Simple Vegan Brownies

I’m partial to apple sauce as my egg substitute. Would you recommend 1/4 cup to replace the two flax eggs? I read somewhere it’s about that per large egg so not sure if it’s equal to that in flax egg. That is, 8; you think that can be done. Thanks!

Could I sub coconut oil instead of Earth Balance vegan butter? If so, how much?

I made these tonight, but for some reason my batter was very thick and didn’t look anything like yours! I even added a bit of coconut milk to soften the batter, but that didn’t work. Does anyone have any suggestions? What makes the batter look like that when there is only 5 tbsp of water (from the flax egg)?

Hi Dana,
Thank you so much for posting recipes that are clear, easy to follow and actually work! I’m a hopeless baker but the 4 baking recipes I’ve tried from your website so far have all worked first time round!

I have made these last night and they are amazing! I’m enjoying one right now with a cup of coffee. I used walnuts and it’s gorgeous! Thanks again :)

We have made these a few times and they are perfect. We substitute the flax eggs for 2 bananas, half the flour we substitute with almond meal, and we only add half the recommended sugar (banana is sweet enough). We add buckini mix and they are superb. Thank you for the recipe!

Used coconut oil instead of butter. This combined with silicone baking cups…voila…no sticking. Always add a dash of strong coffee and if you are brave a pinch of cayenne to any chocolate receipe.

Delicious!

I’ve made this recipe soooo many times! The best way IMO is using coconut oil as the fat and using chia seeds for the “eggs”. I also add mini chocolate chips.. These modifications I swear are amazing… me and my fam also think they are best cold! :)

I made these with peanut butter chips and put them in mini muffin papers/cups, so they’re basically bite-sized. They were an enormous hit at my son’s all-vegan grad party.

What about using dates/bananas as a sweetener, about to try it. What do you think?

These were awesome!! I’ve made them over a dozen times now and they’re just perfect!

Yes, these definitely needed more liquid. But, don’t add more oil. I gently added soy milk a little at a time until I got the consistency it should have (i.e. cake batter). (You could use any kind of milk, even apple juice.) It did the trick! They turned out great! Moist and chocolatey! I also used coconut oil to sub for the earth balance. Overall great recipe and a keeper. Thank you…

Hi I was wondering if the batter is meant to be super dry? I substituted Earth Balance with Canola oil. I ended up adding about 1/3 to 1/2 cup more oil :/ to try and give it more moisture. I ran out of a milk to add. Ended up being too oily but overall, it didn’t stick together. Thanks in advance — I love your simple recipes!

Arthi

I doubled the recipe, but the brownies came out as the same amount like the original recipe. If I doubled the recipe shouldn’t I have double the brownies and not the same amount. What did I do wrong?

Okay, I’ve followed this blog for awhile now and even before I was a vegan because I was trying to make the switch and my boyfriend is also gluten free. You’re my favorite food blog and I’ve made dozens of your recipes, I think this is my favorite.

I subbed the vegan butter (my boyfriend hates it for some reason) for canola oil and added the smallest splash of soy milk to make it just a little thinner for the batter. And I always add espresso powder to brownies and chocolate chips. Best brownies, I had 2 in the span of 5 minutes, I have some regrets but the flavor was worth it. Thank you!

These were absolutely perfect!!! I substituted vegetable oil for butter, and baked them in a brownie pan and frosted it with pillsbury chocolate fudge icing (which is vegan) They were amazing, been vegan for a year and this is the first brownie recipe i have found that is just as good as the brownies i used to make. These are extremely moist and very chocolatey. Only thing is that they almost tasted like dark chocolate so i might use a tad bit less chocolate next time. But overall these are the best brownies I’ve ever had. I shared these at a get together and they were a hit with everyone!

I just made these with regular eggs and Bob’s 1 to 1 gluten free flour and they turned out perfect! Super easy to make and delicious. I baked them for 22 minutes.

hey, Can i use unsweetened cocoa powder instead of dutch cocoa powder??

Not a hit. Crumbly. Thumbs down from my 9 yr old son. He couldn’t give it away at school. Flavor was OK, but definitely too cake-y for my taste. Will not make again.

These are AMAZING. I’m not vegan so I use real butter and flax eggs because I hate the taste of eggs in my baked goods. I found that baking them for 17 min is perfect.

I am making these today for my first Vegan Mother’s Day! I have to say that I didn’t use the Dutch process cocoa. I found some, but it was $13.00 and I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend that much. I may try it the next time I make these though. They were delicious! I did take another reviewers advice and add in 3 tablespoons of almond milk (I used the sweetened vanilla). It made it more of the brownie mix I’m used to. Next time I’m gonna to follow instructions to a T. We added in vegan chocolate chips to the top also. These are great! And would probably also be wonderful with some coconut milk ice cream!

