These rich vegan caramel brownies are made using dairy free brown butter and stuffed to the brim with a thick and gooey homemade dairy free caramel. With the fudgiest molten centers and a paper thin, shiny crinkle top, these vegan brownies are pure decadence!

stack of caramel brownies

Tell me about these brown butter vegan salted caramel brownies:

We’re taking the term, brownies, and adding a whole new layer to it. Actually two more layers. we took the best vegan brownie recipe in the world, filled it with the gooiest caramel, and added browned vegan butter for good measure.

Then a hefty sprinkle of fancy flaky sea salt to finish. Is your mouth drooling yet?

And you better believe that these amazing brownies are made without eggs, without dairy, and completely vegan (with an option of being gluten free!). Just like all my other brownie recipes on the blog 😉 (have you tried my vegan lemon brownies or Oreo brownies yet?! Because you must!).

sliced vegan salted caramel brownies

Doesn’t caramel dissolve when baking?

I had the same thought when thinking about how to make vegan salted caramel brownies. This can sometimes happen, even in more traditional recipes made with butter and eggs: the caramel dissolves into the brownies as they bake.

That means there’s no gooeyness of the caramel left! Plus, the brownies would feel a little too dense.

My first solve was to bake the brownies separately, then add a layer of caramel on top, followed by ganache. But those proved too decadent I felt. One bite would sometimes be too much!

So how did we resolve this?

Make a super thick caramel sauce.

stacked vegan brownies

Overview: How to make and assemble vegan caramel 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.

Can these be made gluten free?

Absoltuely! I have made my fudgy vegan brownies soooo many times with gluten free flour. I prefer to use King Arthur measure for measure gluten free flour (actually, I just saved a few stories in my AMA highlight on Instagram as to why). It’s absolutely lovely, and you really still get that fudgy brownie texture!

What’s the best vegan chocolate to use?

I personally opt for a high quality chocolate, like Endangered Spices, Theo, Pascha Chocolate, or Valrhona. Those are my top favorites. Not all of these brands are 100% vegan (meaning that they might sell a type of chocolate that also contains dairy, but do sell chocolate bars that are vegan and dairy free). So just be sure to read the label!

sliced vegan caramel brownies
sliced vegan salted caramel brownies

How to store vegan salted caramel brownies:

After you’ve sliced into your vegan salted caramel brownies, I recommend storing them in the fridge. They’ll last better that way. Place your sliced caramel brownies into an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days.

You can also freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months!

You’re just going to LOVE these easy vegan salted caramel brownies!! Let me know what you think down below in the comments section 🙂 Enjoy, and happy baking!

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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stacked vegan brownies

Fudgy Vegan Salted Caramel Brownies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 8 reviews
  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 40
  • Cooling Time: 60
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
  • Yield: 16 1x
  • Category: Brownies
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

These rich vegan caramel brownies are made using dairy free brown butter and stuffed to the brim with a thick and gooey homemade dairy free caramel. With the fudgiest molten centers and a paper thin, shiny crinkle top, these vegan brownies are pure decadence!


Ingredients

Scale

Brownie Base, based on my vegan fudgy brownies:

  • 1 2/3 cup (200 g) all-purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour
  • 1/2 cup (50 g) high quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder*
  • 3/4 cup (170 g) vegan butter*
  • 6 ounces vegan chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup (80 mL) aquafaba or soy milk, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 1/2 cup (118 mL) water OR 1/2 cup (120 g) pumpkin puree, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Additional 1/2 cup (80 g) vegan chocolate chips

Vegan Salted Caramel:

  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp (95 mL) vegan heavy cream, room temperature
  • 5 tbsp vegan butter, room temperature
  • 1 tsp sea salt

Instructions

  1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F. Start by making the brownies first, so read through the instructions for those. Line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside a separate glass square dish to cool the caramel in. 
  2. Make the vegan homemade caramel: First we’ll make the caramel. In a medium pot, add the sugar and heat on medium heat, stirring lazily to dissolv the sugar. The sugar will start to caramelize in color. It should reach slightly dark golden color (about 7-8 minutes). Once it does, remove the sugar from heat immediately. You don’t want it to burn!
  3. Add in the vegan butter and heavy cream: Stir in the vegan butter and continue stirring vigorously. The sugar will start to harden into a softball. Place the pan back onto the stove to heat on low and stir until the sugar integrates with the butter. Then pour in the vegan heavy cream, and continue stirring vigorously to allow the sugar to dissolve into the heavy cream. 
  4. Boil the caramel: Bring the heat back up to medium heat, and allow the caramel to bubble undisturbed for 3 minutes. Then remove from heat, and stir in the sea salt. Pour the caramel into a square casserole dish and place into the fridge to cool. This helps to speed up the cooling time.
  5. While the caramel is cooling, make the brownies: In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the sugar, brown sugar, aquafaba, vanilla extract,  and flaxseed mixture or pumpkin puree. Mix until the sugar granules are completely dissolved. This is crucial, as this gives the vegan brownies their crinkle top. Set aside.
  6. Brown the vegan butter: In a small saucepan, heat the vegan butter on medium heat, stirring occasionally until the fat solids in the butter start to brown, about 5 minutes. Vegan butter tends to foam, so to check how the butter is coming along, remove it from heat for 30 seconds and stir to allow the bubbles to calm down. Keep going until you reach a golden color and the butter smells nutty.
  7. Make the fudge sauce: Remove the saucepan from the heat and add in the chocolate chips . Allow the chocolate to sit for a few seconds to start melting. Then add in the cocoa powder as well, and whisk until the chocolate chips have completely melted and the cocoa powder is integrated into the mixture.
  8. Finish the brownie batter: Use a rubber spatula to spoon the chocolate fudge mixture into the dissolved sugar mixture. Whisk until combined. Then add in the flour and sea salt, and gently whisk JUST until the flour is completely incorporated. The brownie batter will feel really thick. That’s okay! Continue whisking just until the flour is incorporated. Add in the chocolate chips, and fold into the brownie batter to evenly distribute.
  9. Assemble the brownies: Pour about 1/2 of the brownie batter into the pan, and spread to the edges. Then take the caramel and pour an even layer of caramel over the brownie batter. Try not to spread the caramel to the edges, as that will make it harder to remove the brownies from the pan. Then spread the remaining batter on top. It’s okay if pockets of caramel poke out.
  10. Bake: Bake the brownies for 33-36 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out semi-clean. Remove the brownies from the oven and allow them to cool for 30 minutes at room temperature, then in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. 
  11. Slice and enjoy! Remove the brownies from the freezer, and slice them into 16 squares. Top with flaky sea salt, and enjoy!

Notes

Gluten free: Use King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour in the fudgy brownies recipe.

Vegan butter: I recommend Miyoko’s and Plant Crock for browning vegan butter.