The BEST Vegan Brownies I’ve ever had! They’re fudgy, full of chocolate and completely dairy free, egg-free and vegan. Made without any weird ingredients, you’d never believe Vegan Brownies could taste this good! Sponsored by Almond Breeze Australia.
These homemade Vegan Brownies defy every brownie rule.
They’re rich without butter. Fudgy without eggs. And they even have that crisp, shiny brownie crackle that everyone loves ❤️ with oodles of rich chocolate flavour.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Vegan Brownies.
why you will love this recipe
- The Vegan Brownies are soft, chewy and fudgy
- You don’t need any weird or hard-to-find ingredients
- They take only minutes to make
- No electric mixer needed
recipe testing
This past week, I had a big task: Make a delicious chocolate brownie WITHOUT using butter, eggs or milk. It took 6 attempts to get there, but I’m so happy with the results.
These Vegan Brownies are AMAZING and seriously rival a regular homemade brownie or boxed brownie. They have chewy edges, a fudgy choc centre and even a crackly top that makes you want to dive face-first into the pan.
First, I tried an oil-based brownie recipe just without eggs to see what happens. For ease, I wanted to avoid using flax eggs or any egg replacements. They tasted good, but fell apart. Next, I tried adding apple puree. These brownies held their shape but surprisingly went a little rubbery. Next, I tried adding a little melted chocolate and reduced the amount of almond milk. They were the worst of all – flat and oily!
Then I tried adding almond butter but they were meh! I started to get a little desperate at this stage and my fridge was overflowing with below-average brownies.
Version 5, I switched from a cocoa-based brownie to using real chocolate, while also reducing the oil and increasing the almond milk. The flavour and texture were much better but they were almost cake-like. Not cakey but actual cake. Finally, I tweaked the measurements and version 6 was pure perfection. 👌🏻
ingredients you will need
The best part about these Vegan Brownies is you only need a handful of ingredients – none of which are speciality items. Like my favourite Gluten Free Brownie recipe, I only wanted to use regular ingredients. Here’s what you will need to make a batch today:
- Plain flour: Or all purpose flour.
- Cocoa powder: I recommend using 100% natural cocoa powder – not sweetened cocoa or chocolate powder.
- Caster sugar: Or granulated sugar.
- Vegetable oil: Or any netural flavourless oil.
- Vanilla extract
- Vegan dark chocolate: A dairy-free dark chocolate that is somewhere between 50-70% cocoa is ideal.
- Almond milk: I tested this recipe using almond milk, but it is likely that other dairy-free milks will also work. Let me know in the comments if you try an alternative.
- Vegan chocolate chips: Totally optional, but makes these brownies extra special.
You don’t need any baking powder or baking soda in this recipe. Using a raising agent will change the result from fudgy brownie to something more resembling cake.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN BROWNIES
- You’ll love how quick and easy these Vegan Brownies are to make! All you need is a bowl and spoon – no electric mixer required.
- These chocolate brownies use real chocolate for better flavour and texture. If you simply want these to be egg-free, you can use regular dark chocolate, but for Vegan Brownies, you’ll need to hunt down dairy-free dark chocolate.
- Stir together the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients – it’s as simple as that! Just try not to over-mix. Only mix until there are no more pockets of flour.
- The chocolate chips are optional – I’ve tried with and without – both are delish.
- Try not to over-bake these brownies as they will turn very cakey. Bake just until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave them to cool completely. For a fudgier brownie, place them in the fridge for a few hours – they’ll turn SUPER fudgy.
HOW TO STORE VEGAN BROWNIES
- These brownies are best kept in the fridge. You can serve them cold, at room temperature, or if you would like to enjoy them warm, microwave them for 10-15 seconds. You can also freeze any leftovers!
more brownie recipes you’ll love
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Let’s Bake
Vegan Brownie Recipe
Deliciously thick and fudgy Vegan Brownies made without butter, milk or eggs.
Ingredients
- 140 grams (1 cup) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 20 grams (1/4 cup) cocoa powder, sifted
- 200 grams (1 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 80 ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 200 grams (1/2 cup) dairy free (vegan) dark chocolate, melted
- 240 ml (1 cup) Almond Breeze Original Almond Milk
- 75 grams (1/2 cup) dairy free (vegan) chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Line an 8-inch square pan with baking or parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour, cocoa powder and sugar and gently whisk to mix.
- Add oil, vanilla, melted chocolate and almond milk. Mix with a wooden spoon until smooth and combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and mix gently.
- Tranfer brownie batter to prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Try not to over bake or brownies will turn cakey*.
Notes
*I recommend putting the brownies in the fridge for a few hours to firm up – they’ll also turn super fudgy.
**Some reader feedback has been that these brownies take slightly longer to cook. I use a fan-forced oven and mine are always perfect at the 25-30 minute mark. If you are not using a fan-forced oven, you can turn the temperature up to 180C / 360 F. Please note that every oven is different, and if they need a little extra time in the oven, they’ll still be delicious.
