An easy recipe that produces THE BEST gluten-free, vegan, allergy-friendly brownies I’ve ever had. Crisp edges and ultra fudgy, rich brownies on the inside. After searching and trying numerous recipes for three years, let me save you the same struggle. Just make these. These are free of: gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nuts. This is also top-8-free!
Brownies are one of my all-time favorite desserts. I feel like there is no wrong way to eat one. I’ll eat it straight out of the pan–either going totally primal and grabbing a chunk with my fingers, or being more civilized and using a fork or knife to tear at a fresh piece. I’ll have it with frosting on it. I’ll have it with ice cream on top. Plain, frosted, dripping in melted ice cream–I’ll love them all.
Which is why I have been in MOURNING for the past few years. I have tried recipe after recipe with no luck. I could find gluten-free brownies I liked, but take out those eggs and the gooey, fudgy center just wasn’t there. I’ve tried box mixes, I’ve tried technical recipes (like melting good quality chocolates first). I’ve tried every kind of egg replacer: applesauce, prunes, Ener-G egg replacer, and things that felt like science experiments where you had to add baking soda and vinegar to make some kind of concoction.
Some were OK. But most either had an odd after taste (because of the applesauce or prunes) or else they were too cake-y. Allergy-friendly brownies were proving to be quite the challenge!
I’m not kidding you when I saw I’ve been on the prowl for a GOOD gluten-free vegan brownie my son could have (and that I’d want to actually eat with him) for three years.
One of the biggest game changers was using flax eggs. I was a bit against these because 1.) my son couldn’t do seeds for quite awhile, so this wasn’t even an option. 2.) I was worried it’d seem like a strange/hard to find ingredient–which I try to stray away from. I want my recipes to be easy and the ingredients not cost an arm and a leg, or make you live by a fancy specialty-foods store. However, I’ve recently found ground flax seeds at several locations, and since trying it in quite a few recipes–I am a HUGE fan. For baked goods, I find it helps them not dry out and keeps them nice and moist.
I’ve tried making this recipe in half, and it works and tastes great, but the brownies aren’t very thick. The ones pictured are the recipe below, but if you want less, or don’t have enough ingredients, feel free to half it–as it halves beautifully!
Also, I’m normally a Kitchenaid addict. I love any excuse to pull it out, and rarely bake without it. But, this recipe is so simple, you really only need a bowl, whisk and a spoon. So, feel free to use the good ol’ arm muscles and just use a bowl instead of having to get out your mixer. It makes me feel a little better to hand mix it–hoping that the exertion it takes to stir it will somehow make up for the million calories I’m about to indulge in.
Be sure to have some safe milk when you have these, as they are stick-to-your-teeth fudgy and you’ll want some milk to wash this chocolaty goodness down.
I seriously am so happy I could do a jig. It’s a dream come true to enjoy a brownie with my son. I hope this will help you make delicious, chocolate memories with your loved ones too. Serve it to anyone and they won’t realize that they’re gluten-free, vegan and allergy-friendly brownies.
And if the only thing you need to avoid is gluten, check out these gluten free brownies from my friend Erin over at Meaningful Eats.
All is right in the world again–brownies are back in my life!
The BEST Gluten-free Vegan Brownies (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top-8-free)
A one bowl, easy recipe that produces THE BEST gluten-free vegan brownies I've ever had. Crisp edges and ultra fudgy, rich brownies on the inside. After searching and trying numerous recipes for three years, let me save you the same struggle. Just make these. These are free of: gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nuts. This is also top-8-free!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups gluten free flour
- 1 and 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp xanthan gum (omit if your gluten free flour has this in it)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 4 flax eggs (4 Tablespoons of ground flax mixed with 10 Tablespoons of warm water)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Grease a square 8x8 pan. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, combine the flax eggs and warm water. Allow this to sit for a few minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, xanthan and salt. Whisk until the cocoa is broken up and incorporated completely.
Pour in the wet ingredients: melted coconut oil, flax egg mixture and vanilla extract.
Stir until everything is mixed well. The dough will be thick and doughy. Use greased, or wet hands, to press into the greased pan.
Bake 25-30 minutes, until the edges and top are crisp. (Granted, I know many people have different degrees of done-ness they like of their brownies. As evidenced in my pictures, I prefer a little gooey.)
Cool, and then cut into squares. Keep leftovers covered and at room temperature.
Adapted from my Brownie Sundae Cups
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Are you also a chocoholic? If so, here are some other vegan, gluten-free and allergy-friendly chocolate desserts you’ll want to explore:
Allergy-Friendly Homemade Oreos (Gluten, dairy, egg, peanut & tree nut free; top 8 free; vegan)
Kelli
I can’t wait to try these!!! Question- if my son doesn’t have a gluten allergy, would you recommend using regular flour and skipping the xanthan gum? Ir does using regular flour mess all of the other ingredients up? ? can’t thank you enough for all you do! I have a son with 5 of the top 8 allergies and I’m not a natural at cooking/baking so your recipes are SO helpful to me!!! Thank YOU!
Megan Lavin
Hi Kelli! Thanks for stopping by. Yes, all of my recipes can have regular flour swapped back in at the same amount. And yes, you’re correct–omit the xanthan gum if you’re doing so. Happy baking! 🙂
Alissa
Coconut oil is not nut free?
