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. 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.
Nora, I plan on making these today for my son who’s vegan; however, I just discovered I don’t have his vegan chocolate chips! I have to order them online. Will the brownies turn out okay without them or do I have to add more cocoa? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Hi Gidge. You can leave out the chocolate chips without adding anything extra! Enjoy, and happy cooking!
Great! Thank you so very much for your quick answer. Take good care and Happy Holidays to you and yours 🙂
I made these yesterday and I’m a little worried I did something wrong. The dough was super thick and is it correct that the sugar/flour ratio is almost 4:1? (420g sugar and 125g flour) The result looks and tastes like caramellized sugar with cocoa powder and it’s very firm/hard. I’m not very happy 🙁
The sugar isn’t quite that much, but about 365 grams. Cocoa powder works a bit like flour here, and that is correct but I’m not sure why yours turned out super hard. Did you over bake them perhaps? They will seem quite underdone but they firm up as they cool. The dough is thick for sure. If you need to add a touch of plant milk, you can, but then the brownies will be a bit more cake-like.
I made these tonight and oh my goodness. The middle of mine collapsed, but I live at high altitude and am still learning how to make adjustments.
Regardless these turned out so delicious! Fudgy and dense, with crisp edges. This is definitely going to be my go-to recipe for brownies!
Might eat the whole thing. it’s insane. thank you Nora. Oh will add walnuts next time, yum.
I followed the recipe exactly and I have to say . . . Nora isn’t wrong, these are definitely in the running for best brownie I’ve ever had. Incredible! Because the recipe called for a 7×11 pan and all I had was an 8×8, I made them a little thicker and left them in the oven for 50 minutes, and they came out perfectly. This is our go-to brownie recipe from now on!
Hi Patrick. I’m thrilled that you love the brownie recipe! Thank you for sharing your cooking experience and stellar review! Happy cooking!
Delish! I had to buy the 11 x 7 pan and it was perfect. However, I need to double the recipe. Would a 9 x 13 pan work? Would I need to bake longer?
Yes, you can double and use a 9×13 inch pan. They will need a bit longer in the oven, perhaps an extra 10-15 minutes.
I modified this recipe to be CKD friendly and lower fat/calorie. The result was cakey, delicious brownies, for those looking for cakey brownies. Here’s what I changed:
1/4 cup vegan butter instead of 1/2 cup
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (to replace the other 1/4 cup vegan butter)
1/2 cup granulated sugar instead of 1 cup
1/2 cup brown sugar instead of 1 cup
3/4 tsp cream of tartar and 1/4 tsp baking soda instead of baking powder (reduces the salt for CKD-totally unnecessary if sodium isn’t an issue)
omitted the salt (didn’t miss it at all, especially since I reduced the sugar)
omitted the 1/2 cup chocolate chips on top
I baked in an 8×8 pan for 35 minutes, and I didn’t check them before that – they may have been done sooner. Next time I plan to check at 25, 30 min. They were slightly crumbly, but still moist – I could use my fork to mash the crumbs onto it. A definite keeper! I hope you don’t mind me giving 5 stars even though I didn’t follow your recipe, but it was the foundation that I was looking for to work with and tweak for our nutritional needs.
YUM! I just made these earlier today and they turned out absolutely delicious. Chewy, fudgy and chocolatey. I adjusted the oven temperature to be about 320 degrees F instead of 350 (as my oven likes to burn things) and they turned out perfectly.
Thank you for another great recipe!
You are welcome, Sarah! I’m so glad you love the brownies! Thank you for sharing your baking experience and your stellar review! I appreciate you using my recipes!
These are delicious. I think it’s fully cooked. Cut while still somewhat warm. I realized after that I accidentally poured in the entire cup of chocolate chips in before reading to mix in half then add the rest on top. Ooops. I think it made it quite gooey, but still delicious. Crunchy on the outside soft and gooey
on the inside. Yum 😋
I love all of your recipes! Would this work in a mini muffin tin to make brownie bites?
I think they would probably work but I would use little mini muffin liners so they don’t stick. I also have a recipe for Brownie Bites I love!
Best brownies I have ever had, non vegan included!! Nora just never fails to impress!!
Absolute perfection! I have tried many many different other vegan brownie recipes and they were never good. This recipe is absolutely perfect! Sooo good! I followed the recipe just as it is.
Hi Megan. I am so happy that you are loving my brownie recipe! Thank you for sharing your terrific review and feedback! Happy cooking!
Omg at first I was worried because the batter was really dough-y and dry, and my gut was telling me to add some liquid, but I decided to see what happens and I’m so glad I didn’t listen to my gut because these came out PERFECT!! I actually made a mistake in the order of steps because I somehow missed where it said to add the flax egg, so I was going through the steps like ok but what about the flax egg? Lol so I ended up realizing I was supposed to add it after the butter and sugar. I added it after the flour and cocoa powder and had to mix it a lot. They came out so good I think I must not have overmixed it somehow. Just curious, what happens if you do overmix, what does that look like?
