Rich, fudgy and ultra moist vegan gluten free brownies. These super easy brownies are so good no one will guess they’re vegan or gluten-free!
So we made simple vegan brownies, then we made triple chocolate vegan chocolate brownies and vegan zucchini brownies and now here we go with some super fudgy deliciously chocolatey vegan gluten free brownies.
I had to do a gluten-free version because many of our readers are gluten-free and a couple of my family members are too, and any excuse for another batch of brownies also just works great with me.
Sometimes adapting recipes for gluten-free can be tricky, but in this case, not at all!
These brownies adapted so easily and perfectly for gluten-free it’s not even funny. Or it is. Whichever makes more sense to say there.
When I say no one will ever know they’re either vegan or gluten-free I am not trying to insult vegan or gluten-free food. I mean please. Have you met me? I’m a super fan of the vegan food.
What I mean, is that these are so good, they don’t need any qualifiers. Like you won’t hear ‘this is pretty good for a vegan brownie’ or ‘this is pretty good for a gluten free brownie’.
In fact you won’t hear anything cos everyone will have their mouths full, and then they will be helping themselves to another one.
How To Make Vegan Gluten Free Brownies
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Sift gluten-free all purpose flour and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl and add white granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and instant espresso powder and mix together.
- Prepare vegan buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring jug and then adding soy milk up to the 1 cup line.
- Add the vegan buttermilk, melted coconut oil and vanilla extract and mix into a thick batter (very thick!).
- Add a mix of vegan chocolate chunks and chocolate chips and mix them in.
- Prepare a square 9×9 inch baking dish by spraying with non stick spray and then lining it with parchment paper so that there is overhang on either side so that you can easily lift out the whole tray of brownies once baked.
- Transfer the brownie batter to the prepared baking dish and smooth it down.
- Bake for 40 minutes at 350°F.
- Let them cool for about 15 minutes in the pan and then lift them out with the parchment paper overhang.
How To Cut Your Brownies
The easy way to cut perfect neat slices is to heat up your knife. Dip the knife in super hot water and then dry it off with a paper towel and then cut. Repeat this process every time you cut and you’ll have perfect neat squares.
The hot knife also melts the chocolate as you cut, so it’s even more perfect!
How To Tell When Your Brownies Are Done
The toothpick test can be a little tricky because you have chocolate chips and chunks inside these brownies creating little pockets of melted chocolate everywhere.
But the top of the brownies should be entirely dry, and look a little cracked (like our pics) and if you put the toothpick in you should come out with only melted chocolate, not wet batter. It also should feel soft but firm. It should not be wet or super jiggly.
Ingredient Notes
A gluten-free all purpose flour blend is crucial. You need to use a blend that is meant to replace regular all purpose flour in baking.
This recipe has not been tested with any single type of gluten-free flour like almond flour or coconut flour or rice flour, but my previous baking experiments lead me to believe that it would not work here.
White granulated sugar. The first time I made these brownies I used light brown sugar but I found that it weighed the brownies down a little. So I prefer white sugar, or a mix of white and light brown sugar, so that you get a texture that isn’t too heavy.
Instant espresso powder – brings out the chocolate flavors. It doesn’t make the brownies taste like coffee, so don’t worry about that. You can also use regular instant coffee powder. Or you can omit it altogether, this is an optional ingredient (but recommended).
Melted coconut oil – is great for this, because it creates a really thick batter, which is perfect for brownies. However, if you have a coconut allergy, you can use a different oil and it won’t be an issue.
Vegan buttermilk – should ideally be made with soy milk. You can use almond milk if you prefer, but soy milk is more ideal as it creates a really great texture.
A mix of chocolate chips and chocolate chunks is awesome here as you have two different kinds of chocolate and you really notice it in the best possible way.
Storing and Freezing
Keep them covered at room temperature where they will keep for 3-4 days. You can also keep them in the fridge if you want them to last a little longer.
They are also freezer friendly for up to 3 months!
