The best vegan brownies
You will love these delicious chocolate brownies, made with NO black beans, no tofu or dates, no butter or coconut flour, and no eggs or flax eggs.
But sometimes you want a budget-friendly, basic, gooey brownie recipe with simple ingredients and nothing you need to order on Amazon or make a memorable trip out to Whole Foods to find.
And sometimes, you’re craving the fudgy chocolate brownies you remember from childhood, just with better-for-you ingredients that let you indulge more often.
This is the ultimate best vegan brownie recipe for these occasions, with the stamp of approval from even hardcore carnivores.
Can you make brownies without eggs
The biggest challenge with vegan brownies is binding them together and adding moisture without using eggs or dairy.
Many of the vegan brownie recipes on the internet call for flax eggs, aquafaba, or ground chia seeds as an egg substitute. Others use silken tofu to add moisture.
These ingredients work wonders in vegan baking, and I highly recommend you try them out sometime if you haven’t already. But not everyone has a flax meal or chia seeds when asked to make a last-minute dessert for a party or a vegan friend.
So today, I wanted to come up with a recipe that calls for only pantry staple ingredients and still yields chewy, moist, and sinfully rich chocolate brownies.
Dairy-free chocolate brownie ingredients
The recipe calls for regular unsweetened cocoa powder, optional Dutch cocoa powder, flour, salt, water, sugar or unrefined coconut sugar, cornstarch, oil, baking powder, pure vanilla extract, and optional chocolate chips.
If you cannot find Dutch-processed cocoa, a full cup of regular unsweetened cocoa powder is fine. However, for the most authentic boxed brownie flavor, I recommend including the Dutch cocoa if you can.
Spelled flour is my personal favorite for these vegan brownies. Gluten-free or white all-purpose flour or oat flour also work. Do not substitute coconut or almond flour here.
A sugar-free and keto brownie recipe is included in the recipe box below for those who wish to make paleo brownies with almond flour.
Vegetable oil, sunflower oil, or melted coconut oil are all good options for vegan baking. Substituting the oil with banana or applesauce is not recommended because it will yield dense and gummy brownies lacking flavor depth.
Topping ideas for vegan brownies
The pictured brownies are topped with a scoop of Coconut Ice Cream.
Or serve the chocolate fudge brownies plain or topped with sliced strawberries, cherries, raspberry jam, and Coconut Whipped Cream.
You can also top them with store-bought chocolate frosting (many brands are surprisingly vegan), plant-based caramel, Homemade Nutella, or the following easy chocolate ganache: 1/2 cup cocoa powder, two tablespoons pure maple syrup or agave, and 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil melted. Stir ingredients together to form a thin sauce. Spread over the brownies, and refrigerate or freeze for 20 minutes to set.
How to make vegan brownies
Whisk the water, oil, and vanilla extract. If using a flax meal, whisk it in as well. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 330 degrees Fahrenheit, grease a baking pan, or line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. For thick brownies, use an eight-inch pan. Opt for a standard nine-by-thirteen-inch baking pan for thinner brownies.
In a large mixing bowl, stir all remaining ingredients very well. Then, mix in the liquid ingredients to form a vegan brownie batter.
A spatula or spoon will smooth the chocolate batter into the prepared pan. Place the pan on the center rack of the oven and bake for sixteen minutes. (Increase the cooking time to twenty-four minutes for brownies in an eight-inch pan.)
The vegan brownies should look under-baked when they come out of the oven. Let them cool, then refrigerate uncovered. They firm up after a few hours, and the flavor and texture are much better the next day.
For freshness, store leftover brownies in the refrigerator, uncovered or very loosely covered the first night, then entirely covered in an airtight container for up to four days.
You can also slice and freeze leftovers with a sheet of parchment paper between layers of brownies so they do not stick together. Warm up or thaw before serving.
Ingredients
1 cup water
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup oil
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup Dutch cocoa or additional unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup spelt, white, ap gf, or oat flour (For flourless, try these Keto Brownies)
1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup brown sugar, unrefined if desired
1/3 cup white sugar, unrefined if desired, OR stevia baking blend
2 tbsp cornstarch or ground flax
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
Whisk the first three ingredients, then set aside. (If using flax, whisk it in as well.) Preheat oven to 330F. Grease a 9×13 pan or an 8×8 pan for thick brownies, or line with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, stir all remaining ingredients. Then, stir in the liquid ingredients to form a brownie batter. Smooth evenly into the pan. Bake for 16 minutes or 24 minutes if using an 8×8 pan. The brownies should look undone when they come out. Let cool, then refrigerate uncovered (or very loosely covered). They start to firm up after a few hours and are friendly and sliceable by the next day. The brownies are more decadent and sweeter the next day as well. After the first day, refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to three months. If desired, top with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting or one of the vegan brownie topping ideas above.