THIS is what I was looking for! I used coconut oil instead of vegan butter and it turned out great! Also, I put some almond milk (about 1/3 cup) to moisten (without it it was just a ball of thick dough). Thanks for the recipe! I love it!

I make these often! I always end up with 12 brownies though. Not complaining!! They are absolutely delicious.

Wow! These are delightful! I am a brownie nut and these were absolutely grand -dense, chocolatey, and moist-not cake like which some folks mentioned there’s were! I did make a couple adjustments after reading the comments.
I used the “Ener G” Egg replacement instead of flax egg in light of other people’s comments that the dough/batter was dry. I find Flax sometimes absorbs liquid. My batter was pretty much the same consistency as non-vegan brownie batter. I also made them in an 8×8 pan. Finally I did what I do for all my brownies (per Ina Garten’s Outrageous Brownie recipe) after allowing them to cool to room temp, I refrigerate them before cutting until they are cold (overnight works!). This leaves them really dense and fudgey and firmer then if not refrigerated. I did add walnuts and vegan chocolate chips. The only thing I forgot this time which I will do next time is add some espresso powder. Definitely a 5 starer!

in my country neither do we get earth balance non dairy butter nor any non dairy butter in stores.
could i use coconut oil instead? if so then how much?

This recipe was AMAZING! So yummy and quick! Will definitely be adding this to my recipe book. Thanks!

I subbed 2 nanners instead of flax seeds we will see how this goes.

My younger brother and sister loved these!(who are not vegan) and my friend loved these! and she didn’t know they were vegan! she complained about how small they were and wanted more! These were a hit.

Came out cakey instead of chewy, even though I pulled them out early. *sigh*
Ah well… the search continues.

Thanks for the recipe! Tried this last night as a guide to use the ingredients I had at home.
Replaced butter with mashed banana & coconut oil
Sugar with jaggary
All purpose flour with quinoa flour
Batter needed a bit of moisture so I splashed in some maple syrup & water in (didn’t have non dairy milk).

Also made it in a tin and cut it into squares when done. Needed around 28 mins to be ready.
Love the texture, firm and soft enough, but taste was a bit bitter (maybe it was the quinoa flour). I’d make it again with a bit more jaggary and maybe non dairy milk.
Any tips for the bitterness?

Just made the brownies. Wow. So good and easy to make. They turned out perfect. Thank you so much!

The first time I made these I was short on cocoa powder, so I substituted with 1/2 cup of melted chocolate and 1/4 cocoa powder. They came out amazing! Super moist with a nearly molten center and a crunchy top. I took them to a potluck and everyone raved about them. Definitely putting these into heavy rotation!

Just made these, they are delicious! They have more of a cake like texture instead of brownies. I made a few changes. I doubled the recipe. I used chia eggs instead of flax, I used regular unsweeten cocoa powder, brown sugar, half the amount of oil, also I used olive oil since I didn’t have coconut oil at hand. I had to add 1/4 cup of water to the final mixture since it the batter was very stiff. Also I used your DIY flour mix, for a gluten free version. Baked for 22 minutes.
I will definetly make them again! My two sons and husband loved them, so glad I had decided to doubled the recipe!

I substituted carob powder for the cocoa and added vegan carob chips. I also added a splash of non-dairy milk based on reviewers comments. Turning this recipe into carob brownies was a success. The chips made them rich and decadent. Thank you for sharing this easy and yummy recipe.

OMG. These turned out heavenly. I did make some adjustments though.

First off I made only half the recipe. I subbed the butter with coconut oil. I used raw cocoa powder. I used Bob’s gluten free baking flour. And I used a 1/4c brown sugar, 1tb maple syrup, 1tb honey. I also only needed to bake for 10 minutes.

They came out exactly how I believe a brownie should be. The sweetness was like a dark chocolate bar. I don’t care for the sugary flavor of a lot of brownies. The texture was the perfect combination of cakey and chewy. I do not care for fudgey brownies, and these were far from it. Overall a very far cry from the cheap tasting, over sugared brownies you would find in a store.

I was so love with these brownies my eyes lit up the moment I bit into one. Thank you so much for the recipe! This will definitely be my go to from now on!

I just made these and they turned out great! I didn’t need to add any extra liquid, either.

I used Ener-G egg replacer instead of flax. I added 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules to enhance the chocolate flavor, and I stirred in 1/3 cup crushed Oreos. I also baked it in an 8×8 pan instead of muffin tins.

