These are the BEST vegan gluten free brownies. They’re rich and fudgy with the most gorgeous shiny crackly tops. They’re better than a box mix and made completely from scratch!
Back again with another brownie recipe!! One of these days I’ll take a break, but they’re always such a hit so it’s hard to stop.
My vegan brownies are still among my most popular recipes, but these vegan gluten free brownies might just give them a run for their money. Moist, fudgy with paper thin tops.
They’re made with aquafaba instead of flax eggs to bind all of the ingredients together and have the most gorgeous shiny crackly tops thanks to extra melted chocolate.
They require a few steps before they really come together, but I promise it is well worth it! You’ll never go back to a box mix again when you taste these easy homemade brownies.
This recipe is made with gluten free all purpose flour, not almond flour, so they’re completely nut free and made without eggs!
No black beans, no flax eggs, no avocado, no apple sauce, just pure fudgy brownie goodness. Definitely not a healthy recipe, but we have my peanut butter brownies for that! Try my small batch vegan brownies or brownie cookies next!
How to make vegan gluten free brownies
Prep aquafaba. Add your aquafaba to a bowl of a stand mixer along with the cream of tartar.
Beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes using the whisk attachment. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, cocoa, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Melt chocolate. In a small bowl, add the chocolate chips and vegan butter. Melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each until fully melted.
Add wet ingredients. Once the aquafaba looks foamy (it’s ok if it doesn’t have stiff peaks, just foamy is what we’re going for), slowly beat in the sugar until fully incorporated.
Turn off the mixer and fold in the melted chocolate/butter and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients. Fold in the dry ingredients until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips if using, then spread into an 8×8 baking pan lined with parchment paper. Top with extra chocolate chips if desired.
Bake & serve. Bake for 38-45 minutes, depending on how fudgy you like them. I usually do around 42, but if you like them fudgy, bake for less time, or more well done bake for longer.
Let cool completely, then carefully slice into 16 squares and enjoy!
What is aquafaba?
Aquafaba is the liquid from a can of chickpeas and can be used in a variety of vegan recipes.
In these vegan gluten free brownies, we’ll be beating it with cream of tartar to get it nice and foamy which will help bind all of the ingredients together.
I promise the brownies won’t taste anything like chickpeas!
How to store
Yes, once prepared, this recipe will keep at room temperature for about 3 days or in the fridge for 5.
I like to warm them up in the microwave for a bit and then serve them with vanilla ice cream. Vegan brownies don’t need to be refrigerated, but they will keep for longer in the fridge.
The best cocoa powder
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. After a lot of trial and error I have found that it does not have as rich of a flavor as other brands and you end up needing a lot more to get the same flavor.
Substitutions
For best results, I highly recommend sticking with the recipe as written. Vegan and gluten free baking can be tricky and I have not tested any possible modifications, so I cannot guarantee the result.
CHOCOLATE. For this recipe we’re going to need both cocoa powder and regular chocolate chips. For the chocolate chips, I like using semi-sweet, but for the cocoa powder you can use either natural or dutch processed.
FLOUR. My go to is the Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour which I highly recommend for this recipe. You can sub with a different flour, but make sure it has xanthan gum in the mix.
Different blends can vary quite a bit, so if you use something different than Bob’s the final brownies may have a different texture.
SUGAR. This recipe calls for all white granulated sugar. I don’t recommend subbing for coconut sugar if you want a shiny top, but if you don’t care, then coconut sugar will work for a refined sugar free option.
I do not recommend a liquid sweetener for this recipe.
BUTTER. I used Earth Balance vegan butter sticks (you need just 1 stick) for these vegan brownies. You can sub with coconut oil, but for the best flavor, I suggest butter.
If you are not vegan or dairy free, just use regular butter!
More recipes for the chocolate lover!
- Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
- Tahini Brownies
- Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies
Lastly, if you want more recipes straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe to my email list. As always, if you make this recipe, leave a comment below so I can see your creation!
Vegan Gluten Free Brownies
by: claire cary
Ingredients
- ½ cup aquafaba liquid from a can of chickpeas
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 cup chocolate chips I like semi-sweet
- ½ cup vegan butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup gluten free all purpose flour I used Bob's Red Mill 1:1 baking flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 6 tbsp cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips optional to mix in
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add your aquafaba to a bowl of a stand mixer along with the cream of tartar.
- Beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, cocoa, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, add the chocolate chips and vegan butter. Melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each until fully melted.
- Once the aquafaba looks foamy (it's ok if it doesn't have stiff peaks, just foamy is what we're going for), slowly beat in the sugar until fully incorporated.
- Turn off the mixer and fold in the melted chocolate/butter and vanilla.
- Fold in the dry ingredients until combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips if using, then spread into an 8×8 baking pan lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 38-45 minutes, depending on how fudgy you like them. I usually do around 42, but if you like them fudgy, bake for less time, or more well done bake for longer.
- Let cool completely, then carefully slice into 16 squares and enjoy!
Samantha says
My came out with a lot of oil sitting on top. Poured it off, baked a bit longer and was really worried at how it was not looking set at all in the middle, but the edges were getting super hard. However, 24 hours later, it firmed up and was delicious. Almost had the texture of fudge more than brownie.
Claire Cary says
Surprised that happened! But so glad they turned out well regardless 🙂
Liza says
Hi I’m excited to try this. But I don’t have cream of tartar, is there anything to replace it? Thank u
Claire Cary says
You can leave it out but the aquafaba won’t whip up quite as well. Should be ok though!