The absolute best vegan brownies ever! These Vegan Peppermint Brownies are incredibly moist, fudgy, rich, super chocolatey, gluten-free and oil-free! Only 8 ingredients! Nobody would truly ever know they are vegan or gluten-free!
VEGAN PEPPERMINT BROWNIES
Now you have the perfect vegan brownie to serve with my Vegan Peppermint Mocha Latte. I’m just going to say out of all the vegan brownie recipes I’ve written and eaten in my life, including the amazing ones in my cookbook, these vegan peppermint brownies are hands down my favorite! I 100% mean that. In fact, my whole family felt the same! Bold statement, I know. But part of that is because I absolutely love the combo of chocolate and peppermint. You get the rich dark chocolate flavor, balanced out by the refreshing coolness of peppermint in every bite. It’s the perfect vegan brownie bite every time.
These are absolutely incredible, I can’t say it enough. They are very rich in deep dark chocolate flavor, super moist, very fudgy and have the most perfect crispy edges I’ve ever had in a brownie. Not hard crunchy, but crispy. SO good.
Everything about these vegan holiday brownies is perfect. Even my husband who claims to not like chocolate, could not stop eating these. I knew I had a winner!
PERFECT BROWNIE TEXTURE
To create these vegan gluten-free brownies, I started with the base of the popular ones from my cookbook, but made 4 significant changes of the ingredients. One main change being the flour! I cannot believe I’m saying that my favorite brownie texture I’ve ever had is based on using flaxseed and cornstarch! But you don’t taste any flax, but get the incredible soft fudginess on the inside, while the starch gives the most irresistible crispy edges. Crispy edges on a brownie are a must in my opinion for the perfect texture, but the fudgy middle brownies are stellar, too. Please do not sub the ingredients if at all possible, you will miss out on the magic of these.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
(Only 8 main ingredients needed. Full details and measurements on the recipe card below.)
- Ground flaxseed: This is one of the magical ingredients for these vegan peppermint brownies. Shocking I know, but there is no main flour here, like oat or rice or all-purpose, etc. In fact, I tested these both with oat flour and rice flour and they were NOWHERE near as good. The flaxseed, just enough, not too much, gives these such incredible moisture and fudginess and density that we all love in a brownie. It is a key ingredient!
- Cornstarch: The combo of the cornstarch and flaxseed created the best texture I’ve tasted in a brownie. It is so good in fact, that they reminded me of the perfect brownies my Mom made growing up that won several brownie contests. Nobody would EVER KNOW these don’t have regular flour in them. What does the cornstarch do? Magic. Cornstarch in baking does 2 main things: It gives structure where eggs normally would, but also gives crispness. It doesn’t give the same crispness that potato starch or tapioca give. It’s a delicate light crispness, similar to a bite of a shortbread butter cookie. It gives the brownie edges a crispy magical texture that made me moan with each bite. Not the crunchy hard texture, but a light crispy tenderness.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Baking powder: I used a significant amount of baking powder in these compared to my other recipes. That is because there is so much fudginess going on from the flaxseed and moisture from the almond butter, that it creates balance in the texture so they aren’t too moist.
- Semi-sweet dairy-free chocolate chips: I used the regular size. I have used the HEB brand, the Nestle and the Sprouts brands. All are delicious and dairy-free.
- Roasted creamy drippy almond butter: Since this is the main ingredient, this is very important to have a really creamy smooth and runny almond butter. In other words, don’t use some dried up old stiff thick almond butter. The batter will not come together and you will end up with dry brownies. The brands that work best are the Target Good & Gather creamy almond butter (just roasted almonds, no added oil), the Trader Joe’s brand or making your own. Make sure it’s creamy and runny, ok! If yours is really dry and stiff, then blend it up in your food processor until it’s really smooth and runny, that will help.
- Maple syrup
- Peppermint extract: Some brands can vary in how strong they taste. I used the Star Kay White brand and it was really delicious and strong.