Someone else said that they found this recipe to yield a cakey brownie, but I thought this was pretty chewy and dense, just the way I like it! And not too sweet. Yay!

I will make these again. Thanks!

My batter came out no where near the look of yours. I followed the recipe exactly, but it came out dry and dense, what could I have done to make the batter wetter without ruining the recipe?

Really yummy even after I over cooked them. 14 minutes for minis is 3 minutes too many. Now, when will you have a real cookbook for us to buy? You are just so awesome.

I made these last weekend. They are delicious! If you didn’t know it (and I won’t tell) you would never guess these are made with black beans. I froze them and get one out each day. 30 seconds in the microwave turns them into warm gooey yummyness. One recommended I would make is to mix toppings in with the batter. I had trouble getting the nuts to stay put. Thanks for a great recipe!

These brownies turned out great!! I added some unsweetened apple sauce as the batter became dry when I added the flour.

These are delicious with a lovely crumb. They make 24 mini muffins too – bake for 15 minutes.

Unfortunately I got confused by all the 3/4 1/4 and accidentally put 3/4 teaspoon of salt. But I can tell these are wonderful with the right measurements and will definitely do it again. I used raw walnuts. The texture is just perfect.

I love everything about this recipe! Thank you!
It is so helpful that it only makes 6 perfectly sized brownies- yet easily doubles if I am making for more people.
I kept the recipe the same and used one earth balance stick of butter- only change was I used one normal egg instead of the two flax eggs. My brownies turned out PERFECTLY and exactly like your photo. I even added some chocolate chips on top for good measure. They were even better the next day on top of it all!!
I will say that they were a bit greasy at the bottom- probably from the earth balance but nothing too bad.
Making them again today! Thank you so much!

Hi! The recipe looks delicious, but mine seemed dry. Could it be because I didn’t mix the flax eggs, butter, and sugar before adding the flour?

These are pretty darn delish. Except they were a tad to buttery so I’ll probably adjust to only use half a stick of butter or something. Thank you for this though.

can i sub non-dairy butter with coconut oil? and flax eggs with banana?

This looks so good!! Only can i use regular cocoa powder instead of dutch process? TIA

Have you ever used chia egg in these brownies? I think I’m going to try it!

I used ground chia seeds instead of flax seeds with about 6 tablespoons of water and a combination of coconut oil and rice bran oil instead of vegan margarine. I also split the batter into 6 muffins and cooked them a few minutes longer. Both my vegan child and non-vegan child declared them to be delicious. I used a combination of Trader Joe’s cocoa powder and Valrhona cocoa powder. I don’t think either are Dutch process.

I didn’t have Dutch-process cocoa and made this with regular unsweetened cocoa. The flavor didn’t work for me for two or three reasons: the switch in cocoa, the taste of the Earth Balance Omega-3 Non-GMO butter I used and, perhaps, the canola oil spray I used to prep the muffin tin. Use the Dutch process if you can. Since I have so much unsweetened cocoa to use up, I’m going to try the recipe with a little extra cocoa and sugar. I’ll substitute baking soda for the baking powder, which I’ve read is a better acidic balance with regular cocoa. I’ll use applesauce, coconut oil or mashed banana in place of the vegan butter. I’m a big fan of Earth Balance Olive Oil Spread, but the kind I used for this recipe left an unpleasant aftertaste. The texture of these brownies is PERFECT — great mouth feel and they don’t fall apart. And putting them in a muffin tin is genius. I’ll post again after I try the modifications.

Wow! These look AMAZING. Would it work to sub honey for the granulated sugar?

Love this!! can you swap sea salt for normal salt because there seems to be none in the kitchen? Thanks!

Tried these this morning and although I may have over baked them, the batter was quite crumbly. I used coconut butter and as soon as I mixed it with the flax eggs the batter got so thick! Any tips to help avoid this happening again? Can I add water or soya milk? Or maybe more coconut butter? First time baking vegan.

Thanks so much for the great recipe! My 15 month old son, who has several food allergies, was able to enjoy these brownies plus pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving because of your site!

Is theanything that I can substitute for eggs. I don’t even eat the egg substitute….

Can i substitute earth balance? Where I live (Nicaragua) I cannot find vegan butter… maybe coconut butter? :(

Made these… Very easy and really good! I subbed peanuts which added a nice crunch. Just wondering if the recipe would also work if I baked it all in one dish to be able to cut it later… Or does it the recipe only work in these cupcake molds? My husband and I have differing views at present ;)

These are okay, not delicious. The texture is good and chewy, but there isn’t much flavor even with Ghiradelli choc chips. It’s a good and easy to follow recipe, I’d just prefer to ingest that much sugar with a more flavorful dessert.

would it be possible to sub any kind of oil for earth balance? Unfortunately its not available in my country..