Megan Lavin
Confusing right? Here’s an explanation: “Although the Food and Drug Administration labels coconut as a tree nut, the vast majority of tree nut-allergic individuals also tolerate coconut without difficulty, since coconut is not truly a nut, but rather a fruit.” SOURCE: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology https://www.aaaai.org/tools-for-the-public/conditions-library/allergies/everything-you-need-to-know-about-tree-nut-allergy#:~:text=They%20also%20usually%20tolerate%20macadamia,nut%2C%20but%20rather%20a%20fruit.
Emily
Do you have to use xantham gum if using regular flour?
Megan Lavin
Nope. Xanthan gum is only needed with gluten free flour blends.
Cindy Cleaver
I am trying these for Sunday lunch. We have 6 grandchildren. 3 with food allergies. I can’t wait for them to try these!
Megan Lavin
What a thoughtful grandma! Happy baking.
Laura
These look amazing! My daughter is allergic to coconut. Do you think canola oil would work well as an alternative?
Megan Lavin
Hi Laura, and thanks! I haven’t tried it with canola oil, but would think it should probably work. If you try it, please report back for others with coconut allergies to hear from your experiences.
Eleanor Ling
Hi, thanks for the recipe. May I know how many eggs should i use to substitute the flax egg?
Megan Lavin
Hi Eleanor! Thanks for stopping by. I’d try four eggs.
Eleanor Ling
Thanks! I just tried it today and it tasted great!
Dana
My brownies turned out dry and more cake like. What did I do wrong?
Megan Lavin
Hi Dana. I’m not sure. There are a lot of things that can go wrong. Improperly measuring the flour, using different ingredients than called for, baking too long. I hope you’ll give them another try. Mine are always super fudgy. Even the dough before baking, is greasy and thick, not dry.
Darah
Mine turned out super dry too – like a very crumbly cookie dough before baking. I used coconut flour because I’m on a pretty restrictive elimination diet at the moment and it’s what I had on hand that I can actually eat. I’m certain the coconut flour is what caused mine to be so dry. Looking forward to trying this recipe again when I can use a flour better suited for baking 🙂
Megan Lavin
Hi. I would never recommend swapping a gluten free flour for another. They are all vastly different and absorb liquids differently. Coconut flour is notorious for being the most drying and needs lots of eggs to balance it out (which this recipe won’t have since it’s egg free). Another tip–make sure you spoon the flour into the measuring spoon and then level it off (when you have the right flour) to ensure you don’t overpack it and get too much which can also make it feel very drying. My batter can take some stirring to get the flour worked in, but then should be very fudgy when baked due to the coconut oil. I’m sorry you had a bad experience.
Hanako
Hi there, we have a coconut and flax allergy in our house, could you sub the oil and use applesauce rather than flax egg?
Megan Lavin
Hi Hanako. I’ve never tried it otherwise, but I would think those would work. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it goes.
D
Hello! I baked your oatmeal muffins twice now (a big hit both times in the household!), and decided I wanted a sweet treat to try. I am intrigued by this recipe, but currently don’t have flax eggs on hand. Do you think regular eggs would work? Thank you!
Megan Lavin
Hi! I’m so glad you liked the oatmeal muffins, yes, in all of my recipes if you can do eggs, you can sub them out 🙂
Sarah D
You did it 🙂 these are fantastic!!!!!! Your directions are spot on and they came out exactly as you described!!! Thank you ♡
Megan Lavin
Woohoo! Best compliment. Thank you. I’m so glad you enjoyed. If you have a second, please rate them by clicking on the stars in the recipe card.
Murissa Morgan
I used this recipe for my son who has an egg allergy. We used regular flour because he can have it. They turned out amazing and he really enjoyed having brownies that he cound eat.
Megan Lavin
I so appreciate you taking the time to add your comment here. It will help others who don’t need to be gluten free. I’m so glad your son enjoyed it 🙂
Jess
Thanks so much for this delicious recipe! I can’t have coconut so I used avocado oil instead. Just wondering, if you half the recipe do you half the baking time as well?
allergyawesomeness@gmail.com
I wouldn’t half the cooking time, but probably start checking it 5-10 mins earlier. It really depends on how gooey you like them. Just keep a close eye. Enjoy!
Amy Lee
Hi! Do you think it will keep well refrigerated since it says ‘keep at room temperature’?
Will the taste be off? I had some luck baking gf brownies but I can’t seem to find the one that will stay delicious in the fridge.
Thanks!
Megan Lavin
I think it’d be fine!
Sherry Shieh
Have you used arrowroot or tapioca flour?
allergyawesomeness@gmail.com
For what?
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish
These look AMAZING!!! I LOVE brownies so much, It looks like they have a wonderful texture. I wish I had one of these to go WITH breakfastt 😉
Alisa Fleming
Now that is a bold claim but those do look unbelievably fudgy – just the way I like them!
allergyawesomeness@gmail.com
Yes, brownies have to be fudgy or just throw them out 🙂
Chandice Probst
Those look so decadent!
allergyawesomeness@gmail.com
Thanks so much! You def need a glass of milk with ’em!
Amanda
I love using coconut oil in brownies! I think it really helps give you that fudgy texture!
allergyawesomeness@gmail.com
Agreed! That and flax eggs seems to really do the trick/mimic regular brownies! It’s the one-two punch!