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Vegan Brownies = Delicious?

I've been vegan for about close to 5 months now and one of my favorite desserts to indulge in and make from time to time was brownies.

I especially enjoy the gooey, fudgy brownies over the light, cake-like kind. Or at least something in between the two textures..

I realize that egg yolks (along with lots of sugar) and butter are some of the key ingredients to creating that nice, moist, rich texture. But vegan brownies would have to forgo those dairy and egg ingredients.

Has anyone had any really good fudgy vegan brownies that taste just as good or, dare I say, even better than traditional fudgy brownies? Is it possible?

If so, any recipes to share as well as experiences trying out different types of vegan style brownies? Really curious to hear about comparisons.

I want to try my hand at making some vegan brownies soon as I've been having a strong craving for this old favorite lately, but have been bummed that I might not enjoy brownies without the eggs and butter. Some people have told me to look into Earth Balance, that it is very similar to the taste and function of butter.

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  1. Vegan brownies certainly can be delicious.

    But just understand that vegan brownies will inevitably taste different from traditional brownies (e.g. with eggs, butter, etc.).

    Any combination of coconut (and/or vegetable oil) and applesauce, and pastry flour will simply not replicate the traditional texture and flavors of a typical brownie. And I don't care what the author of a vegan brownie recipe says, it's just not the same.

    Can it be delicious? Absolutely.

    Will it be delicious in the same way as a traditional brownie? Nope.

    Oh, and one other thing. When making any vegan brownie, you MUST let it cool all the way before consuming. Otherwise, it will break apart on you.

    Good luck.

      1. It seems that people always try to make vegan desserts healthy and thats the problem, they are dessert make them yummy and just eat them in moderation. I have a friend who is vegan I made a cake and did swap outs only for what I needed to. I did not lower the sugar or use strange components and it came out great. I would try using soy butter, egg replacer and really good chocolate. Good Luck !

        1 Reply
        1. re: juli5122

          Why not try to make them healthy if you can? Granted, it's more of a challenge to make them healthy AND delicious, but that's why I love baking..


        2. This one from post punk kitchen is really gooey and fudgy. I used to make it all the time and non-vegans loved it, too.


          5 Replies
          1. re: chowser

            Chowser, recipe does not give a pan size but I see it serves 12...so 9 " square pan is the size to use? Thanks.

            1. re: Val

              It's for a 13x9 pan. I never noticed the serving size--those would be big pieces. The recipe used to be on the ppk site but I was surprised to see it's no longer there. And, to see how much the site has changed.

              1. re: chowser

                re: the disappearing recipes, i suspect that once Veganomicon & Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World started selling like [vegan] hotcakes, Isa & Terry thought better of leaving all the content out there for anyone with an internet connection to access for free.

            2. re: chowser

              reading ingredients tofu is in there.
              I once made a tofu chocolate cake from a friend who's husband was a vegan chef, she swore by it

              1. re: iL Divo

                Cooking down the tofu made for a nice texture. It's time consuming but worth it. PPK is a good site for anyone who wants to learn to cook vegan (not that I am but I have some friends who are).

            3. I recently came across chow's single serving microwave brownie and after making it once, I looked back at the recipe and realized that it's vegan. Obviously not a whole batch of brownies, but if it's just for you, it's probably a great solution.