These are hands down the BEST vegan blondies ever. They are soft, buttery and packed with delicious butterscotch flavor.
These vegan blondies are honestly so delicious. It took quite a few tries to get them right but we did it in the end and this recipe is just pure perfection.
The classic flavor of a blondie is butterscotch and that comes from the combination of butter (vegan butter in this case of course), molasses from the brown sugar, vanilla and salt.
The main difference between a blondie and a brownie is that a brownie is packed with chocolate and a blondie is not. It’s the blonde version of a brownie, basically.
Of course if you DO want some chocolate brownies then check out our delicious recipe for fudgy vegan brownies!
How To Make Vegan Blondies
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.
- Melt vegan butter and add it to a mixing bowl along with light brown sugar and whisk together.
- Add cashew butter and vanilla extract and whisk in until well mixed.
- Sift all purpose flour into a separate mixing bowl and add baking powder, cornstarch and salt and mix together.
- Gradually stir the flour mix into the butter and cashew mixture until completely combined.
- Add chopped macadamia nuts and stir in.
- Transfer the batter to a 9×9 square baking pan (sprayed with non-stick spray and lined with a parchment paper overhang on each side). Smooth down with the back of a spoon.
- Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes until the edges just begin to turn golden brown.
- Leave it in the pan to cool for around 30 minutes. The top should be firm to the touch before you remove the blondies from the pan using the parchment paper overhang.
- Cut into squares and serve.
Recipe Tips
Vegan butter: Vegan butter is essential to a good blondie because you want it to have that buttery flavor. This combines with the brown sugar, salt and vanilla to create the butterscotch flavor. You can use any vegan butter option, tub style or stick style. Alternatively you can use homemade vegan butter.
Brown sugar: You can use light or dark brown sugar or a mix of the two. We used light brown sugar in this recipe. If you use a dark brown sugar the flavor may be a little sweeter and the color will be a little darker.
Cashew butter: Cashew butter works wonderfully in this recipe, and we used a smooth, salted cashew butter. You can even use a homemade cashew butter.
Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps to create softness to baked goods and this is why we use it in this recipe.
Macadamias: We used chopped macadamias which worked so well in these blondies, but if you have a nut allergy of course you can omit them. Alternatively, vegan chocolate chips or chunks would work great.
Baking time: These blondies have a relatively short baking time of 20 minutes so that they stay soft and moist. However, there can be some variation in the baking time with some ovens needing to bake them for up to 35 minutes. The top of the blondies should be dry and set and the edges should be golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the middle should have moist crumbs but not wet batter.
Storing and Freezing
Leftover blondies will keep very well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
They also freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then let them come to room temperature before serving.
More Delicious Vegan Bars
Vegan Blondies
Ingredients
- 1 cup Vegan Butter (225g) Measured, then Melted
- 1 and ¾ cups Light Brown Sugar (350g)
- ½ cup Cashew Butter (125g)
- 1 and ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 and ¼ cups All Purpose Flour (281g)
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 2 tsp Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 and ½ cups Raw Macadamia Nuts (195g) Chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and spray a 9x9 square dish with non-stick spray and line it with parchment paper so that there is overhang on each side.
- Melt the vegan butter and add it to a mixing bowl along with the light brown sugar and whisk them together.
- Add the cashew butter and vanilla extract and whisk in until well mixed.
- Sift the all purpose flour into a separate mixing bowl and add baking powder, cornstarch and salt and mix together.
- Gradually stir the flour mix into the butter and cashew mixture until completely combined.
- Add the chopped macadamia nuts and stir in.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared 9x9 square baking pan and smooth down with the back of a spoon.
- Bake for 20-35 minutes (see notes)* until the top is dry and the edges turn golden brown.
- Leave it in the pan to cool for around 30 minutes. The top should be firm to the touch before you remove the blondies from the pan using the parchment paper overhang.
- Cut into squares and serve.
Notes
- Vegan butter is essential to a good blondie because you want it to have that buttery flavor which combines with the brown sugar, salt and vanilla to create a butterscotch flavor. You can use any vegan butter option, tub style or stick style.
- You can use light or dark brown sugar or a mix of the two. Dark brown sugar will result in a blondie that is darker in color.
- The cornstarch helps to keep these blondies soft.
- Macadamia nuts are optional.
- We baked ours for a relatively short 20 minutes. However, ovens can vary a lot and we're seeing a lot of variation in reported baking times. The blondies should be golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of the blondies should come out with moist crumbs and NOT wet batter. If you're seeing wet batter in the middle then it needs to bake for a longer time.
- Leftover blondies will keep very well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They also freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then let them come to room temperature before serving.
Can refined coconut oil be substituted for the vegan butter?
Hi Lori, I’m not sure. I haven’t tried that, it might work but it may also seem a bit oily. I’ve experienced this when using coconut oil in cookies instead of vegan butter.
Is there a nut-free alternative?
Hi Renee, I think tahini would also work, if seeds are okay. You can omit the macadamias.
What does it mean if it’s a bit crumbly and falls apart? I tried it today, tasted great but felt a bit crumbly to me. I also did your cashew butter recipe! <3
They might be a little over-cooked. It can be crumbly if they have over-baked a bit. But if they tasted great then that is the most important thing!