Vegan brownies for two (small batch) made with just almond butter, maple syrup, and cocoa powder. Crazy, right? Crazy good!
Why this Recipe Works
There is something about a good brownie. A brownie is supposed to be: dense, fudgy, and chewy, all at once. Nothing like cake. And for me, the corner pieces do it best, because the extra chew makes it linger in your mouth longer.
But what about vegan brownies? I've never loved those. That is until I made these with almond butter, maple syrup, and cocoa powder. It sounds ridiculous, and it sounds like it wouldn't work. But it does.
I based the recipe off of this one, and so I can tell you that while I used regular flour with gluten, you can absolutely sub your favorite gluten-free flour. Try oat flour or any brown rice flour that you might have leftover from my small-batch vegan chocolate chip cookies.
Vegan Brownies Ingredients
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ cup almond butter
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or GF brown rice flour)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 3-ounce vegan chocolate bar, chopped (or vegan chocolate chips)
How to Make Vegan Brownies
- Prep - Preheat the oven to 325, and line a 9x5" bread loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving extra on the ends so that you can easily lift out your brownies when they're done.
- Combine - In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa powder, almond butter, maple syrup, and coconut oil. Stir well, and then microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir to blend well. Add the flour, baking soda and salt, and stir for about 50 strokes to blend very well. (If you're using gluten-free flour, you don't have to stir this much. Just stir until well-mixed). Pour the mixture into the pan, and top with the chopped chocolate bar.
- Bake - Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool completely, and then chill in the fridge for best results.
Tips
- Use a standard bread loaf pan (how I always make small-batch brownies), and you can get 2 large or 4 small brownies from this recipe.
- Chop up a vegan chocolate bar to sprinkle on top. This is the critical step that makes them transcend past tasting slightly too much like almond butter. Don't forget the chocolate on top!
- Chill the brownies in the fridge when they are done. They cut the most evenly if they're well-chilled. You could dig in right away, though they will be slightly messy.
How to Store
- Room Temperature - Once you are done, you can store the brownies in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Refrigerator - Because we recommend you chill the brownies before you cut them up, it's not a bad idea to keep them in the refrigerator too.
- Freeze - If you want to freeze the brownies, do not cut them up. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then wrap again with foil. You can freeze up to 4 months. When you are ready to eat, thaw at room temperature before cutting into squares.
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Vegan Brownies (small batch)
Vegan brownies, small batch. Easily gluten free, too!
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ cup almond butter
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or GF brown rice flour)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 3-ounce vegan chocolate bar, chopped (or vegan chocolate chips)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325, and line a 9x5" bread loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving extra on the ends so that you can easily lift out your brownies when they're done.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa powder, almond butter, maple syrup and coconut oil. Stir well, and then microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds.
- Remove from the microwave and stir to blend well.
- Add the flour, baking soda and salt, and stir for about 50 strokes to blend very well. (If you're using gluten free flour, you don't have to stir this much. Just stir until well-mixed).
- Pour the mixture into the pan, and top with the chopped chocolate bar.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, let cool completely, and then chill in the fridge for best results. They cut the most evenly if they're well-chilled. You could dig in right away, though they will be slightly messy.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 311Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 109mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 4gSugar: 19gProtein: 7g
Genevieve says
I would be interested if someone has subbed something for the maple syrup. It’s a pricey natural sweetener!
sara says
Hi, could honey be subbed for maple syrup and another vegetable oil for coconut oil? Not vegan, I know, but easier to source. Thanks
Stacey says
I'll try this vegan brownie. Love everything vegan!
Andrea says
I made these yesterday and they were gone in no time! Easiest egg-free brownie recipe ever and SO good.
I used almond flour instead of regular flour. I also subbed peanut butter for almond butter. I thought they came out amazing!
PS- I do not have a microwave- I just sat the mixture in the pre-heating oven for a few minutes. It seemed to work fine.
jan says
The Internet is international - so many people using this site are living in the southern hemisphere where it is summer now and these recipes-tempting as they are- will have to wait until at least June to be doable.
Where I live it has been 42C (107F) for the last few days and there is no way I can turn on an oven. So I save your recipes into my PAPRIKA application and pray for autumn weather (still a long way off).
I love your recipes and can hardly wait to try them- but it is a very LONG wait.
Any chance of doing some "for those living on the other side of the world"?
BTW- for your information, I use rice malt syrup exclusively instead of honey or maple and it works perfectly...though it is less sweet. It is glucose, not fructose - so it has those health benefits.
Maria says
Hey Christina—these look amazing and I was planning on trying them when I happened to scroll down to the nutrition section. Do they really have 2292 calories?!?!? Plus the fat and sugar—please tell me you’re using the metric system or it’s an error, otherwise these are an unpardonable sin and I just will not be able to indulge.
Genevieve says
My favorite brownie recipe isn't showing up anymore! :(
Mary says
I baked these brownies tonight and of course sampled one. They are delicious. I love brownies. Always bought a box mix. From now on when I crave a brownie I'll bake these. Thank you!!!
Toni says
I dont have any chocolate bars or chips will it work the same
Christina Lane says
No, sorry :( Do you have cocoa powder?
Ifra says
Can i substitue almond butter with regular butter. Not vegan but allergic to eggs and peanuts and tree nuts. Also can i substitute coconut oil with olive oil?