Fudgy vegan brownies
Fudgy vegan brownies
Brownies have always been one of my favourite sweet treats. Today, after quite a few rounds of testing (which wasn’t all that bad), I bring you a tray of perfect fudgy vegan brownies.
They are crispy on the inside and fudgy on the inside, the way every good brownie should be. They are intensely chocolatey, come together quickly and due to their small size, bake so quickly that you’ll have plenty of time to make yourself a cup of coffee before they are out of the oven.
The key to the fudgy interior is taking them out of the oven just in time. They may look underdone as the tops harden and crisp up as the brownies cool down, but trust me – they are not. They are heavenly!
They certainly got a huge thumbs up from my fiancé. I made a whole tray for the photoshoot. I had the best intention of sharing them with my neighbours, but this plan has somehow fallen by the wayside. We both ate them all and I won’t tell you how many (or how few rather) days it took us cos I’m ashamed…
When it came to the last brownie, I caught Duncan making eyes at it and said that there is NO WAY I’m giving up my half. He said that he is going to get it by surprise attacking me…that boy is a charmer, eh? 😉
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp flax / chia meal OR 3 tbsp reduced aquafaba*
- 220 g / 1 ¾ cup white plain cake (as opposed to bread) flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 6 tbsp / 3/8 cup raw cocoa powder
- 110 g dark chocolate (I used 70% cocoa)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 60 ml / ¼ cup espresso + 75 ml / 5 tbsp boiling water
- 200 g / 1 cup caster sugar
- 80 ml / ¼ cup + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp mild olive oil
- 30 g pistachios, chopped (optional)
METHOD
- If using flax or chia, prepare them by mixing 2 tbsp of ground seeds with 3 tbsp / 45 ml of water. Put aside in the fridge to allow it to thicken.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180° C / 350° F. Line a standard 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake liners or line the bottoms with circles of baking paper and insert a strip of baking paper into each hole to be able to take them out easily. Oil the sides of each muffin hole. Do not rely just on greasing the tin with olive oil alone as in my experience hardened tops are likely to come off when trying to remove brownies after baking (see the photo I put on my Instagram – @lazycatkitchen).
- Weigh your flour, add baking soda and mix the two together, sift. Set aside.
- Chop your chocolate very finely. Put it into a big mixing bowl, with cocoa powder and salt. Stir well.
- Boil a kettle of water and make an espresso. Make sure you time it so that they are both ready (and hot) at the same time. Pour 75 ml / 5 tbsp of boiling water and 60 ml / ¼ cup of hot espresso into the bowl with chocolate. Stir it well until chocolate dissolves into hot liquid. Do not add any more liquid.
- Add in sugar, flax / chia egg (by this time it should turn all sticky) or cooled aquafaba and olive oil. Using a hand mixer, blend the mixture until it’s smooth.
- It’s time to add flour and the baking soda mixture. Add a little at a time and stir it into the chocolate mixture with a spoon. Do not be tempted to use an electric mixer as it will overwork the batter and spoil the brownies. Stir gently and just enough until there are no flour pockets any more, but no more than that.
- Spoon the batter (it will be quite thick) into the muffin tin. Smooth it with a spatula and sprinkle chopped pistachios on top. Bake on middle shelf for about 11-12 minutes. Remember the brownies will continue to cook for a little while longer once removed from the oven and the tops will harden as they cool. The top should be nice and crispy, but the inside gooey. Remove them from the oven and let them sit in the tray until they are cool enough to remove. If you try to remove them too quickly, they may fall apart.
NOTES
This recipe is an adaption of my earlier recipe for vegan brownies.
