Fudgy ‘Brown Butter’ Vegan Cheesecake Brownies
For lovers of cheesecake and brownies, you need to try these ultra fudgy BROWN BUTTER cheesecake brownies. They’re richly decadent with nutty flecks of brown butter throughout and swirled with an irresistible vanilla bean cheesecake batter. And with one bite, you’d never know these brownies are entirely VEGAN. No eggs, no dairy, and it’s shockingly easy!
If you can’t decide between creamy and perfectly tangy cheesecake and ultra fudgy, decadent brownies, then now, you don’t have to 😉
These ‘brown butter’ cheesecake brownies are the ultimate brownie recipe. They’re based off of my classic vegan brownies, but trust me- absolutely no one can tell they’re made without eggs and dairy.
These cheesecake brownies taste like just that- ridiculously creamy and slightly tangy with ripples of decadent fudge brownie throughout. And the nutty vegan brown butter takes them to a whole new level (thanks to my small batch brown butter brownies for that inspiration!).
Bring these vegan cheesecake brownies to your next potluck dinner, holiday meal, or family or friend get together. Trust me, there won’t be any leftovers!!
Simple ingredients:
There are a few ingredients here, but don’t worry- they’re simple!
- Vegan cream cheese: I like to either make my own homemade vegan cream cheese or use Kite Hill. My homemade version is nut-free and soy-free, so if you fall into avoiding those allergens, definitely check it out. Violife nor Miyoko’s cream cheese won’t work too well here- Violife dissolves and Miyoko’s I just don’t think has a great flavor (which is a shame, because I really enjoy their vegan butter).
- Vegan butter: This I recommend over coconut oil, so please don’t swap coconut oil in here! To brown vegan butter, you need to first start with a high quality vegan butter. Now, while I don’t like Mioyko’s cream cheese, I do swear by their vegan butter. It’s perfect. However it does contain nuts. So if you’re nut free, I recommend using Plant Crock (Country Crock’s vegan line) here. Earth Balance is abysmal for browning, so stay away from that (but does work well for buttercreams so keep that in mind!).
- Sugar & brown sugar: The combination of light brown sugar and granulated sugar adds more richness to the brownies, which is important as we don’t have any richness from eggs!
- Ground flaxseed with coffee: Sounds strange, but there are reasons to my madness- ground flaxseed is my egg replacement here, and adding coffee instead of water adds once more, another flavor enhancement. You won’t taste any coffee in the actual cheesecake brownies, but it will more enhance the overall flavor of the brownies.
- Dutch-process cocoa powder: KEY here to fudgy brownies is Dutch-process over all-natural. You’ll also notice that we don’t use any leavening agents, and that’s very purposeful. The use of Dutch-process and NO leavening agents will create that fudgy texture that somehow still rises just a bit so that you’re not eating straight up fudge mixed with cheesecake batter (though that would be good!).
- Aquafaba (chickpea brine): Don’t fret at this- this is simply the liquid from your chickpea can. But if you’re super averse to it, no problem at all- just use soy milk! The soy milk will still act very much like the chickpea brine, dissolving the sugar into it to create that crinkle paper thin top.
- Chocolate: I recommend a high-quality vegan chocolate. Valrhona’s Oriado blend is my absolute favorite, and just so happens to be dairy free and vegan naturally. You can also use Alter Eco (I love their salted dark chocolate) or Endangered Species. Guittard is another great brand!
Overview: How to make ‘brown butter’ vegan cheesecake brownies
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.
PRO TIP: Make sure you measure your flour!
Over measuring your flour is the easiest way to mess up fudgy brownies. The key here? Using a kitchen scale. This will always ensure that you’re using the proper amounts of ingredients. Which is super important for fudgy cheesecake brownies!
Do I need to use vegan brown butter?
I certainly think it adds to the richness of the brownies, but it’s not entirely necessary- if you want mind-blowing cheesecake brownies, then yes, include it. But if you can’t find a good vegan butter that browns (see ingredient notes above!), then using just 1/2 cup (113 g) of vegan butter instead of browning and reducing down 2/3 cup will work just as well!
