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dairy free brownies

Vegan Classic Brownies

July 1, 2020 by Rachael Ng 16 Comments

A vegan version of my favorite brownies! These Vegan Classic Brownies are delicious, chewy, and complete with a delicate, crackly top. I promise you won’t miss the eggs or dairy in this easy recipe!

Vegan Classic Brownies

You all have been asking me for vegan brownies for months now, and I’m so excited to finally have this recipe for you! After lots of trial and error, I’ve landed on a mix of simple ingredients so you can make Vegan Classic Brownies at home when the chocolate craving hits.

I’m going to go ahead and put it out there that I don’t recommend any substitutes for this recipe. Trust me. I tried this recipe with flaxseed meal, aquafaba, egg replacers, chocolate chips, and many different amounts of flour and cocoa powder. I think it wasn’t until my 9th test that I finally figured out the perfect formula of ingredients.

Most importantly, you must use chopped chocolate for this recipe. Chocolate chips will not work. If you’ve made my brownie recipes before, this will seem odd given that I always use chocolate chips to achieve beautiful brownies. But this recipe is different. The eggs have been replaced with corn starch and water, and there is a lot more flour! And you have to use chopped chocolate. Or your brownie batter will boil and bubble, refuse to set, and be a gritty brownie mess! So trust me, and use your favorite vegan chocolate bars!

The ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:

  • Solid chocolate bar(s) – I like to use the $5 dark chocolate Pound Plus bar from Trader Joe’s. If that’s not an option, feel free to use your favorite vegan chocolate bars! (I’ve also made these brownies with the Moser-Roth chocolate bars from Aldi)
  • Plant-based butter – I’ve had success using both Earth Balance Buttery Sticks and Country Crock Plant Butter sticks
  • Olive oil
  • Vanilla extract
  • Corn starch + water – the magic binder for these vegan brownies!! I’m not sure if arrowroot or tapioca starch will work, so I can only recommend corn starch
  • Sugar – feel free to use your favorite granulated sugar. I like to use a 50:50 mix of coconut and raw or regular cane sugar
  • Salt
  • Baking powder – this will add lift to the brownies since there are no whipped eggs to provide lift
  • Dutch-process cocoa powder – this cocoa powder has a darker color and deeper flavor than natural cocoa powder. The Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa is now 100% Dutched and the easiest to find in US grocery stores
  • All-purpose flour
Yield: 16 Small Brownies

Vegan Classic Brownies

Vegan Classic Brownies

Delicious and chewy Classic Brownies made vegan! I promise you won't miss the eggs or dairy in this easy brownie recipe!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8oz dark or semi-sweet chocolate bar, chopped (NOT chocolate chips)
  • 1/4 cup plant-based butter
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 6 Tbsp corn starch
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (can be raw, white, brown, or coconut)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa
  • 1 cup + 2 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare an 8x8" baking dish with non-stick spray and parchment paper. I like to cut one long, thin strip of parchment paper to cover the bottom + two sides of the dish. Then fold the excess over the two edges and trim with scissors, keeping about a 1/2" of excess paper.
  2. In a microwaveable bowl, add the chopped chocolate, plant butter, and olive oil. Heat in 15-30 second intervals, stirring between each, until the chocolate is all melted and smooth; set aside.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the warm water and corn starch. Use a firm spoon to mix the two until they reach a thin, uniform consistency - it's normal for it to be goopy and thick at first.
  4. Add the corn starch mix to a large bowl, along with the sugar. Mix for about 30 seconds. Then stir in the vanilla extract. Add the melted chocolate and mix until totally combined.
  5. Stir in the salt and baking powder. Then sift in the cocoa powder and flour. Use a large spoon or spatula to mix the ingredients all together, until no flour pockets remain. The batter will be more like a sticky cookie dough. It will be a lot thicker than traditional brownie batter.
  6. Spoon the batter into your prepared baking dish. Use your fingers to gently spread, press, and smooth the batter into the dish, making an even layer of batter.
  7. Bake the brownies at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until the center looks firm and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with a few big crumbs.
  8. Allow brownies to cool completely before lifting them up and out of the baking dish with the parchment paper "tabs". Slice the brownies into 9 or 16 equal pieces.
  9. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

  • After multiple tests for this recipe, I recommend you only follow this recipe as written
  • You must use chopped chocolate bars and NOT chocolate chips. When this same recipe was made with chocolate chips, the batter boiled in the oven and never set
  • I like to use the Pound Plus chocolate bars from Trader Joe's here in the US. Both of their "dark chocolate" bars are free of dairy

