Description
Learn how to make the best fudgy vegan brownies with this easy recipe! Rich, chocolatey, and made with simple ingredients. No eggs or dairy needed, just pure chocolate bliss everyone will love!
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar (granulated or coconut sugar)
- ½ cup neutral oil (like vegetable or canola)
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk (or other plant milk)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional Add-In:
- ½ cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the sides (this makes removal SO much easier later!), or lightly grease it with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil until they’re smooth and well-combined. This should take about 30 seconds of good whisking. Then add your almond milk and vanilla extract, stirring until everything looks uniform and slightly glossy.
Quick tip: Make sure your oil is at room temperature so it mixes easily with the other ingredients!
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Give it a good whisk to break up any cocoa lumps—nobody wants cocoa pockets in their brownies!
Add your dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir gently with a rubber spatula until just combined. You’ll still see a few streaks of flour, and that’s perfect! Overmixing develops gluten and makes your brownies tough instead of tender and fudgy.
Important: Stop stirring as soon as you don’t see any dry flour. The batter will be thick and luscious!
If you’re using vegan chocolate chips (and I highly recommend you do!), gently fold them into the batter. Reserve a few to sprinkle on top if you want that bakery-style look!
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and use your spatula to smooth the top evenly. Don’t worry about making it perfect—rustic is beautiful!
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Here’s the secret: you want the center to be set but still slightly fudgy. Insert a toothpick into the center—it should come out with moist crumbs, NOT wet batter, but also NOT completely clean. This is the key to fudgy brownies!
Watch carefully: Ovens vary, so start checking at 20 minutes. Better to slightly underbake than overbake!
This is the hardest part, I promise! Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before cutting. I know it’s tempting, but warm brownies will be too soft to cut cleanly. I usually let mine cool for at least an hour, or pop them in the fridge for 30 minutes if I’m impatient!
Notes
- The pan matters: Dark metal pans conduct heat better and can cause over-browning on the edges. If using a dark pan, reduce oven temperature by 25°F.
- Don’t skip the parchment: That parchment paper overhang is your best friend for lifting the whole brownie block out of the pan for perfect cutting.
- Common mistake: Opening the oven door too early causes temperature drops. Wait until at least 18 minutes before checking.
- Smart shortcut: Use a pizza cutter to slice cooled brownies into perfect squares!
- Chocolate chip tip: Mix your chocolate chips with a tiny bit of flour before folding them in—this prevents them from sinking to the bottom.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American