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! Great recipe, can you replace the flaxseed “eggs” for something else?
Thank you!
You can try using applesauce or another egg replacer, but I’ve found flax eggs work the best here. Other egg replacers will change the texture and taste of the brownies.
These are go good! Can they be made into cookies? Is this recipe the same: https://www.noracooks.com/vegan-chocolate-cookies/? Looking for the chewy brownie consistency but in cookie form. Thanks!
Hi Nicole. I’m glad you love the brownies! I have never made this brownie recipe into cookies, however, it could be fun! The cookie recipe is not the same recipe, yet it does yield wonderful brownie like cookies! Thanks for your fabulous review!
My husband said these are the best brownies he’s ever had
Hi, if non-vegan how many eggs would I use in place of the flax eggs? Thank you
4, hopefully it works I haven’t tried it.
I just made these and the “batter” is so dry! What did I do wrong?? I had to add an additional 1/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce just to get all the dry ingredients incorporated. I also added cubes of butter to the top before baking because the batter still seemed dry. Is the 1/2 cup water to be used to make the flax eggs or am I supposed to also add 1/2 cup water after making the eggs?
I’m not sure what went wrong here. The batter is really thick, and takes a bit to come together. But it shouldn’t be dry. The 1/2 cup water is used for the flax eggs. Are you sure your measurements were correct for everything?
I just had the same results, the mixture was way too dry! The dry ingredients far outweigh the wet ingredients. I persisted with cooking the dry mixture but it’s come out dry and bitter 🙁
Has anyone tried maple syrup? I only have brown sugar on hand and miyoko’s vegan butter.
I measured everything just as the recipe was written. The only changes I made was I used monk sugar instead of regular sugar (diabetic friendly) and I didn’t add chocolate chips to the batter. I did cook the the batter but the brownies were more cake-like than googy like I was hoping for. Mine *most definitely* did not look like yours. I’ll probably try it again in case there was something I did wrong but I feel like there isn’t enough wet ingredients to incorporate all the dry ingredients. Unless I missed something, there is really only a 1/2 cup melted butter to 4 cups of dry.
Oh okay, yeah the problem was using monk fruit sugar instead of regular. That alters the recipe both in terms of texture and flavor. The sugar is really important to the structure of brownies, and to come up with a monk sugar sweetened brownie, I’d have to do a lot of testing. You are also adding 1/2 cup water with the ground flaxseeds, so I’m not sure if you forgot the water or just aren’t including it in your comment. I’ve made these many times over the past 7 years (so have many other people) and the batter is thick, but the brownies turn out perfect and fudgy, not dry or cake-like. I would recommend following the recipe exactly without changing a thing. That’s the only way I can guarantee they will turn out.