolate chips and batter stayed on the knife!! I eat some anyway to taste it, it was delicious and very messy.. I’ll need to try again and bake longer, hopefully it will work 👍💞
Made some substitutions, 1/4 cup applesauce instead of flax egg and 1/2 cup olive oil instead of butter it worked great! Cooked in a 8×8 pan for 40 minutes, super gooey centre and crispy edges!
Hi Amber. How wonderful the brownies turned out great! Thanks for sharing your fabulous review!
I haven’t made these yet, but plan to double the recipe. What size pan would you recommend?
Hi Barbara. Yes, you could double the recipe and bake in a 13×9 inch pan. They will need a bit longer in the oven. Enjoy!
These tasted so good but I’m sad because mine didn’t come out good, they were very soft and I think undercooked, I couldn’t even cut them because it would just stick to the knife. I used a 9×9 pan so I’m thinking maybe I should’ve baked it longer?
Hi there, did you try to cut them right when they came out of the oven? If so, that is the problem. They need time to cool and then they firm up and become sliceable. They may have also needed a little more time in the oven though.
Hi Nora, how far ahead can you make these? Thanks!
While they stay good for a few days at room temperature (even longer in the fridge), I wouldn’t make them further than 1 day ahead for company or something. They are freshest and best the same day or the next day.