Fudgy, sweet and indulgent, no one will guess that these vegan aquafaba brownies are made without butter or eggs! They are easy to make and only calls for wholesome simple ingredients. Stores well and are freezable too.
Inspired by my oat flour brownies, these vegan aquafaba brownies are my latest dessert obsession! They are chewy, chocolate-y and utterly delicious. Love making a batch on weekends to be enjoyed throughout the week!
💚Why you will love this recipe
- Perfectly fudgy and moist - Not joking here, but these aquafaba brownies are seriously addictive! They are definitely a crowd-pleaser and will be enjoyed by both vegans and omnivores.
- Dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan - They are made without butter, milk or eggs, and are top allergen-friendly too!
- Simple and quick to make - The most time consuming step is whisking aquafaba. You can easily breeze through the rest of the process! Plus, this recipe only calls for easily accessible ingredients that you probably already have on hand.
- Store well and are freezer friendly - Make this as part of your meal prep so you will have something wholesome to grab whenever your sweet cravings kicks in!
🤔What is aquafaba
Aquafaba, also sometimes known as chickpea water, is simply the liquid or brine in which the chickpeas are cooked in. It is thick and vigorous, and is widely used as a replacement for egg whites as it forms out beautifully upon whisking.
You can obtain aquafaba 2 ways, either by reserving the brine of your canned chickpeas, or by making your own by cooking chickpeas from dried. The latter is less reliable though as it might turn out to be too thin and will not foam properly. I recommend checking out this post on how to make aquafaba by Delightful Adventures if you are interested in making your own.
🍫What you will need
📃Notes / substitutions
- Oat flour - If you do not have any on hand, you can easily make your own at home by blending up some rolled or quick oats in a high speed blender until they are finely ground. Use gluten-free, if needed.
- Applesauce - You can use ½ cup of mashed banana in place. But do keep in mind that your brownies will have a slight banana aftertaste.
- Cashew butter - Feel free to use other nut butter in place like peanut or almond butter. To make this nut-free, use seed butter like tahini or sunflower seed butter in place.
- Coconut sugar - You can use other granulated sweetener like brown or white sugar.
- Cocoa powder - Both Dutch and natural-processed cocoa powder will work. A good quality cocoa powder does makes a difference, through. I am using either Ghiradelli cocoa or Cacao Barry Extra Brute.
🥣How to make
Preheat oven to 180C / 350F. Line a 8x8 baking tray with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine together all dry ingredients except coconut sugar. Mix well and set aside.
In another bowl, mix together cashew butter, applesauce and plant milk.
Whisk aquafaba until peak forms, either by using a stand-mixer or hand-mixer. It will take 8-10 minutes, so do be patient!
Slowly add in coconut sugar, a tablespoon at a time. Continue whisking until mixture is shiny and thick.
Now, fold in applesauce cashew butter mixture into the aquafaba using a spatula. Add dry ingredients into wet and fold again until everything is well combined.
Pour batter into pan and smooth it out using the back of a spoon or a spatula. You can top it with more chocolate chips, if desired.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until brownies appear to be set. You can also insert a toothpick down the middle to check for doneness. Toothpick should be fairly clean with a few crumbs attached.
Take it out of the oven and let it cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan, before transferring it to a cooling tray to cool down further. Slice and enjoy!
✔Helpful tips
- Measure flour properly. It is highly recommended to use a scale if possible. I am using and loving this Ozeri scale, which is pretty inexpensive. If you are measuring using cups, do avoid scooping flour directly from the bag. Instead, spoon flour into the cup and use a butter knife to level off excess.
- If your chickpea water looks thin, watery with little to no color, reduce it first before using. Do check out this post on how to reduce aquafaba for a more detailed instructions.
- Be patient while whipping aquafaba. It might take up to 10 minutes for it to turn foamy.
- Be careful not to overbake your aquafaba brownies. If a toothpick comes out completely clean, chances are you had overbaked them. Once the brownies appears to be set and there is a few crumbs left on the toothpick when inserted into the middle, it is done baking.
- For ultra fudgy brownies, let them chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving.
🔪Best way for cutting brownies
First of all, do remember to line your baking pan with parchment paper for easy removal.
After aquafaba brownies are done baking, let it cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before transferring it to a cooling tray. This help prevent the bottom of brownies to turn soggy due to the accumulation of water vapor.
Continue cooling brownies on the tray for 30 minutes to an hour, or until brownies has cool down completely.
You can either cut it using a plastic knife (highly recommend) or chef's knife. Clean crumbs off your knife in between each cuts.