*Aquafaba (AF) or bean brine is leftover cooking water from cooking most legumes. I use chickpea water and have not tried using any other type yet. You can get it from a can of low sodium chickpeas or make your own. In this recipe, I used homemade aquafaba. When making your aquafaba, soak dry chickpeas in lots of water overnight, rinse and put in a large pot with lots of water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for about 1 hour (until beans are soft). Remove cooked chickpeas with a slotted spoon and what’s left in your pot is aquafaba. If it is too runny (ideally it should resemble egg whites), reduce it a bit by simmering it on a low heat (without a lid) until it reaches the consistency similar to an egg white. Cool it down before using.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
245
12%
sugars
20 g
22%
fats
10 g
14%
saturates
3 g
16%
proteins
3 g
6%
carbs
37 g
14%
*per brownie
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
REVIEW or ASK a question
4.9
18 reviews, 73 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
REPLY
28 Sep 2020
Yes! Thank you! I can't wait to try it! :)
REPLY
28 Sep 2020
My pleasure, I hope you'll enjoy them. Ania
REPLY
28 Sep 2020
Hi Ania,
Thank you for this recipe. I'm confused about the liquids. I thought that it was a total of 135 ml of liquid ("Pour 75 ml / 5 tbsp of boiling water and 60 ml / ¼ cup of hot espresso"). But in your comments to Jaycie, you said 75ml total. Would you please clarify as I would like to make sure to do the right thing! Thank you so much and have a great day!
REPLY
28 Sep 2020
Hi Ziggy,The recipe is correct, the total amount of liquid needed is 135 ml / ½ cup + 1 tbsp (it could be all hot water or a combination of hot water and espresso to reinforce the chocolate flavour). I was explaining to Jaycie about the coffee part, I wasn't talking about all the liquids the recipe calls for. Having said that you are right and I did make a mistake in my reply to her, I was meant to say 4 tbsp (60 ml) not 5 tbsp (75 ml) although luckily 1 tbsp is not likely to make much of a difference. Hope this helps! Ania
REPLY
28 Aug 2020
Hi! Love your recipes <3I don't normally drink coffee but have some instant in the house at the moment. How much should I use (e.g. how many tablespoons to how much water) to make an espresso?
And then I imagine I add five tablespoons of hot water on top of that? Or is it a quarter cup of ground coffee and then add five tablespoons of boiling water?Apologies for my coffee ignorance :)
REPLY
28 Aug 2020
Thanks for your kind words, Jaycie. You need 60 ml (4 tbsp) of liquid, it could be coffee or it could be more hot water. I must admit that I am a complete and utter coffee snob so I don't really drink instant unless I'm camping ( ;) ) so not really sure how much to use. I would say 1 tbsp perhaps? Sorry I could not be of any more help! Ania
REPLY
25 Jul 2020
It's so delicious! I baked it as a cake and it came out a bit too dry because I kept it in the oven too long.
But it's so delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
REPLY
26 Jul 2020
My pleasure, Sophie. I am glad to hear that you enjoyed them and don't worry it's so easy to overbake brownies - even a minute makes a difference - when you do a new recipe for the first time in your oven. Hope they come out on point next time! x Ania
REPLY
18 Jun 2020
Hello, i made these for the first time and they are delicious! Do you have an idea of the calorie count?
REPLY
18 Jun 2020
Hi Laura,That's lovely to hear that you enjoyed these so much. I don't do calories, I'm afraid, but there are lots of apps online (like this one) that should be helpful in this regard. Ania
REPLY
21 May 2020
Made these yesterday with GF flour and topped with chopped almonds. Left them in the oven for a little longer than the recipe suggests as they were more undercooked instead of fudgy. Mine don't hold their shape that well once out of the cupcake liner but I didn't really notice as I was too busy stuffing them into my mouth! If you've got a chocolate craving these are delicious and really hit the spot!
REPLY
21 May 2020
Great to hear, thanks for letting me know! Ania
REPLY
4 Apr 2020
Ania have you tried monk fruit sugar sugar in these along with gf flour? Thanks
REPLY
4 Apr 2020
Hi,No, I haven't, I'm afraid. Good luck! x Ania
REPLY
24 Mar 2020
I made these with GF flour mix and brazil nuts and they are SO GOOD. The best GF and vegan cake I've had in a long time and certainly the best I've made. I needed that today.
