Rich, fudgy and ultra moist vegan gluten free brownies. These super easy brownies are so good no one will guess they’re vegan or gluten-free!
So we made simple vegan brownies, then we made triple chocolate vegan chocolate brownies and vegan zucchini brownies and now here we go with some super fudgy deliciously chocolatey vegan gluten free brownies.
I had to do a gluten-free version because many of our readers are gluten-free and a couple of my family members are too, and any excuse for another batch of brownies also just works great with me.
Sometimes adapting recipes for gluten-free can be tricky, but in this case, not at all!
These brownies adapted so easily and perfectly for gluten-free it’s not even funny. Or it is. Whichever makes more sense to say there.
When I say no one will ever know they’re either vegan or gluten-free I am not trying to insult vegan or gluten-free food. I mean please. Have you met me? I’m a super fan of the vegan food.
What I mean, is that these are so good, they don’t need any qualifiers. Like you won’t hear ‘this is pretty good for a vegan brownie’ or ‘this is pretty good for a gluten free brownie’.
In fact you won’t hear anything cos everyone will have their mouths full, and then they will be helping themselves to another one.
How To Make Vegan Gluten Free 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 gluten-free all purpose flour and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl and add white granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and instant espresso powder and mix together.
- Prepare vegan buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring jug and then adding soy milk up to the 1 cup line.
- Add the vegan buttermilk, melted coconut oil and vanilla extract and mix into a thick batter (very thick!).
- Add a mix of vegan chocolate chunks and chocolate chips and mix them in.
- Prepare a square 9×9 inch baking dish by spraying with non stick spray and then lining it with parchment paper so that there is overhang on either side so that you can easily lift out the whole tray of brownies once baked.
- Transfer the brownie batter to the prepared baking dish and smooth it down.
- Bake for 40 minutes at 350°F.
- Let them cool for about 15 minutes in the pan and then lift them out with the parchment paper overhang.
How To Cut Your Brownies
The easy way to cut perfect neat slices is to heat up your knife. Dip the knife in super hot water and then dry it off with a paper towel and then cut. Repeat this process every time you cut and you’ll have perfect neat squares.
The hot knife also melts the chocolate as you cut, so it’s even more perfect!
How To Tell When Your Brownies Are Done
The toothpick test can be a little tricky because you have chocolate chips and chunks inside these brownies creating little pockets of melted chocolate everywhere.
But the top of the brownies should be entirely dry, and look a little cracked (like our pics) and if you put the toothpick in you should come out with only melted chocolate, not wet batter. It also should feel soft but firm. It should not be wet or super jiggly.
Ingredient Notes
A gluten-free all purpose flour blend is crucial. You need to use a blend that is meant to replace regular all purpose flour in baking.
This recipe has not been tested with any single type of gluten-free flour like almond flour or coconut flour or rice flour, but my previous baking experiments lead me to believe that it would not work here.
White granulated sugar. The first time I made these brownies I used light brown sugar but I found that it weighed the brownies down a little. So I prefer white sugar, or a mix of white and light brown sugar, so that you get a texture that isn’t too heavy.
Instant espresso powder – brings out the chocolate flavors. It doesn’t make the brownies taste like coffee, so don’t worry about that. You can also use regular instant coffee powder. Or you can omit it altogether, this is an optional ingredient (but recommended).
Melted coconut oil – is great for this, because it creates a really thick batter, which is perfect for brownies. However, if you have a coconut allergy, you can use a different oil and it won’t be an issue.
Vegan buttermilk – should ideally be made with soy milk. You can use almond milk if you prefer, but soy milk is more ideal as it creates a really great texture.
A mix of chocolate chips and chocolate chunks is awesome here as you have two different kinds of chocolate and you really notice it in the best possible way.
Storing and Freezing
Keep them covered at room temperature where they will keep for 3-4 days. You can also keep them in the fridge if you want them to last a little longer.
They are also freezer friendly for up to 3 months!
More Vegan Gluten Free Desserts
- Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Gluten Free Carrot Cake
- Vegan Gluten Free Banana Bread
- Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
- Vegan Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes
- The Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Sauce
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Gluten Free Brownies
Ingredients
- 2 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (272g)
- 1 cup Cocoa Powder (84g) Unsweetened
- 2 cups White Granulated Sugar (400g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Instant Espresso Powder Optional
- 1 cup Vegan Buttermilk (240ml) 1 Tablespoon lemon juice + soy milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line
- 1 cup Coconut Oil (240ml) Melted
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ cup Vegan Chocolate Chips (88g)
- ½ cup Vegan Chocolate Chunks (88g) chopped up vegan chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Prepare a 9×9 inch square baking dish by spraying with non stick spray and lining with parchment paper so that there is overhang on either side.