🥜Optional add-ins
Here are a few fun add-in ideas to spice up your aquafaba brownies -
- Chopped nuts like pecans or walnut
- Diced up some chocolate and use them instead on chocolate chips
- Your favorite vegan candy or chocolate bars
- Vegan marshmallows
- Spices and flavorings like cinnamon, peppermint extract or vanilla extract
❔Commonly asked questions
Yes, these vegan aquafaba brownies are naturally free from gluten. They are made with oat flour instead of the conventional wheat flour. Do make sure that certified gluten-free oat flour is used as cross contamination may occur during processing.
You will know that aquafaba brownies are done baking when it appears to be set and a toothpick comes out fairly clean with a few wet crumbs when inserted into the middle. Do not wait until toothpick comes out completely clean as you might risk overbaking your brownies.
Let vegan aquafaba brownies cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan, before transferring it to a cooling tray and let it cool for 30 minutes to an hour. This will help the flavor develop more and also makes for a cleaner cut.
Aquafaba brownies will stay good at room temperature for 3-4 days, depending on the climate. To prevent them from drying out, it is recommended to leave them uncut before serving.
Brownie slices can also be stored in the fridge for up to a week, either in an airtight container or wrapped with plastic wrap. Simple let them come down to room temperature, or microwave them for a few seconds to warm them up.
It is also freezable too. You can either freeze it whole or slices of it. Wrap them in a layer of plastic wrap and they can now be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat frozen brownies, let them defrost in the fridge overnight or on countertop for a few hours. Or, you can heat them up in the microwave to speed up the process !
🎂More vegan desserts
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📖 Recipe
Fudgy Vegan Aquafaba Brownies (without butter)
Equipment
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup oat flour (use gluten-free if needed)*
- ½ cup cocoa powder **
- ¾ cup coconut sugar (or other granulated sugar)***
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Wet ingredients
- ½ cup aquafaba
- ½ cup applesauce
- ¼ cup cashew butter ****
- 3 tablespoons plant based milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C / 350F. Line a 8x8 baking tray with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine together all dry ingredients except coconut sugar. Mix well and set aside.½ cup cocoa powder, ½ cup chocolate chips, 1 teaspoon espresso powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder
- In another bowl, mix together applesauce, cashew butter and plant milk.½ cup applesauce, ¼ cup cashew butter, 3 tablespoons plant based milk
- Whisk aquafaba until peak forms, either by using a stand-mixer or hand-mixer. It will take 8-10 minutes, so do be patient!½ cup aquafaba
- Slowly add in coconut sugar, a tablespoon at a time. Continue whisking until mixture is shiny and thick.¾ cup coconut sugar
- Now, fold in applesauce cashew butter mixture into the aquafaba using a spatula. Add dry ingredients into wet and fold again until everything is well combined.
- Pour batter into pan and smooth it out using the back of a spoon or a spatula. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until brownies appear to be set. You can also insert a toothpick down the middle to check for doneness. Toothpick should be fairly clean with a few crumbs attached.
- Take it out of the oven and let it cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan, before transferring it to a cooling tray to cool down further. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Brownie slices can also be stored in the fridge for up to a week, either in an airtight container or wrapped with plastic wrap. Simple let them come down to room temperature, or microwave them for a few seconds to warm them up.
It is also freezable too. You can either freeze it whole or slices of it. Wrap them in a layer of plastic wrap and they can now be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating - To reheat frozen brownies, let them defrost in the fridge overnight or on countertop for a few hours. Or, you can heat them up in the microwave to speed up the process !
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
Lucy
I tried this today (first time using aquafaba). I liked that the instructions included the amounts as I'm always flicking back and forth between ingredients and instructions (except I couldn't see oat flour in the instructions so I assumed it was included in the first set of dry ingredients). They're cooking now so I can't comment on the taste!
Meesha
Glad you find this feature helpful. Enjoy your brownies!
Erin
Very tasty. Happy to find oil free recipe. I messed up the coconut sugar- didn’t whip it in, just added with all other dry ingredients and still yummy.
Meesha
Happy to heat that! 💚
Melissa
Is there something I can use to replace the espresso powder?
Meesha
You could use instant coffee powder in place. Feel free to omit it if you do not have either of them!
Scott C Ausburn
These turned out great . You talk about weighing flour is more accurate and i agree but there aren't any weighs on the recipe. I would much rather weigh everything out instead of dealing with all those measuring cups . ; )
Meesha
Glad to hear that! As for the weights, you can press on the metric button above the ingredient list in the recipe card to change the units. 😊