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!

Vegan brownies stacked in a pyramid shape in front of a white background

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.

hand whisking wet ingredients for vegan brownies together in a glass bowl

 

  

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.

hand pouring cocoa powder into wet ingredient mixture for vegan brownie batter

 

 

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.

hand holding rubber spatula folding flour into wet ingredient brownie mixture

 

 

Pour

Pour your vegan brownie batter into the prepped pan. Smooth brownie batter into an even layer.

Smoothing vegan brownie batter into an even layer in parchment paper lined baking pan

 

 

Bake, Cool, Slice and Enjoy

Bake brownies for about 30 minutes. Cool, slice and enjoy the very best vegan brownies ever!

hand holding knife to slice fudgy vegan brownies into squares

 

 

Stack of vegan brownies on a white plate with the text "Best Vegan Brownies" at the top of the image

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.

Side view of the best vegan brownies, showing the fudgy center

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.

Closeup of stacked fudgy vegan brownies with chocolate melting on the sides Tall stack of vegan brownies, with some brownies sitting on the table in the background

The Very Best Vegan Brownie Recipes

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! 📸

 

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Best Vegan Brownies Recipe: easy & moist homemade vegan brownies—the BEST vegan chocolate brownies ever! Rich chocolate flavor, fudgy center and made from scratch! #Vegan #Brownies #Recipe #DairyFree | Recipe at BeamingBaker.com

Best Vegan Brownies Recipe – Easy ‘n Moist!


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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

Scale

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

Click here for Gluten Free Vegan Brownies.


Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or greased foil. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together almond butter, brown sugar, maple syrup and melted coconut oil. Whisk until it resembles caramel.
  3. 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.
  4. Using a rubber spatula, fold in flour until you get the consistency of soft dough or very thick batter, and no flour patches remain.
  5. Fold in vegan chocolate chips. Pour batter into pan. Using a rubber spatula, smooth batter into an even layer.
  6. 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

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

© beamingbaker.com. All content and images are protected by copyright. Please do not use my images or recipe without my permission. Please do not republish this recipe, instead, include a link to this post for the recipe.

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270 Comments

  1. I have experimented with my own creations, tried numerous recipes, and have not been able to create a phenomenal brownie… UNTIL NOW! These are absolutely fantastic and a big hit for my family. The only changes I made were subbing peanut butter for almond and I used mini chips instead of full size which I think worked out really well. Thank you for this awesome recipe!






  2. I made these brownies two days ago, and I am pretty impressed. I subbed peanut butter for the almond butter (I always added peanut butter to the box brands when my mom let me make them growing up); one of BeamingBaker’s replies said that an oilier butter might lead to too much oil in the mix so I think that’s why I didn’t achieve the same heights/thickness as the ones pictured. Since I used a dark cocoa powder and the exact measurements of maple syrup and brown sugar, I did find this was too bitter as it was. My fix was to sprinkle some powdered sugar on top. That little sprinkle went the extra mile to the perfect amount of sweetness! I loved the recipe! I may try it again and adjust for the extra oils in whatever nut butter I decide next time. Thanks for this! Super helpful to have a great vegan brownie recipe on hand with a flax seed egg that doesn’t completely RUIN the whole dessert.






      1. Have you ever tried replacing the almond butter with peanut butter? I’m just curious because I usually have PB on hand but almond butter is something I don’t buy often enough. So I am curious if they’d be just as delicious when made with PB.

  3. Guilt-free fudgy chocolate brownies? That sounds absolutely delicious! It can also be Ketogenic diet friendly by swapping whole wheat flour with Keto flour alternatives, and reducing the amount of sugar. Doing this would also make the recipe vegan-keto diet friendly! Vegan-keto may sound a bit strict and complicated, but it has promising health benefits.. and it still allows you to have chocolates!






  4. Hey! These look great!! So, just to be clear…you used regular white wheat flour, right? not pastry white wheat flour? i have both and i usually use the soft kind (aka pastry) for things like brownies and cookies and cakes. what did you use?

    1. Hi Fran! If you’re looking to make some gluten free brownies, here’s my GF version of this recipe: https://beamingbaker.com/gluten-free-vegan-brownies/

      Or, if you’re already looking at one of my GF brownie recipes and want to use a flour other than oat flour, then yes! I’ve had many readers use AP flour in place of the oat flour. 🙂 Happy baking!

  5. I am so bummed that these didn’t turn out for me. 🙁 I followed the instructions closely and baked for a full 30 minutes. They were still gooey when I took them out of the oven, but I had hoped that they would firm up after cooling for a hour. They were still super gooey afterwards and I found that the almond extract was way too overpowering. I was really looking forward to the crispy crust, so I might try sticking them back in the oven for longer. I would think a video for this recipe would be very helpful in the future!

  6. These brownies are so fudgy and moist that they are out of this world! Forget calling them the best vegan brownies, they are the BEST BROWNIES! I had some spelt flour that I needed to use up and it turned out great. I also crushed up some vegan sandwich cookies and folded them in, as well as sprinkled them on top. It added a nice crunch.

    Thanks for the recipe 🙂






    1. Woohoo!!! I’m SO happy that you loved them, Lillian. 🙂 I’m gonna be grinning about your BEST BROWNIES comment all weekend! 😉 Great idea to add those cookies on top. Enjoy! ☺️

  7. I’ve never had much luck with any vegan brownie recipe. Every single one I’ve tried has turned out a oil-seeped, crusty block. I’m not sure how some of the people who tried this recipe got my results and others did not and got perfect brownies, even though I’m assuming we are all following the same recipe to a tee…but there you are. This recipe was so exception to the oily brick result I always get with vegan brownies. Also, it was very hard for me to find a recipe that was vegan yet not gluten free. Not that I have anything against gluten free recipes, but sometimes I just need a feel-good dessert without the need to scrounge up whatever flour the recipe calls for. So I appreciated the fact that wheat flour is used. However, the batter is very bitter. All I want is something like my mom used to make – the Kraft Bakers One Bowl Brownie recipe – but vegan. I’ve tried to veganize that with flax, egg replacer, you name it but always get the dreaded oily brick.

    What am I doing wrong? What am I missing? Any suggestions?

    1. When melting coconut oil, make sure it’s cooled (but not solidified) and no longer hot before adding to the other ingredients. I had that problem, also. Maple syrup should also keep it moist.