BEST Vegan Brownies!
The richest, fudgiest vegan brownies ever. The BEST vegan brownies are decadent and moist with deep chocolate flavor and soul-satisfying chocolate fudginess.
Fudgy, Moist and Decadent: the BEST Vegan Brownies Have it All
Today’s recipe for the BEST vegan brownies are the only brownie recipe you’ll ever need. These brownies are decadent, fudgy and moist, with gooey chocolate chips and all the chocolate flavor you need to satisfy those sweet tooth cravings. The best part? They’re vegan and don’t at all taste like it. Ready to make the best vegan brownies? Let’s do it!
How to Make Vegan Brownies
But really, what’s the best and tastiest way to learn how to make vegan brownies? The easy way. My motto is to always keep things simple and easy, so that’s how we’re gonna make the best vegan brownies. Don’t worry, we won’t miss out on an indulgent fudgy factor or mouthwatering moistness. It’s all here folks!
Preheat, Line & Flax it Up
The two things I do before I start any recipe is preheat the oven and make my flax eggs. Head on over to your oven and preheat it to 325°F. Then, line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or greased foil. Lastly, mix up your flax eggs. This way, it’ll have set for when you’re ready to whisk it into the brownie batter. Set aside.
Hint 💡 Learn how to make flax eggs.
Whisk
Grab a medium bowl and add in the almond butter, brown sugar, maple syrup and coconut oil. You’ll want to whisk these ingredients together until you get a sticky mixture, like caramel.
Add
Begin adding cocoa powder in ¼ cup increments, giving your whisk the time to slowly incorporate the cocoa powder. Continue until it’s shiny and smooth. Add in the flax eggs, vanilla, and salt. Whisk a few times to combine.
Fold
Add the flour. Using a rubber spatula, stir and fold in the flour until no flour patches remain. The batter will be super thick, which is why we’re not using a whisk here. Fold in vegan chocolate chips.
Pour
Pour your vegan brownie batter into the prepped pan. Smooth brownie batter into an even layer.
Bake, Cool, Slice and Enjoy
Bake brownies for about 30 minutes. Cool, slice and enjoy the very best vegan brownies ever!
Ingredient Substitutions for the Best Vegan Brownies
Isn’t it the best when you have everything you need for a recipe on hand? And totally the worst when you don’t? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! Here are a list of the ingredients needed to make the best vegan brownies, along with the best ingredient substitutions.
- Almond Butter: feel free to substitute this ingredient with your favorite nut butter. I like using peanut butter or even cashew butter. I know some readers have used sunflower seed butter with success, too. 🙂 Just make sure to use an unsalted, natural nut or seed butter to keep the recipe as close to the original as possible. And, bear in mind that the flavor of the nut butter you use will come through in the brownies (except for almond butter, which is neutral).
- Dark Brown Sugar or Coconut Sugar: either sugar will work, but what if you don’t have either? You can try using organic cane sugar instead. But truly, one of these will work best.
- Pure Maple Syrup: some readers have tried using brown rice syrup with success. I haven’t tried it myself, so proceed with caution if you do. 😉
- Coconut Oil: melted vegan butter will probably work just fine. Some readers have also used avocado oil and canola oil. If you use either of those, or something else, let me know how it works out!
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: you can absolutely use raw cacao powder here. I’ve made this brownie recipe tons of times with raw cacao powder and it works just the same.
- Flax Eggs: easily sub the flax eggs in these vegan brownies with chia eggs or egg replacer.
- Almond Extract: I love the complex flavor that almond extract adds to the best vegan brownies, but you can use pure vanilla extract.
- Salt: if you don’t want salt at all, you can leave this one out. If you like it with a bit more salt, you can try ¼ teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon of salt. I fear that ½ teaspoon total will be too much. Or, you can sprinkle sea salt on top of the brownies before serving.
