We’ve done brownies before (exhibits A, B, C, D, E, and F)…but these are different, friends! We couldn’t hold out on you. Introducing: shiny, CRACKLY TOP, chewy, decadent, REAL DEAL brownies that are undetectably vegan and gluten-free (!!).
They’re also SO easy to make with simple methods and just 1 bowl + 9 ingredients. Prepare for your brownie dreams to become a reality! Let’s bake!
How to Make Fudgy Crackly Top Vegan + Gluten-Free Brownies
These brownies are a literal DREAM! They have the perfect amount of chocolatiness, fudginess, and chewiness. Plus they’re vegan, gluten-free, and easy to make!
Correction: Seriously easy to make! Mix the dry ingredients, stir in the chocolate chips, then add boiling water, melted vegan butter, and vanilla.
The heat from the water + butter will melt the chocolate chips, creating a smooth, rich, ultra chocolaty brownie batter with minimal effort!
Add in some extra chocolate chips for good measure, and these brownies are going in the oven!
The final (and most challenging) step is to let the brownies cool for at least 30 minutes before digging in. If you can’t wait, they’ll be super gooey and hard to cut, but sometimes that fresh-from-the-oven brownie smell is just too hard to resist! We get it.
You’re going to LOVE these brownies! They’re:
Super chocolaty
Chewy on the edges
Fudgy in the center
Crackly on top
Indulgent
Easy to make
& SO incredibly delicious!
These are the perfect treat to make for your vegan and gluten-free brownie-loving friends, or really anyone who likes brownies or chocolate even a little bit. Yes, they’re that good. They’re perfect for Valentine’s Day, chocolate cravings, birthdays, movie nights, brownie ice cream, sundaes, and so much more!
More Recipes for Brownie Lovers
- Chocolate Brownie Batter Blizzard
- Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies (V/GF)
- Vegan Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
- No-Bake Vegan Brownies with Chocolate Ganache
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Fudgy Crackly Top Brownies (Vegan + GF)
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cup coconut sugar (we like Supernatural or Whole Foods 365 Brand)
- 1 cup MB 1:1 GF Blend (oat flour also works, but the brownies will be less shiny and chewy and will fall apart a little // see notes if not gluten-free)
- 3/4 cup almond flour* (we like Wellbee’s)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 3 Tbsp flaxseed meal
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips* (we used semi-sweet // ensure dairy-free/vegan as needed)
- 2/3 cup boiling water
- 1/4 cup vegan butter, melted (we like Miyoko’s // dairy butter would also work)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line an 8×8-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the coconut sugar, gluten-free flour blend, almond flour, cocoa powder, flaxseed meal, and sea salt. Whisk to combine until almost all of the flour and cocoa powder is incorporated. Next, stir in the chocolate chips.
- To the dry ingredients, add the boiling water, melted vegan butter, and vanilla extract. Use a spatula to fully combine, stirring for 30 seconds to 1 minute. The chocolate chips will mostly melt at this point, so if you would like extra whole ones for pops of chocolate, fold them in after the mixture cools a bit.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes — until the edges look set and the center looks barely shiny.
- Let the brownies cool in their pan for AT LEAST 30 minutes before slicing and digging in. The brownies will be super gooey before cooling and will be very hard to cut. If you would like your brownies to have perfectly crisp edges, refrigerate them for 2 hours before cutting. Store the brownies lightly covered at room temperature for up to 2-3 days or up to 1 month in the freezer.
Video
Notes
*If not gluten-free, you can replace the gluten-free flour blend with 1 scant cup all-purpose flour. We recommend including the almond flour for best results, but if you opt for all-purpose flour, use less because it’s much more absorbent.
*Almond flour sub: The next best option is cashew flour. If nut-free, you could try sunflower seed meal or possibly extra GF blend (use less because it’s more absorbent than almond flour — we recommend 1 ⅓ cup flour TOTAL).
