Vegan Chocolate Brownies
Surprise your family or someone you love with these thick and fudgy Vegan Chocolate Brownies that are super easy to make and downright indulgent! It's a decadent treat for chocolate lovers as these vegan brownies are irresistibly fudgy in the center, with a slightly cakey texture along the edges.
Oh, so chocolatey, delicious, and absolutely crave-worthy!!
It's valentine's week. Valentine's day is all about sweets and celebrating memories; therefore, today, I will be sharing with you the best Vegan chocolate brownie that is ridiculously rich, heavenly and bursting with chocolate flavor.
I call it the queen of all the brownies, and it's made with staple ingredients you probably have in your pantry + a secret ingredient.
I’ve been making these vegan chocolate brownies countless times, and I can honestly admit that they are THE best!
These Vegan Chocolate Brownies are:
- Eggless
- Baked-from-scratch
- Has the most straightforward ingredient list
- Packed with chocolate flavor, and
- Ridiculously good!
Yes, heard me right, these vegan brownies are completely egg-free, made-from-scratch, and yet they taste so amazing. I promise you it tastes so much better than the store-bought brownies as there are baked with so much LOVE.
Ingredient List and variations For Vegan chocolate Brownies
Here is a list of ingredients that you will need to make these no-fail vegan brownies. This part explains the role of each element in these brownies. Please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this page for a complete list of ingredients with measurements.
» Flour – All-purpose flour is all you need. I have not tried this recipe with whole wheat flour or any other flour.
» Cocoa powder – a must-have ingredient for any brownie. I have used unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder for my vegan brownies.
» Baking soda – a natural chemical leavening agent, when combined with vinegar, creates the bubbles and foam that help our brownies rise. Just use plain white distilled vinegar; however, you can use lemon juice as a substitute for vinegar.
» Instant Coffee – to enhance the chocolate flavor. It will lend a nice touch to our brownies but if you are not a coffee lover, feel free to omit it from the recipe.
» Salt – of course. The most underrated but important ingredient to balance out the sugar and the overall flavor in these chocolate brownies.
» Sugar – granulated sugar works the best. I have used organic cane sugar for our vegan brownies. Please use granulated sugar as this recipe is not tried with brown sugar or any other form of sweetener.
» Oil – oil helps make brownies fudgy. If you like, you can use unsalted butter as a substitute too.
» Vanilla essence – It will add richness and a nice vanilla flavor to these eggless brownies. You can use whatever flavor you want for your brownies. I have tried almond extract, too, and it works great.
» Aquafaba – This is our secret ingredient. Aquafaba, also known as bean water or chickpea brine, is a wondrous plant-based egg replacer that emulates an egg. This gluey legume liquid (obtained from a can of chickpeas) emulsifies, foams, and thickens just like an egg when air is whipped into it, making it a key ingredient in eggless baking.
Instead of eggs, I have used aquafaba along with a combination of other ingredients to create these vegan aquafaba brownies.
If looking for a substitute for aquafaba, that would be -
- 2 eggs (non-vegan option), or
- 2 flax eggs ( vegan option). Two tablespoons of ground flaxseed meal mixed with 6 tablespoons of water. Allow it to rest 15 - 20 minutes until it thickens and becomes gooey.
Working with aquafaba
When working with aquafaba, the most important step is to whisk it well. You can use a stand mixer, electric handheld mixer, or even a food processor to beat aquafaba.
Like an egg, aquafaba whips up quickly and becomes very fluffy, and when sugar is added to this whisked aquafaba, it attains a lustrous finish and increases in volume.
Therefore, make sure you attain THE perfect aquafaba peak (as seen in the image below) before you progress with the recipe.
Other ingredients that I can add to these vegan chocolate brownies?
These aquafaba brownies are not limited to chocolate chip topping; you can jazz them up with whatever you like. Some tested add-ins are -
- Dry nuts - walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, etc. I would add ½ a cup of chopped nuts to the brownie batter.
- Raisins and any candied fruits.
- Shredded coconut
- Marshmallows
- Toffee bites
- M&M's
- Butterscotch chips. The list is endless!
Can I use the liquid from other beans?
Some of my followers have used the legume liquid from cannellini beans, white northern beans, and other beans to cook these brownies, but honestly, I love chickpea brine, and I have always experimented with that.
How to make Vegan Aquafaba Brownies?
