Your search for the perfect fudgy vegan brownie recipe is over! We’ve partnered with Sunrise Soya Foods to bring you this chewy, gooey, tofu pudding-frosted vegan brownie.
It’s been a long time coming, but I’m finally sharing my go-to, perfected vegan brownie recipe! Just in time for Galentine’s Day too. I’ll take any excuse to get together with my closest girl friends to watch a movie in our jammies with sweet treats in hand. Mostly because that’s the best solution to wanting social interaction but being devoid of energy after work. A frosted brownie, one that’s of the fudgy not cakey type, is the perfect mid-day, mid-week, mid-February, or mid-life crisis pick-me-up dessert. Better keep this recipe in your meal prep rotation!!
Everyone needs a go-to vegan brownie recipe as part of their kitchen repertoire. Over the years, I’ve tried dozens of recipes in hopes of finding one that was relatively healthy and simple while still tasting like a bakery brownie. I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to brownie recipes to test. Some turned out too dry and too cakey, some required too many exotic ingredients, and others were too complicated. No, I do not want to wait 1 hour for a sweet potato to bake before I can make a pan of brownies. Don’t have a high speed processor to blend dates either. Nor do I want to spend $30 on a bag of almond flour.
I wanted a vegan brownie recipe that used pantry staples and that I could whip up in a matter of minutes. After many many many trials, I proudly present to you, my one-bowl vegan tahini brownies! (Plus a mini food processor to make the frosting, hehe)
Let’s all take a moment to appreciate the fudgy-ness, shall we?
We can thank tahini and ground chia seeds for that gooey centre. If tahini isn’t already a staple in your pantry, hit up the international aisle of your supermarket ASAP because it is the cheapest, most versatile seed butter out there. Even if you use it solely to make these brownies, it’ll be worth your time and money.
Before I get heck for using the funky ingredient aquafaba, please hear me out. Most of us have a can, or several cans, of chickpeas hanging out in our pantry. And if you don’t, it’ll cost one dollar to buy a can on your next grocery trip. I usually make these brownies when I make hummus so that neither the liquid or the beans go to waste. Any leftover aquafaba can be kept in the fridge for up to 1 week or frozen in ice cube trays so you can have aquafaba on demand! Easy beansy!
Once you’ve found your go-to vegan brownie recipe (a.k.a. this one!!), the door to experimentation swings wide open. Since refining this recipe, I’ve made chocolate orange brownies for Christmas, matcha blondies for my matcha-loving friends, and even gluten-free brownies for my gluten-sensitive pals. I’m thinking chocolate lavender and maca cocoa brownies would also be real good. Maybe even a glug of Bailey’s? Mmmm yes! I’ve listed the ingredient swaps at the below if you want to try them out yourself!
Variations on this vegan brownie recipe
- Chocolate Orange Brownies – add the zest of 1 orange and use orange juice instead of water.
- Matcha Blondies – omit the cocoa powder and add 3 tbsp matcha powder.
- Nut Butter Brownies – swap out the tahini for peanut or almond butter.
- Gluten free – substitute the wheat flour for a gluten-free blend of flour such as oat, quinoa, millet, and brown rice flours.
- TOFU PUDDING FROSTING
- 300g Sunrise Soya Foods Soft Tofu
- ⅔ cup chocolate chips, melted
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
- A dash of salt
- BROWNIES
- 2 tbsp ground chia seeds
- 6 tbsp water
- 6 tbsp aquafaba*
- ½ cup tahini
- ½ cup melted coconut oil
- ½ cup liquid sweetener of choice**
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp ground espresso powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1½ cups flour***
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- TOFU PUDDING FROSTING: Blend all the ingredients together in a small food processor until smooth. Adjust sweetness as needed.
- Transfer to a small bowl, cover with a lid, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to thicken.
- BROWNIES: Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together ground chia seeds, water, aquafaba, tahini, coconut oil, liquid sweetener, and coconut sugar until smooth.
- Add the cocoa powder, espresso powder, sea salt, flour, and baking soda and use a spatula to mix until combined and lump-free.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Transfer the brownie batter into the prepared square pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Cool completely before cutting into 12 squares.
- Keep the cut squares together and spread a layer of chilled tofu pudding frosting. Top with flaky sea salt and roasted sesame seeds if desired. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
**I typically use honey (not vegan) or bumble bloom (a vegan honey alternative) but maple syrup, agave nectar, and coconut nectar would work too.
***Whole wheat flour works well here! I used 1 cup whole wheat flour and ½ cup all purpose flour.
Do you whisk the aquafaba into foam form before mixing it in?
Nope, you can just mix it in!