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.
Hi, I made these last night but found them a little grainy? Other than that they’re lovely! Is there a reason for this please, is it the GF flour? Thanks
Hi Hannah, it’s unlikely to be the flour, it sounds almost as if the sugar isn’t dissolving properly. I haven’t had this issue, I almost wonder if your oven isn’t running a bit on the cold side. You could try super fine sugar instead and see if that solves the issue, or try an oven thermometer just to check on the internal temp of your oven. But so glad they were otherwise good!
Hi, I made these a while back and they were perfect. I have made them a lot recently and followed the instructions exactly, and they keep coming out cakey. Has this ever happened to you?
Hi Ash, this hasn’t happened for me, but there can be a few reasons brownies come out cakey. The main one is using a bit too much flour. I highly recommend weighing it, but if you don’t have a food scale then spoon and level it (don’t scoop it). The other reason can be over-baking it. Maybe take them out a few minutes earlier. All the best!
Hi,
Instead of the buttermilk can I use Rice milk? And instead of the coconut oil can I use vegetable oil or extra virgin olive oil? Would extra virgin olive oil change the taste of the brownies?
Thanks!!!!
I think that would be fine, I don’t usually notice any aftertaste from using olive oil in baking, but it might depend on the brand, make sure it’s a mild tasting olive oil.
Amazing, thank you!
You’re so welcome Ruth! 🙂
Does this recipe freeze, please?
Yes, up to 3 months.
Hi, I made this today for my daughter. It was very crumbly and too sweet. I used the Schar universal blend. Also I used coconut milk as my daughter can’t have Soy or almond. I have to use coconut or rice milk. Could you give me some advice on how to make this work with less sugar and maybe cocunut sugar and with my option of milk. Thank you.
Hi Tena, when it comes to crumbly it’s often because they haven’t set properly yet. A good tip is to let them cool on the counter and then place into the fridge for 1-2 hours, this helps them to set and get even more fudgy before you cut them. Those milk options are totally fine even though they most likely won’t curdle. You can try reducing the sugar or using a different sugar, but keep in mind that the sugar isn’t just there for sweetness it is also for the fudginess.
Is it possible to use rapeseed oil instead of the coconut oil?
Yes you can use a different oil. All the best! 🙂
I have tried the normal recipe and it was delicious, so definitely try this one, Just have one question, in case I want to add walnuts to my brownies, should I add less flour or something? do you think 1 or 2 cups of walnuts would be enough?
thanks so much
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! You don’t need to change anything to add in some walnuts, 1 cup would be a good amount to add for this amount of batter.
Hey, is it okay to use vegan butter instead of vegan buttermilk
Hi Sama, no that won’t work, buttermilk is just a mix of non-dairy milk and lemon juice, so it’s completely different to vegan butter.
OH MY GOODNESS! These brownies were SO good! Such a treat for my son that cannot do gluten, soy, eggs, flax, dairy…Normally my husband won’t eat anything I bake for my son because he says they are not “real.” 🙂 But he was enjoying them too. They did take longer to bake than 40 minutes and I was afraid the edges would be dry – but they were wonderful! This recipe is a keeper!
So happy to hear that Laura! Thanks for sharing!
Made these, but looked at your reviews first and because of the comment too much coconut oil on top, reduced the coconut oil to 3/4 cup of the liquid coconut oil instead. Also used soy milk for coffee instead of adding instant coffee. Baked for 50 mins. Everyone loved them. My grandnephew who is 8 asked for a second one.
Glad they worked out well, thanks for posting Nora!
I have been baking over 60 years and have baked for All sorts of food Allergies. I read your recipe advice and followed it and I think these are fantastic brownies .. gf/v or not! . My friends may demand them! Thanks so much! I used almond milk, but other than that followed it . Yum yum and thanks!!!
Carol
So happy to hear that Carol! Thanks so much!
Taste is good considering it’s Vegan and doesn’t contain Gluten but even after waiting till it cooled down it sill crumbled everywhere, why would that have been ? Also quite sweet ;p
Hi Danielle, sorry to hear it was crumbly! Did you use a gluten-free all purpose blend? There can be some variation in brands, some just work better than others.
yes i did .. perhaps it was my measuring ? .
thanks
Could coconut sugar or stevia work?
Coconut sugar yes! Stevia, no.
is it possible to half the recipe?
Hi May, if you use a smaller pan, like 8×8 and then also bake for a shorter time because they will still be thinner.