» Preheat the oven - Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×8-inch baking pan with cooking spray, then line it with parchment paper. Allow the parchment paper to overhang on each side as it makes it easy to lift our baked brownies. Set aside.
» Mix the wet ingredients - Combine oil, vinegar, and essences in a bowl. Whisk until blended. Set aside.
» Combine dry ingredients - In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, Instant coffee, and salt. Set aside.
» Whisk aquafaba - Add aquafaba to a bowl. Using the balloon attachment of your stand mixer, beat aquafaba for 4-5 minutes on medium-high speed until frothy.
Keep the stand mixer running and slowly add sugar to it. Keep whisking until it turns into a thick and shiny fluff.
Test by holding the whisk blade upside down. Aquafaba should hold its shape and not fall off the blade. Time to proceed further.
Pour in oil mixture. Fold the mix until it is well blended with aquafaba.
» Assemble wet and dry ingredients - Spoon the dry sifted ingredients into this mix. Fold in gently. Fold and mix until it forms a smooth and lump-free batter.
» Frozen aquafaba whips up perfectly fine - Thaw it overnight in the fridge and then use it as mentioned in the recipe. If on a time crunch, you can thaw it in the microwave or cooktop.
» Bake the aquafaba brownies - Pour the batter into the greased pan. »Tap the pan to release the trapped air. Sprinkle some extra chocolate chips on top. Bake for 20 – 22 minutes or until the toothpick comes out with a few crumbs attached.
» Cool and serve - Allow the baked brownie to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Then lift the brownie from the parchment paper and remove it from its pan. Set it on a wire rack to cool completely. Then cut the vegan chocolate brownies into squares and enjoy!
How to store leftover brownies?
Leftover aquafaba brownies will stay moist and good for 1-2 days at room temperature. Transfer the completely cooled cut brownies to an airtight container—store in a cool, dry place.
I promise these aquafaba brownies will not last that long, but if you still have leftovers after 2 days, I recommend storing them in the refrigerator as they will begin to dry out. They will stay good for a week in the fridge.
Let Me Know What You Think!
So, let's get baking and kick-off this weekend with some chocolatey indulgence and bake these brownies. Trust me; you won't be able to stop eating them; all those beautiful flavors and fudgy texture will definitely leave your tastebuds tingling for more.
Should you make Vegan aquafaba brownies or any variation of it, please let me know your thoughts by sharing your comment below.
And don’t forget to share it with your family and friends.
CRAVING FOR MORE, BE SURE TO CHECK THESE OUT –
| This recipe post has been updated from the archives, first published on December 28, 2016 |
Vegan Chocolate Brownies
INGREDIENTS
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 1¼ cup All purpose flour
- ½ cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon Baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Instant Coffee (optional)
- - - A pinch of salt
WET INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoon superfine Sugar
- ½ cup Oil
- 1 cup Aquafaba (Non-vegan option - 2 eggs. 1 egg = 2 tablespoon aquafaba)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla essence
- 2 teaspoons Vinegar
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×8-inch baking pan with cooking spray, then line it with parchment paper. Allow the parchment paper to overhang on each side as it makes it easy to lift our baked brownies. Set aside.
- Combine oil, vinegar, and essences in a bowl. Whisk until blended. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, Instant coffee, and salt.
- Set aside
- Add aquafaba to a bowl.
- Using the balloon attachment of your stand mixer, beat aquafaba for 4-5 minutes on medium-high speed until frothy.
- Test by holding the whisk blade upside down. Aquafaba should hold its shape and not fall off the blade. Time to proceed further.
- Keep the stand mixer running and slowly add sugar to it.
- Keep whisking until it turns into a thick and shiny fluff.
- Pour in oil mixture. Fold the mix until it is well blended with aquafaba.
- Spoon the dry sifted ingredients into this mix. Fold in gently.
- Fold and mix until it forms a smooth and lump-free batter.
- Pour the batter into the greased pan.
- Tap the pan to release the trapped air. Sprinkle some extra chocolate chips on top.
- Bake for 20 - 22 minutes or until the toothpick comes out with a few crumbs attached.
- Allow the baked brownie to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Then lift the brownie from the parchment paper and remove it from its pan.
- Set it on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cut the brownie into 9 equal parts.
- Enjoy topped with your favorite ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate.
RECIPE NOTES
- Dry nuts - walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, etc. I would add ½ a cup of chopped nuts to the brownie batter.
