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’ve made these several times and they are always perfect! My non-vegan friend said if she could have one dessert for the rest of her life it would be these brownies. They are a hit!
Hi Emma. I loved reading your fun and fabulous feedback! Thank you for sharing! I appreciate the great review as well! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Well, you know how we do crazy things when we’re hungry and have to make something? That’s the start of my story, haha. I just wanted chocolate soooo bad, and these brownies looked like they’d tick all my boxes, so I gave them a try.
But I didn’t have flax. I have lots of psyllium, though! And I didn’t think to check if the ratio would be the same so I used 4 tbsps of psyllium husk for the egg replacer. Guys, don’t do this lol. I panicked and added more water, another half cup to be precise, when it got reeeally firm. Then I went heavy on the brown sugar and light on the white because I love that brown sugar flavor in chocolate. This part went according to plan hehe. 🙂 I used half buckwheat flour because I’m doing that with lots of chocolate baking lately; we’re trying to pump up the nutrients. This also worked well, we like that earthy flavor with chocolate, and because it’s mixed with white flour, it’s not overpowering. And then I only used half of the chocolate chips because I figured if I had totally buggered this up, I didn’t want to waste all my chocolate chips. :’)
I put the batter in an 8×8 (I don’t have a 7×11 but 8×8 is close!), popped it in the toaster oven for 35 minutes, totally forgot I was baking something, and came back at some point to warm, wonderful, fudgey brownies. I can’t believe how good they are after all the crimes I committed during the creation phase. Sweet, fudgey crime. Delish!
I will absolutely try them again how the recipe is written, I can tell from this that they’re amazing! In the meantime, thank you for posting the recipe! It’s going into my recipe book, another jewel added to my collection. 😀
Haha I’m so happy they turned out so well for you, even with all the changes! That’s wonderful. Thanks for sharing your brownie adventures. 🙂
Hi! Can i use dairy free spread instead of dairy free butter (hard stick type?) i am unable to get my hands on dairy free butter. 🙁
That should work fine. Enjoy!
These are literally the BEST brownies I have ever had in my entire existence!! I never realised how much I prefer fudgy brownies until now… Every brownie recipe I would try would always be too hard, too cakey for me. But these! Oh THESE are a blessed gift sent from above!!!
Haha excuse my melodrama I just loved these brownies so much from the first bite. I put Bischoff spread on the top along with the chocolate chips! Needless to say, I’ll definitely be making them again! 🙏🙏🙏
Hi Sammy. I LOVED reading your wonderful feedback! I’m thrilled you loved the brownies, and I appreciate you taking time to share your stellar review and how much you loved the brownies! Thank you, and wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Hi Nora! I absolutely love this recipe, I’ve done it so many times now.
I just have a question, is it feasible to make the dough, store it in the fridge and only bake it in the morning? I have a lunch with family and wanted to have them freshly made but won’t have time in the morning… I saw you mention we can freeze them but seems weird to bake and freeze just for overnight… Thanks!
I’ve never tried it myself, but it should work okay. I think they are actually better a day after baking them. Right after they are baked, they’re quite gooey and take a while to really set.
Hello. This recipie looks awsome. I am cooking for a vegan retreat in a few weeks I think these will go down well on the last night for dessert. Could I make them in advance? How long after baking do the taste good for? Best.
Hi there! They are best if made the day before you serve them, I would say. You can make them, cool and freeze them, then thaw when ready to eat, if needed. They stay pretty good for 3-4 days, perhaps a few days longer in the refrigerator. I hope everyone enjoys them!
This is more of a recipe for Swedish Goo Cake (kladdkaka). I think I was after more cake-like brownies and this was the complete opposite – didn’t think there was such a thing as ‘too fudgy’ but this was indeed it. This was a good enough recipe if you are into that, but this is not like the typical cafe style brownie I was after.
do you think i could swap the flax egg for chia egg?
Yes, I think so. Though I would grind the chia seeds if possible; otherwise you will have whole seeds throughout your brownies.
I did just that, and it worked! Very slightly more “crunch” from the chia seed 🙂 but amazing none the less!!
