Fudgy Crinkle Top Vegan Brownies with Aquafaba

These ridiculously fudgy vegan brownies are even better than any store bought brownie mix you’ll find. They’re moist, fudgy, and with perfectly shiny crinkly tops, all thanks to dissolving the sugar into aquafaba (or soy milk!). I did test with both, and if you can’t find aquafaba (chickpea brine), then you can definitely swap soy milk instead. Trust me, this will be the only brownie recipe you’ll use from now on!

Forget the box mix brownies- you’re going to LOVE these easy vegan brownies from scratch!

I’m serious. You’ll never be tempted to make another box mix brownie again after giving these ultra fudgy vegan brownies a go.

These brownies are my go-to weekend baking recipe for my husband and I, and for a good reason. It’s the base recipe for several of our other vegan brownie recipes, including my vegan gluten free Oreo brownies (and my inspiration for several of the brownie recipes in my cookbook!).

In fact, this recipe is so solid, that I used it to create my easy vegan brownie cookies.

I’m serious, you’re going to be hard pressed to believe that these brownies are vegan (because we’re finally baking them right!). My father-in-law, who’s obsessed with Ghirardelli fudge brownies, thinks these are even better. EVEN. BETTER. And I can guarantee you, he is not vegan in the slightest!

And for the most important part: we achieved the classic iconic crinkle top! But how? There are two EASY reasons why these vegan brownies are different than others on the internet

• Sugar content: We’ve slightly increased the moisture in this vegan brownie recipes by using part brown sugar and part granulated sugar. The brown sugar will add a slightly more molasses flavor, while also adding more moisture and richness.
• Sugar dissolution into aquafaba or soy milk: This means that the sugar granules are dissolved in the liquid by vigorous mixing- either with a hand mixer or by hand. Dissolving the sugar helps to create a super crinkly and shiny top!

Now, why use aquafaba or soy milk?

These are two of my favorite vegan egg replacements for this recipe, along with ground flaxseed. Together, they work better than what applesauce could achieve (trust me, I’ve tried).

This is because aquafaba or soy milk are most similar to egg white in terms of texture and binding properties, helping to give the brownies structure and moisture. So if you don’t have access to chickpea brine, then you most certainly can use soy milk with near identical results!

Simplest Ingredients to make Vegan Brownies:

The remaining ingredients are just pantry staple finds, but I want to go over why I’m choosing some key ingredients here!

• Ground flaxseed: We’re going to be using ground flaxseed to make a flax egg. I’ve also tested these brownies with unsweetened applesauce and dairy free yogurt- dairy free yogurt yields pretty good results, and applesauce is just meh. I find you get the best results with flaxseed.
• Vegan butter: for this recipe, you can use either vegan butter or coconut oil (though you can make brown butter brownies with vegan butter!). There are many nut free vegan butters on the markets these days, including Violife (my favorite for nut-free!). I personally use Miyoko’s. If you don’t want to use vegan butter, you can use coconut oil. The only note I have for vegan butter is that if you’re using earth balance, use the baking sticks rather than the tub of butter. You’ll get much better results!
• Granulated sugar WITH light brown sugar: The high amount of sugar is what gives our brownies the crinkly top, so please don’t reduce it! Adding light brown sugar also gives our brownies more moisture (read: FUDGIER!). Make sure that it’s organic in order to be vegan. I always use Florida Crystals sugar, which is certified vegan.
• Dutch-cocoa powder: You can’t just use any cocoa powder here. I recommend using all Dutch-processed for the fudgier texture it will give. All-natural has a bit more acidity (which causes a bake to rise), and will lead to a cakier brownie. I’m purposefully going for FUDGY with this recipe, so I’m avoiding cakey all together!
• High quality dark vegan chocolate: my favorite brand to use for this recipe is Endangered Species or Valrhona!

Overview: How to make vegan brownies step-by-step

For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe. 

Once you see how simple and easy these vegan brownies are to make, you might just be making them every week!

How to know when these brownies are done

Use a toothpick to test: if the toothpick comes out with a little brownie batter on it, they’re good to go! If it’s more like a glob of batter on the toothpick, I would give them another 5 minutes and check again.

When you remove the brownies from the oven, the tops of the brownies will be soft– that means they’re definitely fudgy inside! As they cool, the brownies will become firmer, yet still remain fudgy when you take that first bite. That’s why you need to wait at least 30 minutes before slicing into them!

My pro tip for getting a cleanly sliced square of brownie:

For this recipe, you need to allow the brownies to cool for 30 minutes before slicing.

Next, slice them with a large kitchen knife, using one fell swoop. DO NOT drag the knife through the brownies, as that’s what causes the crumbling to occur. Make sure to also gently clean the knife with a kitchen towel between each slice.

You are just going to LOVE these super easy vegan brownies! Truly, this will be your go-to brownie recipe, I’m sure of it!

Happy brownie baking!

Bake these brownies alongside me in this video:

Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!

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