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
I do not see almond extract in the body of the recipe, but it mentions to add it along with the vanilla in the instructions?
Best vegan brownies ever.
Hi there! I would like to use silken tofu instead of flax egg, do you have an amount suggestion how much to use for this recipe? Thx! Lovely greetings from Germany!
Hi There! Haven’t tried so you’ll need to experiment and see!
Love this! Best brownies ever!
Hi! The instructions reference vanilla extract and almond extract in Step 4, but I don’t see almond extract in the ingredients. Does the recipe call for both, and if so, how much almond extract? Thank you!
Hi! Sorry it is either/or. 🙂
Unbelievably scrumptious! Made these for dinner guests tonight, one vegan / one not, both said it was absolutely the best dessert they have ever had. Served them with a dollop of raspberry jelly and coconut whipped cream. Simply delicious!
These brownies are REALLY fudgy and delicious, but…. way too salty. It’s actually overpowering. I’ll definitely make these again but use only a quarter and sprinkle some extra on top, if needed. Easier to add salt on top at the end than to take it away!!
This may be a stupid question but do you melt the butter or is it softened?
Softened is fine 🙂
Hello can I used coconut oil instead of vegan butter?
I haven’t tried, but I don’t see why not 🙂
Hello, was wondering if i tripled this recipe for an 18 by 12 rectangular pan, how long do i bake it for?
Thanks
hi can i substitute the chocolate chips with dark chocolate?
Yes absolutely 🙂
Should the butter be melted/softened?
Softened is fine
I am planning on making these tomorrow so was checking the ingredients to make sure I have what I need. I’m wondering what the note on the coconut sugar is? I see it says see note but I don’t see any info on sugar in the notes section
Hi! It is white or brown sugar also works.
Thank you for your reply! Sorry I repeated my message! You can deleted the last one! I’ll try to just soften the butter next time and not melt it. Amazing recipe! Best
-I hope this works as a reply only. 😋
I am pleased with the results! The recipe is a good vegan brownie. It’s not cake like, but what a true brownie should be like. I even sort of got that crackle top. I did cut the sugar by 1/4 cup. Also I did half reg sugar and half coconut. I used very good quality melting chocolate, cocoa powder and eb for the fat, no coffee and I used AP flour, results were amazing. I’ve been trying to get a good vegan brownie and these are it! My cutting skills is a joke though 🙈. Oh was I suppose to melt the butter? I couldn’t find that anywhere or maybe I missed it. I did end up melting the butter. Best vegan brownie recipe! I will memorize this recipe for future brownies (for when I allow myself to have a small sweet treat). These are no way near healthy, let’s get that straight! But totally worth it. I ended up sending these out with my spouse, for the RN’s at his work.
-sorry if this is a repeat, I tried to review yesterday, but i don’t think it worked. Best
I am pleased with your recipe. I made successful vegan brownies today yay! I did cut the sugar by 1/4c and I used ap flour. But these came out so lovely! Probably the best vegan brownie recipe I’ve tried so far. I haven’t had great luck with v brownies. I’ve made more cake brownies in the past. But these are more like true fudgy brownies! I didn’t use coffee as I’m trying to avoid it, but it was still rather amazing. I even got that traditional yummy brownie top that I don’t normally get with other vegan recipes. Just one question, I can’t find it on the recipe, maybe because my eyes were tired, but are we suppose to melt the v butter? Thanks!
You don’t need to melt it completely- softened works well too.