- Raisins and any candied fruits.
- Shredded coconut
- Marshmallows
- Toffee bites
- M&M's
- Butterscotch chips. The list is endless!
Can we reduce sugar quantity to 1/3 cup? Which brand cocoa works best for this recipe?
Ria, you can customize the recipe to your liking. If you prefer less sugar, please give it a try. I have used HERSHEY'S unsweetened cocoa powder.
I've made this recipe so many times in the past month that I felt like I needed to leave a review so others know how amazing these will be. I've omitted the instant coffee each time (because I forget to grab some EVERY TIME I go to the store), but I've still gotten so many compliments. I also add in a chocolate bar that I chop up. I use an 85% Ugandan chocolate from Trader Joe's, but I'm bringing it down to a 75% for this next batch because my mom doesn't love dark chocolate and I want her to try them. If you like a brownie that's rich and not too sweet, I HIGHLY recommend this addition.
A baking note to those who may have runny brownies: I add an extra 12 minutes at 320 each time I make them. Not sure if it's the recipe or my oven, but the recommended time doesn't seem to cut it for me.
I never thought I'd love eggless desserts, but I made samosas and had leftover aquafaba that I couldn't bear to waste. I'm so glad I came across this recipe!!!
Thank you, Brianna, for your kind words and sharing your wonderful tips with us. They are amazing!
Please help - I have had another vegan baking disaster! I’ve no idea what I am doing wrong but every time I have tried to bake brownies with aquafaba, the brownies end up a molten liquid after the full cooking time - they never set properly. What am I doing wrong?
Hello Cath, please help me understand. Did you follow this recipe to bake your brownies?
I have tried this, and it turned out perfect. I just used more chocolate chunks . If your aquafaba is cold enough, and you add sugar slowly while whisking, you won't have any problems.
Thank you, Ayse! So glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
What sort of oil would you recommend and what did you use? Any sort of vegetable, olive or coconut?
Vegetable oil works the best!
Thank you, mine worked fantastic, I love this recipe! I reduced the oil to 1/4 cup and 1/4 cup applesauce and they still turned out delicious, a little lighter than the original maybe.
Thank you for your feedback, Nic! Glad you liked the recipe 😊
these turned out sooo good. they weren’t overly sweet/rich, but were super fudgy! my favorite brownies i’ve made so far!
Thank you so much, Madison! So glad you liked the recipe. 😊
Hi! Thanks so much for the recipe.
I just pulled the brownies out of the oven so I'm not sure how they turned out yet, but while mixing the dry ingredients into the batter I noticed the volume of the batter had reduced compared to the volume of meringue I had. Is that normal or did I make a mistake somewhere?
I don't think it was a serious issue because the batter and brownies seemed fine, but I'm curious. Thank you!
Stephanie, you didn't make a mistake. 😊 The meringue settles after the dry ingredients are mixed in, so you are all good. I hope the brownies turned out well for you.
A whole cup of aquafaba seems rather a lot to replace 2 eggs - is it correct?
Julianne, this recipe is made with 1 cup of aquafaba, so that stands correct.
The same recipe can be made with 2 eggs (as tried by my users).
Thanks for asking!
Dear Ruchi,
I am going to make these with vegan egg replacer powder instead of aquafaba. Should all the remaining ingredients remain the same? Thank you
MrsG, I haven't tried this recipe with egg replacer, therefore, can't comment on the end result.
Hi Ruchi, I did make this with vegan egg replacer powder and added enough water to resemble the texture of your final mixture. It was lovely, light, moist and delicious. It was more of a cake however than a sticky brownie but it was demolished all the same! Thank you.
Thanks for your feedback, MrsG!
Looks like the egg replacer baked these brownies with a rich and almost cake-like texture. 🙂
Hi Ruchi, just to update you. I’ve made these another two times since with vegan egg replacement powder. I think the first time I must have over cooked, hence the cake like consistency. I reduced my cooking time and they were perfect the next two times. Thank you!
Thanks for the update, Mrs.G! Happy to hear that you got great results.
I made these with Bob's 1:1 gluten free flour and they came out amazing. It is extremely rare for GF baking to taste so... "normal" and vegan to boot! Thanks so much
Thank you, Candace, for your feedback!
Happy to hear that you relished these brownies.
