No-Bake Vegan Brownies with Chocolate Ganache

I have been trying various vegan brownies and since I have always been a brownie junkie none of them were quit up to scratch. I came across this one but I was not sure because I really never believed in no bake cookies or cake. But that was all before I made these brownies. These are simply amazing and I cant wait to share it with my vegan (and non vegan!) friends! Thank you minimalist baker!!

I have made these brownies countless times. They are one of my favorite things EVER!!!! Amazing recipe, thank you!

Delicious!

I love these!!!

This shit mad fire y’all 10/10

This recipe is perfection! Thank you for sharing. I added 1/4 cup of coconut to the nut mixture.

God bless you for sharing.

Made these little treats of decadence this afternoon and put in my freezer to set while I went out. Just got home to taste test and I’m so afraid I’m going to eat the lot before I get a chance to share!!!!!
I had a little trouble getting my ganache creamy, but I’m willing to try again….and again….AND AGAIN!!!! YumBo!

I made this for my friend’s birthday who is vegan. It went down really well! Super rich & yummy. Love your recipes!

These brownies are beyond Deelicious!!! I am vegan, my husband is definitely not, but the first time I made them he fell in love with the deep and satisfying flavor. Now he asks for them as snacks for his lunch or just daily go-tos. They are actually better than original flour based brownies. I can make these statements honestly because I am a sweet craver and these are wondrous. Thank you for the recipe!

I did make some changes in the subsequent batches, only because I needed to substitute types of nuts I had on hand. Instead of walnuts in one of my batches, I substituted pecans and they were perfect.

I also made the ganache a bit different a time or two because, again, needing to substitute. I used a tablespoon of coconut butter/oil, 3 Tbs cacao powder, 2 Tbs nut milk….. heated until bubbly, then added Swerve confection powder to consistency, 1/8 tsp vanilla and a sprinkle of sea salt. This works very well and is very good.

Thank you for sharing this recipe, I just made it and it turned out amazing. I also added sesame seeds, coconut powder + a pinch of cinnamon into the brownie mixture for extra taste.
Either way a super healthy and delicious desert, and prepared so quickly!

Absolutely amazing, used salted almonds and came out fantastic. The frosting is good! Best brownies ever, can not stop eating

Wow! I made this exactly as listed and it was so so delicious. I have never tried dates before in a recipe and i am pleasantly surprised. I don’t have a food processor and it was a little tough to break up the dates in my blender, so eventually i took them out and just mixed into the nut mixture with my hands.. still came out perfect. Thank you!!

Shazaam, two years after a triple bypass surgery and severely restricting sugar, salt, and adopting a plant based diet, this recipe would be my foray back to a comfort food I had missed, without the ganache of course. After another year I am back and I am glad your site is still here ~ Thank you.

This must be the tenth time I go to google and write mimimalist + brownie + no bake to find you. This brownie is sooo good. May you never close down your page :D Have a great day! Maria

Absolutely delicious!! Thank you :)
I didn’t have any dates so made it with dried apricots, also swapped almond milk for soya milk and almonds for cashews, delicious all the same!

Theres are AH-MA-ZING. So rich, so fudge, so decadent, and yet the base if comprised of healthful ingredients. Another 5/5, Dana!

I wanted to leave a good rating because ultimately the brownies I whipped up were tasty… But I too had a problem with the ganache separating. It may have been an issue with the chocolate I used. I made my own chocolate from a kit so I know it was 100% vegan. The cup of chocolate mixed well into the warm almond milk. I let it rest as suggested. But when I added the coconut oil the whole mixture separated becoming oily and lumpy. No amount of powdered sugar could have saved it. (the coconut oil was room temperature) I discarded and remade the chocolate, remixed with almond milk, and this is what I used for a “ganache” which of course it’s not. It’s less of a light fluffy ganache and more of a “frosting”. If you have any suggestions I’d love to try again. I don’t get all the alternative chocolate options in my area so perhaps I’ll have to either experiment or come to accept frosting in place of a ganache.

