These simple vegan brownies are moist, fudgy and beautifully textured. They are also SO easy to make. Serve with vegan cream or ice cream for a fabulous dessert.
Oh wow, these vegan brownies you guys! Fudgy, rich, decadent and everything a brownie should be.
Topped with vegan whipped cream and drizzled with melted chocolate because dessert.
The tops get all nice and shiny and cracked, which is just perfect for brownies don’t you think?
The best way to eat these brownies is with some vegan whipped cream or some delicious vegan ice cream. If you serve them nice and warm from the oven with cream or ice cream, well that’s even better!
Ingredient Notes
Cocoa powder. There is a lot of cocoa in this recipe, which gives it the extremely rich chocolate flavor.
White granulated sugar. To counter-balance lots of cocoa, you need more sugar, so don’t be shocked out of your little cotton socks by the fact of 2 cups of sugar. Every granule is put to good use to create the most delicious vegan brownies ever.
Instant coffee powder. For a little extra kick and to enhance the flavors I added a little instant coffee powder to the recipe as well. You don’t taste the coffee but it really ramps up the chocolate flavor.
Vegan buttermilk. We used homemade vegan buttermilk in this recipe. It’s ideally made with soy milk for a really rich and creamy version. However, it can also be made with almond milk.
Vegetable oil. This can be switched for canola oil. Melted coconut oil also works but can be harder to mix in since it’s a thick batter.
How To Make Easy Vegan Brownies
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Sift flour and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl and add sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix together.
- Prepare your vegan buttermilk by adding lemon juice to a measuring jug and then adding soy milk up to the 1 cup line (you can also use almond milk for this step). Let it curdle.
- Add the vegan buttermilk to the mixing bowl along with oil and vanilla and mix into a batter.
- Transfer the batter to a 9×9 square baking dish (sprayed with non-stick spray and lined with parchment paper) and smooth down with the back of a spoon. Your batter will be very thick.
- Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clear. Moist crumbs are okay but wet batter is not. Mine took exactly 38 minutes but ovens differ.
- Cut into squares (9, 12 or 16 squares).
- And your brownies are ready to serve!
Make Them Gluten Free
If you’re keen to try a gluten-free version of these brownies, then check out our vegan gluten free brownies recipe.
Serving Suggestions
These brownies are delicious on their own but serving them warm with vegan whipped cream or vegan ice cream and drizzles of melted vegan chocolate is next level!
Storing Instructions
Leftovers keep very well at room temperature or in the fridge for up to a week. You can warm them up in the microwave and then serve.
You can also freeze them for up to 6 months!
More Vegan Chocolate Desserts
- Vegan Chocolate Brownies
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Pie
- Vegan Chocolate Truffles
- Classic Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
- Homemade Vegan Chocolate
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Simple Vegan Brownies
Ingredients
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour (250g)
- 1 cup Cocoa Powder (86g) Unsweetened
- 2 cups White Granulated Sugar (400g)
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Vegan Buttermilk (240ml) 1 Tbsp lemon juice + soy milk up to the 1 cup line
- 1 Tablespoon Instant Coffee Powder
- 1 cup Vegetable Oil (240ml) or Canola Oil
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Serving (Optional):
- Vegan Whipped Cream
- Melted Vegan Chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and spray a 9×9 inch square baking dish with non-stick spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Sift all purpose flour and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl and add white granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix together.
- Prepare the vegan buttermilk by adding 1 Tablespoon lemon juice to a measuring jug and then adding soy milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line. Allow to sit for a minute to curdle.
- Add the vegan buttermilk, instant coffee powder, vegetable oil and vanilla extract to the mixing bowl and mix in well.
- Pour the batter out into your prepared baking dish and smooth down with the back of a spoon.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clear (moist crumbs are fine, wet batter is not). Mine took exactly 38 minutes but ovens will differ.
- Cut into squares (9, 12 or 16 squares) and serve with vegan whipped cream or vegan ice cream and drizzles of melted vegan chocolate.
Video
Notes
- Weigh your flour for accurate results or use the ‘spoon the level’ method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup.
- You can make your vegan buttermilk with almond milk too if you prefer. It results in a thinner consistency but it still works.