- White Whole Wheat Flour: feel free to use oat flour in place of this ingredient, as the texture will be pretty much the same. Here’s how to make oat flour.
Hot or Cold: How Shall I Enjoy My Vegan Brownies?
Hot (well, Warm)
A popular option—enjoying your brownie practically fresh from the oven. You can also warm up your brownies by popping them into the microwave for about 10-seconds. This warm vegan brownie will be soft, with gooey chocolate chips and rich texture.
Cold
My sister loves putting any and all desserts into the freezer. Reason being that colder treats can sometimes be yummier. If you want to place your brownies in the freezer, then you’ll be gently nibbling on a very firm brownie while the heat from you mouth melts the treat. If you want to put your brownies into the fridge, you’re looking at a firmer vegan brownie, with almost a cosmic brownie consistency–think firm and dense, but soft enough to sink your teeth into.
The Very Best Vegan Brownie Recipes
- Vegan Gluten Free Brownies (GF, Dairy Free)
- Paleo Vegan Brownies Recipe
- Vegan Banana Brownies Recipe
- No Bake Vegan Brownies
- Fudgy Vegan Brownies – 6 Ways
Tools You Need
How Do You Like ‘Em?
How’d you like the best vegan brownies ever? Just know, it means the world to me when you take the time to comment, rate the recipe and let me know what you think. Your positive feedback is what keeps me going (and helps me to get better). ‘Til our next vegan adventure…
Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
🍫 📸 🍫
📸 Did you make this vegan brownies recipe? Take a pic and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #beamingbaker & tag @beamingbaker. I’d love to see it! 📸
Best Vegan Brownies Recipe – Easy ‘n Moist!
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 9-16 brownies 1x
Description
Best Vegan Brownies Recipe: easy & moist homemade vegan brownies—the BEST vegan chocolate brownies ever! Rich chocolate flavor, fudgy center and made from scratch!
Ingredients
Best Vegan Brownies
- ¼ cup natural, unsalted creamy almond butter or other nut butter
- ½ cup organic dark brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
- 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flaxseed + 6 tablespoons water whisked together, set for 15 mins)
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract or pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour or oat flour
Add-in
- ½ cup vegan chocolate chips
Click here for Gluten Free Vegan Brownies.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or greased foil. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together almond butter, brown sugar, maple syrup and melted coconut oil. Whisk until it resembles caramel.
- Add cocoa powder in ¼ cup increments, whisking until shiny and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add in flax eggs, extract, and salt. Stir just a few times to gently incorporate.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in flour until you get the consistency of soft dough or very thick batter, and no flour patches remain.
- Fold in vegan chocolate chips. Pour batter into pan. Using a rubber spatula, smooth batter into an even layer.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes. Mine took 30 minutes. Cool for 1 hour, or until completely cool.* Slice into 9-16 brownies. Enjoy!
Delicious Vegan Brownie Recipes
- Paleo Vegan Brownies (Gluten Free) – brownies made with almond flour
- Vegan Gluten Free Brownies
- Vegan Banana Brownies Recipe 🍌
- No Bake Vegan Brownies
Equipment
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → 
Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil 16oz
Buy Now →
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → Notes
Where to Buy Ingredients: Vegan Chocolate Chips | Unsweetened Cocoa Powder | Almond Butter | Coconut Sugar | Pure Maple Syrup | Ground Flaxseed | Pure Almond Extract
*Brownies will be very fudgy and gooey after the first 2 hours of cooling. If you like them firmer, allow to cool & set for an extra 2-4 hours before enjoying. Or, after cooling completely, chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours and enjoy.
Storing Instructions: Store brownies in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature. Store in the refrigerator if you like them firm.
Freezing Instructions: These brownies freeze well. Store in an airtight, freezer-friendly container for up to a month. Thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes before enjoying. Or, heat in the microwave for 15-20 seconds until warm.