REPLY
24 Mar 2020
I'm delighted to hear that, Gloria and thank you for taking the time to let me know that you enjoyed my recipe so much. Brazil nuts sound amazing, I wish I could get them here easily. Stay well and thank you for trusting my recipe. x Ania
REPLY
27 Oct 2019
I tried many vegan brownie recipes before, but they weren't good. My non-vegan family got convinced that you can't make good vegan brownies. But these brownies are proving them wrong. Absolutely delicious and really easy to make!
REPLY
27 Oct 2019
That's great to hear, thanks Chris! And thank you so much for taking the time to review and rate the recipe – much appreciated. Ania
REPLY
26 Mar 2019
Can I substitute castor sugar for granulated sugar? And is it possible to do without the electric mixer?
REPLY
26 Mar 2019
Hi Ali,I would say 'yes' to sugar, but unsure if it will work without the mixer as I have not tried, it may be hard work as the mixture is quite dense. Ania
REPLY
25 Nov 2018
Hi ! I’ve had a lot of disappointments with vegan baking lately so tried these without too many expectations, and they are amazing ! So tasty and thé texture is insane ! Thanks for thé recipe.
Lucie (all the way from France :) xx
REPLY
26 Nov 2018
Great stuff, I am delighted to hear that, Lucie! Ania
REPLY
28 Oct 2018
I made a tray of these delicious brownies today and I am pleased to say that were scrumptious. Ohhh such a tasty 😋 chocolate delight! Very addictive recipe.
REPLY
28 Oct 2018
Aw, thanks so much, Nicoleta! That's so lovely to hear!! x Ania
REPLY
2 Sep 2018
These look amazing! Bought everything i need apart from olibe oil lol. Do yiu know if regular frying oil will be ok? Thanks!
REPLY
3 Sep 2018
Hi Jana,Sure it will, just make sure the oil you are about to use does not have an overpowering taste as it may be detectable in the final product otherwise. Ania
REPLY
31 Jul 2018
These did not work for me :( I followed the recipe but they just came out really thick and tasted like salt? I don't know what could have gone wrong.
REPLY
2 Aug 2018
Hi Philippa,I'm so sorry to hear that they did not come out right for you. As for the salt taste, is it possible that it wasn't mixed in enough - I mean the recipe calls for only ¼ tsp and with chocolate and cacao that's never going to be a prominent flavour, it's only just used to intensify the taste of chocolate. Another thing is that with baking it is extremely important to use scales rather than cups for dry ingredients as using cups is an inherently imprecise way to measure anything other than liquid - could that be to blame for the texture being off? You don't go into details so it may not be applicable here, but that's all I can think of based on the information provided. Ania
REPLY
16 Jul 2018
Hi Ania,Thank you very much for including the non-American measurements, I cannot tell how much time I have always spent calculating Fahrenheits to Celsius ! Not to mention the "cups" measurement that makes me nuts :D
Most of my favourite vegan recipes are from the US so I have to recalculate a lot of things for my European mind :D
Thank you for being so thoughtful about followers from the rest of the world ;)Cheers,
Szasza from Hungary :)
REPLY
16 Jul 2018
Thanks Szabina! You are very welcome, being a European myself, I know exactly how you feel. I'm glad my recipes are helpful to you :) Ania
REPLY
29 Jun 2018
So i made this with my 3yo... but I was totally distracted and didnt read the recipe properly. Realised after I started that I didnt have any chocolate!!! so I just added extra cocoa, extra coffee, I doubled the aquafaba and added a splash of milk to make the batter less dry... and SOMEHOW it worked out awesomely!!!
Excited to try the "real" recipe soon !
REPLY
29 Jun 2018
Ha ha, that's brilliant! Glad to hear it all worked out okay anyway! Who knows, you might have even improved on the original - my best discoveries happen by mistake ;) Ania
REPLY
2 May 2018
Any ideas as to what I could use to replace the coffee? I have an 8 year old son who really doesn't need the caffeine lol.
