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Best Vegan Brownies Recipe

This week, I’ve been on a mission: a mission to find the best vegan brownies recipe EVER. Yeah, it’s been a good week. After much trial and error, I think I’ve done it.

I’ve found the perfect recipe for vegan brownies that are:

  • Fudgy
  • Gooey
  • Chocolatey
  • Indulgent
  • The naughtiest of sweet treats
A stack of chocolate vegan brownies on a white plate. A stack of cooking books is blurred out in the background.

These vegan brownies aren’t ‘healthy’ brownies – what, you didn’t know being vegan doesn’t mean you’re automatically healthy?!

These brownies are what you make when you’re craving a sugary, chocolatey treat. Make sure you’ve also checked out my courgette brownies recipe, as well as these viral biscoff brownies!

What are vegan brownies made of?

These vegan brownies replace the use of eggs, milk, and butter in traditional brownies with a combination of apple sauce, coconut oil, and flax eggs as substitutions. The result? Brownies that taste even better than a traditional non-vegan brownie.

Vegan chocolate brownies topped with chocolate chips on a white chopping board. One brownie is tilted at an angle and has a bite taken out of it.

The method:

To make these vegan brownies, you’ll start by making your flax eggs and vegan buttermilk in separate bowls, then set aside to allow them to thicken while mixing the other ingredients.

Then, you’ll combine the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, and salt. Then, you’ll add the wet ingredients: apple sauce, coconut oil, golden caster sugar, flax egg, and vegan buttermilk.

Finally, you’ll stir in the dairy-free chocolate chips, before pouring your batter into a pre-lined baking tin, then top the mix with more chocolate chips for extra gooey, chocolatey goodness.

A close-up shot of vegan chocolate brownies cut into squares, topped with vegan chocolate chips.

What do you substitute eggs for in vegan brownies?

Flaxseed and water combined and allowed to thicken provide the substitute for eggs in this vegan brownies recipe.

Without the flax seed the brownies will still ‘work’, but the flaxseed mix really helps to combine everything for a smoother texture.

Other recipes you might like:

What substitutes butter in these brownies?

I substituted both coconut oil and apple sauce instead of butter for my brownies.

Using only coconut oil resulted in very greasy brownies while using only apple sauce resulted in a slightly rubbery texture. I found the combination of the two to provide the best results. You could also use vegan butter in place of the coconut oil.

Finally, plant-based milk (I used almond milk) replaces dairy milk in this recipe. I add a squeeze of lemon to the milk to help it ‘curdle’ into a vegan version of buttermilk.

Vegan brownies in the background on a white chopping board. A small white bowl of chocolate chips can just be seen, and a brownie is in the foreground with a bite taken out of it.

How long do vegan brownies last?

Brownies never last long in my house – if you’ve got some will-power, though, these brownies should last up to 5 days in an airtight container.

These brownies are also perfect for freezing – just defrost in the fridge or on a counter for a few hours before eating.

If you’re looking for a fun way to decorate these brownies make sure you’ve checked out this fun Christmas tree brownie recipe!

Vegan brownies cut into squares, with one brownie in the foreground with one small bite taken out of it.

Best Vegan Brownies

Yield: 12 brownies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

The best vegan brownies recipe you'll ever try - these brownies are gooey, fudgy, chocolatey, and super indulgent for a naughty but nice treat.

Ingredients

  • 40g apple sauce
  • 80g coconut oil
  • 2 flax eggs
  • 120g plain flour
  • 60g cocoa powder
  • 200g golden caster sugar
  • 40g coconut sugar
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 120g vegan chocolate chips
  • pinch of salt
  • 200ml plant-based milk
  • 1/4 lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and line a baking tin with parchment paper.
  2. Make your flax egg by combining 2 tbsp flaxseed and 5 tbsp water in a small bowl. Set aside.
  3. Make the vegan buttermilk by combing the plant-based milk and lemon juice in a jug. Set aside.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt.
  5. Add the apple sauce, coconut oil (melted), caster sugar, coconut sugar, flax eggs, and buttermilk the bowl. Combine until just mixed - don't over stir.
  6. Add about 2/3's of the chocolate chips, reserving the rest to sprinkle over the top of the brownies.
  7. Pour your batter into the pre-lined tin, then scatter over the remaining chocolate chips.
  8. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until the top is just set - if has a slight wobble in the very middle, that's fine as the brownies will continue to cook once removed from the oven.
  9. Allow to cook in the in for 15 - 20 minutes, then remove from the baking tin and allow to cool for a further 20 minutes.
  10. For best results, chill for an hour in the fridge before cutting with a hot knife for perfect brownie squares.

Notes

These brownies are super fudgy - they're not cake-like brownies. If you want more of a dessert-style brownie, remove earlier for extra gooey-ness.

These brownies get even better the day after baking, especially if chilled - simply pop in the oven for 5 minutes to enjoy warm. Perfect for freezing.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 268Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 69mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 2gSugar: 26gProtein: 4g

Nutritional infomation is not always 100% accurate.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Kelly

Wednesday 14th of February 2024

Thank you for making the recipe in metric! What size baking tin is this for?

By The Forkful

Monday 19th of February 2024

7x7-inches!

Vegan Christmas Tree Brownies (So Easy!) | By The Forkful

Tuesday 10th of November 2020

[…] used my classic vegan brownie recipe as the base for these Christmas tree brownies. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – […]

Vegan Biscoff Brownies Recipe | By The Forkful

Saturday 11th of July 2020

[…] delicious vegan bakes you might like to check out include this classic brownies recipe, this vegan honeycomb crunchy recipe, or these beautifully soft and sweet chocolate chip […]

Eden Wittkopp

Monday 23rd of March 2020

The https://www.bytheforkful.com website is one of the best we have found, and the The BEST Vegan Brownies Recipe Ever! article is very well written and useful! Thanks and kisses! :)

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