Better than box mix vegan brownies that are so fudgy, rich, and decadent, you’d never know they’re eggless and dairy free! One bowl and so easy, you’ll just love these amazing vegan brownies!
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 eggless brownies are just so easy: you only need one bowl! Plus with only 20 minutes for baking time and a few minutes to cool (the hardest part, I’ll admit), these vegan brownies make for the best vegan dessert recipe to meal prep.
The cool part about this brownie recipe in particular is that it tastes like a fudgy Ghiradelli brownie, yet is entire eggless, dairy free, soy free, nut free, simple in ingredients, refined sugar free and can actually be made gluten free!
You are just going to LOVE these super rich and fudgy brownies! Seriously, you won’t even miss that they’re eggless and dairy free.
Ingredients
The vegan pantry staple ingredients that we need to make these brownies actually come with some cool benefits:
- Applesauce: I use unsweetened applesauce to keep the sugar count lower.
- Vegan butter: for this recipe, you can use either vegan butter or coconut oil. There are many nut free vegan butters on the markets these days, including Flora Plant Butter (my personal favorite!). If you don’t want to use vegan butter, you can use coconut oil- in fact, using coconut oil may help in protecting both our brains and our hearts!
- Coconut sugar: I use coconut sugar here as a wonderful refined sugar free substitute to regular sugar. Using Coconut sugar may also have a lower Glycemic Index, which means that it’s less likely to spike blood sugar levels when consumed.
- Cacao powder: if you’re wondering what cocoa powder to use for this recipe, I actually recommend scratching cocoa powder all together and going with cacao powder. Cacao powder is not only richer in taste, but it’s also full of antioxidants.
- Flour: people are so quick to knock flour, but it does contain nutrients, like selenium, riboflavin, and niacin. You can use gluten free 1:1 baking flour here if needed. I have not tried these vegan brownies with whole wheat flour, which definitely requires different ratios.
- Low sugar vegan chocolate: my favorite brand to use for this recipe is Pascha Chocolate, as their vegan chocolate chips are no sugar added and entirely dairy free (the whole brand is vegan!).
How to make vegan brownies from scratch (overview)
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!
For these vegan brownies, you’ll only need one bowl, a whisk, an 8×8 baking pan, and parchment paper.
To start:
- Whisk together the vegan butter and chocolate. Then stir in the coconut sugar, applesauce, and vanilla until completely mixed.
- Sift in the flour, cacao powder, and baking powder, adding in the dairy free milk to help mix, and then fold gently until the batter is just mixed.
- Add in the any chocolate chips or other toppings if desired , and fold until the chocolate chips are evenly distributed.
- Pour the batter into the parchment paper lined baking pan and bake the brownies for 20-22 minutes.
Allow the brownies to fully cool before slicing!
How to know when brownies are done
This really depends if you’re looking more for fudgy vegan brownies or more cakey vegan brownies. I personally air on the fudgy side, so I would check the brownies after 20 minutes.
Use a toothpick to test: if the toothpick comes out slightly clean (there might be a few crumbs on it) they’re good to go! If there’s more batter than actual brownie on the toothpick, I would give them another 3-5 minutes.
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.
What’s the best way to cut brownies?
The key to cleanly sliced brownies? Slicing 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.
Another trick is to run the knife under really hot water. Make one slice, then use a clean kitchen towel to clean the knife after each slice.
This method will ensure that you don’t get any ruined edges! Your vegan fudge brownies will be the perfect squares of chocolatey bliss.
Remember: the brownies should be cool before slicing!! If they’re not, no matter how hot or clean the knife is, the brownies might crumble around the edges!
Can I make these vegan brownies gluten free or Paleo?
Absolutely! I actually already have a vegan Paleo brownie recipe that’s very similar to this one, but to make these just gluten free vegan brownies, you can swap in gluten free 1:1 baking flour.
I haven’t tested these brownies with oat flour nor almond flour, so I can’t speak to those results.
Brownie mix-ins
If you ever want to jazz up this recipe for something different, here are some of my favorite brownie mix-ins:
- More chocolate chips (of course!)
- Pecans, walnuts, cashews, peanuts (if you’re nut free!)
- Peanut butter or coconut butter (or try these amazing vegan peanut butter swirl brownies!)
- Vegan chocolate gems
- Crushed oreos (use the new gluten free ones if you need to!)
- Vegan white chocolate chips
How to store brownies
I recommend slicing the brownies, then storing them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. This will help them remain fudgy and soft!
Alternatively, you can absolutely store them in the fridge (also in an airtight container) for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze these vegan brownies for up to 3 months.
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!
More vegan brownie recipes you’ll love
Vegan Pumpkin Swirled Brownies
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The BEST Fudgy Vegan Brownies
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 22
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Better than box mix vegan brownies that are so fudgy, gooey, and decadent, you’d never know they’re eggless and dairy free! One bowl and so easy, you’ll never make another vegan brownie recipe again!
Ingredients
- 100 grams all-purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour
- 60 grams cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 113 grams vegan butter or coconut oil, melted
- 80 grams chocolate chips
- 160 grams coconut sugar
- 85 grams unsweetened applesauce, room temperature or 2 tbsp ground flaxseed with 1/3 cup water
- 55 grams dairy free milk, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Additional 1/2 cup (80 grams) chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line an 8×8″ pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add in the melted vegan butter or coconut oil and coconut sugar. Stir with a spoon until the mixture is completely combined.
- Add in the applesauce, dairy free milk, and vanilla, stirring again until combined.
- Sift in the flour, cacao powder, and baking powder, and use a rubber spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Be sure not to over-mix- the batter should be just mixed.
- Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed (being careful not to over-mix). Stir in the additional chocolate chips here as well if desired.
- Pour the batter into the pan and spread the brownie batter to touch the edges of the pan. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean. If you bake these brownies longer, they will be more cake-y than fudgy.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes in the pan to cool.
- Slice and serve! Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Keywords: vegan brownies, vegan brownie recipe, fudgy vegan brownies, best vegan brownies, easy brownie recipe, how to make vegan brownies
Can I replace flaxseed with 4 eggs?
Hi Rachael! I haven’t tested this personally, typically the ratio is 1:1 but 4 eggs sounds like a lot in brownies- so I really can’t say! I’m so sorry!
Can i replace the applesauce with flax egg or aquafaba?
Hi Andrea! You can use 2 tbsp ground flaxseed with 1/3 cup water 🙂
Great! thank you for answering so quickly ☺️
★★★★★
Absolutely!! enjoy!
For the vegan butter or coconut oil, could I use tahini or sunflower seed butter?
Thanks! Martie
Hi Martie! I actually haven’t tried this recipe yet with either of those- I’m so sorry! Typically, you can sub them, but I can’t guarantee anything here, as I haven’t tried it myself.
If I wanted to try this with oat or almond flour instead, what ratio would you suggest?
I haven’t personally tried these with either of those flours- my guess is that the oat flour might be too crumbly (and I honestly don’t work with almond flour if at all, so I couldn’t even predict how that might come out!). You’re always more than welcome to try it with the oat flour, but I can’t guarantee it would work so I don’t want you to waste ingredients! If it were me, I would do 120 grams oat flour with 1 tbsp arrowroot starch as a test. But again, I can’t guarantee it would work!