- You can pretty much use any vegetable oil for these brownies or canola oil. If you are going to use coconut oil make sure it’s melted first.
- Nutritional information is for 1 Large Brownie (of 9) without additional toppings.
Can I use white granulated sugar?
Yes, this is the right sugar to use! 🙂
Thanks for sharing this recipe – I made these yesterday and they’re FANTASTIC! (They’ve also had the seal of approval from some [non-vegan] teenagers who would probably think of themselves as brownie ‘connoisseurs’!) 🙂
That is wonderful to hear! Thanks so much for the awesome review Jan! 🙂
If we can’t have coffee, do I need a sub or can I just make these without it?
You can leave it out. 🙂
So I’ve made so many recipes thinking they seemed too easy. But…. I loved the vanilla, lemon, cakes and cupcakes. Those will forever be my go to for cupcakes and cake recipes. However. The brownie recipe was super crumbly. I weighed ingredients and they were still tasty. Just crumbly which made me sad. ?
Hi Kim, that is such a pity. Did you make any ingredient substitutions like using a different flour? I don’t know what might have caused that otherwise, we recently made these again for the recipe video and they were definitely not crumbly at all so I’m not sure what might have gone wrong.
Hi 🙂 are these better to eat warm soon after they have come out the oven, or cool the day after baking? Thanks!
Either or is delicious but I personally like them served warm with vegan cream or ice cream. You can reheat the individual brownies in the microwave once they’ve cooled down so the next day works great too.
The BEST brownie recipe ever, so easy and they turned out perfect and delicious. I have tried so many vegan chocolate brownie/cake recipes and they’ve all been pretty bad. These brownies are so good even my omni partner is asking for more. Thank you for giving me back chocolate desserts!!
YAY! So happy to read your comment Sara, thanks so much! 🙂
I just wanted to say thank you for all your efforts. You are amazing.
Thank you so much! That’s so kind of you! Much appreciated. 🙂
Great recipe! I used 1 cup of flour and didn’t include the baking powder and they turned out AMAZING! I cooked them for 35 minutes and they were cooked all the way through but still gooey inside. Definitely recommend this alteration!
Not gonna lie I was a little skeptical about trying such an easy recipe but OH MY GOD. These are the absolute BEST brownies I have ever had!!! It is so wonderful that all these ingredients are always on hand and it only took about 5 minutes to prepare before putting it in the oven!! So delicious thank you soo much for this recipe definitely a keeper.
That’s wonderful to hear! Thanks so much for the awesome review. 🙂
Hello
Has anyone tried freezing these?
Hi Heather, you can freeze them! There are some good tips here for how to freeze brownies.
How long would these keep for?
About a week if you store them in an airtight container in the fridge. A few days at room temp! 🙂
I just threw away all my other brownie recipes, because this one is my NUMBER ONE from now on! Whole family loves them, all friends love them. I put one walnut in each little square before baking – yum! My husband is not keen on vegan food, but guess what – he loves them too 🙂
Fantastic to hear that! I’m so happy they are such a hit! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Great recipe! Used a large springform pan because I didn’t have a square pan and it was great. Made this for vegans at a party but non-vegans loved it too. I was a bit concerned about the amount of oil but it turned out fine.
So glad to hear it was a success, thanks for posting Sharon! 🙂
BEST DESSERT EVER!!! I utilize this recipe to make brownies, cupcakes, or a cake and of course top it with the coconut whipped cream, which is BOMB! I have my own Vegan’ish facebook group and host Plant Based Dinner nights once a month to encourage family, friends, neighbors, and strangers to create simple, easy meals/desserts that is better for our health, environment and of course animals and taste just as good, if not better than the animal based meals we have come accustomed too. Its great to see those around me make this recipe on their own and brag to their friends and family about how delicious it is! Just want to show my gratitude and appreciation to you and your amazing dessert recipes, as it has not only impacted me in more ways than one, but many others as well. Thank you Alison!
That is so wonderful to hear Greg! Thanks so much for your awesome comment. Your plant based dinner nights sound amazing and are such a great way to share good vegan food! Very inspiring. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Amazing! Turned out perfect!