- Crushed candy cane peppermints for topping if you want it extra festive. If you are worried about coloring added to traditional candy canes, check Whole Foods, they sell the 365 brand that does not have food coloring. They don’t taste exactly the same, but are decent.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN PEPPERMINT BROWNIES
Step 1: To a large bowl, combine the almond butter, syrup and peppermint extract. Stir until completely mixed.
Step 2: To a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
Step 3: Add the dry to the bowl of wet ingredients and add the chocolate chips. Stir the mixture for a couple of minutes until it comes together into a very thick sticky batter.
Step 4: Spread out into a greased pan (with a flat piece of parchment paper on the bottom) with your hands as best you can. Use a piece of parchment paper to flatten it out. Then dip your hands in water repeatedly to smooth it completely out and evenly to the edges. This will make it very easy to smooth out the batter.
Step 5: Bake 23 minutes or until a toothpick is nearly clean with a few sticky crumbs on it.
Step 6: Immediately add the crushed peppermint candies on top and press in gently. The heat will help them to stick.
Step 6: Cool the vegan peppermint brownies in the pan 30 minutes and then another 30 in the fridge. This is imperative to let the brownies cool and set. Slice and serve.
MORE VEGAN HOLIDAY RECIPES
- Vegan Chocolate Cream Pie
- Gluten-free Vegan Gingerbread Cake
- Vegan Gingerbread House
- Best Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Vegan Cardamom Pecan Cookies
- Gluten-free Vegan Snickerdoodles
- Chocolate Molasses Cookies
- Vegan Gluten-free Sugar Cut-Out Cookies
After you make these vegan peppermint brownies, if you love them as much as we did, please leave a rating below, the ratings are so important like I always say, for the recipes to rank well. I work very hard on creating my recipes to share so freely with the world, so that’s all I ever love in return is to hear from you all after you make them, thank you so much!
Vegan Peppermint Brownies (Gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (256g) super creamy runny roasted almond butter (See Notes Below)
- 3/4 cup (240g) pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract (some brands can vary in how strong they are. I used the Star Kay White brand and it's quite strong and this was the perfect amount)
- 1/4 cup (28g) ground flaxseed (See Notes Below)
- 1/4 cup (32g) cornstarch
- 1/2 cup (48g) unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup (180g) semi-sweet dairy-free chocolate chips (Do not omit these, as they add sweetness to balance out the dark flavor and add fudginess. These are not meant to be brownies without chocolate chips.)
- 4 tablespoons crushed candy canes/peppermints for topping (optional but so delicious and festive)
NOTE
- Please please weigh your ingredients for accuracy. This truly makes all the difference in baking results. Just follow my gram weights listed, as this is how my recipes are tested. Add the bowl to the scale, hit zero and add each ingredient, hitting zero in between.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- PLEASE READ the instructions so your brownies turn out correctly. The steps to adding the batter to the pan, as well as the cooling and chilling step are crucial to setting these.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and lightly grease an 8x8 square stone ceramic pan. I like stone here because it keeps the brownies really moist and the edges don't burn. But if you only have glass or metal, just keep an eye on the edges.
- Make sure the edges are greased and any excess dripping oil is gently wiped off. Now cut off a square piece of parchment paper that will lie flat on the inside bottom of the pan. This will help prevent any sticking to the bottom of the pan and make for very easy removal later.
- To a large bowl, add the almond butter, syrup and peppermint extract. Stir for a good minute or so until completely and thoroughly mixed. You want to make sure that extract is mixed through.
- To a medium bowl, combine the flaxseed, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Whisk very well.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Add the chocolate chips and then stir the mixture together slowly with a large spoon until it comes together into a cohesive, very thick and sticky chocolate batter. It will be very thick like pictured, almost like a cookie batter, this is normal. It will not be pourable or runny.