Oliver says
Would a different non-dairy milk work? Such as soy? Really wanting to try these but not a huge fan of almond milk
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Oliver, I haven’t tried that myself but I’m pretty sure I’ve had a few people comment and say they tried this recipe with a different milk and it worked. Let me know how you go!
Oliver says
I used soy milk and because of a lack of all purpose flour, I used a mixture of all purpose, self-raising and oat flour. They still turned out amazing!
Jessica Holmes says
How great is that! Thanks for the feedback!
Brenna tollefson says
Would coconut oil work in place of vegetable oil?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Brenna, I haven’t tried it myself but I think it would be ok!
Jyoti says
It was super amazing…my brownies we’re so fudgy and yummy…super like 👍
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Love hearing that!
Dee says
My brownies turned out perfect, so delicious and chocolatey! I used olive oil instead as I had ran out of vegetable oil, so the brownies had a subtle taste to them, which I didn’t mind but I’ll definitely be using vegetable oil as stated the next time I make them.
It’s such an easy and simple recipe with ingredients that you more than likely already have on hand and I love that it’s vegan too. Thanks for sharing!
Jessica Holmes says
Aww so glad you enjoyed them Dee! Thank you for the lovely feedback!
Rita says
Great to find a brownie recipe using ingredients everyone can find easily. Could you edit step 1 by any chance? It would be great if it listed both 180 and 160 for fan ovens – I nearly missed the note and ended up with brownie soup!
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Rita!
Nicola Howie says
Great recipe so easy to make and they taste great. I’m using them in a browi e trifle.
Jessica Holmes says
Amazing! What a great idea!
Kris says
Could I double the recipe and bake in a larger pan? Or would I be better to make the recipe twice?
Jessica Holmes says
I haven’t doubled it myself Kris but I think it would be ok, as long as the pan was large enough, maybe a 9x13inch?
Pam says
Hi, I have just come across your recipe when trying to research vegan choc brownies. My daughter is gluten intolerant would it be ok to use Gluten free plain flour such as Doves Farm to make these?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Pam, I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour so I can’t say how it would turn out – sorry! I do have a gluten free brownie recipe on my site though.
Karen Dyson says
Wowza! These brownies are awesome. I love the texture and tender crumb. And such a simple recipe with no leavening or thickeners–just ingredients I had on hand. Thanks so much Jessica.
The flavor awesomeness is undoubtedly due to my favorite chocolates: Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet chocolate chips for the melted chocolate as well as the chips, and King Arthur Flour’s Double Dutch Dark Cocoa. Added 1 teaspoon of King Arthur’s Espresso Powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. I sifted all the dry ingredients into the bowl while weighing them. [I’ve been watching the Great British Baking Show 😉 ]. Melted the chips in the microwave with half of the milk and stirred to make a ganache before adding to the mixing bowl.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Karen! Aww I’m so happy to hear you loved these brownies! I really wanted to create an easy recipe that didn’t use any weird ingredients. Sounds like you nailed the recipe – well done!
Kasia says
Hi
Could I swap to 50% self raising flour to make them slightly thicker?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Kasia, that will change the texture. I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t say how it will turn out – sorry!
ana says
I’m not sure the proportions in the recipe are properly converted. ½ a cup of chocolate chips was less than 100 grams for me, so i’m not sure if these turned out the way they should.
they were very cakey, as the recipe warned and slightly burned on the sides .
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Ana, 1/2 cup of chocolate chips is about 75 grams as stated in the recipe. But adding more or less choc chips won’t change the result. If they were burned on the sides, it sounds like you overcooked them – try a lower temperature next time as your oven might run hot.
Holly W says
Jess these are absolutely amazing! I’ve been looking for a go-to brownie recipe that’s easy, uses basic ingredients (had most of them in my cupboard already!) and yours ticks all the boxes 🙂 I’ve made a batch with a swirl of peanut putter through it, and another with orange zest and juice of half an orange for a ‘festive’ variation – both delicious too! Thanks so much for sharing and keep up the fab work 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
Amazing! So glad you enjoy them Holly and love that you’ve been switching up the flavours. Sounds delicious!
Deb says
Once they are cooked do you leave them to go cold in the pan then cut them and refrigerate them?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Deb, yes you can leave them to cool in the pan. You can serve straight away or pop them in the fridge to go extra fudgy. I put mine in the fridge whole and then cut them when they’re a bit firmer. Hope that makes sense!
Liz says
These turned out great. Super fudgy. Refrigeration is key.
Jessica Holmes says
Glad you liked them Liz!
Simona says
Hey, they’re in the oven now, hoping for a good result 🙂
How come no baking powder or soda? Im no cook, so just wondering 🙏
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Simona, I hope you enjoy them! Typically brownies don’t need any raising agent, it’s one of the reasons why they stay fudgy and don’t turn into cake.
carol beitcher says
im measuring the choc < and 200 grams is more like 2 cups of choc. so is it 200grams or 1/2 cup of choc
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Carol, sorry for the confusion. It’s 200 grams of chocolate, which when melted will equal 1/2 cup of melted chocolate – hope that makes sense.