Author: These Fudgy Vegan Brownies are ultra-chocolatey, decadent, and ridiculously fudgy, everything a brownie should be. Made in one bowl with simple pantry ingredients, they take just 10 minutes to prep and bake up into glossy-topped, rich brownies no one will guess are vegan. I've tested this recipe to death, and this is the version I make every single time I want brownies that actually hit.
FEATURED COMMENT:
Easily the best brownies I've ever had! This recipe is incredible! Thank you so much! - Kim ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Do you love a brownie that's ultra-moist and fudgy, with a glossy, crackly-crisp top? ME TOO. And that's why I took some time coming up with this vegan brownie recipe. I needed it to deliver! After a lot of recipe testing (and many brownies eaten), I'm happy to share these vegan brownies, which are crazy delicious, full of chocolate flavor, have a fudgy texture (no cakey brownies here, we've got Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake when we're in the mood for that!), and best of all, they are dead simple to whip up.
Why These Vegan Brownies Work
- Easy to make: You need just 10 ingredients, 10 minutes of prep time, and 1 bowl. And I bet you have most of the ingredients on hand already!
- Ultra decadent: These vegan brownies are extra-chocolatey, fudgy, and chewy, with edges that are just a little bit crisp.
- Crackly bakery-style tops: Whisking the sugar into the warm chocolate mixture creates that shiny, irresistible finish.
- Easy to customize: Add nuts, extra chocolate, or espresso powder to make them your own.
- Better than box mix: Rich, chewy, deeply chocolatey, and never dry.
- The best brownies ever! (Vegan or not.)
Ingredients for Vegan Brownies
- Vegan egg: Make this by mixing together warm water with ground flax or chia.
- Vegan butter: Earth Balance Original Buttery Spread is always reliable in vegan baked goods. My homemade Vegan Butter is awesome for baking too.
- Vegan chocolate chips: Some are melted for the batter and the rest are folded into the batter for pockets of chocolatey goodness.
- White sugar: For the perfect level of sweetness.
- Vanilla extract: To enhance the overall flavor.
- Cocoa powder: I use Dutch-process cocoa for the darkest color and richest chocolate flavor, but natural cocoa will also work.
- All-purpose flour: Make these vegan brownies gluten-free by using Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour.
- Baking powder: For rise.
- Salt: This goes in the batter, but if you'd like, you can sprinkle a flaky sea salt over the top of the brownies too!
How to Make Fudgy Vegan Brownies
- Make the vegan egg: Mix the water and flax or chia and set aside to gel.
- Melt the chocolate and butter: Heat them in the microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring after each.
- Mix the wet ingredients: Whisk the vegan egg, sugar, and vanilla into the chocolate mixture.
- Finish the batter: Stir in the dry ingredients and remaining chocolate chips until just combined.
- Bake: Spread the batter into the pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
- Cool: Let the brownies cool, then slice and serve.
Tips for Making the Best Brownies
- Don't melt the chocolate and butter completely. I always take the bowl out of the microwave when the chocolate is almost melted. The residual heat in the bowl will continue to melt the chocolate chips and this way, you can be sure you don't burn the chocolate!
- Be patient and let them cool. Warm brownies fresh out of the oven are SO tempting, but they'll continue to set as they cool. Cutting into them too soon will give you crumbly brownies, so instead, I like to let them cool and then if I want that warm brownie experience, I warm up individual portions in the microwave.
- Add some mix-ins. Like nuts, additional chocolate chips, or espresso powder.
How to Store
- Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: To freeze these vegan brownies, allow them to cool completely. Place them in an airtight container and freeze. They can be frozen for up to 3 months, ensuring you have a delightful treat on hand whenever a chocolate craving strikes. Thaw at room temperature for 1-2 hours, or pop a brownie in the microwave for 10-20 seconds for that fresh-from-the-oven vibe.
More Vegan Recipes for Chocolate Lovers
- Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
- 3 Ingredient Vegan Nutella
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Easy Vegan Chocolate Pudding
- Vegan Double Chocolate Muffins
- The Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cake
If you try these fudgy vegan brownies, I'd love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and star rating below, and tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
(click stars to vote)
Fudgy Vegan Brownies (One Bowl, Chocolatey & Decadent!)
