Vegan Brownies
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My vegan brownies are truly the best. They are fudgy and gooey in the middle with crackly tops. They are easy to make and use simple ingredients!
I’ve tested countless vegan brownie recipes over the years, but none of them hit that perfect trifecta: crackly tops, fudgy centers, and rich chocolate flavor… until this one. After months of tweaking ratios and testing every dairy-free substitute under the sun (spoiler alert: only a handful actually work), I finally landed on a recipe that my readers (and my own taste testers) now call the best vegan brownies ever.
They’ve even won several awards in the vegan baking category- and honestly, most people I serve them to don’t believe me until I tell them (even my partner, who thinks anything with the word ‘vegan’ in it is inedible!).
Table of Contents
Recipe highlights
- Perfect texture. Gooey, chewy, and loaded with tons of chocolate chips.
- One bowl. Everything is made in one bowl, so clean-up is a breeze.
- No strange ingredients. No milk or milk substitutes are needed, including soy or almond milk. Also, no black beans, chickpeas, or sneaky ingredients that should NOT belong in desserts.
What readers are saying
★★★★★ – “These are SO good and so fudgy. Honestly, the crinkly tops make them taste like a classic Boxed mix brownie.” – Lynn
Key Ingredients
Here are some important notes on the main ingredients for vegan brownies. The Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Flax Eggs. My preferred egg sub for these brownies. Usually, one tablespoon of ground flaxseed is mixed with three tablespoons of water to form one ‘egg’, but I swap the water for black coffee for a more intense chocolate flavor.
- Black Coffee. Brewed and cooled. Instant coffee also works.
- Chocolate Chips. Skip the expensive store-bought kind and make your own vegan chocolate chips.
- Coconut Sugar. To sweeten the brownies and give them gorgeous crackly tops! White or brown sugar also works.
- Vegan Butter. I tested the four most popular vegan butter substitutes on the market (Miyokos, Earth Balance, Violife, and Kite Hill) and Miyokos was the clear winner- seriously, my partner and I were fooled into thinking it wasn’t vegan. It was also the only vegan butter that gave the brownies the crackly tops. Saying that, the other three turned out nice and fudgy.
- Vanilla Extract. A must for any good brownie recipe!
- All-Purpose Flour. Sifted to ensure there are no clumps.
- Cocoa Powder. Use unsweetened and natural cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa will also work, but sometimes, it can affect whether the tops become crackly.
How to make vegan brownies
Step 1- Combine the ground flaxseed with the brewed coffee. Let it sit for 10 minutes for a gel to form.
Step 2- Whisk the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Add the vanilla extract, melted chocolate, and prepared flax eggs and whisk until combined and glossy.
Step 3- Mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until just combined.
Step 4- Bake the brownies for 27-30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out mostly clean.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Do not over-mix the batter. Many people fear brownies may turn out crumbly, and the number one reason is overmixing the batter. You want the ingredients to be ‘just’ combined- enough that no pockets of flour remain.
- Avoid over-baking the brownies as they continue to cook as they cool in the pan (called carryover cooking).
- For ultra gooey brownies, remove them around the 27-minute mark. If you’d prefer more chewy vegan brownies, keep them closer to 30 minutes.
- For easy removal, hang an inch of extra parchment paper over the sides. Once your brownies are ready to cut, remove them from the pan and slice.
Storage instructions
To Store: Store leftovers in the refrigerator to ensure they remain fresh. They are super gooey and fudgy, so the chilled temperature will ensure they don’t spoil.
To Freeze: Wrap them in parchment paper individually, and place them in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer. They will keep well frozen for up to 6 months.
✅ Nutrition reviewed
Nutrition information has been reviewed by registered dietitian Felicia Newell, MScAHN, RD, CPT.
Fudgy Vegan Brownies
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 6 tablespoon brewed coffee can use for water
- 2 cup vegan chocolate chips divided
- 1 cup coconut sugar * See notes
- 6 tablespoon vegan butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line an 8 x 8-inch square pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Prepare your flax egg by combining your ground flaxseed with your brewed (chilled) coffee. Let it sit for 10 minutes, to form a gel.
- In a microwave-safe bowl or stovetop, melt one cup of chocolate chips of choice. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your vegan butter and coconut sugar, and whisk well. Add in your prepared flax eggs, melted chocolate, vanilla extract, and mix well, until glossy.
- Sift through your flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold through the remaining chocolate chips.
- Transfer your brownie batter into the lined pan. Bake your brownies for 27-30 minutes.
- Remove brownies from the oven and let cool completely, before slicing into 12 pieces.
Notes
- Make it gluten-free. Swap out the flour for gluten-free all-purpose flour that has added xanthan gum.
- Cut the sugar. Use a sugar substitute, like a brown sugar substitute. You can use swap out the chocolate chips for sugar free chocolate chips.
