These gluten-free vegan brownies are rich, moist and have a fudgy middle. Absolute perfection and you can even get that signature crinkle top!
I love a good brownie, which may be obvious since I already have these date sweetened brownies and these peppermint brownies on this site. But I feel like you can never have too many!
When you're eating plant based it's hard enough to get a good baked good, let alone when you're gluten-free! But no longer my friends. Indulge in the perfectly decadent brownie while sticking to your dietary needs. The flavor and texture are absolutely perfect, you'll wonder why you didn't make them sooner!
Ingredients
In order to make these incredibly moist brownies, you'll need to gather the following items:
- Cane sugar
- Cocoa powder
- Oat flour
- Finely ground flaxseed
- Sea salt
- Baking powder
- Dairy free chocolate chips
- Vanilla extract
- Olive oil (or almond butter if you must, but see notes)
How To Make Gluten-Free Vegan Brownies
Just a handful of steps stand between you and the most fabulous gluten-free brownies! Here's what to do:
- Mix dry ingredients.
- Add the chocolate chips, water and vanilla into a bowl and melt while mixing.
- Combine melted mix with dry ingredients.
- Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake. Make sure the pan is prepped, I found using parchment was the best strategy because it made it so easy to get them out.
- Allow to cool completely then enjoy!
Flavor suggestions
For the best tasting vegan brownies, and for flavor variations, follow these tips:
- Use dark chocolate chips for a deeper flavor.
- Olive oil gives these the perfect texture and taste.
- If you must make them oil free by using almond butter or tahini, you may need more water. Start with none, then add a tablespoon at a time until your mixture is wet and not dry.
- Add mix ins like peanut butter, nuts, whole chocolate chips.
- Instead of vanilla, try using mint, maple, coffee, or almond extract for a flavor change-up.
- Serve with a dollop of Vegan Whipped Cream or a scoop of Ice Cream for an extra special treat!
Tip and tricks
I worked hard to get the perfect technique down for these gluten-free brownies. Keep these suggestions in mind when making them:
- For the best texture you need accuracy with the flours. Which is why I include precise weights. If you don’t have a scale, then you can purchase this fairly inexpensive one.
- If you prefer to measure, then measure the flours by scooping your measuring cup into the flour versus spooning it into it. This is how I measured when getting my weights.
- If your sugar has larger crystals or your flax powder is flakey instead of ground fine, you may want to put it them in a blender. I blended all of the dry ingredients to get them into a fine powder and that yielded amazing results and got me that crinkle top that regular brownies have.
- All kinds of pans work, but the best results came from using an 8 inch glass pan lined with parchment paper. The parchment helps the brownies bake more evenly and makes it much easier to get them out.
- You want the top to be just baked, but not raw. They do cook more as they cool. Do not over bake or they will be dry and fall apart. You want them moist and fudgy.
- Make sure to cool completely. This allows it to set more and helps with the texture.
- Store these brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. The first day they can be stored open on the counter as they are still great the next day!
More Chocolate Vegan Recipes
Satisfy that chocolatey craving with any of these decadent plant based recipes:
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry Smoothie
- Easy Vegan Chocolate Truffles
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Mug Cake
- Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Lava Cake
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
The Best Fudgy Gluten-Free Vegan Brownies
Crispy crinkled tops with a fudgy middle make these gluten-free vegan brownies the best out there! Easy to make with only 10 ingredients.
Equipment
- blender or food processor (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 cup cane sugar , see note
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup oat flour
- 6 tablespoons finely ground flaxseed , see note
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup dairy free chocolate chips , dark chocolate for a deeper flavor
- ½ cup water , (if you use almond butter see note)
- 2-4 tablespoons olive oil , use 4 for extra fudginess, or almond butter for oil free (see note)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F/ 175 C.
- Put sugar, cocoa, flour, flax, salt and baking powder in a large bowl and whisk to break up clumps. I put them into a blender first to make sure they were all finely ground and that got me amazing results with a crinkle top. They still turn out great without doing this, but they really are amazing if everything is finely ground.
- Add the chocolate chips, water, oil and vanilla into a bowl and melt in the microwave for 60-75 seconds, or use a double boiler if you don’t use a microwave. Mix to combine.