- Sift gluten free all purpose flour and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, baking powder, salt and instant espresso powder and mix together.
- Prepare your vegan buttermilk by adding 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring jug and then adding soy milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line. Let it curdle.
- Add the vegan buttermilk, melted coconut oil and vanilla extract to the mixing bowl and mix into a thick batter.
- Then add the vegan chocolate chips and chunks and mix in.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared baking dish and smooth down.
- Bake for 40 minutes. I found 40 minutes to be perfect, they have plenty of fudginess in the texture but they’re not ultra gooey. See notes for how to know they are done.
- Let them cool for 15 minutes and then lift the whole tray of brownies out using the parchment paper overhang. Let the brownies cool completely before cutting. If they're still warm when you cut them, they're harder to cut and more breakable.
- To cut the brownies, heat up a knife by dipping it in some very hot water (from the kettle) and then drying it off with a towel and cutting. After each cut, dip the knife in the hot water and dry it off again, and repeat. This allows you to cut perfect squares and also melts the chocolate along the edges as you cut the squares.
Notes
- Gluten Free Flour. This must be a blend that is meant to replace regular flour in baking. For the most accurate results weigh it out on a food scale. I have tried this with different blends, so any gluten-free flour blend that is meant for baking should work great here.
- Instant espresso powder. This brings out the chocolate flavor. You can use any instant coffee powder or omit it if you prefer.
- Vegan buttermilk. You can also use almond milk to make vegan buttermilk, however I prefer soy milk for this as it creates a thicker buttermilk, but if you can’t use soy, almond milk will work fine.
- Vegan chocolate chunks is just regular vegan chocolate that is chopped into chunks. You can use all chocolate chips in this recipe or all chocolate chunks if you like, but using a mix of the two is most delicious in my view.
- You will know the brownies are done when the top is completely dry and looks a little cracked and if you put a toothpick in you should come out with only melted chocolate, no wet batter. It also should feel soft but firm. It should not be wet or super jiggly.
Jo says
Hi, Absolutely love this recipe and have made these lots of times now and they have always been a a hit, you know how they freeze? I have a few left over and would love to save them!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Jo, so glad you love the recipe! Yes, these are definitely freezer friendly! 🙂
Madhuri Surendra says
Also can I halve the ingredients and I bake since I’m baking it for the first time.. I have a microwave and I’m not sure if I can bake them in it
Alison Andrews says
I’m not at all sure if they would work in a microwave. I have never done any baking in a microwave so I’m clueless there. You should be able to halve the ingredients if you’re careful with the measurements and use a much smaller dish.
Madhuri says
Hi, I wanted to know if I can make it in the cooker… Also can I replace with ragi flour
Alison Andrews says
Sorry I don’t know what you mean by cooker. I have never used ragi flour so I have no idea.
Teja Strilchuk says
Hi! I was wondering if instead of coconut oil, I could use olive oil?
Thanks
Alison Andrews says
Hi Teja, yes you can! Some people do say they get an olive oil taste from using it in baking but I think it depends on the brand of oil and I often use it in baking and love it. All the best! 🙂
Hannah says
If I halved the recipe how long would you recommend to bake for? Thank you for all your delicious recipes 🙂
Alison Andrews says
Hi Hannah, I’m not sure, it would depend on the size of the dish. If you’re using the same size dish but half the recipe then it would be a shorter time but hard to say exactly how much shorter. I would probably say it would still be around 25-30 minutes. If it’s a smaller dish then it would be the same time.