- Spoon the batter onto the prepared baking dish. It will be very thick and sticky and not easy to spread. Use your fingers to pat it down as best you can and then take a piece of parchment paper to flatten it out. Now the key next step, dip your fingers repeatedly in water to go around the brownie batter and smooth the top completely out and evenly across the top and along the edges, as pictured in the post. This step is important so the batter is even and spread out and bakes evenly. Having wet fingertips makes it much easier to spread out the batter.
- Bake for 22 to possibly 25 minutes, depending on your oven. Mine were perfect at exactly 23 minutes. They will be puffed up, have a dry shiny top, but you will know they are done when you insert a toothpick in the middle and there may be a few sticky crumbs, not actual runny batter, on it. Do not overbake them. Check at 22 minutes. If it's a tad too wet with runny batter, go another minute until it's sticky crumbs or almost clean.
- While the brownies are baking, get the crushed peppermints ready, as you will need to sprinkle them on the top as soon as you remove the brownies from the oven. To crush them, either blend them up in a Vitamix or food processor so they are very tiny pieces or a powder. I left some chunks for presentation purposes in photos, but they were a bit too big to eat like that, so I suggest making them very small. You can also add them to a ziplock bag and pound them.
- As soon as the brownies come out of the oven, sprinkle the crushed peppermints on top all over and gently press them in. The heat will slightly melt them, making them stick as they cool.
- Here are the cooling instructions you do not want to skip! Leave to cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Then place the whole pan in the fridge for just another 30 minutes. I don't care how hard it is to wait, it will create the most fudgy, perfectly dense and set texture that will make them easy to slice and remove. Remove from the fridge and use a sharp knife to slice into 16 brownies. Enjoy! You can keep them at room temperature for a softer brownie or the fridge for a firmer brownie, keeping in mind they harden and dry out quicker in the fridge. Now go make them and let me know after you make them!
Notes
- ALMOND BUTTER: Since this is the main ingredient, this is very important to have a really creamy smooth and runny almond butter. In other words, don’t use some dried up old stiff thick almond butter. The batter will not come together and you will end up with dry brownies. The brands that work best are the Target Good & Gather creamy almond butter (just roasted almonds, no added oil), the Trader Joe’s brand or making your own. Make sure it’s creamy and runny, ok! If yours is really dry and stiff, then blend it up in your food processor until it’s really smooth and runny, that will help.
- GROUND FLAXSEED: This is one of the magical ingredients. Shocking I know, but there is no main flour here, like oat or rice or all-purpose, etc. In fact, I tested these both with oat flour and rice flour and they were NOWHERE near as good. The flaxseed, just enough, not too much, gives these such incredible moisture and fudginess and density that we all love in a brownie. It is a key ingredient! It is imperative that it is finely ground so the texture is perfect. I do not like the store-bought already ground flaxseed, it is not very fine at all and is quite gritty, so I blend it up myself in my Vitamix until it's finely ground like a smooth flour. I also prefer the light golden flaxseed for my recipes, but regular should be fine, as long as it's finely ground.
- CORNSTARCH: The combo of the cornstarch and flaxseed created the best texture I've tasted in a brownie. It is so good in fact, that they reminded me of the perfect brownies my Mom made growing up that won several brownie contests. Nobody would EVER KNOW these don't have regular flour in them. Cornstarch in baking does 2 main things: It gives structure where eggs normally would, but also gives crispness. It's a delicate light crispness, similar to a bite of a shortbread butter cookie. It gives the brownie edges a crispy magical texture. Not hard/crunchy, but crispy. If you cannot have corn, tapioca (the same weight amount) is the next best sub for moisture and crispy edges. It won't be the exact same crisp, but will still be good.
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Looks delicious! Making it in the kitchen right now. I just noticed though that there’s no amount listed for the cocoa powder.
So sorry, I’ve fixed it now, refresh your browser! It’s 1/2 cup (48g).
Have not made this yet, but they look divine. Please, how much cocoa powder for this recipe?
So sorry, I’ve fixed it now, refresh your browser! It’s 1/2 cup (48g).