(Just FYI – This is the first time I’ve left a comment on the site but not the first time I’ve made one of your recipes. It is the first time something hasn’t turned out. So grain of salt. I’m an avid fan. Thank you for you!)

I made these today, thinking at a couple of points along the way that I wasn’t going to like them. Was I ever wrong! I’m a die-hard warm brownies and cold (plant-based) milk person, but these are great. I made them exactly according to the recipe, except that I reduced the coconut oil by half. I’m trying to get away from any added oils.

I was on the hunt for the perfect vegan brownie to impress my colleagues and cater for all their dietary needs. Thank you, Dana! This is the best recipe ever! The clip helps with the steps because you can see the texture and you know you’re on track. I couldn’t get dark vegan chocolate but it worked the same with a vegan milk chocolate version that I found at my local grocery store. My husband, who was annoyed that I was trying to make yet another vegan brownie (I have failed many baked versions)…ended up having 3 pieces! Absolutely delicious!

I combined the “no-bake cake bite” recipe with this chocolate ganache recipe and made the most delicious holiday fudge recipe! So delish ?

These are so easy and absolutely delicious. I started making them a year ago after inhad my daughter. I’ve never bothered with the panache as they are rich enough anyway. I’ve made them for family, friends, work colleagues and they always disappear.

I’ve even added brewers yeast to them when I was breastfeeding, to help with my milk supply. That meant my partner wouldn’t eaten them and in got them all!! Love this recipe.

I made only the base brownie recipe, as I had a very specific craving for chewy date-based brownies, and even then I heavily modified a few things! I love this recipe because of the inherent ratios: I was running low on pantry ingredients, so I used what I had:

*cashews for the walnuts
*onyx cocoa powder
*lightly salted almonds

I soaked Medjool dates and removes the pits myself, and used a quick 5 minute hot water soak. I followed the technique exactly as stated. I pat it into a greased 8×8-inch square pan and couldn’t wait for it to chill, so I cut a corner. The brownie is chewy, fudgy, and intensely earthy-sweet. It hit the spot and the almonds lingered on the finish.

I also added 1/4 tsp vanilla extract. I loved it and would make the base again (I’m a no-frosting type of brownie person) and again. Thank you for sharing.

I seriously loved these! As a vegan, I’m always sad that dessert isn’t really a huge thing in the freezer case at the store. I tried these date brownies as my first attempt using dates AND my first try at no-bake brownies. I had to use what I had in the pantry, so I couldn’t follow the recipe exactly. Mine turned out wonderful, so I thought I’d share how I tweaked it in case anyone wants to give it a try. For the cocoa powder, I used 3/4 of a cup of “Baker’s” brand high fat cocoa powder. I melted a small dark chocolate bar (dairy free 70% cocoa) and added the melty yumminess into the date mixture. I used one 5 ounce package of dates (re-hydrated in warm water) and I used all of the walnuts (1 cup) in the mixture. I didn’t use cocoa nibs because I didn’t have them on hand. For the ganache, I simply melted a second chocolate bar (same kind as above) with some vegan butter and a pinch of salt and poured it over the top. Sprinkled the brownies with walnut pieces and popped it in the fridge to firm up. I chopped the brownies into 1 inch squares and put them into the freezer for enjoying a little at a time. This recipe was amazing and I can’t wait to share it with my family!

I just made this, although I had to make quite a few adjustments though. I blended walnuts and dates as per recipe, made it into a dough but chopped and added 90% cocao chocolate and chopped hazelnuts and placed in freezer. For the ganache, I used coconut milk, no coconut oil and more of the 90% cocao chocolate, pinch of salt as I ran out and then tasted it, it was horrid so added nutella lol defeated the purpose but it’s all I could think to use on hand. Back in the freezer and it tastes pretty good (and not just because I added nutella.) I will try to be more prepared next time though. But these are perfect for those sweet tooth cravings. Thanks for sharing!

I made these and they were so good! I didn’t have almonds so I substituted some cashews I had on hand. I made these with the date sweetened frosting and it was chocolate heaven.