I made these and used 1.5 cups coconut sugar and 1/2 cup honey for sweetener. I used whole wheat flour. I also added shredded coconut and cacao nibs. They came out soooo delicious and the edges are amazing! I love all your recipes and this one did not disappoint.
Hi Harmony. I’m so glad the brownies turned out wonderful for you! I sure appreciate your wonderful review and baking experience feedback! Thank you for using my recipes! Happy cooking!
Can’t wait to make these! Can I add walnuts?! How much would you recommend, if so?
You could totally add walnuts! I’d say about a cup or a bit more, depending on how nutty you like your brownies! Enjoy!
Hi, these look delicious! I have Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer, do you think I could use that instead of the flax eggs? Thank you!
I haven’t tried this myself, but it might work!
Absolutely delicious! And so easy to make. Love this recipe!
Hi, I love the way these brownies look on top and how they taste! However, often the brownie sinks in the middle after baking and has very hard edges. Do you have any recommendations to avoid this?
Thanks so much for the recipe!
That’s actually just what these brownies do! They are fudgy, not cake-like and they do tend to sink in the middle. But after cooling, those middle pieces are incredible, so are the crusty edge pieces. 🙂
I agree Ben. I read Nora’s reply and the crispier edges are delicious, just different than the middle. When I started making this recipe I didn’t have this issue, only recently do mine sink in. I wish they didn’t because they are hard to cut. I thought maybe I wrote the recipe down wrong but I just checked and everything was correct. They are so good, I’ll just go with it!
i just made this at 5am in the morning and completely missed the part with the 200g of white sugar LOL it still baked out okay but here’s to hoping it will taste good 😛
could I swap the Vegan butter for Natural Peanut Butter ?
I’m not sure, I’ve never tried it. It might work!
The brownies were delicious, but what else do you think we could use as substitute for flaxseed?
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.
I’ve made these brownies before and they were a hit! For the next time, do you think it would be too sweet to add additional flavours such as biscoff / lotus biscuits before putting in the oven?
Hi Leanne. I’m so thrilled you are enjoying the brownies! Your additions sound delicious! Too sweet? Depends on how sweet you love! Sounds interesting and delicious! Happy experimental baking!
We always make your recipes and I’ve been making this one once a month! Haven’t tried it yet but do you think applesauce could replace vegan butter and replace the sugar with just 1C coconut sugar?
I might give it a go but just wanted to see what you’d think? Was trying to make it a tiny bit healthier but they are so good as is 🙃
Yes, I think it will work, though the brownies will taste quite different. Let me know how you like them this way if you try it, I’d love to know!
I’ve made this recipe twice now and both times they have been a huge hit!
The one thing I will say is that although I am following the recipe exactly as written, my brownies never seem to fully firm up while kept at room temp. I have been letting them cool in the pan, and then placing them in the fridge to allow them to firm them up before I cut them. Then once cut, I put them in a tupperware and store them in the fridge. They can be eaten straight from the fridge. Super divine tasting, like fudge!
I do not have a 7×11 pan. Can this recipe be modified for a 13×9 pan?
Sure, you can make them really thin in a 9×13 or double the recipe for thicker brownies. Or use an 8×8 instead. If doubling, you’ll need to add extra time in the oven, probably around 10 extra minutes or so.
Excited to make these! How long would you recommend baking in an 8×8 pan?
Perhaps just 5 minutes more or so. Enjoy!
Anyone tried doubling the recipe? Does it work ok?
Can you use coconut oil instead of vegan butter ?
You can but the brownies tend to be a bit oily. It’s not my favorite, but it works.
This recipe sounds delicious, but the pan size I have is 8 X 8 which is likely too small. Are there any options to the pan size when making this recipe? Thank you.
Hi Louise. 8×8 does work, though the brownies will just be fudgier, especially the middle ones. I’d keep the baking time the same, if anything add 5 minutes. Enjoy!
Need a recipe for a vegan and gluten free persons. Do you think you could substitue flour for almond flour ? Thx
Hi Rosemary. Almond flour will not work well in this recipe, however, a quality gluten free flour mix will work quite well. Hope this helps!
These brownies are amazing!