These Fudgy Vegan Brownies are ultra-chocolatey, decadent, and perfectly fudgy, everything a brownie should be. Made in one bowl with simple pantry ingredients, they take just 10 minutes to prep and bake up into glossy-topped, rich brownies no one will guess are vegan. Perfect for parties, lunchboxes, or whenever a chocolate craving hits.
Servings: big brownies
PRINT
PIN
Video
COMMENT
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed, (or ground chia seeds)
- 6 tablespoons warm water
- 6 tablespoons vegan butter, (such as Earth Balance)
- ½ cup vegan chocolate chips, (or chopped vegan chocolate), divided
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup cocoa powder, (Dutch-process recommended for darkest, richest flavor)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prep the pan & oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Line an 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) square baking pan with parchment, leaving overhang for easy lifting.
- Make the flax egg: In a small bowl, mix the ground flaxseed with the warm water. Let thicken for 5-10 minutes.
- Melt the butter & chocolate: In a large microwave-safe bowl, add the vegan butter and ¼ cup (45 g) of the chocolate chips. Microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring each time, until mostly melted. Remove from microwave and stir to melt completely, this prevents burning.
- Whisk in the flax, sugar & vanilla: Add the flax mixture, sugar, and vanilla to the bowl. Whisk well until glossy. (This step helps create shiny, crackly brownie tops!)
- Add the dry ingredients: Add the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until a thick, fudgy batter forms. Lastly, fold in the remaining ¼ cup (45 g) chocolate chips
- Bake: Spread batter into the pan and bake 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs (not wet batter).
- Cool completely: Let brownies cool fully in the pan before lifting and slicing. They will firm and become fudgy as they cool.
Notes
Storage: Store tightly covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. Or you can freeze them. Cool completely, slice if desired, and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temp or enjoy slightly chilled.
Optional Mix-Ins:
- Nuts (walnuts/pecans): ½-¾ cup (60-90 g)
- Extra chocolate chips: up to ½ cup (90 g)
- Espresso powder: ½-1 teaspoon (to deepen chocolate flavor)
- Flaky salt: sprinkle on top after baking
Nutrition
Serving: 1brownie (recipe makes 9) | Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 152mg | Potassium: 130mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg
Ashley says
This is my new go to brownie recipe! Like Sam mentions I had back luck with the recipe from the book, but these came out prefect!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy to hear that Ashley 🙂
Melanie says
I saw this recipe and was hoping for so much brownie love. After using expensive chocolate, butter, flax seed it failed miserably. I really dislike wasting ingredients when I am on a limited budget. I then remembered making this one time before it failed then too. It separates and leaves a flat mushy, not gooey, oily mess. I love Sam's other recipes and have both of her books but I suggest everyone skip this one.
Lisa says
The same thing happened to me. It was an oily mess. I wonder if it was due to the vegan butter I used.
Melanie Stafford says
I used earth balance buttery sticks. I never have had a problem like this before or since
GB says
These are the best brownies I've ever tasted. I used Earth Balance buttery sticks, flax and Bob's 1:1 gluten free flour.
Sam Turnbull says
Nice to know the worked gluten-free! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Connie Sawatzky says
What brand of vegan butter do you use in this recipe?
I have been using becel sticks and unfortunately cookbook recipe was a total fail for me. Love so so many of your recipes and desperately want this one to work. Thank you!
Ingrid says
Thank you Sam for once again, providing a recipe that is delicious and so EASY! You keep making me look good, and I love you for it. The texture of these brownies is perfect, and the whole chocolate chips add a lovely burst of extra chocolate flavor. Yum, yum, and yum!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed, Ingrid!!
Kim says
Easily the best brownies I've ever had! This recipe is incredible! Thank you so much!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!!! So happy to hear that Kim!!
Jessica says
I made these tonight and they were dubbed Best Brownies Ever by my kids, husband and mother in law. Delicious! Thanks for another AWESOME recipe Sam!
Sam Turnbull says
Ha! Love it!!! You're most welcome, Jessica 🙂
Sayani says
Hi Sam! I'm a big fan of your recipes, especially the baked tofu bites and the super-fluffy vanilla cake. Just wondering if you used natural or Dutch-processed cocoa powder for this recipe? I would love to give this recipe a whirl but I only have natural cocoa powder in my house and don't want to risk ruining a batch with the wrong variety of cocoa powder. Thanks so much for clarifying!
Sam Turnbull says
I used Fry's Cocoa Powder for this recipe. Enjoy!
