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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These are delicious but I cant seem to get a crackly crust. I’ve attempted these several times following your intructions exactly. What might I be doing wrong?
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What brand of sugar are you using?
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Pretty tasty but very flat. I might play with some leavening agents
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That is so they stay fudgy, but if you prefer more cakey texture, you can add about 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
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Can you bake in muffin pan?
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I haven’t tried that but it should work. I would start with about 20 minutes.
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What type of oil is best to use?
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I like just regular vegetable oil or refined avocado oil!
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Hi,
As a new vegan I’m exploring and trying new recipes. I find that I don’t care for flax eggs, can I substitute Just Egg?
Thanks!
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Yes, that should work!
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Made these for a gf + egg allergic bride for her bridal shower and once more for a little gathering and they were huge hits both times! These are truly bakery-quality and showstopper brownies that will make your friends fall in love!! I used the flax meal, light olive oil for the oil, and organic cane sugar (quite coarse), and had great success both times. Thank you for this fabulous recipe!
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Sounds amazing! So glad you loved these.
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I used unsweetened applesauce and my brownies were a little more cake like on the edges but still the best vegan brownie recipe. Super gooey and chocolatey on the inside. I’m scared to use flax seed.
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I prefer these with the flax, so don’t be afraid of that! Let me know if you try 🙂
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Vegan is not suppose to have animal products. Gluten free flour contains milk. People with diary allergies could get very sick or worse. These are not vegan.
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I have never used a gluten free flour with milk in it! The flour I recommend is vegan.
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I’ve tried nearly 50 brownie recipes along the years, there were good brownies, cakey brownies, overly fudgy brownies, just chocolaty brownies but things… is by far the most decadent brownies I’ve everrrr had !!! It’s fudgy, right amount of moisture, slightly chewy (coz of the gf flour) and has a cracks and the texture is just perfect!! I’m not vegan or glutten free, and I assure you that this is the BEST BROWNIE RECIPE EVERRR !!! thank you for sharing this with us 💓💓💓
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Just made my day, thank you!
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Perfectly textured fudgy brownies. Moist and delicious!
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Thank you Ginny!
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Simple ingredients, quick to make, and delicious. I’m never making boxed brownies again!
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Amazing!!
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I used flax egg, but 1/2 applesauce and 1/2 oil to reduce the oil content. Made them into brownie bites for Daddy Daughter dance. Amazing! Throwing away my previous GF Vegan brownie recipe. This one blew it away! Another review thar said you can’t tell they are GF Vegan and nut free was right. Thank you!
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Love that! Thank you, Virginia!
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Hi! Do you think I can use a mix of coconut sugar and white sugar?
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I haven’t tried that, but should be ok!
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I bombed! 🥴 Note to others…I wouldn’t use date sugar. Although the consistency of date sugar is great and similar to granulated sugar, it causes the brownies to have a very datey taste that I didn’t enjoy. Also I suppose my brain wasn’t working when I used avocado oil instead of coconut oil. Don’t do what I did! Mine ended up tasting like date bars. They weren’t terrible but they weren’t the expectation of a brownie. And mine definitely didn’t look anything like the beautiful pictures shown above. Lol
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Oh no! Sorry they didn’t turn out. Date sugar isn’t something I usually recommend, especially in that quantity.
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These brownies are AMAZING! I have never been able to have gluten free, allergy friendly brownies turn out at all…until now! I believe I could feed these to gluten and dairy eating people and they wouldn’t know the difference. The crust was perfect and they are so gooey! Thank you for an amazing recipe.
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Thank you, Jenn! So glad you enjoyed these.
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