Fudgy Vegan Brownies
These are the BEST vegan brownies. They’re easy to make, perfectly fudgy with a rich chocolate flavor and a gorgeous shiny, crackly crust we all love! A totally crowd pleasing and homemade recipe.
10 tries later and we finally have it. The perfect fudgy vegan brownies, completely from scratch! Seriously, these are so good you will never go back to a boxed brownie mix again.
Plus, they’re made without black beans or avocado, just good old fashioned brownie ingredients that you can’t even tell are vegan!
As I’ve been testing this recipe, I’ve done a whole lot of research into what gives a brownie it’s characteristic shiny crust and fudgy center.
There are a lot of theories out there. Some say it’s the sugar, some say chocolate, some say eggs, but I’ve tried so many things and many of them just didn’t work.
Until I tried one unique method: melting the sugar into a bit of water before adding it to the batter. This essentially creates (sort of) an eggless meringue which rises to the top of the brownies as they bake and give a crackly, shiny crust.
It works like a charm to get beautifully fudgy brownies. If you love this recipe and need more of a chocolate fix, try my vegan chocolate cake or vegan chocolate cupcakes.
How to make vegan brownies
In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 tbsp ground flax plus 5 tbsp of water. Set aside to thicken. You can also use 1/4 cup of applesauce in place of the flax if you’re worried about any weird flavor.
I’ve tried both methods and love them equally! Plus, a flax eggs and applesauce are much easier than aquafaba, which we don’t need here.
In a medium pot on the stove, add the sugar and water and whisk together. Heat over medium/low heat. Stir occasionally, but after about 5-10 minutes, the sugar should completely dissolve. You can see the two images below for reference.
Be sure you don’t add any extra water. The water will look somewhat cloudy, but you shouldn’t notice any clumps of sugar. This is key for the shiny crust!
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together all dry ingredients. Once the sugar has completely dissolved, give it a final whisk, then pour it into the dry ingredients.
Add all remaining wet ingredients, including the flax egg, and mix together with a wooden spoon until a batter forms. Careful not to overmix.
Fold in the chocolate chips if using. They’re optional, but they do help the crust get shinier.
Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips if desired. Transfer to an 8×8 baking dish lined with parchment paper to ensure the brownies come out of the pan easily.
If you only have a 9×9, that will work, but I generally recommend an 8×8 for brownies for the best results.
Bake for 35-45 minutes. About 38 was perfect in my oven, but all ovens are different. You’ll know they’re done when a toothpick comes out clean, but bake for longer if you don’t like a fudgy inside and prefer them more cake-like.
Remove from the oven, let cool, then slice into 16 squares & enjoy!
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What kind of cocoa powder should I use?
I’m not loyal to any one brand, but often buy the Whole Foods 365 cocoa powder. Hershey’s and Ghirardelli are all great options.
You can use dutch process or natural cocoa for this recipe. I do not recommend the Trader Joe’s cocoa powder as I do not think it has a rich enough flavor.
Which chocolate chips are best?
I’ve recently been loving the brand Guittard because they are made in a gluten-free facility (I love the semi-sweet chips), but Enjoy Life, Lily’s and Trader Joe’s all have great ones as well.
The chocolate chips are really optional in these vegan brownies, but I will say that the crust does get quite a bit shinier when you include them! Even just a few sprinkled on top makes a difference.
How to keep brownies moist
Honestly, you don’t need to worry with these ones! The method of dissolving the sugar into the water adds a lot of moisture to the brownies and they really should stay moist for several days.
Plus, we have the flax “eggs” and oil which will naturally add moisture to the brownies.
These vegan brownies will keep for 3-5 days in a container at room temperature. I like to warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds so they get gooey and fudgy, then serve with vanilla ice cream!
Pro tip for mixing the batter
Avoid using a whisk to stir the batter. This will force too much air into the batter and can change the final texture. A wooden spoon or rubber spatula is best!
Ingredients and swaps
FLOUR. I of course use gluten free all purpose flour for this recipe, but regular all purpose flour will work just as well if you are not gluten free.
Whatever you use, be sure you spoon and level the flour into your dry measuring cups, don’t scoop from the bag!
SUGAR. You can use another sugar like coconut sugar to make these refined sugar free, but the crust will not get as shiny as what is pictured.
A liquid sweetener like maple syrup will not work here. For best results, I recommend a finely ground white sugar.
FLAX EGGS. You can use flax eggs or apple sauce here, but I prefer the texture of the flax eggs. A flax egg is simple a mixture of ground flax seeds and water.
You may also like…
- Vegan Caramel Sauce
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Blondies
- Vegan Funfetti Blondies
- Vegan S’mores Bars
- Chocolate Mug Cake
- Flourless Brownies
Leave a comment and rating below if you try this recipe and let us know how it turns out! Be sure to follow on instagram for more recipes.
Best Fudgy Vegan Brownies
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Wet:
- 1 ½ cups very finely ground granulated sugar the brand Domino is best
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seed OR 5 tbsp apple sauce
- 5 tablespoons water for the flax, separate from the sugar water
- ½ cup oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Dry:
- ¾ cup cocoa powder sifted if clumpy
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour I used gluten free, but regular works too
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 tbsp ground flax with 5 tbsp water. Set aside to thicken. Skip this step if using the apple sauce.
- Some people notice a flavor when using the flax (I never have this issue) so if that worries you, stick to the applesauce. The texture will be slightly different, but still delicious.
