Fudgy Dairy Free Brownies

These dairy free brownies are rich, fudgy and so easy to make. They’re made with coconut oil instead of butter, cocoa powder and chocolate chips and have beautiful crackly tops! Made in one bowl with pantry staple ingredients.

If you’re a regular around here, you know I’m brownie obsessed. My vegan brownies are one of the most popular recipes on the blog! However, a lot of dairy free recipes just get lumped into the vegan category, so I wanted to create a recipe that was dairy free, but not vegan for those with that preference.

These dairy free brownies are just as rich and delicious as their dairy filled counterpart and so easy to make. Not all brownies but a lot of them do contain dairy! Some boxed brownie mixes are dairy free and call for oil instead of butter, but it’s always more fun (and delicious) to make them from scratch anyway!

Not only are they dairy free, but you can make them gluten free like I did so they’re very allergy friendly! Nut free, dairy free, gluten free and even refined sugar free optional.

If you love this recipe, try my fudgy oreo brownies, flourless brownies or small batch brownies next!

How to make dairy free brownies

In a small bowl, add 1 cup of the chocolate chips with the coconut oil and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between each until fully melted.

Meanwhile, add the eggs and both sugars to a bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Beat in the vanilla and melted chocolate.

Add in the dry ingredients and mix until a smooth batter forms. Fold in the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Transfer to the prepared pan and spread the top smooth.

Bake for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Bake for longer for more well done brownies, or less time for more fudgy. Let cool completely, then slice into squares. Enjoy and try my M&M cookies next!

Key ingredients & swaps

COCONUT OIL. For these brownies, we’ll be using coconut oil instead of butter to make them completely dairy free! I love using coconut oil in brownies because it still provides that rich and fudgy texture and actually helps get those beautiful crackly tops as well.

CHOCOLATE & COCOA. You need a mix of chocolate chips and cocoa powder for this recipe. I love using semi sweet chocolate, but anything goes. You can use either dutch processed or regular cocoa. I do not recommend the Trader Joe’s cocoa as I find it is very mild in flavor. For a really rich chocolate flavor, you can mix in 1/2-1 teaspoon of espresso powder into the batter.

FLOUR. I used gluten free all purpose flour, but regular all purpose flour works as well. I do not recommend almond, oat or coconut flour here.

SUGAR. A mix of white sugar and brown sugar will help create the crackly tops but also give a fudgy texture. You can sub for coconut sugar if you prefer, but keep in mind this will change the final texture and flavor a bit.

EGGS. You need two large eggs which will add moisture, help the brownies rise and bind all ingredients together. I have not tested this recipe without eggs, so for best results I do not recommend making any swaps. Instead, you can try my vegan and gluten free brownies!

How to store and freeze

Once prepared, these dairy free brownies will keep at room temperature for up to 5 days. Be sure to let them cool completely, then transfer to an air tight container so they don’t dry out. You can enjoy them as is, or microwave for about 10 seconds so they taste fresh from the oven.

You can also freeze these! Again, let them cool, then slice into squares and freeze in a ziplock bag. Reheat in the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit until warm through the center. They will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.

How can I make them more fudgy and gooey?

These brownies are already on the fudgy side because we’re using such a small amount of baking powder so they don’t rise a lot which means they won’t come out cakey. If you like them really fudgy, just underbake them a bit so the centers are more gooey.

If you want them even more fudgy, you can decrease the baking powder. If you want them more cakey, you can increase the baking powder as much as 1 teaspoon.

What is the best pan to bake brownies?

I always recommend an aluminum baking pan. It will conduct heat more evenly instead of glass. I used an 8×8 (this one so the edges are all perfectly square), but you can also use a 9×9. However, the brownies will be thinner and therefore won’t take as long to bake.

More recipes for the chocolate lover!

• Vegan Chocolate Cake
• Paleo Chocolate Cookies
• Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
• Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
• Peanut Butter Brownies

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