*A chocolate bar or chocolate chunks would likely work in place of the chocolate chips, but you’ll need to finely chop them first or they won’t fully melt in step 3.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Lis Bartlett says
I made these but used store bought GF flour and only had paleo flour to sub for the almond flour. They came out super cakey, maybe the substitutions are why? They’re not shiny, the dough was more like cookie dough. Still tasty though!
Bummer! Sorry they didn’t turn out right, Lis. The paleo flour is likely the issue. It’s way more absorbent than almond flour, which will create a cakey texture!
Shana says
These turned out nicely. Not too sweet.
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed the brownies, Shana. Thank you for sharing! xo
Amber says
I’ve been GF + dairy-free for a long time and absolutely adored these brownies, but wasn’t sure if it was just me! Since I couldn’t be trusted with a whole batch, I asked my husband to take them to work. Most of his coworkers were reluctant to try them at the mention of “vegan” and “gluten-free”…but then one tried them and convinced everyone else they HAD to try them! Needless to say, they disappeared very quickly after that and they couldn’t believe these weren’t “normal” brownies.
Whoop! This is amazing! Thanks so much for sharing, Amber! xo
Charlie says
These look awesome, and I really want to make them for my friends. However, I am very low on coconut sugar, and would prefer not to use white sugar (though I can if I need to). I do have a bunch of date sugar that I don’t know what to do with. Could I use it here?
Date sugar might work! We would suggest using as much coconut sugar as possible and date sugar as needed! Hope you enjoy, Charlie!
Steffani Rideau says
So so good! This is definitely my go-to brownie recipe now. I used Pamela’s gf flour since that’s what I had on hand and it worked well. I did add some walnuts on my half (my kids don’t like nuts) and we added some crushed fresh raspberries after baking. The brownies are delicious without those, though!
Yay! We’re so glad you love the recipe, Steffani. Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing on social, too! xoxo
Kate says
Any substitute for vegan butter?
Hi Kate, we think coconut oil would work. Let us know if you try it!
Debbers says
Made these a couple times for GF/Vegan friends. I tried some oatmilk chips for the first batch; friends thought they tasted fine, but I didn’t enjoy. Friend Crystal took some to her mom, who only said they needed walnuts. So, next batch had Enjoy semisweet chips, plus a handful of Enjoy dark chocolate chips after mixing, as well as the walnuts. Perfect!
Lovely! Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
Lexi K says
I am V & GF and have been searching for some good brownies. I followed the recipe exactly as it says and these are THE BEST brownies I’ve ever had. My non- V & GF family members even love them as well!!!
Whoop! We’re so glad they were a hit with all eaters. Thank you for sharing, Lexi! xo
Lacey says
Wow these are just like the classic ones from a box! I even did the oat flour, didn’t have vanilla extract and used a ceramic dish. The top is shiny and they have yummy crunchy sides. I added pastel chocolate eggs on top for Easter and they are adorable! Thank you so much!
Whoop! Your addition sounds so fun and festive. Thanks so much for sharing, Lacey! xo
Jill says
Would bob’s red mill GF flour work for the GF flour blend?
thanks !
Hi Jill, we haven’t tested it, but other readers have reported it works!
Jill says
I made this recipe last night with BRM GF flour….it’s sooooo good! Chewy and moist and just the right sweetness!! Love this recipe!
YAY! Thank you for letting us know, Jill! xoxo
Jill says
oh, also forgot to say I didn’t have vegan butter so I used olive oil extra virgin and these are amazing :) :)
Amazing! We’re so glad that sub worked well!
Leia Isanhart says
These are wicked good! I used Bob’s GF 1:1 flour, Earth Balance butter, and white sugar (it’s what I had). Wow! When I sampled the brownies, I told my partner “we’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is the brownies are fantastic! The bad news is the brownies are fantastic!” We’re both trying to cut back on sugar, so we had a few bites and sent the rest to neighbors to enjoy :)
Ha, we totally understand that! Thank you for the lovely review, Leia! xoxo
Rachel says
These are really good. I’ve been looking for the perfect brownie recipe and this is a great base. My only quibble is that they’re too sweet for me, so I would reduce the sugar next time, but I did make some substitutions:
– All-purpose flour instead of GF
– Real butter instead of vegan
– White sugar instead of coconut sugar. I used a scant 1.5 cups, but next time I would reduce to 1 cup even though the notes say they won’t get crackly
Thank you for sharing, Rachel! We’re glad you enjoyed them overall. White sugar is more sweet than coconut sugar, so that may be part of the issue!
