Fudgy Vegan Chocolate Brownies

These Vegan Brownies are fudgy, chewy and seriously chocolatey! They’re made without eggs or dairy in them and are super easy to make. Whether you’re vegan or not, this will be your go-to brownie recipe!

Best Vegan Brownies Homemade with Love

I’ve done it. After lots of testing, baking, and getting chocolate all over my kitchen, I’ve finally put together the best homemade Vegan Brownie recipe.

What makes the best Vegan Brownie you ask? It needs to be fudgy (can we all agree brownies should be fudgy and not cakey?!), slightly gooey and MEGA chocolatey. I’ve come across many Vegan Brownies that completely miss out on all of these elements.

The key to achieving the perfect fudgy chocolate Vegan Brownies is:

• Not using too much flour (more flour=cakey brownie)
• Using enough fat (not enough fat=dry and crumbly brownie)
• Using fine ground sugar (this will melt into the brownies so they won’t be grainy)
• Using both cocoa powder and dark chocolate (double chocolate=more chocolatey)
• Adding chocolate chips (for that extra chocolatey bite)

What are Vegan Brownies made of?

• All Purpose Flour: this recipe uses regular flour, but if you’d like to make it gluten-free you can use a 1-1 gluten-free flour blend.
• Dutch cocoa powder: use a good quality dutch cocoa powder. It should be a nice rich dark brown colour.
• Fine sugar: fine sugar will work best for this recipe since the sugar will dissolve more easily and give you a smoother brownie. You can use regular sugar or brown sugar, just keep in mind this may alter the texture.
• Salt: this is SUCH an important ingredient in any chocolate dessert. The salt will help enhance the chocolate flavour in the brownies.
• Baking Soda: just a touch! This will give the brownies a slight “lift” without making them rise too much. If you add too much baking soda you can end up with a cakey brownie.
• Coffee: these brownies don’t taste like coffee, but this helps intensify the chocolate flavour in the brownies. If you don’t want to use coffee you can substitute with any plant-based milk.
• Flax seeds: this is what we use for our “egg” in these Vegan Brownies. The ground flax seeds get mixed with water to create a flax egg.
• Vegan butter: you can also use refined coconut oil.
• Vanilla extract: just one teaspoon will help elevate the flavour in the brownies
• Chocolate: 70% vegan dark chocolate. This is the most important ingredient in vegan chocolate brownies!

What type of cocoa powder should I use?

Dutch cocoa powder. (more information on that below)

Cocoa powder is made from cocoa beans that have been fermented, roasted and pressed to remove the cocoa butter. Just like there are many different varieties of chocolate, there are some different varieties of cocoa powder.

The two main types of cocoa powder you will usually see in recipes are natural(or unsweetened) cocoa powder and dutch cocoa powder.

Natural Cocoa powder is more acidic and has a sharper taste. It is usually light brown in colour with an almond reddish tint.

Dutch cocoa powder is processed to remove the acidity (also called alkalized cocoa powder) so it has a smoother, silkier and rich taste.

For this recipe, Dutch cocoa powder is the best option. Not only will it give the brownies a smooth, earthy and rich taste, but it will also react differently with the baking soda in the recipe and affect how the brownies rise. If you use natural cocoa powder, because it is more acidic, it will react differently with the baking soda in the recipe and cause the brownies to rise too much (and become cakey.)

What type of chocolate chips should I use?

You can use any type of vegan chocolate chips for these brownies. I personally use and recommend dark chocolate chips since I prefer a richer and not “*too* sweet brownie taste. You can also use mini chocolate chips if you want smaller pieces of chocolate in each bite, or chop up a chocolate bar and use chocolate chunks.

How to Make Brownies without Eggs

Step 1

Add the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda to a large mixing bowl. Stir the dry ingredients together until combined.

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Step 2

Now it’s time to mix the wet ingredients together. Add the melted butter, flax egg, coffee and vanilla extract together in a bowl and whisk them together until combined. Then melt the dark chocolate in a small bowl.

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Step 3

Now it’s time to add the melted chocolate to the wet ingredients! Add the chocolate to the bowl of wet ingredients using a spatula and mix together. The mixture will thicken quite a bit from the melted chocolate.

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Step 4

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together using a large spoon or spatula. You want to be gentle and fold the batter together until it’s well combined, then add in the chocolate chips.

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Step 5

Grease an 8×8 inch pan or line it with parchment paper and scoop the brownie batter into the pan. Use your hands to press the batter into the pan evenly. Bake the brownies in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

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Step 6

Let the brownies cool completely on the countertop before cutting. Cut into even squares.

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How to Easily Cut Vegan Fudge Brownies

Since vegan brownies are fudgy, they can sometimes be a little trickier to cut if you don’t have the right technique. So let’s review the secret to easily cut brownies.

1. Let the brownies cool completey: brownies that are cooled will be much easier to slice. You can also place the brownies in the fridge for an hour after cooling them on the counter for even easier slicing.
2. Rinse your knife under hot water: then dry it off and slice. This will make it easier to slice through the brownies. Rinse the knife between each cut.

Should vegan brownies be refrigerated?

Counter: store leftover cut-up brownies in an airtight container at room temperature. Brownies will keep for up to 4 days but are best enjoyed within 2 days before they start to dry out slightly.

How to freeze brownies

Did you know you can freeze brownies? For freezing, it’s best to freeze the brownies before cutting them to prevent them from oxidation and freezer burn. Freeze for up to 3 months.

To freeze a whole pan of vegan brownies, let the brownies cool completely then tightly cover them in plastic wrap. Place in the freezer-safe bag and store in the freezer.

To freeze individual brownies, place the brownies in an air-tight container. If you are stacking the brownies in the container, place a sheet of parchment paper between the brownies to prevent them from sticking. Place the container in the freezer.

To defrost brownies from the freezer remove the whole pan or individual brownies and let thaw on the countertop. (Brownies are also pretty tasty eaten directly out of the freezer too!)

Tips for making these vegan brownies perfectly

Vegan Chocolate Brownies FAQ

More vegan treats to try

• Vegan Banana Bread Donuts
• Vegan Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
• Raw No Bake Brownies
• Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Tart
• Vegan Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

If you tried these Vegan Brownies or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!

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