Katy says
I’m about to embark on this recipe tomorrow and was wondering if you have ever doubled it into a 9 by 13? We are a family of 6 and brownies seem to disappear rather quickly in our household. Also, I was wondering if you had any gluten free vegan nut free breakfast ideas. Two of our children have eosiniphilic esophagitis and are limited on what they can eat. And I’m just struggling on implementing things that work for breakfast. We do pancakes and waffles but I don’t really want to give them syrup every day and they unfortuneately they arent fans of oatmeal. Like maybe a go to biscuit recipe that’s tastes great something fun and new! Thanks Alison!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Katy, I actually tried this recipe in a 9×13 pan – the same recipe! It just made slightly thinner brownies. It wouldn’t require doubling of the recipe, it would be more like 1 and 1/2 times the recipe to keep the same thickness for the brownies. Do they like smoothies? That can be a good breakfast option, you can even blend in some oats and no one will even notice! We have a new recipe for a vegan protein shake (no protein powder) coming shortly that is really delicious. 🙂
Katy says
How interesting! I never thought about blending oats in the smoothies. That makes a lot of sense!
I actually hadn’t gotten a post back before I embarked on the brownie recipe and I did double the recipe in a 9×13 and they were tall and took more time in the oven, but they were still delicious! Everyone loved them in my household!
Alison Andrews says
Oh awesome! Glad to hear they worked out! Thanks so much for updating us! 🙂
Kelsy says
Hey Katy, I also have EOE (and a nut allergy!) and recommend chia seed pudding, vegan banana bread, or potato latkes for breakfast. Depending on why they aren’t fans of oatmeal, I found that overnight oats (which have a different texture and can be eaten cold) are really helpful. Too much soy can make me sick so for the liquid in the overnight oats, I like to soak a cut up apple in a little boiling water, blend it up and use the apple mixture and just a dollop of soy milk as my liquid – it is so delicious! I also eat a lot of fruit salad (a little mint mixed in is a great way to freshen it up!) and, on occasion, just some gluten free toast. Hope that helps with the breakfast inspiration 🙂
Doris Lounds says
Can we substitute honey for sugar?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Doris, unfortunately that would not work as it would throw out the balance of ingredients in this recipe.
Garfield says
I was just wondering if oat milk would work for the buttermilk instead of soya or almond milk
Alison Andrews says
Hi there, yes if you check our vegan buttermilk post readers have commented that oat milk does work. I haven’t tried it myself though.
Vicky says
I’ve come back to this recipe so many times! I see that you changed the brown sugar to white. I like it best with a mix of 2/3 brown sugar and 1/3 white. Just a note: it still says brown sugar in the instructions.
Thank you for this recipe!!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Vicky, yes I changed the sugar to white. 🙂 Thanks so much for pointing out my typo, I have fixed it. So glad you enjoy the recipe, thanks for the wonderful rating! 🙂
Pam says
Hi. I was wondering if you could tell me what gluten free flour blend you used?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Pam, I have used different blends and haven’t found there to be much difference in the outcome. Most recently I’ve been using a brand called Health Connection, but I have used Bob’s Red Mill in the past and liked it a lot.
Sammy says
Hi, can you use self raising gluten free flour. If so should I omit the baking powder?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Sammy! Yes, since self raising already has baking powder in it, you could omit the baking powder from the recipe. All the best! 🙂
Heather says
I just made these, and while they taste delicious the texture is like chocolate pudding everywhere but on the edges. Just… completely gooey, with no firmness or structure at all.
I followed the directions and didn’t deviate on any of the ingredients except for reducing the coffee powder by half (I only had espresso powder) and doing a half/half mix of brown and white sugar, so I don’t think that just those two changes would have cause this issue.
I’m wondering if maybe I should reduce the oven temp and cook them for longer next time? Would that solve the problem, maybe?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Heather, sorry to hear they were so gooey! I think cooking for longer should definitely help. It does sound like they are under-cooked. Ovens definitely vary. You may not need to reduce the oven temperature, just cook for a longer time.
Anna says
Decadent and mouthwatering!
Alison Andrews says
Thanks Anna! 🙂
Jackie says
You have outdone yourself with this recipe! It’s amazing. So rich and chocolatey – this is going to be a regular thing in my house!
Alison Andrews says
Thanks Jackie! 🙂
Michelle says
These look devine! If they don’t need to be gluten free could you substitute regular flour without any modifications?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Michelle! Check out our vegan chocolate brownies if you don’t need them gluten-free, it’s very similar to this recipe. 🙂
ViviBelle says
These look amazing! I can’t wait to make them for my GF sister on the 4th of July!
Alison Andrews says
Thank you! Hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Madhuri Surendra says
I Tried this with Ragi flour and made this in cooker. Guess what! these turned out to be sooo good. The best ive ever had till date
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! 🙂