Nicole says
Loved these! Classic brownie vibes. I was wary of the amount of sugar but don’t find them too sweet after all. Another forgiving recipe that’s modification-friendly – I had to make several substitutions based on what I had around and am including them here in case they’re useful for others:
-Not enough coconut sugar so substituted some brown sugar.
-No vegan butter and not enough coconut oil so substituted some canola oil.
-No flaxseed meal and not vegan so substituted 1 chicken egg (folded in a beaten egg after the batter was ready and slightly cooled).
-No GF flour and no GF concerns so subbed all-purpose flour (still used almond flour).
-No metal baking dish so used a round glass one, which worked but it took 45 minutes to bake and really should’ve stayed in another 5 mins due to the center being a bit gooier than ideal (I didn’t realize that glass was inferior to metal for this sort of thing and plan to switch over).
Still turned out great. Sprinkled the top with a few extra chocolate chips and some slivered almonds.
We’re so glad they still turned out well. Thank you for sharing your experience, Nicole! xo
Devon says
Delicious! These satisfy the chocolatey brownie craving while being a bit healthier than a typical boxed mix.
I used homemade oat flour and also added an egg (per the note that using oat flour would make them fall apart a bit) since I’m not vegan. 35 minutes in the oven and they were perfectly baked and held together!
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoyed the brownies, Devon. Thank you for sharing! xo
Sonya says
Just as described: chewy, chocolaty and crackly. It came together so easily, and then they disappeared just as easily.
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Sonya. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Tulsi says
No modifications were made. I suppose if you are used to vegan GF food perhaps these would taste better.
michelle mcgee says
These were great! Satisfying chew and rich chocolate flavor. I only had 1/2 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips so I did that plus 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips and then a few more extra dark chocolate chips :) I topped half the pan with walnuts before putting them in the oven and I think that turned out well.
Sounds lovely! Thanks so much for sharing, Michelle. We’re so glad you enjoyed. xo
The Vegan Goddess says
Wow, these are decadent and rich! I have been wanting to make brownies with an authentic crispy top so this vegan recipe hit the sweet spot!
The only change that I made was adding chopped walnuts.
Otherwise, I made this as written, and it was a success! Thank you!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them! We also love the addition of walnuts in brownies. Thanks so much for the lovely review. xo
The Vegan Goddess says
Oops, I forgot to mention a small change: I swapped the vegan butter for the same amount of melted coconut oil. It worked!
Tulsi says
Kind of gummy and a weird flavor.
So sorry these didn’t work out, Tulsi! Did you make any modifications?
Gina says
Thanks for another good recipe. I used AP flour in place of GF, and spelt flour in place of the almond flour (a bit less, as suggested). I also subbed light olive oil for the melted ‘butter’. The resulting brownies were very delicious in taste and texture.
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Gina. xo
Priscilla Snyder says
I made these today and I don’t know what is wrong with mine. I didn’t put the full amount of sugar because I don’t like things as sweet but I used GF and almond flour. It was so thick I had to add more water and oatly to get it the consistency of your video. It looks dull and isn’t crackly at all. I live in Sweden so I wonder if the GF flour is somehow the cause?
Hi Priscilla! This recipe relies on the amount of sugar to get a fudgy texture and a crackly top.
Grace says
Looks delicious! Which nutrition calculator do you use?
Thanks, Grace! We use Cronometer.
Keleigh Friedrich says
Wowza, these are divine! I experimented with buckwheat flour + almond flour and adjusted the measurements a bit to bake in a rectangular pan because I didn’t have 8×8, and they came out wonderfully fudgy and crackly. Next time I’ll add walnuts or pecans and drop some chocolate chips in the cooled dough for texture. Thank you for the recipe!