- Add frosting. A simple dairy free frosting or, for a healthy twist, a healthy frosting.
- Use different egg substitutes. Flax eggs work best, but you can also try one of these egg substitutes for baking.
- Add mix-ins. Fold through some chopped walnuts, vegan white chocolate, or even candy bits.
Nutrition
More favorite vegan desserts
- Vegan cinnamon rolls
- Vegan chocolate cake
- Vegan chocolate chip cookies
- Vegan blondies
- Vegan cookie dough
- Or any of these vegan dessert recipes
Originally published February 2020, updated and republished June 2025
Just tried this and they turned out great! Impressed even the meat eaters.
Excellent recipe, now bookmarked for future use.
Baking Notes:
1. Substituted coconut sugar (1/2 cups white sugar, ¼ cup powdered sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar).
2. Used instant coffee (not brewed).
3. Used Earth Balance salted butter.
Tasting Notes:
1. Fresh out of the oven: Flavor was mild.
2. After cooling for 40min: Predominantly tasted of flour.
3. After refrigeration (30 minutes): Deep, rich chocolate flavor with a chewy texture. Absolutely delicious.
The flavor was good, but these brownies were not moist at all, but on the dry side. Perhaps it needs more vegan butter? I followed the recipe exactly except for using water instead of coffee, and am an experienced baker.
Hi Kathy- it sounds like the issue here is the kind of vegan butter you used, not the other ingredients or need for extra butter. Can you let me know what brand you used and I can troubleshoot for you 🙂
I used a little extra vegan butter because i like mine super moist and they turned out great! Thanks for sharing.
This guys recipes are always amazing. I know if he posts something I make it and it turns out perfect every time.
Aw, thank you!
These are truly the best vegan brownies, seriously. So fudgy and I love the crackly tops.
I just tried this recipe as I wanted to gift them to a friend but unfortunately they didn’t turn out like brownies at all I’m so disappointed. I did double the ingredients but they turned out cakey and crumbled. I have been looking at other vegan and non vegan recipes and I think the butter should have been melted into the chocolate. When I did it I had the butter at room temperature and as your method says mixed it with the sugar this left it stiff like. Not sure if this was the problem.
Made as written but subbed 2 eggs and baked for 22 minutes. They turned out dry and hard. If I made them again, I would use 1/2 cup butter and add 2 tablespoons butter to the chips that are melted. I would cut back baking time as well. Very disappointing. Think I will use them in a Trifle so they don’t go to waste.
Why would you change the recipe and then say it is disappointing? That’s your fault.
Hi Elizabeth,
I don’t think it’s fair to downrate the original recipe based on such a significant substitution. I’ve made this recipe numerous times (as written), and it consistently turns out to be the best brownie I’ve ever tasted—perfectly chocolatey and fudgy on the inside with a classic crinkly top. They’re always a crowd-pleaser and disappear very quickly! If you’re willing to give it another try, I’d recommend following the original recipe without eggs or added butter and letting it shine on its own merits. 🙂
Loooove these brownies! I’ve made them quite a few times and they never disappoint. I made them with almond extract once and loved them sooooo much. This time I accidentally melted all my choco chips rather then 1/2 of them so I added all the melted in and then some extra normal ones in after. They are cooling and I’m sure will be just as delish, also so good with walnuts folded in. My go to for anytime I need something easy / chocolatey!
These brownies are so delicious! I think the coffee makes a difference. Question: can I melt the butter instead of just softening?
Yes you can!
These are delicious, but I’m wondering how you got 195 calories? When I put ingredients into my fitness pal, it comes to 236 calories and that’s with only 1 cup of chocolate chips(enjoy life)
Hi Lisa- I’ve got our in-house dietitian to reply to you here 🙂 Nutrition values can vary depending on the specific brands and amounts entered. The 195 calories reflects the ingredients and serving size we used, but different products or chip quantities can change the total. – Felicia Newell- MScAHN, RD, CPT.
Should the vegan butter be melted?
Just softened 🙂
Best vegan brownies recipe. Family loved it.
Love to hear that!!!
Is it best to use baking powder or baking soda? I see baking soda in the steps, but baking powder in the list of ingredients. Or perhaps half and half? My inclination is to use baking soda as I don’t want them to be cakey.
Hi Karen- apologies for the overnight, we’ve amended the recipe correctly to reflect baking powder being used. 🙂 Let me know how it goes 🙂
These vegan brownies turned out so fudgy and even my non-vegan family thought they were the real deal. Thank you!
Thanks so much for the feedback, Miss- this is what I like to hear!
Can I substitute brown sugar for the coconut sugar? And did you mean an 8×8 square baking pan? Excited to try these!
Yes and yes!