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 a 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
Can I substitute coconut oil for the vegan butter?
I don’t see why not!
These are so good. No one could believe that they are vegan. I used Enjoy Life semisweet chocolate chips. The recipe didn’t list almond extract, but the instructions said add almond and vanilla extract. I added 1 tsp of almond extract as well.
Thanks, Pam!
Hi, can I use cocoa butter instead of vegan butter? thx
No that will not work.
Hi Arman, thanks for a great recipe! I made this recipe with water instead of coffee, and used Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose flour and it turned out fantastic. The best gluten-free vegan brownies ever. Will make them next time using coffee. Thank you!
Wow wow wow! It can be really hard to find a recipe that is both gluten free and vegan but this one hits the spot! Thank you
You are so welcome, Bella!
Loved these. Crispy and deep chocolate flavor. I always pair coffee with chocolate so I was glad to see that. I took to a party and everyone raved about them. No one will know they are gf or vegan.
If we use 2 eggs instead of the ground flaxseed, do we still need the coffee?
Nope 🙂
Hey! These brownies taste divine! The only issue I have is with the edges crisping up too much, and the middle sinking? Do you know why this could be?
It could be the kind of oven, I’d cover the tops of the brownies with tin foil about 20 minutes in and cook a little longer.
WOW. These brownies are everything you said they would be! I have been vegan for 17 years, looking non-stop for the perfect vegan brownies with that classic glossy, crackly top and a fudgy interior and have never been successful before. But these brownies! And the instructions about over-mixing! WOW! They came out PERFECT — exactly like the photos, and they taste divine! I used 6 Tbsp of aquafaba instead of flax eggs, since that’s just what I happened to have on-hand in the moment, and I heated them up together with the chocolate chips, vegan butter, and cocoa powder in a double-boiler. I did reduce the amount of sugar I used pretty significantly because my partner’s trying to watch his glucose levels. But seriously, these were *it* for me. I’ll be using this recipe forever more as my go-to brownies! Thank you!!!!!
Thanks so much, Mir 🙂
Please can you add “Almond extract” to your list of ingredients. It happens alot, where I go out and buy all the ingredients, I start making it, and a new ingredient turns up. Thanks for this recipe, I’m putting it to the test now, but without the almond extract this time around.
It’s not essential Kev, but will amend it!
I’m transitioning back to a vegan lifestyle, and this recipe is just what I needed! Looks amazing!
Hey,
When u give storing or freezing directions, I feel who the hell,can store these beauties. My family finishes your recipes the same day. They are the best Arman.
Thank you, Shital!
Is the butter supposed to be melted or room temperature?
TIA
Softened is best 🙂
Hi there! Could you use a granulated monk fruit sweetener in place of sugar?
You can but you won’t get the crackly tops.
Hi Arman,
If I’m using chocolate bars instead of chocolate chips for the melted chocolate, how many grams of chocolate bar should I use?
You can google the conversions and see 🙂 I’m not sure!