I tried this recipe with disappointing results — they were dry little cupcakes. I wondered as I was making it about the steps .. shouldn’t all the dry and wet be mixed separately? Anyway, thumbs down. I wouldn’t recommend trying this one out.

I followed this recipe three times EXACTLY as it appears on this site, yet on the first two tries they came out dry and crumbly. I even cooked them a few minutes under the said time. On the third time, I added 1/4 cup of water and a little bit more oil and it was better, but still didn’t look like a brownie should look like. It was more like a chocolate cupcake. What am I doing wrong?

These are soo yummy! I added a Tbs cinnamon to the recipe, to give my brownies a Mexican chocolate flavor. I had a bit of trouble with them crumbling as I extracted them from my mini muffin tin, but this can be easily fixed by using muffin wrappers in my next go at it. Thanks for the recipe!!

I love Minimalist Baker’s recipes. Many are a family favorite I make at least once a week. This will not be an addition to my recipe box. I followed the recipe exactly, and the brownies were extremely dry. The batter was more like a dough, so I decided to decrease the baking time. They were still crumbly yet clung to the back of my throat.
Despite the texture, the flavor was very average.

Can’t wait to try this! As a new vegan, I’m so happy I can enjoy the same deserts as before. I was wondering if it mattered whether the cocoa powder was sweetened or unsweetened?

This has become my go-to brownie recipe. It’s bookmarked “best brownies ever,” and that’s my take on them. I always substitute the flour for something whole wheat- either a hard white wheat or a w.w. pastry flour, and I have always had a hard time stopping myself from eating the whole pan.

These look so awesome!! I’ve been searching through your whole website the past few days for something healthy and yummy to make! when your recipes call for “cane sugar” etc., do you think swapping with stevia would work at all? Thanks so much!!

I tried this recipe with King Arthur Gluten Free all purpose baking flour & OOOOOMMMMGGG !! So WONDERFUL!! Thanks for Sharing :)
(Just as a note: Pillsbury GF flour did NOT work with this Recipe)

Hi. I made these and they were amazing. So much so that I’m going to make them again asap. Do you think I could substitute coconut oil for the vegan butter? I can get coconut oil for way cheaper (and I think it’s healthier). Thanks!

I made these late last night, looking for a quick and easy chocolate fix–even my husband (who is by no means a vegan) said they were delicious and ate three! I followed the recipe exactly except I didn’t have any vanilla extract so used maple syrup instead, and added some homemade chocolate frosting after they cooled. I am glad to finally have a brownie recipe we can both enjoy! :)

Hi! My brownies are in the oven as I type this. Quick question- in the photos above it shows you holding out a 1/4 cup of cocoa powder but the recipe calls for 1/2. Was that just a typo? Who knows why I happened to notice :-)

These brownies are awesome and my children loved them, which is the true test for me. Thank you for sharing your recipes Dana! They’re always a hit.

Can you sub the butter with coconut or olive oil?

So I subbed 6 tbsp black bean af and poured the batter into my mini muffin tin and they were phenomenal! This was a really great recipe and so easy to make! All 6 of us in my family loved them and I’m taking them to a vegan potluck tomorrow! Thanks so much!

What kind of camera do you use? The quality of your shots are always so perfect!

Added in a tbsp of ground ginger, some seseme seeds and dark chocolate chips. Unbelievable!! Thanks for this:)

Question. Would it effect the recipe if I used coconut sugar? What about coconut flour? Thanks for being awesome!

Hi my brownies doesn’t look like the picture, they are kind of weird but they taste delicious.

Awesome recipe!!

I substituted the flax eggs with a little bit over three fourths of a cup of coconut yogurt, substituted the vegan butter with coconut oil, used pink Himalayan salt instead of sea salt, added the recommended amount of nuts, and used half a teaspoon of water to add extra moisture. I spread the batter into an 8×8 brownie pan and baked at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes.

They came out dense and fudgy with crispy edges and tender tops (almost like the texture of a croissant). Delish!

I used bread flour, a mix of coconut sugar and organic brown sugar, added Enjoy Life chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips and about 2 Tbsp of maple syrup since the batter was a thick ball. I baked them in an 8×8 pan for 26 minutes. They were delicious out of the oven and I even spread Justin’s maple syrup almond butter on them. The next day they were really moist, soft and oh so fudgy! Good recipe to start from and add too! Thanks for posting Minimalist Baker!