- Add the melted mix into the bowl with the flour and mix until combined.
- Prepare a square baking pan. I tried all types of baking pans (ceramic, metal and glass) and got the best result with a glass pan lined with parchment. You can also grease the pan if you don’t want to use the parchment, but the parchment helps the brownies bake more evenly and makes it much easier to get them out.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking pan. I used an 8 inch. A 9 inch can work but you will need to watch the baking time, start checking at 20 minutes, because they will be thinner.
- Bake for 25-28 minutes. The glass pan took around 28 minutes. The metal pan only took around 25. You want the top to be just baked, but not raw. If you use finely ground dry ingredients, you may also see that crinkle top forming. Do not overbake or they will be dry and fall apart. You want them moist and fudgy, they cook more as they cool.
- Allow to cool completely, at least 30-60 minutes, before cutting, this allows it to set more and helps with the texture.
Notes
- If your sugar is larger crystals or your flax powder is flakey instead of ground fine, you may want to put it them in a blender. I blended all of the dry ingredients to get them into a fine powder and that yielded amazing results and got me that crinkle top that regular brownies have.
- Olive oil gives this the perfect texture and flavor. Almond butter works good as well, but you’ll need more water. However if your almond butter is very runny, you may not. Start with none then add a tablespoon at a time until the mixture is not dry anymore and looks like a batter. I tried this many times (used an average thickness of almond butter) and each time I needed ¼ cup water to get a batter. You can also try tahini for a nut free version.
- Make sure to prep your pan well so they don’t stick. I recommend using parchment paper as that makes it easiest.
- I tried using all kinds of pans, but got the best results using a glass pan.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Calories: 195kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 3gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 68mgPotassium: 90mgFiber: 3gSugar: 20gVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
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Lucy
Hi! I tried this recipe and it was way too fudgy… almost like a thick pudding! Delicious, but not the texture I thought. When does the olive oil go in??
veggiesdontbite
Hi Lucy! Olive oil goes in with the chocolate chips when you melt them. Or you can put at the end when you mix as well, it doesn't matter. In the tips and tricks section I talk about the best texture is when you use precise weights of the flours. This is because when you scoop flours out the amount actually changes depending on how you do so. So my guess is you needed more flour. Also, you may need to bake longer as ovens can vary with this. Type of pan used can also change baking time and end result. I talk about this in the post itself as well. Ultimately you will know they are done baking when you get that crisping up look at the top of them (see the photo in the post). I am glad they tasted good! So perhaps try again and bake longer since it seems that is the issue. Let me know how it goes and feel free to email me with any questions as you go!
Julie
would removing the chocolate chips be okay? Should I increase coco powder?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Julie, I wouldn't advise removing the chocolate chips. They help with flavor and also with texture. I haven't tried without them so I can't advise how it would turn out!
Giulianna
would coconut sugar work?
veggiesdontbite
Hi! Yes, it would work, although the flavor will alter a bit!
Laurie
I loved these! Blending the dry ingredients was a great tip, tastes better than any traditional brownie, thank you for another awesome gf recipe!!!
veggiesdontbite
I am so thrilled you like them!! I really think the blending is the key to that crinkle top!
Marie
This brownie recipe looks really good! Is there anyway I can omit the cocoa powder and reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup?
Sophia DeSantis
Hi Marie, the cocoa powder contributes to the texture of the recipe so I am not sure how it would turn out since you'd be reducing one of the main ingredients for texture. I am guessing it would come out very mushy and wet. With the sugar, you can try reducing but it could again effect the texture some. Unfortunately with baking it is a science so once you change one ingredient it affects all the others. This is even more true with gluten free baking. Wish I could help more! If you'd like to try another brownie recipe that doesn't have cocoa powder or dry sugar try this one: https://www.veggiesdontbite.com/perfect-vegan-caramel-date-sweetened-brownies-nut-free-gluten-free/
Sarah
OMG hands down the best vegan brownies EVER! Absolute perfect texture and taste, too good!
veggiesdontbite
Yay! So excited about these!
JD
These are the best brownies I have ever had! The texture is spot on, fudge like but crisp on the edges. I don't know how you got that crinkle top without the traditional ingredients but they are perfect.
veggiesdontbite
Happy to hear!