I used a 1/4 cup. They’re currently cooling but it seemed to work out okay with that!
So sorry about missing the cocoa powder amount! They will be a lot less chocolatey and much more sweet with half the amount of cocoa powder, so I apologize for missing it, but glad they still worked out okay!
The is recipe is incredible. My family literally said these might be the best brownies I’ve ever made. Thanks for another winner!!
Wow, that is so awesome to hear Jeanette! I just love that everybody is loving these as much as we did. I wasn’t kidding when I said these were my favorite brownies ever, too, haha! My family also felt the same as yours!
I used 1/4 cup and it worked out well. Still haven’t eaten it as it’s cooling but it mixed fine and looks like hers
For an entry vegan, these ingredients are much harder to find than the usual all purpose flour + brown sugar combination usually used… I was so excited as I wanted to make eggless brownies but no way I’ll find maple syrup unless it’s an a very tiny overpriced jar… and I don’t have a food processor, so forget the nut butter and ground flax seeds. Also commercial egg replaces work so well for binding and don’t require all these workarounds.
Nonetheless I love your website, your Mexican burger patties are amazing and I always recommend your website for that recipe!
Yes, sounds like this recipe definitely would not work for you then. This type of recipe is the same type of ingredients I’ve used on my blog for over 8 years now. I do not use oils, but nuts or nut butters. I’ve always done that. I prefer to use whole foods as much as possible. There are lots of regular brownie recipes online that are eggless and vegan if you want to just use the traditional all-purpose flour and brown sugar, however, I don’t write my recipes like other sites do. I have thousands of readers who are gluten-free and use the exact ingredients that I’ve used on my blog and prefer them over traditional ingredients. So this is the exact kind of recipe I typically write for readers and what they look for, as it is my style of a healthier take on traditional recipes. I do share some recipes with white flour and sugar, but very seldom.
I’ll just get a new food processor. I had a really expensive one but it was in the cupboard for 3 years without use, so I chucked it away as I’m a bit of a clean freak. So then I will make the nut butter and ground flaxseeds,
The only obstacle is now maple syrup, it’s in so many of your recipes and I wish I can use it but I can’t. Do you have any substitutions for that at all??
I like your recipes, and your website, I don’t need to be gluten-free but I suppose the healthiness of your recipes is a great thing (and as a medical student, I should probably welcome that).
You can totally skip the food processor if you want! Check the notes or blog post info, I’ve listed some brands of almond butter that I love. I actually used the Target Good & Gather roasted almond butter for these brownies. So you don’t have to make your own at all. For maple syrup, yes, agave is the best sub! It is very similar in texture and sweetness, so it works great as a sub and is much cheaper. Hope that helps!
I have not yet made this recipe, so I am not able to rate it!
I was just wondering about a substitute for the cornstarch, you did mention that tapioca would not be a good substutution.
What about arrowroot?
I love that you give the weights for ingredients in your recipes, it makes things so much easier!
Thank you!
Hi Cathy! Actually tapioca would be the best sub here, so use that! Same weight amount. The crispness on the edges will vary a bit but will still be good!
Oh. Sweet. Lord. These brownies are SO FLIPPING FABULOUS!!! As someone who has followed your blog for years, I had every healthy ingredient on hand and WOWZA, they are divine!! Brandi, seriously, you are a GFV recipe goddess!! The perfect amount of crunchy on the outside and oh so chocolatey and decadently fudgy on the inside! And it’s flax!?! Healthy omegas and fiber in an insanely delicious brownie! Only you would figure this out. 🙂 I christened my new Bakers Edge brownie pan, doubled the recipe and added crushed Yum Earth wild mints and extra dark chocolate chips to the top. I am now in a chocolate mint coma and deliriously happy. 😃 Thank you for this Christmas gift! Wishing a happy healthy 2021 to you and your family. 💗
Hahaha, chocolate mint coma sounds like the best situation, Colleen! Thank you so much for making them so quickly, as they looked just incredible on Instagram! I’m so grateful to you for always making my recipes, I know I say that every time, but I truly am and you always are so kind and detailed with feedback, it is so appreciate, thank you and Merry Christmas!