Amazing! Thank you for sharing your experience, Keleigh! xo
Rachel says
These look absolutely delicious and I can’t wait to try them!! One question: If we use all-purpose flour, is your note saying to still use almond flour as well in the amount listed in the recipe (i.e., use 1 cup all-purpose flour AND 3/4 cup almond flour)?Or are you saying to use less than 3/4 cup of almond flour when combining with all-purpose flour? Thanks!!
Hi Rachel, good question! For best results, use 3/4 cup almond flour and 1 scant cup all-purpose flour. If you want to omit the almond flour completely, use ~1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (but we don’t think they’ll be as good!). We’d love to hear what you think when you give them a try!
Kay D. says
Great recipe! I swapped the flax for 1 regular egg and it turned out just as good. I also didn’t have the MB GF Flour, so I used an oat flour blend instead. It was fudge-y, dense, and moist, just as I hoped! The top didn’t crackle but that didn’t matter because it tasted incredible! If baked in a square pan, I would definitely recommend cutting it into 16 pieces like in the video. A perfect little treat!
Amazing! We’re so glad they turned out well with those modifications. Thank you for sharing your experience, Kay! xo
Laura says
Another absolute winner! Thanks for this wonderful recipe. I used regular white sugar instead of coconut sugar, all purpose flour instead of GF flour and coconut oil instead of vegan butter. Additionally I added some pecans in the dough and sprinkled chocolate chips, pecans and sea salt on top. The brownies came out absolutely perfect.
I have a baby coming any day now and doing some meal prep for postpartum. Cannot wait to eat the rest of these brownies (I couldn‘t resist having a small taste).
We’re so glad you enjoy the brownies, Laura! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! And CONGRATULATIONS! xoxo
Cindy says
So chocolatey, rich, and the perfect level of fudgyness! Loved that it was so easy, one bowl. Will be making again!
Whoop! Excited to hear they’ll be on repeat in your kitchen. Thank you for the lovely review, Cindy! xo
Anita says
Can you sub the flax meal with an egg?
That could work! We haven’t tested it that way. Let us know if you try it!
Heather M says
I didn’t have all the ingredients, so I used regular brown sugar, & used up a vegan sour cream I had on had instead of butter. I made them gluten-y so I used 3/4 c + 2 T all purpose flour. Topped with walnuts too, they came out PERFECT ✨
Highly recommend, they’re delish.
Amazing! We’re so glad it was a success! Thank you for sharing, Heather! xo
Patricia says
Hi, I am looking forward to making these this weekend. What do you think about using stevia or monk fruit sweetener instead of coconut sugar?
Hi Patricia, we don’t think the texture would be the same as the sugar is key for the crackly top and chewy edges.
Maya Wojcik says
I love this recipe! I would suggest topping with chocolate chips and adding some sea salt, because it creates a very nice flavour balance. The batter can also be used as brownie batter , you would only need to add a bit more milk!
Ooo, those additions sound amazing, Maya! Thank you for sharing! xo
Nina says
Hi thanks for the fabulous recipe… could I sub the butter for rapeseed oil (like canola) I don’t use vegan butter or coconut oil. Thanks for any advice.
Hi Nina, that should be fine. The flavor might not be as rich though! Let us know how it goes!
Nina says
Thanks for replying… I will try with oil…
Ellie says
I really want to make these. I’m recently avoiding dairy because my baby is allergic. I can’t find vegan chocolate anywhere. Where do you find your chocolate?!
I also can’t have soy.
Thank you!
Hi Ellie, we like Enjoy Life. They are dairy-free and soy-free!
Karyn Kamitchis Seglin says
I only have a glass baking pan, not a metal one, is that okay?
Hi Karyn, yes, but the metal pan helps create the chewy edges, so just know it may turn out a little different. You may want to bake it a bit longer. Let us know how it goes!
The Vegan Goddess says
This looks yummy! I am not a fan of vegan butter so I always swap that out with the equivalent amount of coconut oil. Usually it works out perfectly. Hopefully, it will also work here.
We think that would work. Let us know how it goes!