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Perfect Vegan & Gluten Free Brownies! (9" x 9" pan)

This is the ultimate vegan and gluten free brownie recipe! You can make them chewy, fudgy, cakey, extra rich (or a combination of those), just by tweaking the basic recipe a bit!

Course Dessert, Snack
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 16 brownies
Calories 235 kcal
Author Deborah Mesdag

Ingredients

  • 255 g (2 c) Gluten Free Flour (made with The Plant Based Egg)
  • 110 g (1 1/4 c) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 7.5 g (1 1/2 tsp) Baking Powder
  • 112 g (1/2 c) Vegan Butter (I use Earth Balance)
  • 20 g (4 tsp) Vanilla Extract
  • 30 g (2 TBS) Unsweetened Applesauce
  • 200 g (1 c) Vegan Sugar
  • 220 g (1 c packed) Vegan Light Brown Sugar
  • 7.2 g (1 1/8 tsp) Salt
  • 150 g (5/8 c) Water
  • 0.8 g (1/2 tsp) Instant Coffee Granules
  • 120 g (1 c) Chopped Walnuts (optional)
  • 115 g (2/3 c) Vegan Chocolate Chips (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9″ x 9″ baking pan with parchment paper, being sure to leave a sufficient overhang to use to lift the brownies out of the pan later.

  2. Add the cocoa and baking powder to the flour and whisk them together. Set aside for now.

  3. Melt the vegan butter in a microwave-safe bowl, then add the vanilla and unsweetened applesauce. Mix together. Add the sugars and salt to the vegan butter mixture. Mix again.

  4. Heat the water to very hot, then stir in the instant coffee. Add the hot coffee to the sugar mixture. Stir until the sugar has mostly melted.

  5. Add one-third of the cocoa/flour mixture to the sugar mixture, then stir it in. Add half of the remaining cocoa/flour mixture and stir again. Add the rest of the cocoa/flour mixture and mix again!

  6. Add the chopped nuts and/or chocolate chips if you are using them. Stir to combine.

  7. Add the brownie batter to the parchment-lined pan and spread it out evenly. Wait five minutes before putting the pan in the oven.

  8. Bake at 350 degrees for 38 to 40 minutes (38 for fudgier and 40 for chewy or cakier brownies.) Place the pan on a rack to cool. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan.

  9. Once the brownies are cool, lift them out of the pan with the parchment paper. Peel back the paper, then cut your brownies into 16 squares.

  10. Store in a Ziploc bag for up to three days. The brownies freeze and defrost really well, though, so I recommend freezing any that won't be eaten within a day. Allow them to defrost at room temperature when you are ready to eat them.

Recipe Notes

  • See my post on 16 gluten free flour blends and choose the blend you want to use. They all work well in this recipe! (You can also use my premade GF flour blend once it is available to purchase.) Only use flour that is made with The Plant Based Egg in this recipe. 
  • If you are not gluten free and want to try this recipe with wheat flour, use the same amount of flour and add the equivalent of three eggs to the flour and baking powder mixture. This would be 14.4 g (2 level TBS) of The Plant Based Egg. Whisk it together with the other dry ingredients. That is the only adjustment you need to make. (The liquid amount in this recipe has already been increased, so do not add extra as The Plant Based Egg package directions say to do. Those directions are only for recipes that include eggs and you are replacing them and veganizing the recipe with The Plant Based Egg.)
  • Each brownie has 235 calories when made without nuts or chocolate chips, 270 calories when made with chocolate chips, 285 calories when made with walnuts, and 320 calories when made with both.
  • For slightly cakey brownies, follow the recipe as written and bake for 40 minutes.
  • For fudgy brownies, decrease the amount of flour to 225 g (1 3/4 c) and bake for 38 minutes.
  • For chewy brownies, decrease the vegan butter to 84 g (6 TBS) and add 28 g (2 TBS) canola oil to the melted butter. Bake for 40 minutes.
  • For richer brownies, decrease the unsweetened cocoa powder to 90 g (1 c), and add 22 g (1/4 c) Dutch cocoa.
  • You can combine these recipe variations and use two or all three of them to make brownies that are exactly the way you like them!
  • If you want to make a 9" x 13" pan of brownies, use the recipe below this one that has the correct ingredient amounts and cooking times for the larger pan.
  • For thinner brownies, you can double this recipe and bake it in a lined 12" x 18" half-sheet pan. Bake for about 35 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.