Delicious!! Recipe worked out perfectly as written. Thanks for all the time and effort you put in to getting your recipes to work perfectly.
Woohoo, that is amazing to hear Nicola, saw your comment on IG, too, thank you for making them!
As a longtime lover of all things mint chocolate, I was over the moon with how these brownies turned out! Chewy yet melty, sinfully chocolate without being too heavy, and the peppermint extract plus the crunchy candy on top gives it that quintessential holiday feel. It’s so difficult to find gluten and oil free recipes in a sea of brownie recipes that use white flour, but we can always count on you, Brandi! No fancy ingredients, wonderfully detailed instructions, and yet another winning baked good for us to devour over the holidays. Happy holidays and Merry Christmas!
Awww, this was so wonderful to read Shaylyn! You are so kind and I’m really happy to hear how much you loved these and my baked goods recipes. And I love how you described them….chewy, yet melty and not too heavy. Yes, exactly! Thanks so much for making them!
We made this peppermint brownie recipe for Santa and it is THE best GF brownie ever! My husband couldn’t stop eating it and stole some of Santa’s brownie we left on the table. Thank you sooo much for posting this recipe. Every single GF recipe we have made so far have been spot on!
We made this peppermint brownie recipe for Santa and it is THE best GF brownie ever! My husband couldn’t stop eating it and stole some of Santa’s brownie we left on the table. Thank you sooo much for posting this recipe. Every single GF recipe we have made so far have been spot on!
Yay, I’m so thrilled these are the best you’ve ever had Mary!! I honestly felt the same, haha! And your hubby sounds like mine..When I was trialing these, everytime I opened the fridge, another brownie would be gone…my husband kept eating them all! I couldn’t believe it, but knew they were that good, lol, if he was eating so many when he typically hates chocolate. Thank you so much for making them and providing amazing feedback!
So I have made about a million vegan brownie recipes. Ok maybe not a million but you get the point. I made this recipe before the cocoa was updated (only used 15 grams instead of 48) and they were STILL AMAZINGGGGG. Seriously these are perfectly fudgey. I will say that I did not use the peppermint oil because I’m a weirdo who doesn’t like peppermint and chocolate together lol. So instead I just made brownies and they were epic. The combo of flaxseed and corn starch is genius and super chewy in the best way.
I LOVE peppermint and literally a day before you posted this recipe my vegan family was talking about how much we wanted peppermint brownies. Well these were our treats for Christmas Eve. I doubled it and they all got eaten up in minutes by vegans and non-vegans! Delicious!
Oh wow, that makes me so happy to hear Kiana!! That was my exact experience last night, too. These brownies were the biggest hit with my family guests and nobody was vegan! My aunt literally skipped dinner just to eat them, haha.
Wow wow wow!!! Giiiirl these were amazing and were a hit with my non-vegan family members!! Super fudgy and gooey just like you promise in the description!! I didn’t have enough almond butter so I used tahini but I don’t think that changed anything as I have used tahini for brownies before. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Wow, awesome, I don’t like peppermint so used vanilla instead of peppermint and no crushed toppings and they were the best brownies I’ve made. Thanks for the recipe!!
Woohoo! That is so awesome to hear!!
So delicious -thank you!! Perfect texture and taste -would not change a thing!
Yay! Thrilled to hear that!
Wow – absolutely incredibly delicious! Followed the recipe exactly, and these brownies are perfection. Best vegan brownie I’ve tried – by far! Thanks for another great recipe, Brandi!
That is so amazing to hear these are the best brownies you’ve tried, that makes me so happy to hear!
