Vegan Blondies
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
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.
Hello from Shanghai China! Love this recipe. Used fructose and coconut sugar. 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. Bob mills white unbleached flour. A mix of vegan butter made by a friend and nut is buttery coconut oil.
Doubled the recipe. Baked for 25 minutes and it’s still an oozing chocolatey delight !!
Perfection. Can’t fault it.
Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Oh wow, homemade vegan butter? Mahalia, that would have been SO good! Thanks so much for your lovely review!
My college roommate is from Shanghai and I owe him a visit!
Thanks so much for this yummy recipe! I subbed maple syrup for sugar, oat flour for white and peanut butter with some canola oil for the butter.. So good!
Hey, I tried this but think I messed up cause mine didn’t bake. I put them back in and they fell apart. Like the batter is too buttery/wet?
I’d love to try making them again!
Do you have measurements in grams, if possible, please?
Thank you!
Hi Jade! Sorry to hear that! Yes, I’ve updated the recipe after retesting it to provide accurate gram measurements- hope that is helpful! 🙂
Delicious!
We did 1/2 semisweet chips and 1/2 white chocolate chips. We used real maple syrup instead of molasses. We make treats that are vegan and gluten free, so these fit the bill! We added about 1/2 cup almond milk to mixture to give it some batter consistency- otherwise it was cookie dough consistency.
Used maple syrup instead of molasses- it was like a cookie dough texture- so added some milk
Good thinking, Jenny. Maple syrup instead of molasses is great and will bake up just as gooey.
You are sooo right! These are the best ever blondes!!
I halved the sugars and added only one cup of chocolate chips and chunks. They were sweet and delicious. We loved them❤️
Thank you for the recipe.
Thanks, Brenda 🙂 Yes, 1 cup of chocolate/chocolate chips is totally fine to use 🙂 I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them.
Super delicious! The texture is really good and I love the level of sweetness. My non-vegan roomates love these and the batch is always gone in a few days!
Very good! I really appreciate the gooey- ness of these blondies. With vegan baking so many times bars turn out cakey from lack of oil. For any whole food bakers out there I subbed the butter for cashew butter and they turned out perfect. I decreased sugar, added nuts just personal preference. I did use the molasses. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks for the substitution idea of the almond butter. I tried that and it worked out great!
This recipe looks great! Do you think I can bake the blondies one day ahead, storing them at room-temperature, without them becoming too dry?
You sure can 🙂
Loved making these so much, I did change up the flavour to be lemon and white chocolate. And I didn’t use a flaxseed egg, I used aquafaba which worked well.
I LOVE the change to make them lemon and white chocolate. Thanks for sharing that aquafaba worked well for you- that is super helpful for others thinking of making them using that 🙂
Trying to make these for my husband with a dairy allergy but I’m no baker in the slightest. When I baked for 17 minutes the batter in the pan is still runny but my oven is at 350 F… am I doing something wrong or is my oven crap 😂
Hi Becca- no, nothing wrong on your end. Just bake for a little longer, closer to the 25 minute mark. It should firm up nicely 🙂
hello! how do you get the sides to remain crisp? mine often soften after some time..
Hi CC! The sides should remain crisp when left at room temperature, but refrigerating them will naturally see them soften 🙂
Could you use ghee instead of vegan butter?
I don’t see why not, Stacey- I’ve used ghee as a butter replacement before successfully. I’d just be wary if you are keeping these blondies vegan, as ghee is not vegan-friendly.
hi Arman!
if my blondies turn out way too greasy on the sides and bottom, does that mean i’ve underbaked it? i returned it back to the oven to bake after it had cooled for some time, is that okay?
after attempting the 3rd rebake, they look much crispier on the sides but ive yet to cut into them to test the insides.
Hi CC! Hmmmm, no, but it does sound like it is the vegan butter brand you are using- if you let me know what it is, I can doublecheck for you.
You can place it back in the oven to firm up more.
Was the butter supposed to have been melted? 🙁 I’m getting a very thick dough-like texture and I think it was an oversight on my part with the butter, but I don’t see instructions on whether it should have been melted.
Hi Monique- the butter should be softened to room temperature, but not melted.