- In a medium pot on the stove, add the sugar and water and whisk together. Heat over medium/low heat. Stir occasionally, but after about 5-10 minutes, the sugar should completely dissolve.
- Be sure you don’t add any extra water. The water will look somewhat cloudy, but you shouldn’t notice any clumps of sugar. This is key for the shiny crust!
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together all dry ingredients except for the chocolate chips if using (we’ll add these later).
- Some people notice a flavor when using the flax (I never have this issue) so if that worries you, stick to the applesauce. The texture will be slightly different, but still delicious.
- Once the sugar has completely dissolved, give it a final whisk, then pour it into the dry ingredients.
- Add all remaining wet ingredients, including the flax eggs once thickened or the applesauce and mix together with a wooden spoon r rubber spatula until a batter forms. Careful not to over mix, stir just until combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips if using. They’re optional, but they do help the top get shinier and add a richer chocolate flavor.
- Transfer to an 8×8 baking pan lined with parchment paper.
- Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake for 35-42 minutes. about 38 was perfect in my oven, but check with a toothpick. Bake for longer if you don’t like a fudgy inside and shorter if you want them really fudgy.
- Remove from the oven, let cool completely, then slice around the edges of the pan and lift out the brownies using the parchment paper. Slice into 16 squares & enjoy! The longer you let cool, the easier/cleaner the cut will be.
Notes
Comments
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Can I use chia seeds instead? I only have whole flax seeds and don’t know what else to use instead of ground flax seeds. What can I use instead? Thank you!!!!
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Applesauce! Or just grind up some of your chia seeds and use that!
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I didn’t grind them up, I literally just soaked them in water😂 it was still amazing and delicious!!!
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oh perfect! So glad that worked.
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The brownies are delicious. This was my first time making them and I will try more recipes by àeatwithclarity. Thanks…
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Thank you, Robin!
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I have tried so many vegan brownie recipes and these are by far the best!
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Thank you Diane!
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I never post on blogs, but I just have to thank you for this delicious brownie recipe! Best vegan brownies ever! I used applesauce and Bob’s red mill gf 1 to 1 flour. You have changed my life!!!
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You’re so sweet! Thank you Elizabeth!
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Ahhhmazing! These are the best brownies I’ve ever had. I topped them with some yummy vegan fudge frosting and they were so perfect. The best part is that no animals were harmed to make these. Thanks so much!
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Oh yum! That sounds delicious, I have to try the fudge frosting!
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I only have ground flax seed – could you tell me how many grams of this to use?
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That’s what you need! So just follow the recipe as usual 🙂
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You need 25 grams of ground flaxseed.
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I use natural almond butter instead of oil in all baking, including brownies, and it works well. Adds some protein and provides the fat. Works well in brownies.
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These look delicious!! Have not made them yet but just wondering if it is possible to use like a date purée with the water for the sugar. Although it looks beautiful, I’m not concerned about the shiny crust if I can have them without regular sugar.
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I don’t recommend using date puree, I would look for a recipe that specifically calls for that if you don’t want to use sugar!
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These are amazing brownies and a year ago I never would have even thought to try these. I’m so thankful to have found your website! When I got my Celiac diagnosis earlier this year, I was really struggling. That is, until I found Eat With Clarity. You will never know how this website has changed my life!
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Ive been caught out by the ” all purpose” thing again.. despite googling. I thought “Why are these rising so much?” oh… ” all purpose” is uk plain. 🙁
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Oh no! Yes, you definitely don’t want any self-raising flour or flour with any leavening agents 🙂
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If I didn’t need it to be vegan friendly how many eggs would I use for this recipe?
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two eggs in place of the flax eggs! I haven’t tested it this way however
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Hi,
Thx for the recipe but I would like to check for the 1/2 cup of water is it including the 5 tbsp of water for the ground flaxseed or its 1/2 cup of water and 5 tbsp of water (if using the ground flaxseed)? Also may I know in measurements in grams for the gluten free flour! Thank you!
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The 5 tbsp of water for the flax is different than the 1/2 cup for dissolving the sugar! If you click over to the metric measurement, you’ll get everything in grams!
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Thx Claire! By the way when I mix the wet and dry ingredients the batter have excess liquid? And when I bake it in the oven there are bubbles forming in top of the brownie. Is it too much oil or water? So now my brownie is slightly undercook in the middle but it taste great!
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What exactly do you mean by excess liquid? Make sure you’re mixing the batter really well until everything is incorporated. You can bake for a few extra minutes to ensure the center is more cooked!
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This is the only vegan brownie recipe that I use. They are soooo delicious 😋
I always use regular flour and the recipe works perfectly every time but I recently tried with gluten free all purpose flour and it didn’t go well I’m afraid. The edges were very hard and the middle sank too much and was really oily and soggy. Any idea what I did wrong please? I’d really like to have a go to gf brownie recipe to use. Should I adjust the temperature or cooking times?
Thank you for your help
Mandy-
That’s strange because I always use GF all purpose flour for mine and that’s what I tested the recipe with. What brand were you using?
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Hi. Does this recipe work well doubling it and making it in a 9 x 13 size pan? Thanks!!
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That should work! Keep an eye on the bake time though, you’ll likely need 10-15 extra minutes, maybe more!
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I just tried this tonight and it worked great!
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These really are the best brownies. SO PERFECT! I used cane sugar and it still worked amazing!
Curious though, would they still turn out well if I used half a cup less sugar?
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So happy you like them! They should be fine with less sugar, obviously they’ll be less sweet and they may look a bit different, but I think it’ll be ok! Let me know if you try!
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