This recipe is delicious. Blows my mind that there is no sort of flour in it! This is probably the best vegan/gluten free baked good I’ve ever made. I don’t think anyone would ever know they aren’t “regular” brownies. I did omit the candy cane topping (just cuz lazy). I also only added 1/2 cup chocolate chips just because that’s all I had – the only other difference is mine was taking so much longer to bake for some reason. I think they ended up baking for a total of 30 minutes – not sure why! They turned out delicious – fudgy with crispy edges/top – my favorite type of brownie. I would like to try it without the peppermint next time to see how they turn out! Thanks again for sharing your amazing recipes with us, Brandi!!
Thank you so much for such a stellar review! So honored to hear it’s the best dessert you’ve made! Yes, ovens can vary so much. Mine is a new oven so I think it cooks really well and hot. Definitely adjust as needed so the toothpick is basically clean or with sticky crumbs. Glad they turned out perfect!
Wow! These are amazing! These are so fudgy & yummy! I made the recipe as written, except for the baking time & temp. My oven is crazy & it took a little tweaking the time & temp to get them baked just right. I didn’t taste much peppermint & I think the brand of peppermint extract I have was a little weak. (I made your peppermint mocha the day before & it wasn’t very peppermint-y either.) Regardless, this recipe is definitely a keeper!
Oh wow, yeah ovens can really vary! I made three batches and it was the exact same time of 23 minutes each time, but definitely adjust as needed per oven and yes, brands of peppermint extract vary so much. It even says on the bottle it’s stronger than other brands, so I definitely think this is a case of varying amounts depending on the brand!
I honestly rarely leave reviews, but these brownies were too incredible to not publicly applaud. There are few combinations I love more than mint and chocolate, and these brownies hit the spot like no other. The texture, the flavour and the simple ingredients makes this a recipe I will be coming back to for years to come. Thank you Brandi for your hard work and generosity with your recipes.
That is so amazing to hear Christine!! Thank you for the awesome feedback!
My ceramic pan came in mail today, so I made these brownies. My husband is not a fan of mint, so I made this recipe as just plain brownies. I have never been able to find a good vegan recipe for brownies, so thank you for this recipe. They are fantastic!! Hubby loved them too.
Yay that is wonderful! Thank you for the awesome review!
This is my new go to brownie recipe! INSANELY DELICIOUS! The fudge-like inside and crisp outside….mmmmm good! I had all the ingredients and had fun making something with flaxseed flour! I don’t recall you having other recipes with this ingredient used like this?! Thank you! 😊
Thank you so much Nina for the amazing feedback! So glad you loved them! I have a few that use flaxseed. These both use a good amount of flaxseed! https://thevegan8.com/almond-pulp-chocolate-chip-bars/
https://thevegan8.com/nut-free-granola-bars-vegan-gluten-free/
These are the best brownies I have ever had! I made these for the holidays and they were gone before any of the other desserts! I am trying to think of other flavors to incorporate for different times of the year, since I will be making these regularly. Thank you so much for a delicious, simple recipe. Bravo!
That is so amazing to hear these are the best you’ve ever had!! Thank you Lisa! I wasn’t kidding when I said that same thing in my post, haha! Some readers have left off the peppermints and swapped the peppermint extract and loved them as well. I haven’t tried that personally yet.
Just wanted to add another VERY enthusiastic review! I made these today omitting the peppermint elements for regular chocolate brownies. The texture and flavor were incredible. Still marveling at the genius of the flaxseed and cornstarch combo. I had my first baby this year and have been collecting recipes so that I can make him vegan sweets and pass on the flavors I love and remember from my childhood. This one is definitely going in the “keep” file. Thank you so much for this stellar recipe!
Absolutely amazing!!! I was sooo excited to see this recipe, because I had been craving peppermint brownies and needed a vegan/gf recipe!! They were delicious and I love the ingredients you used too-even my sister who has extremely strict dietary restrictions could eat them 🙂 thank you so much for sharing your creations!
Oh, this makes me so happy to hear Brianna! Thank you so much for making them!