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Fudgy Vegan Gluten Free Brownies Recipe

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Tested to perfection, these intensely rich and fudgy vegan gluten free brownies are guaranteed to satisfy your chocolate cravings! With no weird ingredients, tons of actual melted chocolate and a texture to die for – this is your one stop shop for chocolate brownie heaven.

In fact, they’re almost identical to my all time favourite easy one bowl brownie recipe! (Which definitely aren’t free from anything.) Whether you’re in search of dairy free, vegan or gluten free brownies – this recipe has most definitely got you covered.

fudgy vegan gluten free brownies in a stack

Feel like taking your dessert game up a level? I used this brownie in this EPIC raspberry brownie ice cream cake recipe. The next time you really need to wow everyone – break that bad boy out!

How did I create the perfect vegan gluten free brownies recipe?

Pure dedication. This week I made 14 batches of brownies. FOURTEEN. I’ve literally never been this dedicated to anything in my entire life.

I’d scoured the internet for hours for a good vegan and gluten free brownie recipe but to no avail. Most looked ‘cakey’ and not fudgy at all. Any that looked even remotely like the gloriously fudgy texture (complete with crispy top) that I was going for, had crazy weird ingredients in them like black beans and chickpea juice! I am NOT ok with that.

I knew it must be possible. It can’t be that hard to make vegan AND gluten free brownies can it? Well actually, yes. Yes it can! This was my dining room table last week…

Lots of batches of vegan gluten free brownies on a table

It really was quite a challenge haha! And that’s not even all of them – some were that bad they actually went straight into the bin.

But just like I did with my vegan chocolate chip cookies, I knew I would conquer this classic!

fudgy vegan gluten free brownies in a stack

Do you need any expensive ingredients to make vegan gluten free brownies?

Not really no. Well sort of. Ok, you’ll have to bear with me here. So it turns out there’s a lot of science behind baking the vegan gluten free brownie. About half way through my brownie quest I realised I was going to have to use 2 ingredients that I’d never used before. A flax egg and xanthan gum.

A flax egg is made from mixing milled flaxseed and water. It acts almost exactly like an egg without altering the taste or texture in any way. Very important to help bind your brownie together.

And xanthan gum? This is commonly used in gluten free baking. Gluten free flours tend to lack a little something that holds baked goods together. It’s kind of like baking glue. Without it? Your brownie will literally fall apart. (Several of my attempts did exactly that!)

fudgy vegan gluten free brownies in a stack

These two ingredients aren’t necessarily expensive though. You can pick flax seed and xanthan gum up quite cheap nowadays. Like I proved in my dairy free/vegan lemon cake recipe, you don’t always have to have unusual and expensive ingredients to make great ‘free from’ treats!

fudgy vegan gluten free brownies in a stack

What makes these vegan gluten free brownies so good?

Many, many things!

  • They have that wonderful crispy top you get on regular brownies.
  • They’re INSANELY fudgy!
  • The flavour is rich, chocolatey and divine.
  • It doesn’t use any super crazy ingredients.
  • The edges a wonderfully chewy.
  • If you didn’t know they were vegan/gluten free – you’d never guess!

Do I really need to give you any more excuses to go and try it for yourself?

fudgy vegan gluten free brownie being held

Perfect Fudgy Vegan Gluten Free Brownies – Step by Step Picture Recipe

Here is what you will need to make 16 bars.

(For a printer friendly version, see the recipe card at the end of this post)

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp Milled Flaxseed
  • 6 tbsp Water
  • 150g (5.3 oz) Dairy Free Dark Chocolate
  • 150g (1 + 1/4 Cups) Gluten Free Plain Flour
  • 3 tbsp Cocoa Powder
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 180g (3/4 Cup + 3 tbsp) Golden Caster Sugar
  • 100ml (1/3 Cup + 2 tbsp) Sunflower Oil
  • 50ml (1/4 Cup) Water
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Essential equipment

  • 20cm (8″) Square Baking Tin
  • Baking Paper
  • Large Bowl

Instructions

First thing’s first – preheat your oven to 180°C/Fan 170°C and lightly grease & line your baking tin with baking paper. Set aside until we need it later.

Next we need to make our flax egg. Spoon the milled flaxseed (2 tbsp) into a small glass or bowl then mix in the water (6 tbsp). Stir it well and leave at room temperature to thicken for 15 minutes before using.

milled flaxseed and water in a glass

Now we need to melt that dark chocolate (150g | 5.3 oz). Break it into a bowl and heat in the microwave in 10 second intervals stirring well between each time. Once it’s two thirds melted, don’t heat it anymore, just stir until it’s completely melted. Set it to one side to cool a little.

melted dairy free dark chocolate in a bowl with a spatula

Onto the dry ingredients! Sieve together the gluten free flour (150g | 1 + 1/4 Cups), cocoa powder (3 tbsp), baking powder (1 tsp) and xanthan gum (1/4 tsp) into a large bowl. Then add the salt (1/4 tsp) and golden caster sugar (180g | 3/4 Cup + 3 tbsp) and mix well to ensure everything is evenly distributed.

Dry vegan gluten free brownies ingredients in a glass bowl

Now we need the liquid. In a jug or small bowl, stir together the sunflower oil (100ml | 1/3 Cup + 2 tbsp), water (50ml | 1/4 Cup) and vanilla extract (1 tsp).

