Fudgy Vegan Salted Caramel Brownies
These incredibly decadent fudgy vegan salted caramel brownies have a rich brownie base, easy and gooey homemade caramel center, and fudge-like chocolate ganache layer. Topped with flaky sea salt, these chocolatey squares of decadence are a chocolate-lover’s dream!
Tell me about these triple layer vegan salted caramel brownies:
We’re taking the term, brownies, and adding a whole new layer to it. Actually two more layers. Caramel and chocolate ganache, to be exact. And it is heavenly.
These fudgy, rich, and mouthwatering vegan salted caramel brownies are the definition of indulgence. We have my favorite classic vegan brownie recipe (the fudgiest brownies to exist), with a lush layer of homemade dairy free caramel, followed by a rich and soft vegan chocolate ganache.
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!).
Why not just bake the caramel into the brownies?
I had the same thought when thinking about how to make vegan salted caramel brownies. But if you look at a more conventional recipe that uses dairy and eggs, the same issue arises: 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.
So the solve: Bake the brownies separate, top with salted caramel, and finish with some more chocolate 🙂
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!
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!
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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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Fudgy Vegan Salted Caramel Brownies
- 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 incredibly decadent fudgy vegan salted caramel brownies have a rich brownie base, easy and gooey homemade caramel center, and fudge-like chocolate ganache layer. Topped with flaky sea salt, these chocolatey squares of decadence are a chocolate-lover’s dream!
Ingredients
Brownie Base:
- 1 batch vegan fudgy brownies, either gluten free or regular
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) vegan heavy cream, room temperature
- 5 tbsp vegan butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup (180 g) vegan chocolate chips
- 1 cup (240 mL) vegan heavy cream or coconut cream
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F. Start by making the brownies first, so read through the instructions for those.
- Make the brownies: Follow the instructions for making the brownies, either gluten free or using regular all purpose flour. Once the brownies are in the oven, begin to make the salted caramel.
- Make the vegan homemade caramel: While the brownies are baking, make the caramel. In a medium pot, wet the sugar with the water. Stir until the sugar starts to dissolve. Be sure to wet the sides of the pan to ensure that the sugar doesn’t crystallize.
- Heat the sugar: Bring the sugar to medium heat, and allow the sugar to bubble and caramelize in color. It should reach a golden or slightly dark golden color (about 7-8 minutes). Once it does, remove the sugar from heat immediately.
- Add in the heavy cream and vegan butter: Pour in the heavy cream and continue stirring vigorously. The sugar will start to harden into a softball. Place the pan back onto the stove to heat on low to allow the sugar to dissolve into the heavy cream. Continue stirring, then add in the room temperature vegan butter. Stir until dissolved.
- 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.
- Remove the brownies from the oven. Allow the brownies to cool for 30 minutes, while the caramel is also cooling.
- Spread the caramel on top: Once the brownies and caramel are cool, pour the caramel on top of the brownies. Then place the brownies into the fridge to set the caramel for 30 minutes (or freezer for 10-15 minutes).
- While the caramel is setting: Make the vegan chocolate ganache. Heat the vegan heavy cream until hot, either in the microwave or via stovetop. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips in a bowl, and allow the chocolate chips to sit in the hot cream for a minute. Then stir to melt the chocolate chips. Set the chocolate ganache aside to finish cooling while the caramel sets.
- Pour the chocolate ganache on top: Once the caramel is set, pour the room temperature chocolate ganache on top and spread evenly to reach the edges of the pan. Place the pan into the freezer to chill for 10 minutes or until the ganache is just set.
- 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.
Keywords: vegan salted caramel brownies, vegan caramel brownies, salted caramel brownies, dairy free caramel
I’m in the process of making these now, and wondering if I don’t plan to serve these right away, do I freeze and then place in the fridge until I’m ready to serve/eat or skip the freezer step entirely and just put in the fridge?
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If you’re going to serve them that same day still, you can keep them in the fridge until you’re ready!
What brand of vegan heavy cream do you use? I have not seen this at my store.
I used Silk heavy cream here, but you can also use Country Crock, Califia, or just use coconut cream! If you’re using coconut cream, make sure that it’s at room temp- no need to chill it 🙂
Hello! Can I use coconut cream for the caramel? I’m in Canada and I’m not sure I’ve seen vegan heavy cream.
Hi Willow! Yes you can 🙂 You don’t need to chill the can either, just use it at room temperature!
I don’t know if I would completely agree with the easy reference, there are a lot of steps. But that said, the end result is truly decadent and although while making them I was thinking never again, my family insists these are a MUST have. Guests would never know these were vegan or GF, which is the way the world should be. Kudos on a great recipe!
★★★★★
Made these last week! They’re delish!! Only tip would be to make sure your caramel is thick, I didn’t let mine bubble enough and it was pretty thin, but still delish!
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This is so awesome!! That can totally happen with the caramel- allowing it to get darker in color (don’t worry, you won’t burn it!) really helps! Also adding less heavy cream if needed next time!