REPLY
2 May 2018
Hi Lizzie,Sure, coffee is only there to reinforce chocolate flavour so feel free to replace with just hot water to melt the chocolate. Hope that helps! Ania
REPLY
21 Apr 2018
I just made these and I’m so disappointed, they’re not fudgy at all, just like quite dense cake. They still taste great but I was so excited for the elusive fudgy brownie! I baked them for 11 mins - I think next time I’ll try 9.Could you maybe explain what they should be like when they’re ready to come out? Like, springy top/still wobbly/whatever it is! I’ve been dairy and egg free all my life so I’ve NEVER made a truly successful brownie, so I don’t really know what to look for to tell that they’re ready! Thank you!
REPLY
21 Apr 2018
I'm sorry to hear that these didn't meet your expectations. From what you describe it feels like they might have been overbaked - either your oven bakes hot in comparison to mine or they need to be taken out a touch earlier, like you said. It's really had to determine when these are done (apart from looking at crisped up tops) as in contrast to regular cakes, sticking a toothpick in offers no help (as they are meant to be wet) so you won't know until they've cooled down and you've tasted one. It's just about arriving at correct cooking time for your particular oven as every oven is different, unfortunately. They should be dense inside (like my cross section photo shows), but they shouldn't be like a dense cake, more like slightly undercooked, fudgy cake batter. This (coupled up with crispy tops) is my definition of good brownies, but if you are expecting a different outcome than maybe you are better off trying a different recipe. Ania
REPLY
6 Apr 2018
I used only half a cup of sugar and next time I will bake it for 9-10 mins. They were still good. thanks.
REPLY
10 Apr 2018
That's great to hear! Ania
REPLY
3 Apr 2018
Ok. I just saw it... The sugar part was ommited by my brain... About the oil, for some reason I thought that the "egss" were either "chia eggs" or "aquafaba with oir"... so I didn't quite get it... I'm sorry and thanks... I'm really new to this...
REPLY
3 Apr 2018
Not at all, Cris! It will get easier, I promise! And also, it is possible to make good vegan brownies so please do not give up on this project ;) Ania
REPLY
2 Apr 2018
Hi there! I just made these brownies, and they did turn out to have a nice flavor, but I'm not sure they're at their best.... You never say when the oil and sugar should go into the mixture, so I ended up putting them in when I noticed and the best way I could... I actually had to add more water because my mixture turned out to be so thick that I couldn't even mix it up correctly...
REPLY
2 Apr 2018
Hi Cris,I'm sorry to hear you are not completely happy with these, but the instructions do state when to add oil and sugar (Method, Step 6) so I'm not sure where the confusion came from. And the mixture for these is meant to be thick (I mention that in the instructions also) so you shouldn't be worried about that. I suspect the outcome might have been affected by the order in which the ingredients were added. Ania
REPLY
31 Mar 2018
Early this morning... The babies were asleep, husband and dog asleep, and I couldn't shake the chocolatey pictures out of my head.
Chopped the chocolate, was afraid husband or at least my dojjo would wake up due to the noise. Ate the last little bit of chocolate instead of chopping, just to be safe. But no. Not a peep out of anyone. All fast asleep.
These brownies were SO easy to make and taste delicious! I was going to make your chocolate cookies at first, but the fudgy brownies reeled me right in. So glad they did :) The house smells fantastic.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe 💕😊
REPLY
31 Mar 2018
Aw, thank you for your super kind words! I'm delighted to hear that the brownies brought you so much joy! x Ania
REPLY
30 Mar 2018
Hi, do you think I could substitute some of the sugar for pureed dates?
REPLY
30 Mar 2018
Hi Pia,Sure you can, but it will certainly affect the texture of these puppies. It's the sugar that gives baked goods (and brownies in particular) crispy exterior crust. Hope that helps! Ania
REPLY
18 Mar 2018
Hello I have a dinner party and would like to prep these then bake them not too long before serving (ideally they would still be a little warm) if I put batter in the fridge for few hours (thinking 4) would it still work?
