Vegan Blondies
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My vegan blondies are chewy, soft, and studded with gooey chocolate chips. They’re golden with perfect, crispy edges.
Why I love this vegan blondie recipe
Whenever my parents would take us to a bakery, blondies were ALWAYS my #1 choice.
Traditional blondies are made with eggs and butter, but I wanted to make a vegan-friendly version to share with some vegan friends. After weeks of recipe testing, I’ve done it! My vegan blondies are chewy and cakey, with golden edges and pools of half-melted chocolate chips. Here’s why I make them often (even as a non-vegan):
- Made with pantry staples. Unlike many vegan desserts, these have no niche or hard-to-find ingredients.
- The perfect texture. A little molasses is my secret ingredient for that soft, gooey center.
- Easy to customize. My local bakery added chocolate chips to their blondies, but of course, you can use different mix-ins to make them uniquely yours.
- Perfect for sharing. Anytime I’m hosting, I prefer to make bars. They’re easy to slice and transport, and because they’re vegan, everyone can enjoy them. They can also be made gluten-free.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“This was the best dessert I’ve made in a long time! I subbed out some of the chocolate for dried cherries; can’t stop thinking about how yummy it was! Thanks for a great recipe!” – A.Peelen
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
Here’s what goes into vegan blondies, along with my kitchen notes. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Brown sugar. Gives the blondies a robust, caramelized flavor. Don’t use dark brown sugar, as it’s overpowering.
- White sugar. Keeps the blondies light in color and gives them crisp edges.
- All-purpose flour. I used gluten-free flour to keep this recipe gluten-free. I like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur GF blends (with xanthan gum). If you use another blend and it doesn’t contain it, add 1/2 a teaspoon. Of course, regular AP is great.
- Baking soda. Helps them rise.
- Salt. Brings out the sweetness, especially if you sprinkle some on top.
- Vegan butter. Opt for a high-quality brand. Trust me, it makes all the difference. My go-to brands are Miyoko’s and Country Crock. These two bake consistently well and are what I use in all my vegan recipes.
- Molasses. Optional, but it gives an even more gooey texture.
- Chocolate chips. Use a combination of vegan chocolate chips and a chopped-up chocolate bar so every bite is loaded with pockets of chocolate.
- Vanilla extract. A must for flavor!
- Egg substitute. I used a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water), but I suspect a chia egg will work just as well. If you don’t follow a vegan diet, you can use 1 whole egg.
How to make vegan blondies
Step 1- Make the flax egg. Mix the flaxseed with water. While it gels, preheat the oven and line a square pan with parchment paper.
Step 2- Mix. Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl. Using a stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter until smooth. Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, then stir in the vanilla, molasses, and flax egg. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Step 3- Bake. Pour the batter into the pan and bake until the edges are slightly brown. Let them cool completely before slicing.
Arman’s recipe tips and variations
- Avoid overmixing. Sometimes my blondies will sink in the middle if I overmix the batter. You only want to mix until you have a smooth batter with no lumps.
- Prefer cakey blondies? Bake them closer to 27-28 minutes.
- Don’t use different egg substitutes. I only tested flax eggs here, and they give the blondies the appropriate structure and chewy texture.
- Change up the mix-ins. Swap the chocolate chips for chopped nuts (like pecans or walnuts) or vegan white chocolate chips. My partner loves it with those.
Frequently asked questions
If the center is very wet, they likely need a few more minutes in the oven. The edges should look set, and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs- not wet batter. That said, I intentionally underbake mine slightly because I love a gooey center.
Absolutely. In fact, I personally find them even better the next day once they’ve had time to firm up. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge if you prefer a fudgier texture.
Vegan Blondies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour use gluten-free, if needed * See notes, 125g
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 flax egg ** See notes
- 6 tablespoons vegan butter softened, can use standard butter, if not vegan, 85g
- 1/4 cup white sugar 50g
- 6 tablespoon brown sugar 75g
- 1 tablespoon molasses Optional *** See notes, 15g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips I used a mix of chopped chocolate and chips, 170g
Instructions
- Prepare your flax egg by combining 1 tablespoon of flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water. Let sit for 10 minutes, for a gel to form.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line an 8 x 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix well. Set aside. In a separate bowl, add your sugars with the softened vegan butter. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together until combined.
- Add your creamed butter/sugar to the dry mixture. Add your vanilla extract, molasses (if using it) and flax egg and mix together, until just combined. Fold through chocolate chips, reserving a handful to top the blondies with.
- Transfer the batter into the lined pan and top with extra chocolate chips. Bake for 17-25 minutes, until the edges are just starting to brown. Do not bake longer than 25 minutes unless you want cakey blondies. If so, bake for 28 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan completely, before slicing.
Absolutely FANTASTIC recipe and true to word, best ever!!! Thank you so much! You are a genius!!!