Didn’t have cacao nibs so skipped and brownies still turned out excellent. The ganache was so easy to make and tastes AMAZING. Loved these and also loved the protein bonus they come with; thanks for the fantastic recipe!

This brownie is one of the tastiest vegan sweet treats I have made! I also substituted the icing sugar for coconut sugar mixed with cornflour and it worked out perfectly. Will definitely be making this again!

Whipped this up as a personal treat after 2 days of cooking all the key courses for a professional wine dinner at my home. Needed to unwind and recover with something simple and sweet.

Very first time for me to try one of your recipes .

Being not vegan or vegetarian, and unable to quickly get my hands on some of the key ingredients I immediately decided to use the recipe as a foundational guideline (which I often do).

No way to get dates on time, I substituted dried prunes. Dropped the almonds and used walnuts only. For the ganache used full cream cow’s milk and salted butter with an excellent 86% European chocolate.

Turned out spectacularly!

Everyone who has tasted it wants me to whip up another batch. Which I will do. Maybe after experimenting with some of your other recipes.

Made these in about 30 minutes. Super delicious. Love that they were fast and aren’t too sweet. For the ganache, I omitted the coconut oil (by accident – totally forgot!) and it turned out delicious anyway. I also used the double boiler method for making the ganache. I whisked together the chocolate and a splash of Oat Milk in a bowl atop a simmering pot of water.. removed from heat and then added the powdered sugar after 5 minutes. It firmed up just fine without putting it in the fridge first. Thanks for this amazing recipe!

I made it with out the ganache and beautiful sukkari dates and your chocolate sauce and banana ice cream. My second attempt was better because I didn’t need to soak the dates they were perfectly soft out of the pack. ❤

Thank you so much for this beautiful recipe. I made it with Pecan nuts as my Walnuts had gone stale and brownies taste delicious with them. This is probably my favorite ever brownie recipe.

I am not vegan but a friend who comes to our weekly Bible study is, so I made these to share. Wow! Absolutely delicious. Thank you for this recipe!

These were to die for! My friends voted them the best vegan dessert that I’ve made so far. Extremely easy; I’m a bit sloppy with measuring sometimes but even so they came out perfectly. I would recommend the ganache because it makes all the difference. I could have eaten all of the ganache on its own. My only recommendation would be to slightly increase the salt if you like it to be noticeable. Love!

I made these yesterday, had them in the fridge overnight and just tasted them. OMG!!! Seriously soooo amazing, I had to run straight to my computer and share this.
This is our first Easter sugar free and with two young boys I didn’t want to disappoint or have them miss out on some chocolate treats. Let me just say they are VERY happy now.
I do have to admit to altering the recipe a little as our cacao is perhaps a little bitter so I added a small amount of maple syrup to balance it out for the kid’s tastes.
I also swapped out the chocolate frosting for a very vanilla favourite of ours. (cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and again replacing the traditional sugar for maple syrup)
Thank you so much this will no doubt be a long time favourite and I love that I can even put these in lunch boxes!!
You saved our Easter!

I’ve made this recipe numerous times for events I attend. It always gets raves & requests for the recipe. I absolutely love this brownie! Thank you for developing & sharing it.

My daughter (she’s 9 going on 13) and I are a big fan of your site – we tried this last week and we got some nice reviews :-)
Have to try a few more from your lovely site and perhaps experiment on say the espresso powder (@Mims).
Warm hugs and gratitude from Auroville, India!

These were awesome! I brought to a dinner party and everyone adored them.
I only had a scant two cups of dates, and did not bother to soak them first, so my resulting “brownie batter” seemed a little dry and not very sweet so added two tablespoons maple syrup which seemed the perfect addition: the dough came together beautifully. I also had no cacao nibs so added instant espresso powder. The ganache divine.

Wow! Wow! Wow! Not only does these taste amazing, it was really fun to make!! The recipe states that it serves 12, but these are so rich and delicious that a half serving is satisfying. Friends who do not eat vegan were amazed at the delicious taste and texture of these fudgy delights. Minimalist Baker is my favorite for a reason! Thank you!

