Best Ever Vegan Brownies Recipe (2025)

FAQs

Why are boxed brownies so much better? ›

Box brownie mixes call for vegetable oil as the shortening, which makes them nice and chewy. The chocolate comes from cocoa powder, which gives box brownies a lighter, less rich chocolate flavor than the homemade variety. Most people say brownies from a mix remind them of childhood.

Don't over mix the brownie batter

Avoid over mixing the batter. This may result in a crumbly brownie, due to the over mixing. You want the ingredients to be 'just' combined, so that no flour remains.

Fudgy brownies are moist, dense and gooey, with almost the texture of fudge, but not quite as compact. Chewy brownies are dense (like fudgy brownies), but have a little more “bite” to them or elastic texture when you chew them.

Achieving a fudgy brownie is all to do with the ratio of fat to flour. A fudgy brownie recipe will use more fat than flour. Generally this is achieved by adding more butter or real chocolate to your brownie recipe. A cakey brownie recipe on the other hand will call for more flour in the ratio of fat to flour.

If you like chewy, sticky brownies, I recommend: Betty Crocker Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix. If you like light, less dense brownies with a picture-perfect sugar top that flakes when sliced, I recommend: Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix.

A clever hybrid between cake and cookie, brownies are a dense, chocolaty bar cookie baked in a rectangular pan; they can be fudge-like, cake-like, or anything in between. It was about three times more expensive to make the brownies from scratch than to use a mix, owing mostly to the cost of chocolate and walnuts.

Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones. So add more fat—in this case, butter and chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. The amount of sugar and eggs does not change whether you're going fudgy or cakey.

Brownies are perfect when the middle is just baked, so it sets to a fudgy, moist consistency - if your flour and baking powder are causing the edges to rise, cook and set too quickly, they will give the appearance of a sunken centre, even if the centre is perfectly cooked.

When the back-of-box instructions call for water, try some instant espresso or strong-brewed coffee for roasty, toasty notes that pair impeccably with chocolate. Or use milk or half-and-half for even more richness. And for cakey instead of fudgy brownies, add an extra egg for more lift and spring.

Most recipes call for baking brownies at 350°. If a fudgy inside and crackly top is your goal, stick with that temperature. Brownies baked at 325° will take longer to bake and will become chewier in texture.

Why are my brownies burnt on the edges raw in the middle? ›

If you're finding that your brownie edges are burnt and the middle is still raw, your oven is DEFINITELY too hot.

If the middle of the brownies are not cooking while the edges are burning, then you may need to lower the oven temperature and/or reduce the baking time. Additionally, you can try covering the brownies with aluminum foil to prevent the edges from burning.

It provides moisture, which keeps the baked goods soft and tender, just like oil does. For most recipes, it's a one-to-one substitution, and works in everything from cakes to muffins. Left: brownies made with oil; Right: brownies made with mayonnaise.

Reason 1 : The deliciously dense texture

Cakes rely on a raising agent, often in the self raising flour though may also be added in the form of baking powder or baking soda. Brownies as far as we are concerned never contain baking powder. A cake texture then is generally softer and lighter.

If your self-control will allow it, we highly recommend eating your homemade brownies the day after you've baked them. Unlike most baked goods, chocolate brownies actually taste better the next day. It's thought the cooling time allows the flavours to meld together and lock in.

When there is less sugar or air infused, brownies become flat. The brownie's body, volume, and structure are created by beating eggs and sugar. Less sugar means that the brownie will have less height or volume. Use the correct amount of sugar as per the recipe at all times.