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’m more of a cake baker than a brownie baker but wanted to try something different. These turned out amazing! I made as directed but used an 8×8 pan and baked for 40 mins. I was a little worried but they turned out perfect!
I’m so glad they turned out perfect!!
These are fantastic!! We subbed 1/2 cup applesauce for the 1/2 cup butter and you could not tell! They are super fudgey and delicious!! This will be our go-to brownie recipe!! We used a 9×13 pan and cooked for 30 mins and came out great! Thank you!
I have been vegan for over twenty years, and tried many, many brownie recipes. This is the BEST brownie (vegan or otherwise) that I’ve ever had. Finally, a real brownie that’s not cake-like! You are a miracle worker. Thank you! 🙂
Thank you so much, that is quite a compliment! 🙂
I’m trying to make this, first time using flax eggs. Is it really 4Tbsp flax (eggs) and 1/2 cup water ?! It’s so dense! But I’ll give it a shot
Yes, that is correct.
Very good recipe. I didn’t have flax so I used apple sauce. It actually turned out really good. Very gooey. My husband (who is vegan) really enjoyed them a lot. I’ll definitely be making these again.
That’s so great to hear!!
I used a 9×13 pan because that’s all we had. And baked it for 30 mins like I saw in one of the comments. I followed the recipe exactly, but it didn’t rise at all. Is it perhaps because of the size of pan?
Tastes amazing though!
I’m not quite sure, they don’t rise a ton though anyhow. Glad they taste amazing!
Hi Nora!
Thank you for the recipe, the flavor was really good but the bottom of my brownies came out very hard. They are really hard to eat, do you maybe know why? I honestly don’t have any baking skills but I want to learn how to make this well.
That has happened to me before when I either bake them on the bottom rack of the oven (which causes them to overcook on the bottom and burn) or when I’ve just baked them too long by accident. Perhaps your oven runs hot and you need to bake them for a little less time. And make sure to use the center rack of your oven, it’s always going to work best for baking. Thank you!
This is my second time making these brownies. They were delicious the first time. I am not a vegan, but I could not tell the difference. Could you tell me how long to bake them in a 9 x 13 pan. I could not find a 7 x 11 anywhere?
I’m so happy to hear that! Bake them for about 30 minutes in a 9 by 13 inch pan, that’s totally fine.
The comment about them not looking done was really helpful they look like a molten brownie volcano but they firm up nicely! Taste amazing!
So glad they’re good!!
Love your recipes! I also made your vegan tikka massala yesterday which we all loved
That’s so great to hear! Thanks for the comment!
Hi Nora, 1/2 cup of melted butter is basically 1 stick of butter correct?
Correct!
thank you! I halved the recipe and was worried because even after thinning it out with a bit of water the batter stayed really thick but they came out amazing and perfectly fudgey. Definitely making a full batch for next time.
Hi Nora!
I had a similar issue with some others here the batter was really thick. I think maybe because I used a chia flax mix meal maybe it absorbed more of the water? Also the sugars didn’t fully melt, but maybe that’s not really an issue. I’ve just taken them out of the oven and they smell and look great but just wanted to post my experience 🙂 I followed everything else in your recipe!
How much just egg would I need in place of the flax? Or do you think something else would be better? I do have flax milk as well.
Flax milk won’t work. I’ve never baked with just egg, but it would be 4 eggs worth. Again, I can’t guarantee the results without flax eggs, it’s the only thing I found in my recipe testing that worked really well.
I’ve made these once and absolutely loved them, thank you so much for the the recipe! I want to make them again, but only have self raising flour left (flour has sold out everywhere under lockdown), do you think that would work if I left out the salt and baking powder? Thanks!
I think it would work, yes! You gotta do what you have to do in a pinch. 🙂
You were right, it worked! The edges rose a bit, but I just cut the pieces into squares rather than rectangles and they looked fine, flavour was as good as ever. Thank you so much for the advice 🙂
You’re welcome!!
Delicious! Followed exact recipe and came out as described- chewy and oh so good! Entire family enjoyed these.
I’m so glad to hear that!
Thank you for the recipe, amazing!. I made these yesterday and oh my god best brownies ever although it was More like a gooey cookie/brownie. Crispy/crumbly on the top and gooey of the inside
I made these again today but was disappointed that I couldn’t replicate yesterday’s results. This batch Came out more like what a classic brownie should be like- soft, a little goey and mildly crispy on the top. Yesterday’s one was unbelievable- I wonder what I did!
Thanks Nina! Wow, that’s a little odd. I would say measure carefully each time you make them and bake in the center rack of your oven each time as well. But I’m glad you enjoyed them!
These were great. I’m sure there are all sorts of substitutes that work. The first time I didn’t have flax, so I used aquafaba (3 tbsp per “egg” for a total of 3/4 cup). I left out the salt as the aquafaba was already salted. I also added 1/4 cup of water that time, and the brownies were still perfect, although it would have worked without the water too due to using the liquid aquafaba. If anyone keeps darker aquafaba from black beans, this would be the best use for it, then the lighter stuff can be kept for meringues, whips, and mousses.
I’ve never had vegan butter, and didn’t want to use coconut oil, so I’ve successfully used grapeseed oil. It’s not overly oily, and it cuts down on prep time since it’s already liquid at room temperature.
I will be trying with mint extract, and also maybe orange extract/zest the next few times. I might even try with ground chia too to see what the difference is like.
This is my go too brownie recipe. I cut both the sugars in half and added walnuts. Sweet enough and I like the added crunch.
Hi Nora! These were absolutely divine! A total hit with my sister and me! 🙂 I used what I had at home which was coconut sugar, and I only used 1 cup of it and it was perfect! I also used Ghee aka Clarified butter instead, since it’s what I always have instead of butter. We ate it with a scoop of almond milk ice cream! Yummylicious!
Thanks!
You’re so welcome! So glad it was good!
These were really great out the oven but they have gotten this really weird like strong odd acidic flavour I don’t even know how to describe, does anyone know what could be the cause of this Im so sad because they were so good out the oven 🙁
All I can think of is maybe your baking powder was bad? I’ve had that happen before when I got a bad batch of baking powder, it can make things taste really sour.
Hi! Just wondering what lowering the sugar content does to the consistency? Say if I only do 1 cup of sugar rather than 2?
Thank you 🙂
I haven’t tried it but it may affect the recipe, sugar provides structure as well as sweetness. That said, you could try it, I’m pretty sure someone has commented about cutting the sugar in half and it worked. I just haven’t tested it.
The most delicious brownies ever! They are crisp on the outside and a bit gooey on the inside.
Thanks so much for the great comment!
I tried this recipe without the flax and without the granulated sugar and its so good I can’t even describe. (Also added melted chocolate chips to the batter)
That’s great!
What was the consistency like without the flax and sugar?
Hi! Can I use oat flour or almond flour in place of the all purpose flour?
Almond flour won’t work, oat flour might but they will taste very different.
First time using flaxseed in place of eggs. Brownies came out gooey and delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!
You’re so welcome!