REPLY
18 Mar 2018
Hi Audrey!I haven't tried doing that, but it should work. Not sure if putting the batter in the fridge is a good idea, perhaps it will be better off in a cooler spot in your house, at room temperature. Ania
REPLY
17 Dec 2017
Fab! Had to make these as soon as I saw them. Put them in slightly too small cases (‘cos i’m Lazy!), but I like a bulging top 😉. I cooked them for a couple of minutes longer, as I felt they were too squidgy still. Turned out great. Thanks Lazycatkitchen! Bonus - I made too much espresso, so topped the rest with warm almond milk and enjoyed that while they cooked 😃
REPLY
17 Dec 2017
That's great to hear, Inga! I'm glad they came out well. Ania
REPLY
29 Sep 2017
Thank you for the recipe! I made these for charity coffee morning and they went down very well!
Only comment I can make - they should be eaten same day because they were very nice and had a crispy top just after cooling down but overnight they lost the crispness. That didn't affect the taste though.
Tagged you in Istagram. :)
REPLY
29 Sep 2017
Thanks Ieva, i'm glad you and your guests enjoyed them! Yes, you are right - like most baked goods, they do taste best on the day they've been made. I have not seen anything on Instagram from you, I don't think, but I will double-check! :) Ania
REPLY
4 Sep 2017
Hi Ania!My SIL is vegan and I want to make these brownies for her.
I have a Nespresso machine, how many ml of fresh Nespresso do I need?Thank you!
REPLY
4 Sep 2017
Hi Martha! A standard espresso shot is 30 ml (or about one ounce), so you'll need two!
REPLY
27 Jun 2017
Cześć!
Wczoraj około północy odkryłam Twój blog i chyba znalazłam się w wegańskim niebie!!!Od kilku dni chodzi za mną chętka na coś słodkiego ale i zdrowego no i proszę! Spadłaś mi z nieboa!Dziękuję za ten cudny przepis. Zaraz lecę do sklepu bo brakujące składniki i do dzieła! ;)Pozdrawiam,
Justyna :)
REPLY
27 Jun 2017
Cześć Justyno, dzięki za miłe słowa i mam nadzieję, że brownie się ładnie sprawiło :) Ania
REPLY
31 May 2017
Hi,
Can i use regular flour ?
What exacly the flour to use fir this recipies ?
Thank you.
REPLY
31 May 2017
Hi Annie,As you can see in the ingredients list I used white cake flour - a flour that you would typically use to bake a cake (as opposed to bread). While all purpose flour will work too if that's what you mean by 'regular flour'. Hope that helps. Ania
REPLY
6 May 2017
Hello! Can I use a 20 cm square baking pan instead of a muffin tin? Will the baking time change?
REPLY
6 May 2017
Hi Mia,Yes, you can and yes, it will. I reckon about 19-21 minutes, depending how you like your brownies. Hope that helps! Ania
REPLY
27 Apr 2017
Just made these! They are delicious. Thanks for sharing :)
REPLY
27 Apr 2017
Thanks so much, Natalie! So chuffed to hear that! :) Ania
REPLY
24 Apr 2017
Good day to you!
I would love to try your recipe but I do not drink/use coffee.
Would I be able to replace the expresso by water or almond milk for example?Thank you very much in advance,
Hélène
REPLY
24 Apr 2017
Hi Hélène,Sure, you can! Hot liquid is what is needed to melt the chocolate so either hot water or hot almond milk. Hope that helps! Ania
REPLY
28 Apr 2017
Thank you! I'm trying them tomorrow :)
REPLY
28 Apr 2017
Brilliant, hope they will hit the spot! :) Ania
REPLY
13 Apr 2017
Hi! i was wondering if i could make them in a cupcake pan? Because i don't own a muffin one (:
REPLY
13 Apr 2017
Hi Paola,I think so as long the holes are the same size then that's no problem - if they are smaller (or bigger), you will simply need to adjust the baking time a little in order not to overbake. Hope that helps! Ania
REPLY
9 Mar 2017
Could I use agave nectar instead of sugar do you think? I am also confused by the amount of oil you say needs to be added? Thanks! They look yummy, can't wait to make them :)
REPLY
9 Mar 2017
Hello,I don't think that liquid sweetener will render the same result, I'm afraid, although I haven't tried using it so I may be wrong. You need to use 80 ml of oil in these, which doesn't translate very easily to cup measurement hence a strange looking cup equivalent. Hope that helps! Ania
REPLY
13 Feb 2017
Hello, can i make them with glutem free flour? Thank you!