Hi Ally. I’m thrilled to hear that your brownies turned out perfect and delicious! Thank you for having faith in my recipe and sticking with it! I really appreciate you taking time to share your glowing review and recipe experience! When the batter is overmixed, sinking in the middle of the brownies can happen. Wish wishing you happy cooking!
Hi Nora
I made them as you explained, except:
I used 1/2 chocolate chips 63% and 1/2 cup chopped chocolate 72%
I used a 9×9 pan.
I baked them for 37min.
They turned out very cakey and dry.
Could have been the chocolate I used plus too long baking time?
I would love to hear any suggestion you might have
Thank you !
Izzy
I’m not sure, I don’t think your chocolate would be an issue. It’s rare for these to come out cake-like, they are very fudgy. Did you use regular flour? Make any other substitutions?
I’m excited to make these brownies for my daughter and am wondering about the brand of vegan butter. You prefer Earth Balance in these brownies but suggest Miyokos for your fluffernutter cookies (which I will also be making for her). Are there characteristics of the different brands that make a difference? I’d love to learn more!
Many thanks!
I used 1/4 cup less of each of the sugars and they are some of the best brownies ever! I did have trouble getting them off the parchment paper without losing the bottom of the brownie. (those fudgey crumbles did not go to waste!!!) Any suggestions?
Update to my comment… I lightly greased the parchment paper for baking, cooled as directed, and then placed in the freezer (on a cutting board, still on the parchment paper) for about 20 minutes to see if that would help – worked like a charm – picture perfect and delicious!
Hi Amy. Thank you for taking time to share your recipe experience and ideas! I’m so glad that it worked for you and that you loved the brownies!
Can you recommend any other substitutions for the flax eggs? Would applesauce work? Thanks!
Made this recipe and made these modifications to make it gluten-free (and my niece is allergic to flaxseed). Used 1/4 c applesauce instead of flaxseed, still used 1/4 c water and King Arthur measure for measure gluten-free flour with 1/2 tsp baking soda added. I cut down the sugars to 3/4 c and the choc chips to 1/2 c and the recipe was great! Thanks very much!
Can one make this with gluten free flour?
They work quite well with a quality gluten-free flour mix.
Hi, mine came out more gooey than cake like. Is that how they are supposed to be?
I followed everything to a T but every vegan brownie recipe I have tried turns out this way, while I am really hoping for a good cake like brownie.
Any ideas on what I should do differently?
Thank you!
Hi Lauren. The brownie batter is very thick with this recipe, it’s not thin like cake batter or even non-vegan brownie batter. Adding more liquid to thin the batter will make the brownies more cake like. Hope that helps!
I made these but only had a 9×11 pan and they burnt even though I cooked them for much less time. Can the recipe be doubled and then cooked for the same amount of time in a larger pan?
Regardless, I still really liked them and am excited to make them again! And I’ll buy a smaller pan if I have to— just wanted to see if it was doable!
I think doubling the recipe will be too much for a 9×11 pan, but for a 9×13 pan it will work. You can also use a 8×8. If they burned, perhaps try lowering the heat a bit and/or baking for even less time. You might also want to test the temperature of your oven and make sure it doesn’t run hotter than it should. I’ve had ovens that are 50 degrees hotter than they should be, and I have to adjust the temperature to account for it. Thanks and I hope that helps!
Can you use a 8×8 pan? What would the cooking time be
You can and I do quite often actually. Add just a few extra minutes, about 5 is all. Enjoy!
These are great, perfect texture I halved the sugar and used 85% dark chocolate, I think that some people would not find them sweet enough and I was nervous but everyone who came said they were delicious and somebody said they were the best she’s ever had.
Hi Alison. I’m so glad that the brownies turned out perfect for you! Thank you for sharing your recipe ideas and experience as well as your glowing review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Lovely recipe! Can these be frozen? In the refrigerator would they last long?
Kind regards,
Lynsey
They can be frozen, yes. I often freeze a bunch of brownies to have on hand when cravings hit! They last about a week in the fridge.
I will start off by saying the brownies are delicious, so this is a non issue. Just wanted to mention – I don’t know where I went wrong. I’m Australian own a US version of all my measuring utensils because I follow so many US recipes. There must be a difference in our flax and vegan butter because this was SO dry and powdery, it wouldn’t even come together as a dough. I had to add a LOT of oat milk to get it to the usual brownie batter consistency.
Your thoughts about substitute for the vegan butter? Not coconut oil but maybe a different oil?
Hi Carolyn. You could replace the butter with vegetable oil. Just know that it might make the brownies slightly more oily.
Made these the other day and they are great! The only brownie pan I have is too big and, although I decreased the time, they still got burnt (no fault of the recipe of course!). Regardless, they are delicious and I can’t wait to make them again in a proper sized pan!!
Hi Rachel. I’m so glad that you are loving the brownies! Hopefully, the correct size pan will make all the difference! Thank you for sharing your glowing review and feedback! Wishing you happy cooking!
Can I substitute flax seeds with chia seeds?
Sure, but I would use ground unless you don’t mind whole chia seeds throughout your brownies. Enjoy!