My brownies turned out like a slightly crumbly cake. The batter was so fluffy, aquafaba whipped as pictured in directions, the batter filled the pan to the top. I’ll make it again but I’d really like a fudgy brownie.
Thanks for trying the recipe, Jan!
For me, this batter never fills the pan. So if you ended up with a cakey brownie that could be because of over beating of the batter. Try this for next time, after aquafaba turns foamy, fold in the dry ingredients and then bake. This will give you the desired results. 🙂
This was so good! I made a half batch since that's all the aquafaba I had. Worked just fine with regular sugar. I usually don't bake, and since going vegan, I haven't baked much at all since it is such an experiment. Your pictures made it easy to follow along and the brownies were so good they're almost gone. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Pleasure is all mine. Thanks for trying the recipe Elinor.
Glad you liked them. 🙂
Ruchi I dont know what went wrong,but I didn't get peaks as in the pic.The batter was fluffy .It's in the oven I don't know how it will be
Mangala, how long did you beat aquafaba?
Please share how did your brownies turn out.
Hi Ruchi,Before adding sugar it was ok.It looked similar to the photo but after adding sugar I didn't get peaks , for more than 20mins I had been beating. The brownies were soft,slightly crispy over the top.Taste was excellent texture was also good.
I have no idea what went wrong at the aquafaba-sugar end but I am glad to hear that you got perfect soft textured brownies. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your feedback with me.
Hi. Yours look so fudgy and chewy, but mine turned out fluffy and crumbly (they basically were falling apart). What could have went wrong? I noticed that after I added powdered sugar to aquafaba the mixure didn't turned out creamy as yours but more liquidy. Could this have been the problem. I've been using electric mixer for that. I was actually concerned that the beating of aquafaba is going to create a lot of bubbles in the final product and make is so fluffy, but yours doesn't seem to have that problem. I also followed your advice of tapping the tray to release bubbles. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Did the aquafaba become light and fluffy as shown in the pic?
After adding sugar the mix should not have turned liquidy. That could be the possible reason for a crumbly textured brownie.
Other possible cause would be - over mixing of ingredients that resulted in fluffy brownie. Hope this helps!
I have a doubt,should we again whip after adding oil and vinegar
After adding oil, vinegar and dry sifted ingredients - mix gently until well combined.
Pour batter into a greased baking tray and bake as directed.
Is this aquafaba gelatin? Is it vegetarian gelatin? Where do we find it?
Rima, aquafaba is in your kitchen. It's not gelatin, its boiled chickpea liquid. Aquafaba, the gelatinous liquid, is a great substitute to egg. Just like eggs, this liquid when whisked gives the same fluffy texture. It a great leavening agent (one that incorporates gas bubbles into the batter) and a binding agent. Please see this link on how to make aquafaba at home -
https://stage.ruchiskitchen.com/recipe/homemade-eggless-mayonnaise-recipe/
What can replace Aquafaba?
Leena, eggs can replace aquafaba.
Thanks for sharing! I have two questions, which may be related. 1. What happens to the vinegar listed in the recipe? Am I missing something? 2. What should one do if the aquafaba will not peak when whipped?
Thanks for stopping by Ryan.
1. Vinegar is added along with oil and essence.
2. Aquafaba forms a smooth peak after 5 minutes into beating, if it doesn't then I would recommend to beat it longer until you get a soft white peak as seen in pic 5.
Hope that answers your query.
Thanks for your responses. I will try beating the aquafaba for 5 minutes next time. This recipe was a big hit!
Thanks for sharing your experience Ryan!
Glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
Hello Ruchi
Completely speechless !!¡!!!,😃😃 This recipe came out so wonderful that before I could click a picture my twins and hubby finished it, licked their fingers😋 and left nothing for me 😑😏. But anyways I love you darling for sharing beautiful recipes and giving chance to fulfill my passion for baking.😘.
I shared pics of my red velvet cake on your mail id as you said. Hope you would have liked it.....
Shikha
Thanks you so much for your lovely feedback.
I am glad that you and your family loved the brownies. I can understand, these brownies are so good that no one can resist them.
Have not received any email. Did you send it at [email protected]. Could you please share with me again at the email address provided. 🙂 Thanks!
These fudgy brownies are easy and quick to make. They are vegan but you would have never guessed. Turned out awesome and exactly what I was looking for. Many thanks.
Thanks for your lovely feedback Linda.
Glad you liked the brownies as much I do. 🙂