Fudgy Vegan Brownie Recipe: How to Make Vegan Brownies

Vegan brownies are a dairy-free and egg-free version of the fudgy, chocolatey dessert. Chocolate brownies straddle the textures of chocolate cake and fudge. While traditional brownie recipes call for animal products like milk, butter, and eggs, vegan brownies use alternative ingredients like vegetable oil, vegan butter, applesauce, and flax seeds. You can also make this vegan dessert gluten-free by simply using gluten-free flour—such as almond flour or rice flour—instead of the usual all-purpose flour.

Eggs are useful for making baked goods because they act as a binding ingredient. Luckily, there are a few tried-and-true ways to replace eggs to make delicious vegan brownies and other vegan dessert recipes.

1. 1. Flax: To replace one egg with a flax egg, mix one tablespoon of ground flaxseed or flax meal with three tablespoons of hot water. Allow the mixture to thicken in the refrigerator for fifteen minutes.
2. 2. Chia: For an egg replacement with high protein content, use a chia egg. Simply mix one tablespoon of chia seeds with three tablespoons of water and let the mixture congeal for five minutes before incorporating it into your brownie recipe.
3. 3. Applesauce: Applesauce is a tasty, classic vegan egg replacement. Use a quarter of a cup of unsweetened applesauce for every egg a recipe calls for.
4. 4. Mashed banana: Similar to the applesauce egg alternative, mashed bananas can be an effective substitute in vegan brownies while also adding a subtle banana flavor. Use a quarter cup of ripe mashed banana for every egg the recipe calls for.
5. 5. Pureed black beans: Black beans make a great egg alternative as they have a mild, earthy taste that doesn’t overpower the chocolate. Black beans have the added benefit of being high in potassium. Most black bean brownie recipes call for one fifteen-ounce can of black beans.

Use any of the toppings or mixed-in ingredients you would normally use in a chewy brownie recipe—so long as they are vegan. Some popular choices for vegan baking include:

1. 1. Nuts: Walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, peanuts, and chopped almonds provide brownies with crunch and nutty flavor. Mix in half a cup of nuts or sprinkle them on top of the batter before baking.
2. 2. Drizzles: For added flavor, drizzle half a cup of vegan caramel, maple syrup, or peanut butter on top of the brownie batter before baking.
3. 3. Chocolate: For extra chocolate flavor, mix in extra vegan chocolate chips or smaller chocolate chunks from your favorite vegan chocolate bar. The melted chocolate will also help add moisture to the finished brownies. Depending on your preferences, add semi-sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate—so long as they don’t contain any non-vegan ingredients.
4. 4. Espresso powder: To increase the intensity of the chocolate flavor, add one teaspoon of espresso powder to the dry ingredients in your brownie mix.