Recommended Tools: 8-inch baking pan | unbleached parchment paper | glass mixing bowls | my favorite prep bowls
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
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I can’t wait to try these!! I will be sure to share on my instagram account with your hashtag!
Yay! Can’t wait to see! 🙂
THANK YOU! I went vegan a few weeks ago and was craving a brownie tonight. Found this recipe on Pinterest and whipped them up (used PB because I was out of AB). THEY ARE AMAZING. I ate a small piece fresh out of the oven; can’t wait to try a cooled one tomorrow!
Hi Liz, it’s my pleasure!! 🙂 It is HARD finding a GOOD vegan dessert, ya know? I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed my recipe! Hopefully you love the cooled ones just as much as the fresh. 😉 Enjoy!
These were amazing! Super fudgy and chocolatey. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
I made a few substitutions– peanut butter as I was out of almond butter, and all-purpose flour because I was lazy and didn’t feel like getting out my wheat grinder that night. 😛
They still came out fantastic, and they were even better the next day!
Awesome! I’m so happy to hear that, Lauren. 🙂 It’s my pleasure. Love the PB swap–I totally do that when I’m fresh out of AB. Good to know that AP flour works. 😉 Isn’t it the best when a fresh-baked treat actually gets better over time? Thanks so much for taking the time to leave feedback. xo
I tried making these for a gathering, but instead of resembling the photos, it turned into a bubbling, gooey delicious-smelling mess and I’m not sure what I did wrong. I did try to double the batch and I had Neat Egg on hand instead of ground flax for the flax eggs. So I’m wondering if the substitution killed it or if I shouldn’t’ve tried to double it or if I should have kept it in two 8″x8″ pans instead of trying to put it in a 13″x7″. Thoughts and suggestions?
Thank you.
Hi Katie, I’m so sorry to hear what these didn’t turn out well. Have you tried double-checking your calculations? Sometimes when I double a recipe, I end up missing/miscalculating a few items. 🙁 I don’t think the Neat Egg or doubling the recipe for a 13″x7″ pan was the culprit. Wishing I could be right there to help you! Best of luck! xo P.S. Try making a single batch in an 8″x8″ and seeing if there are any issues. If that batch is fine, then maybe it was the double batch after all.
Can I use sweetened cacoa instead of unsweetened?
Hi Sam, unfortunately, I wouldn’t recommend it. Sweetened already has sugar in it, and as such, you wouldn’t be able to follow this recipe exactly. Hope this helps! 🙂
So I tend to scoff when I see a recipe labeled “Best” but the pictures seemed promising and the high ratings made me hopeful…then I started reading the first few comments and it seemed like no one had actually made them! They were just giving them 5 stars based on the pictures. By the time I noticed, they were already in the oven…I felt deflated.
BUT
I owe you a huge apology for my doubt. They are by far the best brownies I have ever made since I made the transition to vegan all those years ago. I thought the days of the thin crispy flaky top layer, fudgy center, and crunchy perfect edges were lost to me. I’m so thankful for you.
If I could give this 10 stars I would. I have already shared it and saved it. I already know 3 upcoming events that I plan to make them for in April.
Glorious!
If anyone is reading this and wavering about whether they should make them, have faith and follow the recipe!
I did make them with unbleached all purpose flour because it was all I had on hand. I plan to try with the whole wheat once I get it in stock.
Thank you for creating and sharing this recipe!
Erica, I had such a great time reading your comment! 🙂 The first few comments do tend to be folks who haven’t made them yet lol. Usually, if you scroll down to the bottom of the post–that’s where the testimonials are. 😉 I’m so thankful to YOU for taking the time to try these out and leave such a wonderful comment. <3 It's my mission to make vegan baking SERIOUSLY good. I'm so happy that you can now enjoy the brownies you knew and loved. Glad the unbleached ap flour worked out. Can't wait to see what you try next! Big hugs. xo
This is the best brownie recipe I’ve come across. I’ve made them twice in two weeks as I can’t get enough of them. I look forward to trying some of your other recipes too because they look amazing.
