The BEST Vegan Gluten-free Brownies that are oil-free and so rich, chocolatey, fudgy, (not cakey) and are incredibly moist. Dairy-free, egg-free and made with only 8 ingredients and all made in a food processor.

VEGAN FUDGY BROWNIES

Warning: the following post will produce extreme salivation. You have been warned. To me, a brownie that decides to call itself a brownie should require these characteristics: dense, fudgy, chewy and very chocolatey. Cakey brownies, step aside. You are not brownies, you are cake. Accept it and move on. These are the vegan brownies you want in your life.

BEST VEGAN BROWNIES

These are some of the best brownies I've ever had and I'm soooo not exaggerating. In fact, I was totally shocked at how amazing they were. It doesn't matter if they are vegan brownies or gluten-free brownies. What is shocking about that statement is that these are filled with ingredients that you would NEVER expect in a brownie recipe. Ya know, like the expected all-purpose flour, butter, sugar and eggs. Sooooo, what's the main ingredient?

Yes, sunflower kernels make it possible for all of you nut-free folks out there. You can now have your brownies and eat them too.

These vegan double chocolate sunflower brownies are gluten-free, nut-free, oil-free, coconut-free and kid-friendly. Bonus that these only have 8 ingredients (+ water)!

Even Mr. Picky's eyes widened after a bite. I wish you could have seen his face when I told him the ingredients.

These vegan brownies also feature a superfood protein powder. I was recently given the opportunity to try Oriya Organics and work with them. I have to tell  you that honestly, the majority of companies that contact me, I turn down. Reason being, I am extremely picky about products.  Update: the product I was sent to use in this is no longer sold, so I have removed it from this post to avoid confusion.

Looking for other vegan gluten-free brownies? Try these.

• Perfect Fudgy Coconut Butter Brownies
• Vegan Fudgy Zucchini Brownies
• Chocolate Pumpkin Cake Brownies
• Raw Brownies with Raspberry Coulis

UPDATE: I originally wrote this recipe using the Oriya protein powder. However, I NO longer use the protein powder and haven't for a long time, I only use the flours listed below now. The specific protein powder that I used in the recipe is no longer available and therefore do NOT recommend protein powders in the recipe anymore because so many will yield an unpleasant aftertaste, so please use the flours listed.

4.89 from 9 votes

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Vegan Double Chocolate Sunflower Brownies

These Double Chocolate Fudgy Vegan Brownies are seriously some of the best brownies I have ever had. They embody everything a brownie should have, which is dense, fudgy, chewy and very chocolatey. Make these for your family and friends and then tell them they are vegan and gluten-free and oil-free. They won't believe you!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 8 brownies

Ingredients

• 1 cup 140g raw, unsalted sunflower kernels (Do NOT use roasted or you will get an aftertaste!)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 36 g
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon 2g fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup 160g pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons 10g vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons 90g water
• 3 tablespoons 30g brown rice flour (Or sub with 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Update: I no longer use the Oriya protein powder and only use the brown rice flour. I can't vouch for results with any other protein powders.)
• 2 tablespoons 16g oat flour (or sub with 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour if you can't tolerate oats)
• 1/4 heaping cup 60g + extra on top dairy-free chocolate chips
• NOTE: This makes a small amount in a loaf pan, so if you want a larger batch, double the recipe and use an 8x8 pan. If you want to use all regular all-purpose flour, then leave out the oat flour and brown rice flour and just use 1/4 cup (32g) all-purpose flour in place of both. The texture was slightly more cakey/puffy with the all-purpose flour. I preferred the more dense/fudgy texture using the gluten-free flours, but both are delicious.

Instructions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees (Fahrenheit, 177 Celsius) and spray WELL a 9X5 loaf pan with nonstick spray. I tried some with parchment paper and don't like how they stuck to the paper and were more fragile. I much prefer spraying the pan versus paper because they bake up more firmly this way.
2. Next, add just the sunflower kernels to a food processor and process for 30 seconds to 1 minute until a flour is formed. Next, add the cocoa powder (scoop with your cup and then level off), baking powder and salt and process again until just mixed.
3. Add the syrup, vanilla and water and process for 3 minutes or so until completely smooth. I literally set my timer. Scrape the sides down and process for a few more seconds. It should be COMPLETELY SMOOTH and no chunks of sunflower kernels left before adding the flours next. If it's not all mixed and smooth, GUESS WHAT, you will end up with dry crumbly brownies since the fat from the sunflower kernels is what makes these so fudgy!
4. Add the brown rice flour and oat flour (or all-purpose flour) and process again until it is all blended and thick like a smooth nut-butter consistency. Add the batter to a bowl and make sure to scrape out all of that chocolatey goodness. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread out evenly to the corners. Place extra chocolate chips on top. You know you want to.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes depending on your oven. I would suggest checking yours at 35 minutes. I took mine out closer to 40 minutes. Here is the thing, these will not look done based on the top of the brownies, but will form that shiny firm top AFTER they are out of the oven cooling. Do not check for a clean toothpick either, it will not come out clean. It shouldn't be soaking wet batter, but more of a sticky batter on the toothpick. You are looking for the edges to be firm and have slightly pulled away from the pan, that is when they are ready. If you are doing a version with all of all-purpose flour in place of the oat and brown rice flours, then they were done at 35 minutes and just slightly more cakey/puffy.
7. Remove them and you must let them cool for 45 minutes to an hour, with no exception. They will fall apart if you try to remove them earlier. I let mine cool an hour and then carefully cut them with a smooth sharp knife. Gently remove the first brownie and then the others by sliding a spatula underneath. Then they will firm up considerably even more as they sit on a plate. They will be firm, moist and super fudgy. YUM. Store them at room temperature wrapped tightly in foil.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition per brownie: 229 calories | 12.1g fat | 5.3g protein | 29.2g carbs | 4.3g fiber | 16.1g sugar | 78mg sodium