I actually made this and it was yum! I had no great expectation because I’m a pure chocolate lover, and anything that tries to replace chocolate just looks suspicious to me haha. but in all seriousness, this turned out yum. I added chocolate bits on the top, and I loved that addition. It gave it a little crunch. This recipe is so easy and since it’s no bake it’s so much easier. Good job on this one!

But I will say, I wouldn’t say it’s a brownie. Not that I’m saying that this should be named or labelled something else, cause it’s definitely something I’d eat in place of a brownie and I hope more people google vegan/date brownies and find this, but to me brownies will always be chocolate, but i honestly am living for this recipe right now. And your pictures are amazing!!

My daughter made these last night, so good!! Everything we’ve tried from your blog is amazing!! You are my go to Vegan Baker. Thanks for your creativity and your love for delicious food. We love you!

Bailey and Nicole

This was the first recipe I tried from your site and, though I’ve discovered more gems since, it’s still my absolute favourite recipe of yours!

These are the best brownies ever. And I’m not just talking about raw vegan brownies – I mean the best brownies, period. They tick all my boxes – healthy, vegan, satisfyingly chocolatey, + quick and easy to make! I don’t even put the ganache on top, they hit the spot just as they are. Thanks so much, Dana! :)

A delicious and easy recipe. I made this minus the sugar in the ganache as I thought the base would be sweet enough and it sure was! Super delicious! And it’s now my go-to recipe for when I need something quick to treat friends!

These brownies were amazing! I could not find cocoa nibs at my grocery store :( so I left them out, but the brownies were still great. I would definitely make these again. They were better than any other brownie I have ever had.

I made these today (minus the ganache) and they are actually pretty good, considering what’s not in them! I didn’t manage to get the date pieces…by the time I ran them through my food processor they were pretty upmuch turned to mush, but I’m new at using it. None the less, I got them blended in pretty well. Mine have a grainy consistency in some bites, but these are still amazing,y good, considering they contain no refined sugars! You have to prepare yourself for a chewy consistency, which actually reminded me of Little Debbie brownies. Thankfully they are much healthier!

I have to say, I was a little apprehensive at first… a brownie without butter, or flour, or the use of an oven??? And with healthy, natural ingredients??? But oh my gosh, abolutely delicious! Perfect to satisfy my sweet tooth during a heatwave :) And the picky hubby approved! I followed the directions as written. My ganach came out more like frosting, but still yummy. Thanks for sharing, great job!

Hi! I will be making this brownie for the 3rd time this friday and I never thought about leaving a review. I’m not vegan and I always stayed true to my one favourite “regular” brownie recipe for years.
A few years back I met one of my now closest friends who is vegan. I had never thought about vegan food and substitutes, but as I love baking for my friends and colleagues, I had to find a solution for her. She got me very interested in her life still and at some point I came across this recipe and had to try it. And Oh My God… it was love at first bite! The ganache on top just rounds it out perfectly! My friend told me that it was the best cake she had ever had and even got goosebumps talking about it months later. I found her reaction so sweet and genuine that I wanted to share the story with you.

I have made this twice in the last week. They are absolutely fantastic. The only thing I changed as I needed something with no refined sugar was the topping to one without icing sugar, but I could have eaten them easily without doing this. I have had so many people ask about them. They are going on my permanent rotation!

Omg these were amazing

This is a brilliant recipe! I have made them sooooooo many times now. Everyone loves them – not just vegans! I do tweak the ganache, tho. However, it’s just preference but here goes. I make powdered sugar mixing 1cup coconut sugar to 1T corn starch (or arrowroot powder) and mix in the Vitamix on high until powdered sugar consistency. I also omit the oil – it is my favorite frosting (excellent when salted chocolate bars are subbed). Thank you, thank you, thank you, for this amazing recipe!!!

Wow, I definitely need to try this amazing recipe ;)

What a great recipe and post..all the sharing of the 20 fun facts, smile. I stumbled into your site, umm, about two years ago and it has been a deep admiration ever since. I pretty much think you a genius food wizard!

