Vegan Gluten-Free Brownies

If you’ve been searching for a brownie recipe that is thick and fudgy, but also plant-based and uses natural sweeteners, then we’ve got the perfect one for you! Our brownie recipe is vegan and gluten-free, but that doesn’t mean we skimp on flavor or texture. Lean in and we’ll share our amazing brownie recipe with you!

What Makes Brownies Fudgy?

You probably already know that there are numerous types of brownie recipes out there that yield everything from decadent flourless brownies to cakey brownies, and everything in between.

With this recipe, we’re aiming for brownies that are thick and fudgy.

Fudgy brownies contain a higher ratio of fat to flour, and conversely cakey brownies have less fat to flour. The amount of sugar and eggs don’t make as much of a difference, though brownies made with a small amount of sugar have a tendency to be more dry and brittle.      

What Makes Brownies Chewy?

While we are discussing fudginess, we may as well tackle what makes brownies chewy. The answer to chewy brownies is simple: oil.

If you’ve used boxed brownie mixes before, you’ll know that the fat specified is usually vegetable oil. Now we don’t care much for vegetable oil (more on what we like better in a second), but it’s hard to deny that oil does in fact effect the chewiness of brownies. Butter, which tastes really good, tends to yield brownies that are less chewy.

What’s The Best Oil To Use in a Brownie Recipe?

Okay, we may be a little bit prejudice, but we prefer using unrefined coconut oil in baking recipes. It has a great mouth feel, which is important, but it also yields the best results.

We’ve used avocado and olive oil before, and they work okay, but there’s no denying that the extra rich flavor of coconut oil wins out. (But don’t worry, the brownies don’t actually taste like coconut…they taste like chocolate!)

Our Brownie Recipe Uses Both Melted Chocolate and Cacao

Cacao powder on its own has plenty of chocolate flavor. Depending on the quality of the cacao or cocoa used, the flavor can be more mild or very deep, almost coffee-like. That part is up to you! We tend to go with the less processed cacao powder vs. cocoa powder. Cocoa powder can definitely be used — cocoa yields a fantastic brownie, we just like going with the more unprocessed version, cacao.

Melted chocolate not only adds extra chocolate-y flavor, it also adds in a little extra fat that ups that chewiness factor. Yes, chocolate does contain sugar and we typically favor natural sweeteners over cane and beet sugars. (In this brownie recipe we use coconut sugar and maple syrup – more flavor and chewiness!) But we feel like the exception is worth it. 😉

One more thing…

You can get our Plant-Based Dessert Guide today! There’s 42 dessert recipes that skip the processed sweeteners and chemicals, and use plant-based, natural ingredients as an alternative. And the best part? Nobody will ever know the difference in flavor!

Click here to get the Plant-Based Dessert Guide!

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