Just made these…DELICIOUS. Honestly, if you’re trying to decide between a few different recipes, pick this one. These brownies were amazing.

These look FABULOUS! Can’t wait to try them! Question: Would this recipe work with carob powder in place of cocoa powder? Thanks!

These look very good! I am going to make them for my family. I do have all other ingredients but no flaxseed…do I have to use it to get the same outcome.

I’m not a huge chocolate eater (I like savory things, usually) but when I have a craving for chocolate it is BAD.

I’ve actually tried this recipe (more than once, actually) and it’s amazing. Very dark and chocolatey, not too gooey, and if you bake them in muffin tins like the picture you get that slightly crispy outside and soft, moist inside.

I’m going to say these are the best vegan brownies I’ve ever baked but honestly, they’re the only ones I’ve ever baked. After I tried this recipe I didn’t have to search for another!

Hi,

Your recipe looks AMAZING, I want to try these muffins soooo bad.
I have two questions: Do you think I could substitue vegan butter with coconut oil? Do you think oat flour would work? I know this is not your original recipe but it’s all I have in my pantry :(

Thanks a lot for everything you share with us!!

Manon

These were the easiest and best brownies! I didn’t have flax seeds and used chia seeds instead (for the egg substitute). They rocked!!! Love all your recipes ♡

I finally made these today and they are wonderful! I tried to mostly follow the recipe, and I’ll admit that I was nervous because the batter was super thick before adding the flour, but somehow it stayed the same after I got the flour folded in. It was thick as could be so I used a cookie scoop to put it in the oiled muffin liners. I then pressed the brownie batter down just slightly (with damp hands) to even out the tops.

In *my* gas oven, using USA Pans muffin tins (thick metal), unbleached muffin liners, and two racks, the brownies were not ready after 22 minutes, but were perfect at the 26 minute mark. Anyone who is getting crumbly, hard brownies within the given time range might want to check their oven temperature calibration.

Next time I will try using freshly milled einkorn or soft white wheat flour :)

Changes:

***I doubled the recipe. 7 – 8 brownies with two teenaged boys in the house is a cruel joke.
***I used carob powder instead of cocoa. Sadly we have chocolate allergies in our home :(
***I used 1 t. vanilla extract and 1 t. homemade vanilla powder
***I used Sucanat (not sure if this is a change or what you mean by “natural cane sugar”)
***I mixed the Earth Balance, Sucanat, flax eggs, and vanilla together before adding in the carob powder. Once that was whisked in I added the baking powder, and then quickly the flour. I had to switch from a whisk to a silicone spatula for the flour.
***I topped each brownie with a generous sprinkling of carob chips. I didn’t want to add them to the batter this first time in case they made it too dense/moist.

can you use oil instead of butter and apple sauce instead of eggs ?

Hi!
I’m not vegan, but my girlfriend turned vegetarian and is becoming vegan day by day :D. But I try to tag along as much as I can, cause I like cooking vegan meals – it’s just so much more fun to prepare it! Also, I’m a chemist, so it’s like a little lab every time I help her cook.
I’ve NEVER baked anything! But today I decided to go for it and make these brownies all by myself. The toughest thing was to find the correct settings on the oven :D. And what do you know, I now have a plateful of brownies with chocolate chips…well…half a plate by now…
These are really delicious and so easy I wouldn’t believe it! Thanks for this great recipe!
Cheers,
Stanley

Aw sad. Mine were dry & crumbly. I mean, I ate a few because, like, I needed chocolate, but not great.

I make these all the time they are so yummy.

I’m not vegan but I do hate the taste of eggs in my baked goods so I just use a stick of organic butter instead of vegan butter.

Also I’ve found that checking them at 17/18 min is usually good, the first couple times I made them they over-cooked.

Overall one of the best brownies I’ve had!

Hey, I am wondering if I could replace the non dairy butter by something like almond butter?

Thanks

oishivegan.wordpress.com

They are AMAZING. 8 was simply not enough. They were gone in a minute, my whole family LOVED them!!!

Good flavor and easy to make, but they stuck to the muffin tin terribly so I could only remove them in pieces and were also very crumbly. I greased the tin well with shortening and waited until they were fully cooled. Next time, I’ll try paper liners. Being crumbly wasn’t such a problem, although I was hoping for fudgy rather than cakey brownies, but for how simple and easy this recipe is, they are still very good.

I made this in an 8×8 pan and baked for about 25 minutes. It came out wonderfully :) I also had to use about 2 tbsp of soy milk to moisten up the dough.

I really want to make this recipe, but i don’t have any flax seeds! Is there anything i can substitute, like chia seeds? If so, what quantities would you suggest? Thanksx