Water, sunflower oil and vanilla extract mixed together in a jug

Time to bring all the ingredients together and make a perfect vegan gluten free brownie batter! Make a well in the centre and pour in the flax egg, melted chocolate and oil mixture. Carefully fold everything together using a rubber spatula. Make sure there’s no pockets of flour left and that everything is evenly distributed and mixed well.

It will feel very thick and almost ‘rubbery’ but hang in there and trust me. I made 14 batches to perfect this recipe! It’s going to be great I promise.

vegan gluten free brownies batter in a glass bowl

Pour your vegan gluten free brownie batter into the prepared tin and smooth out as best as you can.

vegan gluten free brownies batter in a baking tin

Bake in your preheated oven for 22-25 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Normally I don’t say this about brownies but with this recipe I do. They will still be super fudgy I guarantee it!

Check with a skewer at 20 minutes. If there’s runny batter on it or cake ‘crumbs’ then pop it back in for another 1-2 minutes until it does come out clean. It should be no longer than 25 minutes.

baked vegan gluten free brownies in a baking tin

As you will notice, it will sink slightly in the middle. Don’t worry – there’s a super easy get out with this that won’t affect the end result of your brownies…

While the brownies are still warm, take a teaspoon and gently press the edges down to be roughly the same height as the middle. This makes nice even bars and actually helps to firm up the edges a little while keeping them deliciously chewy!

baked vegan gluten free brownies in a baking tin

Now for the hard part and possibly my biggest tip yet… If you want nice and neatly cut bars, don’t touch it until it’s completely cooled. I don’t mean wait 30 minutes or an hour – I mean COMPLETELY cooled. Like, leave it overnight if you have to or at least a few hours. If you don’t care about neat slices though – grab a spoon and dig in!

fudgy vegan gluten free brownies in a stack

Got the baking bug? Check out this baking for beginners guide and bag my Top 5 Tips to Guarantee Baking Success!

How do I store vegan gluten free brownies?

This one’s easy! In your belly. Haha ok ok – if you don’t consume the entire batch in one go, store them in an airtight container (I prefer metal) at room temperature. They’ll taste best if you eat them within 4-5 days.

fudgy vegan gluten free brownies in a stack

Have you made this recipe?

I LOVE it when you share what you’ve made! You can get in touch by leaving a comment below, tagging me on social media or sending me an email. I don’t mind how, I just love hearing from you!

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fudgy vegan gluten free brownies in a stack
fudgy vegan gluten free brownies in a stack
fudgy vegan gluten free brownies in a stack

Fudgy Vegan Gluten Free Brownies - Printable Recipe

Yield: 16 Servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

These intensely rich and fudgy chocolate brownies have a wonderfully crispy top and delightfully chewy texture. They're dairy free, gluten free and suitable for vegans.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp Milled Flaxseed
  • 6 tbsp Water
  • 150 g Dairy Free Dark Chocolate
  • 150 g Gluten Free Plain Flour
  • 3 tbsp Cocoa Powder
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 180 g Golden Caster Sugar
  • 100 ml Sunflower Oil
  • 50 ml Water
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 20cm (8″) Square Baking Tin
  • Baking Paper
  • 1 Large Bowl

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 170°C and grease/line your tin. Put flaxseed in a glass and mix in the water. Leave to thicken for 15 minutes.
  2. Melt the dark chocolate in a microwave in 10 second blasts. Stir well after each time and continue until completely melted. Leave to cool.
  3. In a large bowl, sieve the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and xanthan gum together. Then mix in the salt and sugar and stir well.
  4. Measure out the oil, water and vanilla extract into a jug.
  5. Add the thickened flax egg, melted chocolate and oil to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly until everything is evenly blended. 
  6. Tip the brownie batter into the tin and smooth out evenly. Bake for 22-25 minutes - just until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. (Check at 20 mins to be sure.)
  7. Cool completely in the tin before removing and slicing into 16 bars.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 191Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 70mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 16gProtein: 2g

Nutritional information on kitchenmason.com should only be used as a general guideline, I am not a certified nutritionist. Please always check labels for allergens where applicable.

Did you make this recipe?

I'd love to hear about it! Please leave a comment on the blog or tag me on Instagram.

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Elizabeth

Monday 29th of June 2020

Hi Emma,

I would like to make this recipe but would like to use eggs, would it work as well or can't it be done, if it can be done how many eggs would i need?

many thanks in advance

Emma

Tuesday 30th of June 2020

Hi Elizabeth. I haven't personally tried to make this recipe with eggs but I used the 2 tbsp flaxseed mixed with 6 tbsp of water to replace 2 eggs. You could try removing the flax seed and water and replacing them with 2 eggs to see if that works? Emma x

Sabrina

Monday 12th of November 2018

Hi, Gluten free flours for the most part are chock full of starch...some of them quite high on the glycemic index....such as rice, tapioca, etc. Your comment: "Gluten free flours tend to lack starch which is what holds baked goods together." is incorrect. Most gluten free flour mixes are quite heavy on starch. When not cooking with wheat particularly, there is little to no gluten type proteins to get things as sticky, usually gluten is not that desirable in baked goods that are not kneaded or mixed to prevent gluten from 'building'....which is why things like cakes etc. there are eggs, or other binding agents...gums, etc. Gluten free flours that are seed or nut based do have starch albeit in lower percentages and consequently have a lower glycemic index.

Happy Baking! Sabrina

Miss KitchenMason

Tuesday 13th of November 2018

Hi Sabrina. That is literally the most informative comment I've ever had on my blog! I've definitely learnt a lot by reading it so thank you for taking the time to write it. My post has been edited accordingly :) Emma x

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