These are amazing!!! Congrats on your anniversary and thank you for the recipe. I’ve made a version of the base before but the ganache made it over the top!

Wanting to minimize sugar, I used a 100% unsweetened Cacao bar, doubled the almond milk and added powdered Swerve sweetener. Amazing.

Great recipe Dana! And this is only one of the reasons why you get so many comments .
The other is your very personal inside you gift to your page visitors ???
It is now 2 years further down the road and I hope that you two are still happy. Keep going !

Yumm! These brownies are so delicious! Love your blog!

I made these brownies they were insanely delicious. I did modify this recipe though, I don’t have a sweet tooth really so I reduced dates quantity and added 1-2tbsp of coconut oil and little water to form the texture, they turned out amazing!!!! Very satisfying and not too sweet as I wanted. Raw cacao is everything I’d say.

For the ganache, I added a bit of fresh espresso oh my, the combination was fantastic. My mum and her colleagues loved these so much. I’ll deifnitely make brownies again soon. Thanks for the recipe

I made this for a game night snack with non-vegan loving people, and they loved it! I also ate the mixture right out of the food processor like the ravenous chocolate-lover I am and it was just the best experience. Thanks for the yummy recipe!

I made the brownies for the first time this weekend as I downloaded a copy of the top recipes e-book (for which I am so excited).
The brownies were a hit! I used a Ninja Pro blender, because I don’t have a few prcessor. It took for ever to mix everything together, but it was sooooo worth it! I made the genache with semi-sweet chocolate Chips, it’s what I had on hand. I found the icing to be too sweet and overpowering, but hubby who has a (very) sweet tooth loved them. So did my 3 year old, who didn’t notice or care there were dates (yaye for toddler ingesting fiber)!
I’ll be making these again for sure, but next time with a less sweet chocolate, or other icing or no icing.

I love this recipe ~ it’s my go-to raw brownie recipe. I’ve used almonds and cashews as the nut mixture, which turns out great. And it also tastes really yummy to add 4-5 drops peppermint essential oil for a peppermint chocolate brownie!

Holy cow! These are AMAZING! I used milk chocolate chips for the cacao nibs. The texture was perfect and the taste divine!

Made these brownies for the second time and they are the best ones I’ve ever tasted, my hubby totally agrees! Thanks for the recipe ?

I love these brownies, have also tried with pecans, or whatever mix of nuts I have on hand.
If I serve with ice cream then my kids will even eat them :)
I am a midwife, and have also been telling my patients to check out your recipe, as so many are into eating dates now at the end of pregnancy.
thank you!

Just made these (again!) but commenting to say that this time I was using up some date sugar (the proper stuff in cylinders someone brought back from Malaysia), but was having to guess about how to use it as I couldn’t find recipes for it or even how to use it when substituting. Because I’d messed up re-hydrating it, in a panic I whizzed up some oats & put them in. Arguably to make them healthier ;) but they really work with the nuts- adding something to the texture & amping up the nuttiness. :) Next time making this I think I’ll add water again just to sneak in the oats!
Also I’ve never managed to properly make the ganache (IDK why!) so this recipe is great with the nibs & walnuts on top as you can get away without topping.
(The 4 star is because that ganache doesn’t fly, if it wasn’t listed at all it’d be a 5)

Amazingly satisfying and delicious! Best brownie recipe ever! I could not imagine it was made purely from all healthy ingredients! Thank you so much for sharing!

Made these tonight. I made half the recipe to test it out and was able to cut 9 squares. I skipped the sugar in the ganache and followed the rest of the recipe. Tastes very rich and gooey. Will bring them to the office to share with my colleagues. Thanks for the delicious recipe

Made these with a few edits:
-left out the extra 1/2 cup of walnuts and cacao nibs
-used only 85g dark chocolate
-needed only about 1/2 the date paste for the brownie dough, so used the rest instead of sugar in the frosting
It was still the single most delicious thing I have made.. in a couple years. So rich and chocolatey!! Thank you tonnes :)

I made today this recipe after looking at this page several times in the past. I wish I hadn’t waited so long to pull the trigger! These brownies are so good. I had been hesitant to make them because my husband doesn’t like dates. But, he loved it! The only issue I had was getting the dough to form so I added 1 1/2 TBS of water. This recipe is super rich, but I will definitely be making these again.