Thank you so much, Polly! 🙂 I’m so happy that you enjoy them. I can’t wait to see what you try next. Happy baking! 🙂
I made these brownies today but they will not cook through. They are still gooey/batter after 45 min of baking and an hour of cooling. The only changes I made were to use all purpose flour instead of white ww and no chocolate chips. They taste good but just won’t bake.. Was it the flour? I have regular whole wheat flour, but I just didn’t want to use it because I thought they would look and taste weird (and it’s not whote whole wheat).
Hi Safina, I’m so sorry to hear that! Do you happen to live in high altitude? If so, that could greatly affect the bake time and the recipe overall. Let me know–hopefully we can work this out! 🙂
I don’t live in a high altitude. But I didn’t add the chocolate chips because I didn’t have any, but that wouldn’t really affect the recipe? Would it?
Im definetly trying this!!
Awesome! Can’t wait to hear what you think, Frida! 🙂
Hi Demeter, I’ve been dying to try this recipe for ages, and after seeing all of the rave reviews, I’m feeling even more impatient about making it. One issue though: we don’t stock white wholewheat flour. I’m good with following all other directions and/substitutions, but I know flour is always tricky. Do you think regular wholewheat would work? Or are there any alternate flours/combinations you could recommend? Pretty please!
Hi Salwah, whole wheat flour should work just fine. I recommend using white whole wheat because it tastes better. You can also use oat flour. I vaguely recall a few readers telling me they used all purpose flour–but I’m not totally sure lol. Can’t wait to hear what you think! Enjoy! 🙂
Hi Demeter, thanks so much for your quick response! Ooh, I’m so glad to hear that – I had my reservations because I didn’t want it to taste bread-like. Hopefully I’ll get to try it out this weekend. Will keep you posted. xx
I made them twice, and they both were disastrous. I thought I made a mistake the first time, so attempted it again with the same result. It took an hour to almost cook, It still was not cooked enough and I followed the recipe exactly. =(
Hi Marianna, I’m so sorry to hear that! Did you make any substitutions? And what was the texture after an hour? Also, what kind of flour did you use? I’m hoping a few of your answers will lead us to the issue. 🙂
I made these and my gosh are they amazing and fudgy. Definitely the best vegan brownie recipe I’ve tried. I tried sweet potato brownies and black bean brownies, both which turned out horribly (probably because of my inability to bake) but this recipe was so simple and delicious even without the chocolate chips (I had to sub in raisins because I had no chocolate) so it will probably be EVEN BETTER next time I make it if that is even possible.
I’m so happy you enjoyed these, Frankie! 🙂 You know, I’ve totally been thinking about creating a sweet potato brownie recipe–now I know to be extra, extra careful if I ever go for it. I love the idea of using raisins instead of chocolate chips. Your brownies must’ve tasted like chocolate covered raisins. YUM! 😉 Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. Happy baking! P.S. I’m sure you’re an AWESOME baker. 🙂
Hi there, a little bit confused with these parts. Why the different measurements? Is it supposed to be either/or?
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
Hi Alison, it means use 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons. 🙂 Happy baking!
I want to try this! Is there something I can subsititute for the almond butter or could I omit all together ? Just for when I bake for friends with nut allergies ♡ thanks 🙂
Hi Yesenia! 🙂 A few readers have substituted the almond butter with vegan butter and totally loved the results. Hope you and your friends enjoy! 🙂
I love chocolate and the richer the better — but these were too bitter for me. For an 8×8 recipe to have that amount of cocoa powder in it, it really needs to be balanced by enough of the other ingredients, which this didn’t appear to have (at least, that’s my best guess as to why it didn’t work well). Probably related to the surplus of cocoa, the texture was very chalky to me. (I make a lot of brownies with a melted dark chocolate and cocoa powder combo with mixed-in chocolate chips, so I am no stranger to dense chocolatey goodness.)
