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.
Ana says
Wow!! Truly amazing, thank you for this lovely recipe… I made two batches and its all gone in a day (big vegan family) 😊 the only thing I added is oreo crumbles, very delicious 😋
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Ana! So glad you and the fam enjoyed them – and loving the idea of adding Oreos!
James says
Hi Jess
These look bangin’ – I’m a big ol’ meathead & am doing a stint of veganism – would pea protein isolate work?!!
Thanks in advance 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
Hey James! Ooh I haven’t tried these with pea protein so I’m not sure! If you do try it, let me know how it goes
ann says
It looks really delicious.
Can I use dates instead of sugar?
How many should I use?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Ann, I haven’t tried this with dates so I can’t say. But I recommend following the recipe as written if you can!
Liah says
Great recipe! I substituted the choc chips for walnuts and added half a mashed avocado and it is fudgey and perfect!
Jessica Holmes says
Oh wow, awesome!
Missie says
The brownies turned out amazing,great recipe thank you.
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that! Thanks Missie!
Dylan says
Thank you for the recipe. My daughter and I made these brownies for her school cake sale and I was surprised at how well they turned out. This really is a simple and fun recipe that can easily be done with children and the brownies taste amazing. Thank you for taking the time to experiment with the recipe thus making it much easier for novice bakers like me to be able to make something very credible for a cake sale at the 11th hour!
Jessica Holmes says
Amazing! So glad you enjoyed them Dylan! ☺️
Emma says
Oh my gosh best brownies ever!!!!
Jessica Holmes says
Yaaay! So glad you like them Emma!
Mary says
Hi,
This recipe sounds delicious. I was just wondering if it makes any difference if I use regular granulated sugar instead of caster sugar. Thank you!
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Mary, you can definitely swap granulated sugar for caster sugar. I actually write a whole blog post about caster sugar you might find helpful – you can read it here.
Vik says
I want to make these tonight but do not have the meltedvegan dark chocolate. Could I make my own with coconut oil, cocoa and sugar? I’m desperate lol.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Vik, I’ve never made my own chocolate so I’m not sure how it would turn out.
Allie says
I’m not vegan but still would like to try them I only have normal dairy milk would that work?Thank you in advance
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Allie, yes that should work!
Emily says
Hi there! If you freeze the brownie, does it thaw quickly or is it rock solid for a while? I was considering using this recipe as the 8×8 base to a vegan ice cream cake, which would probably go from freezer to counter for only a few minutes before slicing. Thanks 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Emily, I actually haven’t frozen these before but they are very similar to regular brownies, so I think they’d be just fine in your cake! Let me know how you go!
Emily says
Hey—they turned out great! Thank you. I used it as a base for the “cake,” with a layer of frosting, then soy milk ice cream, and topped with coconut whipped cream. Delicious! It also froze very well in this case, super dense like fudge. I hope you and your family are safe from the bush fires.
Jessica Holmes says
That sounds like an incredible cake Emily! So glad it worked out. And we are safe, thank you so much. So scary to watch it unfold tho! Xx
Daisy Blowers says
Hi Jess,
I would love to make these for my vegan friend. Fudgy brownies are the best and I can see you recommend putting them in the fridge to make them fudgy, would you recommend putting them straight in the fridge from the oven or waiting for the brownies to cool completely/partially before putting them in the fridge?
Thanks 😊
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Daisy! I’m excited you’re going to make these. Yes, you can leave them to cool slightly before popping them in the fridge to get extra fudgy – delish!
Stefania says
Hi, has anyone tried rice flour instead of regular flour? I am looking to make this recipe but need it to be gluten free. Do you think it will work?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Stefania, I haven’t tried this with rice flour so I can’t say. I think working with a regular gluten free plain flour might work a bit better though.
Taylan says
I just tried the recipe second time and I absolutely LOVE it. No weird ingredient or hard things. Also to answer some of the questions.
I did it with both coconut milk and oat milk, it came out nice both times.
I used part olive and part coconut oil, and again, it came out nice.
So all I can say is that this recipe is very versatile and easy. Also you can replace ingredients without the risk of messing up. So, thanks for the recipe Jessica..
Jessica Holmes says
Awesome, thanks for the great feedback Taylan! So glad you enjoyed them x
Vanessa says
Lovely, chocolatey and fudgy. My 8 year old daughter is allergic to dairy and egg so these brownies are a brilliant alternative. This is the first brownie she’s ever had and she really likes them!
Jessica Holmes says
Aw love hearing that Vanessa! ☺️