The Absolute Best Vegan Brownies

You’ll have a hard time believing these brownies are vegan. It’s because they don’t have the dry, crumbly texture and underwhelming flavor most vegan brownies end up with. Instead, these brownies are:

Deeply chocolatey thanks to real dark chocolate and Dutch process cocoa powder.The perfect mix of chewy and fudgy and 100% decadent, like any amazing brownie.Shiny and crinkly on top (something you thought was only possible with non-vegan boxed brownies!).

I can’t wait for you to try them!

Why this recipe works

A chocolate lover’s dream

You’ll find three layers of chocolate in these brownies: (1) Dutch process cocoa powder, (2) good dark chocolate, and (3) vegan chocolate chips. All three result in an intense chocolatey flavor that is unreal. Special shout out to Dutch process cocoa powder. It’s alkalized, meaning the natural acidic flavor has been washed away. Its flavor is pure, rich, and deeply chocolatey.

An ultra-enticing and shiny crinkle top

Once you get a glimpse of crinkle top brownies, you know you can’t hold back. The texture is delightful: wispy, delicate, ridged, and flaky. When paired with a fudgy interior, the contrast is too good to describe in words. Unfortunately, this is almost never found in vegan brownies. Typically, the secret to the flaky crinkle top on brownies comes from eggs. But I discovered you can achieve the same results by whipping aquafaba and sugar together. I tested this method 11(!) times and ended up with a crinkle top every time. Can other vegan brownie recipes say the same? I don’t think so!

Because you said so!

I don’t call these the “best vegan brownies” lightly. It’s proven by the more than 390 five-star reviews! Here’s what readers are saying: Jennifer says, “They are THE BEST EVER BROWNIES I have had in my entire life, vegan or not!!” Jackie says, “Hands down BEST brownies I have ever eaten. No joke. I followed the recipe to the T and it couldn’t have been more perfect. I can’t believe these are vegan.” Tamara says, “I cannot believe how fudgy, chewy, and delicious they are. Like a million other commenters on here, I never thought I’d find good brownies again after going vegan. They’re amazing and totally live up to the hype.”

Ingredient notes

Aquafaba. The liquid from a can of chickpeas. After some trial and error, I discovered that you can get vegan brownies with a shiny, crinkle top by vigorously whipping aquafaba and sugar together for several minutes before adding it to your wet ingredients. It’s an unconventional ingredient in a brownie recipe but it works amazingly well here. My fan favorite banana bread is another vegan baked good that uses aquafaba to great effect. Substitute: We don’t recommend substituting this, as it’s a key ingredient in making these so special. Cane sugar. I use a fair amount of cane sugar for the above reason and because it gives the brownies structure (often missing in crumbly vegan brownies). If you’re worried about the brownies being too sweet, use a dark chocolate with a higher cocoa percentage. The natural bitter flavors will help balance the sweetness from the sugar. Vegan butter. In our testing, vegan brownies made with just oil turned out oily and bland in flavor. Brownies benefit greatly from a rich, buttery taste, and vegan butter works great. We have had great results with Earth Balance buttery sticks. Substitute: Some folks have asked if they can use margarine. We haven’t tested this, but keep in mind: (1) If you’re strictly vegan, margarine in the U.S. often contains trace amounts of dairy. (2) Vegan butter brands are usually formulated to mimic dairy in baking in a way that margarine isn’t. So if you have access to a product marketed as vegan butter, use that. Dark chocolate. I like to buy a 65% to 75% dark chocolate bar and roughly chop it. The chocolate is melted with vegan butter to create a beautifully smooth chocolate sauce. Tip: Don’t use semisweet chocolate, or the brownies will be too sweet. Dutch process cocoa powder. You will get better results with Dutch processed cocoa powder vs. natural cocoa powder. The brownies have a purer, more intense chocolate flavor with a smoother taste. Substitute: If you can’t find Dutch cocoa, natural cocoa powder still works. PS: For European folks, Dutch cocoa is just the standard cocoa available! Espresso powder. Espresso + chocolate are a dream team. It deepens and intensifies the chocolate flavor without making the brownies taste like coffee. Substitute: If you don’t have instant espresso powder, you can substitute with instant coffee powder (use slightly more, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 teaspoons).

Step-by-step instructions

Sift the dry ingredients. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together in a medium bowl to prevent lumps. Mix the aquafaba and sugar. Add the aquafaba and sugar to a bowl. Use a handheld or standing mixer to beat the two together. You’ll know it’s done when the mixture looks thick, glossy, and has wavy ribbons. Now you can fold the vanilla, salt, and espresso powder into the aquafaba mixture. Melt the chocolate. Place a heatproof bowl on top of a saucepan filled with a few inches of water. Place the chopped chocolate and vegan butter in the bowl and heat the water until it’s at a rapid simmer. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Or, melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave on high power in 30-second intervals, stirring after each round. Fold the melted chocolate mixture into the aquafaba mixture until well combined. Finish the batter. Gently stir the dry mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined and no dry flour remains. Fold in the chocolate chips. Note: The batter will be quite thick, much more thick than a standard brownie batter. Transfer the batter into your lined 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) baking pan and smooth out the surface with a spatula. Bake. Bake the brownies for 34 to 37 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with some moist crumbs. Let them cool before slicing (seriously though). Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes, or longer. Once they’re completely cool, slice and enjoy!

Tips for the best vegan brownies

Better quality chocolate = better tasting brownies.

Try to use the best quality chocolate you can find and afford: (1) for cocoa powder, Dutch process cocoa; (2) for the solid chocolate, use a chocolate you enjoy snacking on. 70% dark chocolate is a great place to start because it isn’t too bitter but will still produce decadent results.

Measure accurately.

I use a digital scale for all baking and highly recommend it for the most precise results (baking + precision are best friends). Note: If you don’t have a digital scale, do not scoop the flour straight out of the bag or container. This always results in getting too much flour in your measuring cup, and too much flour = dry brownies.Instead, use the spoon and level method. Spoon your flour out of the bag/jar into the measuring cup until almost full, then use a butter knife to level it off.

Overmixing = dry brownies.

Overmixing the dry and wet ingredients aerates the batter, resulting in dry or cakey brownies. Instead, fold everything together until they’re JUST combined and you no longer see dry streaks of flour.

Check your oven thermometer.

Home ovens can be all over the place when it comes to temperature, so if you have an oven thermometer, check that it’s accurate before baking.

Don’t slice the brownies too early.

They continue to cook after they come out of the oven, which is why it’s important to let them cool completely first. They’ll be a gooey mess if you slice into them too early. Note: There are two ways to speed up the cooling process. After resting in the pan for 20 minutes, (1) carefully transfer the pan to a large shallow pan filled with an inch or two of ice cold water; or (2) transfer the pan to the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes.

More Classic Desserts Veganized

Vegan Banana BreadVegan FudgeVegan Blueberry MuffinsVegan Pumpkin Bread

Watch! How to make the best vegan brownies!

If you love these best-ever Vegan Brownies as much as we do, please be sure to leave a rating and review below :) And as always, I love seeing your remakes on Instagram!