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 193Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 113mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 20gProtein: 1g

calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Brownies

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @sugaredandstirred on Instagram and hashtag #sugaredandstirred

Filed Under: Bars, Brownies, Dairy-free, Vegan Tagged With: classic brownies, dairy free brownies, eggless brownies, vegan brownies

Classic Weeknight Brownies (DF)

January 14, 2020 by Rachael Ng 3 Comments

So I decided to take my favorite brownie recipe (which happens to be gluten-free) and make classic, gluten-full, fudgy brownies! For the folks looking for a simple brownie with ordinary ingredients, these brownies are for you. Made with regular cane sugars, eggs, all-purpose flour, and good ole chocolate chips, these brownies are as classic as they come. I, of course, used vegan butter for my brownies, but regular butter would work wonderfully, too!

For these brownies, you’ll melt the chocolate and fats together, whip up the eggs and sugars so they’re nice and thick, and then combine ingredients to form a batter. I only recommend using chocolate chips for this recipe as I could not achieve the same crackly top results with chopped chocolate – still unsure of the science behind this, but chocolate chips yield a crackly top every time! It’s also important to whisk your eggs and sugars until the mixture becomes thick, fluffy, and light in color – this is the traditional way to add “lift” to brownies without using any leavening agents (like baking soda, etc). The end result is a perfectly sweetened, fudgy brownie with a lovely crackly top.

Yield: 24 Brownies

Classic Weeknight Brownies

Classic Weeknight Brownies

Classic, crackly-top fudgy brownies made with familiar ingredients from your pantry! The perfect brownies to bake for friends and family!

Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Additional Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dairy-free chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup plant-based butter (or solid coconut oil)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 heaping tsp instant coffee granules (optional)
  • 4 large eggs, room temp
  • 1 cup white granulated sugar (or coconut sugar)
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 3 Tbsp cocoa powder (natural or Dutch process)
  • 2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9x13" baking dish with non-stick spray and parchment paper. I like to cut my parchment paper into two pieces that will criss-cross along the bottom of the dish and then go up the sides. Trim parchment paper at the top edge of the dish.
  2. Using a microwave, or the double boiler method, melt together the chocolate chips, vegan butter, olive oil, and instant coffee. If microwaving, cook the ingredients in 30 second intervals, stirring well between each one. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the room temperature eggs and sugars. Whisk on medium-high speed until mixture becomes thick, light in color, and somewhat fluffy, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
  4. Add the melted chocolate mixture to your eggs and sugars, gently folding in the chocolate until totally combined - this takes a bit of patience.
  5. Finally, sift the salt, cocoa powder, and flour into the bowl of batter. Use a large spatula or spoon to mix until no flour/cocoa pockets remain. Pour batter into your prepared baking dish. If your batter has a lot of air in it, there may be lots of bubbles coming to the surface. Feel free to tap your baking dish on the counter and/or use a toothpick to pop some of the bubbles before baking.
  6. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out with a few crumbs. I like to test my brownies using a toothpick toward the outer edge; that way, I can ensure I don't over-bake the brownies and the middle, along with the outer pieces, will still be fudgy.
  7. Allow brownies to totally cool in the baking dish - for quicker cooling, placing the dish on top of a cooling rack. Run a butter knife along the corners of the brownies, and then use the parchment paper tabs to life the whole brownie up and out of the dish. Carefully slice into 24 pieces, wiping your knife clean between each slice to ensure clean cuts.
  8. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature, in a single layer or with parchment paper between layers (to keep the delicate, crackly top in tact).

Notes

  • Chocolate chips are necessary for the delicate, crackly top in this recipe

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • KitchenAid Stand Mixer
    KitchenAid Stand Mixer
  • Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
    Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 194Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 117mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 19gProtein: 2g

calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Brownies

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @sugaredandstirred on Instagram and hashtag #sugaredandstirred

More brownie recipes:

Orange Brownies (DF + GF)
Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies (DF + GF)
Tahini Swirl Brownies (DF + GF)
Peppermint Hot Cocoa Brownies (DF + GF)

Filed Under: Bars, Brownies, Dairy-free Tagged With: brownies, crackly brownies, crackly top, dairy free brownies, easy brownies, fudgy brownies, homemade brownies

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Meet Rachael

Hi! I’m Rachael, a home baker who creates dairy-free, indulgent treats. As a sweets lover and former candy addict, I believe we shouldn’t have to give up everything we love in pursuit of wellness. That’s why I create delicious and approachable desserts that you can enjoy, in moderation, no matter your goals! Because, let’s face it, sometimes you just need a giant slice of frosted cake, sans guilt! Read More…

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