More Vegan Gluten Free Desserts
- Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Gluten Free Carrot Cake
- Vegan Gluten Free Banana Bread
- Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
- Vegan Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes
- The Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Sauce
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Gluten Free Brownies
Ingredients
- 2 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (272g)
- 1 cup Cocoa Powder (84g) Unsweetened
- 2 cups White Granulated Sugar (400g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Instant Espresso Powder Optional
- 1 cup Vegan Buttermilk (240ml) 1 Tablespoon lemon juice + soy milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line
- 1 cup Coconut Oil (240ml) Melted
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ cup Vegan Chocolate Chips (88g)
- ½ cup Vegan Chocolate Chunks (88g) chopped up vegan chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Prepare a 9×9 inch square baking dish by spraying with non stick spray and lining with parchment paper so that there is overhang on either side.
- Sift gluten free all purpose flour and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, baking powder, salt and instant espresso powder and mix together.
- Prepare your vegan buttermilk by adding 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring jug and then adding soy milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line. Let it curdle.
- Add the vegan buttermilk, melted coconut oil and vanilla extract to the mixing bowl and mix into a thick batter.
- Then add the vegan chocolate chips and chunks and mix in.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared baking dish and smooth down.
- Bake for 40 minutes. I found 40 minutes to be perfect, they have plenty of fudginess in the texture but they’re not ultra gooey. See notes for how to know they are done.
- Let them cool for 15 minutes and then lift the whole tray of brownies out using the parchment paper overhang. Let the brownies cool completely before cutting. If they're still warm when you cut them, they're harder to cut and more breakable.
- To cut the brownies, heat up a knife by dipping it in some very hot water (from the kettle) and then drying it off with a towel and cutting. After each cut, dip the knife in the hot water and dry it off again, and repeat. This allows you to cut perfect squares and also melts the chocolate along the edges as you cut the squares.
Notes
- Gluten Free Flour. This must be a blend that is meant to replace regular flour in baking. For the most accurate results weigh it out on a food scale. I have tried this with different blends, so any gluten-free flour blend that is meant for baking should work great here.
- Instant espresso powder. This brings out the chocolate flavor. You can use any instant coffee powder or omit it if you prefer.
- Vegan buttermilk. You can also use almond milk to make vegan buttermilk, however I prefer soy milk for this as it creates a thicker buttermilk, but if you can’t use soy, almond milk will work fine.
- Vegan chocolate chunks is just regular vegan chocolate that is chopped into chunks. You can use all chocolate chips in this recipe or all chocolate chunks if you like, but using a mix of the two is most delicious in my view.
- You will know the brownies are done when the top is completely dry and looks a little cracked and if you put a toothpick in you should come out with only melted chocolate, no wet batter. It also should feel soft but firm. It should not be wet or super jiggly.
I made these for colleagues. They were so delicious and fudgy as the recipe said. They were cut into small pieces and sampled by around 15 people all of whom loved them.
Wonderful! Thanks for the great review Helen!
Is it possible to just use normal flour instead of gluten free? I’m just needing to make dairy free brownies not gluten free, thanks
Yes it is! Or just use the search bar to search ‘brownies’ as we have quite a few awesome recipes!
Want to try this but can I use sunflower oil in place of coconut? Thanks!
Yes you can.
Thanks for quick response. I have another question….why granulated sugar not caster and does it make a difference?! Thanks!
I haven’t tested caster sugar but I don’t think it would make a difference so you can use it if you prefer.
I followed the recipe exactly and my brownies look like an oil slick… didn’t over-mix, didn’t add too much or too little of anything. I’ve made lots of brownies before and this has never happened. I think the amount of coconut oil called for may be too much.
Hi Hunter, sorry to hear that! As you can see from our pics, ours did not come out like that. If they are otherwise good I would put them in the fridge for a couple of hours, as that should sort it out.
Hi, I’m wondering if you could use GF self-raising flour and omit the baking powder?
Hi Caitlin, yes I think that would work!
Hi love the look of this recipe! I need to make vegan gluten free brownies for someone’s wedding but will be baking in a brownie tray (makes individual 6 x 5 cm brownies if that makes sense) How long do you think they should bake for as it’s not in a one tray although I think probably the depth is about the same? Thanks
Honestly I’m not sure, but if the depth is around the same then bake time should be the same.