The Best Vegan Brownies
These fudgy vegan brownies are the best egg-free brownies that you will ever try! The secret to amazing vegan brownies is using the correct egg substitute to achieve an authentic taste and texture. After 20 years of experimenting with numerous recipes and methods, I have finally discovered the perfect vegan brownie recipe!
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Fudgy, chewy, and topped with that perfect thin crunchy layer! The exact taste and texture of traditional brownies without eggs and dairy.
Why these are the best vegan brownies
Since a large proportion of traditional brownie batter is eggs, it is one of the hardest baked goods to make vegan. The eggs provide structure, binding, and even serve as a leavening agent in most brownie recipes.
Most vegan recipes use flax eggs to serve as the glue to hold the brownie together. This works but has a grainy texture and lacks the protein structure of an egg.
After much trial and error, I got the idea to use chickpea flour mixed with water to produce a chickpea egg substitute. The result was amazing! Perfectly cooked vegan brownies every time with the taste and texture of traditional brownies yet egg-free!
Can you taste the chickpea flour?
If you have ever baked with chickpea flour, I know what you are thinking. Chickpea flour has a funny aftertaste. I have discovered that if you rehydrate it with water before adding it to baked goods, it takes away the aftertaste.
The funny taste only comes from the dry flour, once it has softened completely, that goes away.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Chickpea Flour – mixed with water to replace the egg.
- Flour – you can use all-purpose flour or any grain-based gluten-free flour mix.
- Sugar – granulated organic cane sugar. Any light-colored granulated sugar will work.
- Cocoa Powder – any good quality cocoa powder will work. (Sift it through a mesh strainer if lumpy.)
- Brown Sugar – the molasses in it gives extra flavor and makes the brownies a little chewy. (Organic brown sugar is vegan.)
- Powdered Sugar – (Organic powdered sugar is vegan.)
- Salt – for flavor.
- Vegan Chocolate Chips – any brand that you wish. This is optional but recommended.
- Cooking Oil – any neutral-flavored oil like canola, vegetable, or light olive oil will work well.
- Plant-Based Milk – or simply use water if you don’t have milk. It’s just to thin out the batter a little.
- Vanilla Extract – for flavor.
Helpful tools
- An 8″ X 8″ square metal baking dish.
- Parchment paper to line the bottom of the pan.
- A rubber spatula to scrape the edges of the bowl and flatten the brownie batter.
How to make vegan brownies
Step 1 – Preheat the oven to 325°F (162°C) and line an 8″ x 8″ dish with parchment paper. (Tip – use a little spray oil on the pan before lining it with parchment to hold it in place.)
Step 2 – In a small bowl or measuring container, mix 4 tbsp chickpea flour with 2 tbsp water. Stir until you have a thick paste, then add 2 additional tbsp of water and stir again. Set aside for at least 5 minutes.
Step 3 – In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup white sugar, 3/4 cup flour, 2/3 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips, and 3/4 teaspoon salt.
Step 4 – After your chickpea egg has sat for at least 5 minutes add 1/3 cup of oil, 2 tablespoons of vegan milk, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla to it and stir well.
Step 5 – Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. (It will be a very thick batter. If your batter has dry spots after 2 minutes of stirring, sprinkle with 1-2 teaspoons of water until a thick consistent dough is formed.
Step 6 – Put your batter into the prepared pan and press so that it’s even and flat and top with additional chocolate chips if desired.
Step 7 – Bake at 325° F (162°C) for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. (The melted chocolate chips will stick to the toothpick.) Cool completely before cutting with a large knife.
Pro Tips
- Follow the recipe exactly. Brownies can be fussy and slight changes to the ingredients can change the outcome significantly.
- Spoon measure the flour. Don’t scoop the flour out of the bag with the measuring cup or it will pack down and you will be using too much.
- Allow your brownies to cool for at least 2 hours before cutting otherwise, they will be too soft and gooey to cut into nice squares.
- If you want your brownies to come out in nice neat squares, I highly recommend lining the bottom of the pan with parchment paper before baking.
- They taste great with a little coarse salt sprinkled on top of them.
How to make them gluten-free?
I’ve tested these brownies with all-purpose gluten-free flour mixes and they work perfectly. You must use a grain-free mix though, don’t use almond flour or other grain-free flour.
Storage
Store these eggless brownies in a cool dry place on the countertop for 5 days in a sealed container. You can keep them in the fridge, but allow them to warm to room temperature before eating or they will be too firm.