REPLY
13 Feb 2017
Hi Floriana,I haven't tried making them gluten-free but it's worth a shot. I would suggest using a GF flour mix, rather than one flour, which usually contains some starches and often xanthan gum. I use a mixture of buckwheat flour (approx. 55 %), rice flour (30%) and cornstarch (15%) usually. Good luck and please let me know how they turned out! Ania
REPLY
13 Dec 2016
Hi, do you know if these are freezable? I really want to make them....but try not to eat them all at once!!
REPLY
13 Dec 2016
Hi Mel,I'll be honest, I have not tried but I don't see why not. You can also always make 1/2 or even 1/4 of the portion :)
REPLY
23 Nov 2016
How long will the flax/chia take to thicken?
REPLY
23 Nov 2016
Hi Florence,Not very long, about 10-15 minutes. Sticking them into the fridge helps too.
REPLY
15 Nov 2016
I made these yesterday and - OH MY GOD- ....they were perfect!! Crispy and gooey at the same time, I had to stop myself from eating the whole tray :'D
My oven underheats a bit so I baked them for an extra 5 minutes on 190°CThank you so much for the recipe I will definitely make them again very soon :)
REPLY
15 Nov 2016
You made my day, Ari! Thanks so much for leaving such a lovely comment! :) Ania
REPLY
13 Sep 2016
Just made this for my flatmates and we all loved it - thank you!
REPLY
13 Sep 2016
Yay! So pleased to hear that!! :)
REPLY
26 Aug 2016
i don't have vegan chocolate... do you think i ca without it? maybe add more cacao?
REPLY
27 Aug 2016
Hi Julia,Unfortunately, cacao powder and chocolate behave quite differently in recipes so I don't feel confident that swapping chocolate for more cacao will work without other changes to the recipe, I'm afraid. BTW, I didn't use any specialised vegan chocolate - most dark chocolates are naturally vegan without calling themselves such - worth taking a look at the ingredient list!Ania
REPLY
29 Aug 2016
thanks! i will try
its a bit harder to find here chocolate bars that dont contain milk and the ones that dont are usually more expensive :/
REPLY
9 Jun 2016
These look like the best brownies ever! Can I use margarine or sunflower oil instead of olive oil?
REPLY
9 Jun 2016
Hi Ness,Thank you so much! I'm not sure about margarine but sunflower (or coconut or any other really) oil should be fine, absolutely! Let me know how you got on!Ania
REPLY
4 Jun 2016
Hi Ania, I've just tried my first vegan bake in the form of your brownies. They look good and taste fantastic! I'm so pleased. They'll definitely be on my new favourite list of "to do" when I next have a party!
Have pinned a couple of your recipes. Keep them coming! Hela
REPLY
5 Jun 2016
Yay! I'm so pleased to hear that, Hela! :) There will be more desserts, rest assured ;) x
REPLY
9 May 2016
So it has the crispy/chewy crust AND the fudgy center? Move over Nigella, I believe this is the answer to her oey-goey brownies (the ones with 1/2 kg of sugar and 1/2 dozen eggs aye?). I shall try it with my 90% Lindt bars just as soon as the ginger slice has been gobbled up.
REPLY
9 May 2016
Ha ha, yes it does!! Jealous of your 90% Lindt bars - cannot get them here:( Hope you'll like these as much as I do :)
REPLY
6 May 2016
This looks delicious! Will regular white flour work for this recipe?
REPLY
6 May 2016
Hi Emily! Yes, I'm pretty sure it will - as long as it isn't a bread flour - it should work fine. Let me know how you got on if you get a chance to make them. :)
DON'T MISS A SINGLE RECIPE
Join our mailing list and we we will let you know when we publish a new recipe. You'll receive our DELIGHTFUL DESSERTS E‑BOOK as a thank you for supporting us.