Can you give quantity in grams? I have 220 gm cup
We use American cups and tablepoons. You can check out some online conversions 🙂
I don’t like my brownies gooey so I didn’t add the molasses. I used 5 Tblsp. Vegan butter instead of 6 Tblsp. and just 1/2 c. Chocolate chips, which seemed like enough for me. I baked for 20 minutes in a 9×9” pan, since I don’t have a 8×8” pan. The baking time took that long to have a toothpick come out clean.
Thanks for the feedback, Lorna- I’ve adjusted the baking time range to take into account different ovens. Good job on not adding the molasses if you don’t like gooey blondies!
nope i didn’t.. was watching them very closely in the oven when baking…
hi Arman, i tried following the recipe but it appears that they rise quite abit and turn out cakey instead of gooey… Should i further reduce the rising agent?
Hi Cheryl! Did you by any chance over bake them?
I am truly pleased with this recipe. I utilized most of the recommended substitutes. I used flaxseed egg and raw cane sugar, and oatmilk vegan butter. I also used molasses and the broken bar of chocolate so my blonde brownies were more brunette than blonde. Absolutely wonderful definitely going to try the sugar free.
Something went obviously wrong making this recipe even if it seems like the simplest recipe ever. First it wasn’t a batter when the time came to put it in the oven and then it came out flat like a cookie and way not looking like the picture. What did i do wrong ?
Hi Mary- sorry to hear that. I wonder if it was the brand of vegan butter you used, especially if it came out thin and flat- some of the vegan butter brands have excess moisture in them which dries out the batter as it bakes.
Is it possible to freeze these?
Yes of course 🙂
Follow the instructions. I mixed them too much so my first try the blondies sank after baking but they were still good. Also they will continue baking after you take them out. I was worried bc they seemed too jiggly when the time went off. I did bake them over the warned 17 minutes and they still turned out great.
Wish I could find dairy free white chocolate chips where I live. Would have made them look more blondie. But delicious anyways!
Hi Heather! I’ve noticed more and more grocery stores stocking them (I used to only find them on Amazon or speciality health food stores). If you can find some, they make them SO good.
Arman,
Sinfully delicious!!! I made a batch of these yesterday, and they turned out ooey, gooey delicious. I followed your recipe to the letter, and had no problems. I will most definitely make this again. I discovered your website not too long ago, and I am glad I did, because you have such great recipes.
Thank you,
Cheri
Fabulous- Thanks, Cheri!
I should have went with my instinct on using that many chocolate chips. Way too many and the Blondies are just completely wet on the inside from so many chocolate chips.
Hi HCA- I hear you. Based on reader feedback and extensively re-testing the recipe with various chocolate chip brands, I’ve amended the amount to one full cup, keeping 1 1/2 cups for those who want an intense chocolate flavor. Saying that, it does bake very well with 1 1/2 cups, and if it’s still wet inside, it’s worth baking it a little longer 🙂 Hope you try them out again.
3rd time using this recipe and it never fails! perfect for vegan and gluten free baking, I have never used molasses but might try adding golden syrup next time as I’ve seen in another comment and try and make them more gooey. I usually also have to bake them for a little longer than 17 minutes but the last batch I made only took 17.. not sure why. But a never fail recipe, thank you!
Thank you, Amie! xx
I made this recipe last night — I only used 1 cup of chocolate and swapped the flour for white whole wheat flour. Absolutely delicious! Will definitely be making again. Thank you for this recipe!!
Such a great recipe! I’m making it for the second time now. I sub about 1/4 cup of the GF flour for Protein powder and 1/2 the butter for applesauce. I also add walnuts! Thank you!
Oh wow, Julia- I’m so glad you enjoyed them with protein powder in them. That is super helpful for others who want to sneak in some protein powder, and cut down on the butter.
I made these with 1cup sprouted einkorn flour, a flax egg with 1tbsp ground flax & 2 tbsp water(I took away 1tbsp of water from the flax egg because baking with sprouted einkorn requires 1tbsp less liquid per 1cup of flour), 1/8cup coconut sugar, 3tbsp brown coconut sugar, 3/4cup chocolate chips. I baked them for 17min & they turned out perfectly!! Next time I will add about 1/3cup chocolate chips since I like to enjoy more of the blondie part of the bar! So good, thank you!!
Oh wow, thanks so much for sharing those tweaks here, Andrea. I’ve never used einkorn flour, so this is really interesting. I’m keen to experiment with it.
Making these for a third time now and they never disappoint! I double the recipe and add less sugar when I add the molasses because I don’t like them overly sweet. I also bake them for longer than 17 mins since I double the recipe so they need much longer to cook in the bigger pan. Everyone who has tried them has loved them!! Thanks so much, going to be a favourite for me.
My husband loves blondies and so for Valentine’s Day I made this recipe and he was over the moon. I’m not much of a dessert person, but I found myself going back for more. I will definitely be making these again. They were moist and not overly sweet. Just perfect!
Fantastic!