Can I freeze brownies?
Vegan brownies freeze well and can be stored in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw on the countertop for a few hours after freezing.
Vegan Brownies
Ingredients
Vegan egg replacement
- 4 tablespoons chickpea flour, aka garbanzo bean flour
- 4 tablespoons water
- 1 cup vegan sugar
Dry ingredients
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup vegan chocolate chips, (divided)
Wet ingredients
- 1/3 cup oil, (any neutral-flavored oil will work)
- 2 tablespoons plant-based milk, or water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (162°C) and line an 8 x 8 dish with parchment paper. (Tip – use a little spray oil on the pan before lining with parchment to hold it in place.)
- In a small bowl or measuring container, mix 4 tbsp chickpea flour with 2 tbsp water. Stir until you have a thick paste, then add 2 additional tbsp of water and stir again. Set aside for at least 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup white sugar, 3/4 cup flour, 2/3 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. (Sift the cocoa powder and powdered sugar through a mesh strainer if they are lumpy.)
- After your chickpea egg has sat for at least 5 minutes add 1/3 cup of oil, 2 tablespoons of vegan milk, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla to it and stir well.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together with a rubber spatula until well combined. (It will be a very thick batter. If your batter has dry spots after 2 minutes of stirring, sprinkle with 1-2 teaspoons of water until a thick consistent dough is formed.
- Put your batter into the prepared pan and press with the spatula so that it's even and flat and top with an additional 1/3 cup chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake at 325° F (162°C) for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. (The melted chocolate chips will stick to the toothpick.) Cool completely before cutting with a large knife.
Notes
- Follow the recipe exactly. Brownies can be fussy and slight changes to the ingredients can change the outcome significantly.
- Spoon measure the flour. Don’t scoop the flour out of the bag with the measuring cup or it will pack down and you will be using too much.
- Allow your brownies to cool for at least 2 hours before cutting otherwise they will be too soft and gooey to cut into nice squares.
- If you want your brownies to come out in nice neat squares, I highly recommend lining the bottom of the pan with parchment paper before baking.
- They taste great with a little coarse salt sprinkled on top of them.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
I would like to make these without any processed sugar. I like to taste the sugar from melted chocolate chips inside?
I don’t know if that will be sweet enough. I tested this recipe many times to make sure that it was right, changes to it may cause it not to bake correctly. If you leave out the sugar, it may be too soft.
Thank you for this great recipe! I’ve read your other post about egg substitutes, and each chickpea egg is noted to have 1 teaspoon of oil. I noticed this brownie recipe indicates the chickpea egg to have only garbanzo flour and water. Does the overall amount of oil in this recipe account for the oil that is supposed to be in the chickpea egg? I want to make sure I understand how the chickpea egg functions in different recipes. I almost started making the chickpea eggs per your other post until I saw that the instructions for the brownies do not include oil in the chickpea eggs. Thank you for clarifying!
Hi Stephanie, I leave the small amount of extra oil out of the brownies because there is already a lot of oil in the brownie recipe. It is more important if you are using the chickpea egg as an egg replacement in a recipe that doesn’t have oil. (I put a small amount of oil in the chickpea egg so that it’s protein and fat ratios are similar to a real egg.)
Thank you for the prompt reply! I will keep this in mind as I experiment with different recipes. Thank you for all of your work to help us take the guesswork out of veganizing recipes. 🙂
the look really tasty but i am also put off by the amount of sugar. can i make them with coconut sugar? or maple syrop and reduce other liquids?
This is GENIUS!! Will be trying this one shortly! Thanks, Monica!!
Thank you! This is my all-time favorite vegan brownie recipe! Hope that you love it, Suz!
Nicely done. Favorite vegan brownies yet!
Awesome! I’m so happy that you liked them! 🙂
These are really the best vegan brownies that I have ever made! I’ve tried a ton of recipes and they never came out right until I used your recipe. Thank you!
I’m so happy that you liked them! The chickpea flour egg is really the secret to making them great! 🙂
I would love to make your brownie recipe but the amount of auger puts me off. I usually just put less sugar in recipes but you said not to change anything. Do you think I could use less sugar or not.
Love your recipes
Thank you
Zillah
You could reduce the sugar by about 1/4 cup, but I wouldn’t do much more than that or it won’t have the proper moisture ratio. Enjoy! 🙂