Vegan Gluten-Free Brownies

These Vegan Gluten-Free Brownies are fudgy, gooey vegan brownies made with gluten-free flours, healthy omega-3 oils, and refined sugar-free for healthier gluten-free, vegan brownies.

If you have been with me for a while, you know my passion for baking vegan goods, especially chocolate brownies. I have shared many vegan brownies recipes, like my classic vegan brownies, my vegan, gluten-free zucchini brownies or my peanut butter banana brownies, but never classic egg-free gluten-free brownies.

Making gluten-free vegan brownies that still taste like the classic recipe is a bit of a challenge because gluten-free flour rise and bake quite differently from regular flour. So let me guide you through how to make the best-you’ve-ever-made vegan gluten-free brownies.

Why You’ll Love These Brownies

These brownies are the most indulgent, decadent chocolate brownies that are also:

Egg-free
Dairy-free
Refined sugar-free
Vegan
Gluten-free

Ingredients and Substitutions

This paragraph gives you all my tips about picking the right ingredients. For the full recipe with measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post!Go to Full Recipe

All you need are the following:

All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour containing added gums. If your blend doesn’t contain added gum, add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum to your measured flour.
Almond Flour – or alternatively add another 1/4 cup of gluten-free flour. I found the combination of gluten-free and almond flour delicious in brownies. It adds a delicious, moist texture and healthy fats from the almonds.
Avocado Oil – This is one of my favorite oils for baking. But feel free to use melted coconut oil or melted vegan butter if preferred.
Coconut Sugar or soft brown sugar.
Flaxseed Meal or chia meal to add the binding that an egg normally brings to brownie recipes.
Almond Milk – Any plant-based milk would also work.
Baking Soda – To give them the classic brownie texture.
Sea Salt – To balance the chocolate taste.
Dark Chocolate – I used 85% dark chocolate. It’s vegan and contains no added milk. If you use a sweeter chocolate bar, decrease the sugar in the recipe.
Vanilla Extract – for flavor.

How To Make Vegan Gluten-free Brownies

It’s so easy to make your own vegan, gluten-free brownies at home.

Before you start, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line an 8-inch x 8-inch square pan with parchment paper. Oil the paper lightly with coconut oil or avocado oil. Set the pan aside.
First, prepare your flaxseed eggs. These are your egg replacer, and they will hold the batter together and add a lovely chewy texture to the brownies. To make flax eggs, add the flaxseed meal to a small mixing bowl and whisk it with lukewarm water. Set it aside for 10 minutes until gel-like consistency forms.
Meanwhile, in another mixing bowl, whisk the all-purpose gluten-free flour, almond flour, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt. Set it aside while preparing the wet ingredients.
In a non-stick saucepan, add the chocolate and avocado oil.
Bring over medium-low heat, and melt it while occasionally stirring until the chocolate is fully melted and incorporated into the oil.
Meanwhile, gently whisk the coconut sugar, vanilla extract, almond milk, and flax eggs into a large mixing bowl.
Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and pour it into the previous bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and, using a silicone spatula, stir together until it forms a consistent brownie batter.
Stir in the dark chocolate chips or chopped nuts now if desired.
Pour the batter into the prepared square brownie pan and spread it evenly with a spatula. At this point, feel free to sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top of the brownies.
You can also add them to the brownies just before it’s finished baking so they melt nicely on the baked brownies.
Bake the brownies at 350°F (180°C) on the center rack of the oven for about 35 minutes or until a pick inserted in the brownies comes out clean and dry.
Let the brownies cool down in the pan for about 15 minutes, then pull the hanging part of parchment paper to release the gluten-free, vegan brownies onto a cooling rack.

Add-Ons

Feel free to add some delicious texture to the brownie batter by stirring 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of:

Your favorite nuts, chopped in pieces like walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
Berries like raspberries or chopped strawberries.
Dark chocolate chips for an extra boost of sweetness and chocolate flavor.

Allergy Swaps

Below are some ingredient swaps to accommodate your dietary requirements:

Nut-Free – Replace the almond flour with 1/4 cup of extra all-purpose gluten-free flour.
Sugar-Free – Use a natural granulated sugar-free sweetener like brown allulose or brown erythritol. Also, swap the dark chocolate for sugar-free sweetened chocolate, preferably sweetened with stevia or erythritol.
Oil-Free– I didn’t try the recipe without oil, but I am pretty sure unsweetened apple sauce would work as an oil replacement in the same amount. The texture of the brownies will be different as apple sauce add moisture to the batter.
Flaxseed Meal-Free – You can replace flaxseed meal with chia seed meal. Or swap the flaxseed meal and its water with two store-bought vegan egg replacers.
Oil Options – You can use any oil in this recipe as long as its flavor is pretty light or mild. For example, coconut oil may add a coconut flavor to the brownie batter, so you may want to use refined coconut oil to avoid that. I found avocado oil the best fit in terms of health, the ratio of omega-3 and omega-6, the texture, and the taste of the brownies.

Vegan Gluten-Free Brownies held in a hand, showing it's gooey texture.

Storage Instructions

These gluten-free brownies can be stored very well at room temperature in a cake box for about 2 to 3 days. You can also freeze the brownies to make them fudgier, and they store for up to 4 days in the fridge.

Finally, you can freeze vegan brownies in an airtight box or bag and thaw them at room temperature the day before serving.

Serving Brownies

These brownies are delicious on their own but even better served on a plate with some of the toppings below:

Coconut whipped cream
Pinch of sea salt
Berries
Scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream
Drizzle of peanut butter caramel

Serve these vegan, gluten-free brownies with a pinch of sea salt on top. This enhances the flavor of the brownies.

Vegan Gluten-Free Brownies sliced on a chopping board.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are the most frequent questions about these easy healthy gluten-free brownies.

Can I Use Oat Flour Instead Of All-Purpose Flour?

I recommend my breakfast brownies for an oat flour brownie recipe. This recipe must use all-purpose flour, gluten-free or wheat-based, or the texture will be gritty and won’t hold very well together.

Can I Make Oil-Free Brownies?

You can always swap oil with unsweetened apple sauce, mashed banana, or sweet potato puree. However, the texture of the brownies won’t be as fudgy and gooey but will have a cake-like texture with much more moisture.

Are These Gluten-Free Brownies Healthy?

They are decadent healthier gluten-free brownies using better-for-you ingredients like avocado oil, high in monounsaturated fat – the one that decreases LDL cholesterol, so a better choice than vegan butter.
Next, it’s sweetened with coconut sugar, an unrefined natural sweetener.
Finally, it contains almond flour which adds proteins and healthy fats to the recipe. If you prefer a healthier brownie recipe, try my vegan, gluten-free zucchini brownies instead.

How Can I Add Proteins To The Brownies?

The easiest way to boost the proteins in this recipe is to decorate the brownie with my protein frosting.
It’s an oil-free, high-protein chocolate frosting with a delicious creamy texture that goes amazingly well with the texture of these gluten-free brownies.