Can I use an 8×8 pan?
Technically, yes, but the vegan cheesecake brownies need to bake much longer. You also run the risk of over-baking the edges and underbaking the middle. So to fix this, I recommend placing the middle rack JUST below the middle. You should have an option in your oven that’s just above the bottom most rack and just below the middle. And you’ll need to bake the cheesecake brownies for closer to 40-44 minutes rather than 35.
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Fudgy ‘Brown Butter’ Vegan Cheesecake Brownies
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
- Category: Brownies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
For lovers of cheesecake and brownies, you need to try these ultra fudgy BROWN BUTTER cheesecake brownies. They’re richly decadent with nutty flecks of brown butter throughout and swirled with an irresistible vanilla bean cheesecake batter. And with one bite, you’d never know these brownies are entirely VEGAN. No eggs, no dairy, and it’s shockingly easy!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (226 g) vegan cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 2/3 cup (113 g) vegan butter
- 6 ounces vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (50 g) high quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder*
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 1/2 cup coffee (you can sub water) or 1/2 cup (100 g) dairy free yogurt, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) aquafaba or soy milk, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 2/3 cup (200 g) all-purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour
- 1/2 cup (80 g) vegan chocolate chips, for folding into the batter
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F, and line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper. Keep in mind that if your pan is smaller in width, you might need longer to bake. Read through the instructions and the ingredient list. Prep the flaxseed “eggs” by mixing together the ground flaxseed with the coffee. Set aside.
- Make the cream cheese batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the vegan cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla bean paste until smooth. Set aside.
- Brown the butter: In a small saucepan, heat the vegan butter on medium heat, melting it down completely. Keep stirring, and reduce the heat to medium low so as not to accidentally burn the butter. Keep stirring until light brown flecks appear in the butter and it has a nutty aroma. Then remove from heat.
- Make the fudge sauce: Pour the hot browned vegan butter over the 6 ounces of vegan chocolate in a heat-safe bowl. Let sit for 2 minutes to melt the chocolate, then stir until the chocolate is completely melted into the butter. Then add in the cocoa powder, and stir until dissolved. Set aside.
- Dissolve the sugar: In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the aquafaba, granulated sugar, brown sugar, ground flaxseed mixture, vanilla extract and sea salt. Mix on medium speed until the sugar is nearly dissolved. If you pinch the batter between your fingers, you should feel very small granules if at all. This will take 5-7 minutes.
- Finish the brownie batter: Pour in the chocolate fudge sauce, and mix with a hand mixer again until the chocolate mixture is combined. Then add in the flour, and mix on low speed JUST until the flour is integrated into the chocolate brownie batter.
- Fold in the remaining chocolate: Add in the additional chocolate chips, and fold with a silicone spatula to evenly distribute throughout the batter.
- Bake: Pour half of the brownie batter into the prepared pan, followed by half of the cheesecake batter in big spoonfuls on top. Then pour the remaining brownie batter on top, followed by the remaining cheesecake batter. Swirl the cheesecake batter into the brownie batter, being careful not to overswirl. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out nearly clean.
- Cool: Remove the brownies from the oven and allow them to cool for 20-30 minutes.
- Slice and serve: Use a large kitchen knife to slice the brownies into 9 large brownies, or 16 regular sized brownies and enjoy!
Notes
Cocoa powder: I recommend Dutch-process, as this will be way less cakey. All-natural will result in a cakier brownie.
Kind of made these. I skipped the cream cheese part and the brownies themselves are fabulous! I used aquafaba, myokos butter and the coffee w/the flaxsed. I will absolutely make these again and again.
Hi Liz! They really are so good aren’t they?! Thanks so much for being here and for the positive feedback. 🙂
Can we use regular vanilla if we don’t have vanilla paste?
Hi Tina! Yes! You can use vanilla extract if you don’t have the paste. 🙂