I made these today without the ganache and they taste amazing! I put pecans on top instead. So yummy. Thank you for the recipe!

I just love these brownies <3 It's the best thing I've recently made. Thank you sooo much for the recipe!

Made these today and they turned out really well. I’ve been trawling the internet for the past few days for a raw brownie recipe after trying one at a salad bar here in Oslo, Norway, where the price tag is about $10 for a small piece (yes, Norway is *that* expensive). I soon realised there are *so* many recipes, but this one stood out for me, owing to the simplicity of the ingredients, absence of sugar in the ‘dough’ (I didn’t bother with the icing), and the pictures, of course. Really pleased with the final product- a great little guilty treat, but with a slightly better conscience ;0)

Dana,

Omg! These are great! I was afraid at first, I am not gonna lie, but they turned out amazing. I added coconut flakes to the top of the ganache. Delicicious delicious delicious! Thank you again for this recipe!

Hello Dana,

I just wanted to leave a comment here, I am slowly trying to switch myself and my two girls over to a (mostly) plant based diet, and we love this recipe! I’ve been skipping the ganache and making these brownies as a treat/snack for us and today we used a different brand of dates which were drier than our usual. The mixture wasn’t sticking together in the mixer so we tried half a tablespoon of coconut oil, and then some water, to make it stick together. I’m not sure, but I suspect it was the coconut oil, but it was even more delicious than normal!

Anyway, thank you so much for all your hard work, we are really enjoying every recipe we try!

WOW! I just made these and helllooooooo, they are amazing! Great recipe :)

I couldn’t wait to make this recipe. I also loved reading the random facts about you and your hubby!

Hey Dana,

I’ve been travelling through Asia now for around 2 months and I was really graving for a chocolate cake, but almost noone here has an oven. So I finally looked for no-bake recipes and came to your sweet site with all the pictures making me hungry. To cut a long story short, I found a bakery supply store in Taipei without further ado, got all the ingredients and made these brownies two days ago.

Yesterday evening, my host in Taipei came back home from work and the first thing she said was: “Oh gosh, I was waiting all day to come back home and eat those delicious brownies again!” Well, I guess that’s your good deed. Thanks for that! ♥

Kind regards
Korinna

I made these and I’m so insanely impressed by how they turned out! They actually taste like real, fudgy, delicious brownies. My two year old, 10 year old, and my husband (who is not a huge chocolate fan like the rest of us) all absolutely loved them! I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!

Thank you for this recipe, I just made these and the ganache is delicious!

These were really good.

Hi awesome saver of my craving moods! Following you, Dana since 6 minths, made many recipes of yours , they are all delicious. Now this one I have altered : 200 grams of mashed avocados with 225 grams of dates. Next imeI want to use sesameoil, because I am not allowed coco any more (so sad). We are enjoying them in sunny Spain.. no harsh winters in Andalucia! You are my helper in my transition for vegan and raw food diet. Thanks so much. Sabina xx

Soo delicious!.. If you’re reading this you have to try it, I made it with my 3 year old daughter, love that she could help in everyway! YUM!

These are amazing! I’ve made them a few times and today I decided to add some peanut butter to them…omg delicious! Thank u for this recipe, it’s a winner :)

Made these brownies for my department at work and they were amazing; had nothing but compliments about them, including my favourite comment of “they don’t taste vegan!” Thanks for the recipe, I will definitely be making these again! :D x

This is seriously the best brownie recipe I’ve had (and I’m a sweet addict, so that’s saying something). The fact that it’s vegan, and better for you than regular brownies, makes it that much better. I’ve made it three times so far, and each time is just as delicious (if not, more) than the last. I highly, HIGHLY, reccomend this recipe. I also reccomend trying some of The Minimalist Baker’s other recipes, because they are all spectacular, and oh so healthy.