I’ve made between 15 and 20 vegan brownie recipes over the years and have yet to settle on one that I REALLY like, so I know I’m picky. You clearly have other readers who loved them! Thank you for posting this recipe.
Sounds like it might just be the perfect time for you to start creating your own recipe, Genevieve! 🙂 I’d say that you’re an absolute veteran at making vegan brownies now. Why not create your own that suits your tastes? Sometimes, if you can’t find something to your liking, you’ve got to just make it yourself. 😉 Wishing you lots of fun kitchen adventures. Happy baking!
These are amazing!! Thank you!
Wonderful! I’m so happy that you enjoyed these, Alice! Happy baking! 🙂
Thanks for this amazing recipe. I just made a batch, and they lasted less than 15 minutes.
My pleasure, Nikitee! 🙂 I’m so happy that you enjoyed this! 15 minutes has got to be the record. NICE!! .
Hi! they look so good! would love to make on the weekend.. but is there any substitute i can use for maple syrup? would golden syrup, or rice malt work? perhaps if i watered them down (they are a little more thick than maple)… thank you! x
Hi Lily, I haven’t tried making this recipe with either rice malt or golden syrup. I spent a bit of time checking out substitution notes online and it looks like there is a lot of contradicting info. Lol, helpful, I know. Try a simple 1:1 substitution. See how the brownies turn out–if they’re too moist, remove 1 tablespoon of the liquid sweetener; if it’s too dry, add in a tablespoon of non-dairy milk. You’ll probably have to play around with this a bit to get the consistency you like. Hope this helps! 🙂
Hi, first of all, I love all your recipes. Thank you
I wanted to share something I recently found out for all the vegan’s who are vegan for animals first then health.
I was reading a vegan newsletter and in the article they posted “10 things you had no idea had animal ingredients “.
At the top of the list was conventional white sugar and then conventional brown sugar.
If your vegan for animal reasons switch to vegan or organic white/brown sugar. As far as I know all organic sugars are vegan. I was taken back when I found out conventional sugar was processed with bone char and highly disappointed. Just a heads up.
Looking forward to making so many of your recipes!
Hi Maryann, thanks so much for taking the time to tell me about this. 🙂 I had read this information somewhere awhile back too, but wanted to leave the options open for people who didn’t have easy access to organic options. Currently, I actually use coconut sugar to make this recipe, but most sugar options work just fine. I’ll make an adjustment to the recipe to list organic. Can’t wait to hear about how you like these! 🙂
Aww! You’re so sweet .
I didn’t want you to have to adjust the recipe. I was only concerned some people like myself, had no idea conventional sugar wasn’t vegan. I was really upset to find that out. I wish all products had a “contains animal ingredients” on the package. It would make life easier.
Thank you for all your hard work. You definitely make it easier for someone looking for vegan recipes. .
It’s not a problem at all, Maryann. 🙂 I was thinking about changing it for awhile–you just gave me the push I needed. 😉 Thank you so much for your kind words. Big hugs. xo
These are not for part time chocolate lovers! These brownies satisfied my life long full time obsession for chocolate. The richer the better.
I used peanut butter(natural organic dry roasted with sea salt) bc that’s what I had on hand. So I omitted the salt from the recipe since it was in the peanut butter already.
Unbelievable! You can’t taste the peanut butter or coconut oil. Just chocolate, layers and layers of chocolate! I threw a slab in a bowl with vanilla soy creamy ice cream and hooooo boy what a treat! Next I’ll add chopped walnuts too.
Thanks for the recipe! Easy and delicious.
No, they’re not! 😉 “These brownies satisfied my life long full time obsession for chocolate.” <-- Okay, this is one of the single-handedly BEST comments I've ever gotten. My job is done here! 😉 Soy ice cream atop these brownies sound magical. Thanks so much for letting me know how you liked these, Kelley. 🙂