Kellye says
Although we are not vegan I wanted to add more vegan dishes to our menu and stumbled across these brownies. They are THE BEST brownies I have ever had hands down! I had ground flax seed on hand and used it. Since I didn't have vegan butter I used 3 T of regular butter and 3 T of olive oil. I cut the sugar by 1/3 and they are still plenty sweet. Other than these substitutions I made the recipe exactly as instructed. Couldn't be happier with the results:)
Sam Turnbull says
Haha I love that!!! Thrilled you enjoyed them so much Kellye!
Deenie says
No worries, but what I meant is that in this recipe it does actually convert them for some reason, wrongly - 1/4 tsp salt shows up as 1tsp metric, which was rather too much unfortunately!
Sam Turnbull says
Oh! I see! I fixed it now. That's weird that that happened! Sorry about that Deenie 🙂
Deenie says
Just letting you know that the metric conversion isn't working for the salt and baking powder - unfortunately I missed this and thus mine turned out rather salty and cakey 😛 But I can tell it's a great recipe, so will try it again in future, thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Deenie, the conversion is automatic but it never converts teaspoons, it always keeps them the same. 1 teaspoon is 5 mls. Hope that helps!
Danielle says
Just made these! They are decadent!
So I was one of those people who had trouble with the first brownie recipe. I have no idea why, they tasted delicious but they came out crumbly and fudgy at the same time. So that was interesting. BUT I just made this version and had perfect success and they taste amazing. Fudgy inside, just slightly crisp on the edges. I added walnuts to mine as well, fantastic!
I can’t wait to bring these to family functions. Easy to make and no one will ever know they are vegan 😉
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing! So thrilled they turned out perfectly for you Danielle 🙂
Jayde says
Can you use only melted chocolate instead of coco powder?
Sam Turnbull says
Not for this recipe
Gail P Sherman says
It turns out that if you don't read the instructions and put the full 1/2 cup of melted chocolate chips in the batter you end up with a bit of a mess. A delicious mess, but a mess. I will try to follow the actual directions next time!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Oh no! Yes, always follow directions carefully, especially when baking 🙂
Annie says
Does it matter what kind of vegan butter? Will the spreadable kind work even though it has a higher water content or does it have to be the stick kind? These look like the most perfect brownies & I can’t wait to make them 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
I used Earth Balance Buttery Spread in the tub. 🙂
Milica Yaksich says
I'd like to make these with walnuts and monk fruit sweetner instead of sugar. Is there anything I need to change in the recipe?
Sam Turnbull says
I'm not an expert in alternative sugar, so I can't advise on that, but you could stir in 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts at the end and that will add a nice crunch 🙂
Kim Emons says
Just made these. Sam hits the ball out of the park...again! Thank you for the weekly recipes Sam. I love the ease of your recipes and simple recipes. You make vegan cooking, baking so straightforward, there is no reason for people to NOT become vegan.
Magnificent! Decadent! And just downright yummy!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thank you Kim!! That is my goal for sure... make food so good everyone will have no excuse! Haha 🙂
Mary Pritschet says
Can this recipe be made with a sugar substitute... I’m trying to watch my sugar intake.. Thank you
Yvonne says
She doesn’t suggest sugar substitute because that’s not her expertise. From what I know (I’m quite a noob), sugar has other functions aside from sweetening in baking. I’m not sure Sam’s purpose is solely for sweetening, if it is I think you can lessen the amount. Hopefully she sees my comment and reply us. I would like to know too! Xx
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Yvonne and Mary! Yes I'm really not an expert in alternative sugars. Here is a guide that may help you. 🙂
Sarah says
Can I use ground flax seed instead of chia? Or does it need to be chia for it to work out?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes! I meant to add that in, both flax or chia work wonderfully. 🙂
Heather says
Do you think flax eggs would work instead of chia seeds? I don't mind the texture of chia seeds, but I know some of my brownie eaters will find them and whine.
Sam Turnbull says
Yes you can use flax and it will work wonderfully! The chia and flax seeds need to be ground so there won't be any texture from them 🙂
Mindy says
Is ground chia the same as chia seeds? How do I grind up the seeds? The seeds are pretty small. Thanks.
Lucie says
Yes, you can use a coffee grinder to grind them up
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, it is! You can buy chia seeds already ground, or you can use a high-powered blender, food processor, or coffee grinder to grind the seeds yourself 🙂