Vegan Brownies Recipe (2024)

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From scratch chocolate vegan brownies made without butter, milk or eggs, instead featuring silky smooth olive oil for the ultimate texture and flavor but without being oily. One bowl, easy quick recipe you can throw together last minute and look like a boss.

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Vegan Brownies Recipe

People tell me these are the best vegan brownies ever and I must agree, if you love chocolate that is! They feature a decadent thick dairy free chocolate batter made with olive oil resulting in a fudgy, gooey and chewy center with perfectly crisp edges. Drizzle with our salted caramel for that extra special gourmet Valentine treat.

Ingredient Notes + Tips

Cocoa Powder – you’ll want raw unsweetened cacao, just the pure good stuff.
Chocolate – Roughly chop a 3.5 oz dark chocolate bar you love and mix it in. For variety you can try different flavors like mint, orange peel, cherry and even a spicy chili chocolate bar. Of course anything with nuts is always a great choice too. If you prefer using dark chocolate chips instead then do you!
Instant coffee – It adds a little je ne sais quoi and gives you a little pick me upper, totally optional so don’t fret if you don’t have any.
Vanilla – pure vanilla extract is the best most delicious flavor, go heavy here with 1.5 tablespoons and if you feel it in your taste buds then even more. It needs to shine through the dark chocolate batter so a tiny teaspoons just won’t cut it.
Sugars – both granulated white and brown sugar is used, light or dark whichever you have in the pantry is fine.
Flour – I interchangeably use all purpose and whole wheat pastry flour here whatever is available, brownies are already dense and chewy so either flour will work great.
Olive Oil – My baking fat of choice, from cakes to even cookies to now brownies, if I can make it with olive oil I will. Adds moisture and a subtle aroma but won’t make your brownies oily, just wait to judge them once they have complete cooled / chilled and you will see. If desired you can always swap it for melted butter instead like the cultured ones from Violife or Miyoko’s.
Flax Egg – It’s just ground flax mixed with water, do it and let it thicken while you work on mixing the rest of the ingredients. Alternatively one can use an equal amount of mashed avocado.
FAQ: Why are brownies oily? – These brownies should not turn out oily, however it is important not to judge them until they have completely cooled and chilled so the center is fully set and the consistency as it should be: chewy and fudgy!

Salted Caramel Topping

Go big or go home especially if it’s Valentine’s Day! Not that these brownies aren’t already perfect but if you can make them out of this world with a drizzle of vegan salted caramel why not..?! It’ snot like brownies are a healthy dessert, it’s a delicious special treat to be enjoyed on special occasions. As I always say, It’s not what we enjoy now and again, it’s what we eat each day, every day, three times per day.

About the Baking Dish

You’ll need a 9×9 inch cake pan lined with parchment paper leaving some overhang to act as handles for easy transfer. Since these are heavenly fudgy brownies don’t expect them to rise too much like a cake (these are not cakey), overall you’ll end up with 3/4 inch to 1 inch height. If using a larger size pan just remember to check for doneness 5 to 10 minutes sooner to figure out the perfect baking time for your situation. I do recommend you get yourself a dedicated 9×9 inch brownie pan, it gets nostalgic with time as it helps create delicious memories with your loved ones.

Slicing + Storage

Wait for the brownies to fully cool, then and only then proceed slicing them into small squares. You might want to rinse and dry your knife in between for a cleaner cut. At this point you can pop them in some lidded containers lined with parchment paper (or freezer bags) and refrigerate. For longer term storage I just freeze them and thaw out in the fridge or at room temperature when ready to eat. Their texture is dreamy even after freezing, I actually think they get even better once defrosted.

More Desserts

Vegan Blueberry Muffins
Vegan Ricotta Apple Pie
Nutty Cookies
Chocolate Sheet Cake
No Bake peanut Butter Cookies
Best Almond Cookies
Vegan Lemon Olive Oil Cake.

how to make vegan brownies

Best Vegan Brownies Recipe

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Ingredients

Flax Egg

4 Tbsp ground flax
1/2 cup water

Dry Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup all purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
1 cup cocoa powder (plain unsweetened)
2 tsp instant coffee (optional but nice)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
3.5 oz dark chocolate bar (roughly chopped)

Wet Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp plant milk
1.5 Tbsp vanilla extract
Vegan salted caramel for garnish optional indulgence -make ahead

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350”F .
In a small bowl whisk together the flax and water. Set aside until thickened while you prep the brownie batter.
4 Tbsp ground flax, 1/2 cup water
In a large mixing bowl whisk together the sugars, flour, cocoa, coffee, baking powder and salt. Fold in the chopped chocolate pieces.
1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 cup cocoa powder, 2 tsp instant coffee, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, 3.5 oz dark chocolate bar
Make a well in the center and pour in the oil, milk, flax egg and vanilla. Using a spatula combine the dry and wet ingredients until a thick batter is formed. (It will be thick but do not worry).
1/2 cup olive oil, 3 Tbsp plant milk, 1.5 Tbsp vanilla extract
Line a 9 x 9 inch cake pan with parchment paper leaving a couple of inches of overhang for easy transfer later. Pour the brownie batter inside the pan and spread it nicely with a spatula. (It will be a thick batter, proceed with confidence).
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. (Remember these are chewy gooey brownies not cakes ,so a little crumb on the toothpick is prefect).
Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool off completely before removing the brownies. Once fully cooled use the parchment paper overhang to easily remove the brownies from the pan and transfer to a cutting board. If they still seem warm then allow to cool further. Using a sharp knife slice the brownies into 2 x 2 inch squares or smaller bite size pieces.
Drizzle with the salted caramel and enjoy.
Vegan salted caramel for garnish
STORAGE - Store in a parchment lined lidded container at room temperature or the fridge. For longer term storage freeze in containers or freezer bags up to 6 months or so. Thaw out in the fridge or at room temperature for an hour or so before serving.

Video

Notes

Slicing + Storage - Wait for the brownies to fully cool, then and only then proceed slicing them into small squares. You might want to rinse and dry your knife in between for a cleaner cut. At this point you can pop them in some lidded containers lined with parchment paper (or freezer bags) and refrigerate. For longer term storage I just freeze them and thaw out in the fridge or at room temperature when ready to eat. Their texture is dreamy even after freezing, I feel they get even better.
FAQ: Why are my brownies oily? - These brownies should not turn out oily, however it is important not to judge them until they have completely cooled and chilled so the center is fully set and the consistency as it should be: chewy and fudgy not cakey!

Nutrition

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: vegan brownies

Servings: 16 brownies

Calories: 252kcal

Author: Florentina