The BEST Healthy Vegan Gluten-free Brownies that are so fudgy, oil-free, nut-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.
BEST HEALTHY VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE 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.
These healthy vegan brownies are gluten-free, nut-free, oil-free, coconut-free and kid-friendly. Bonus that these only have 8 ingredients (+ salt & water)! These oil-free vegan brownies are just as rich and decadent, but much healthier. See all my oil-free baking tips and guide here!
These are some of the best brownies I’ve ever had and I’m not exaggerating. 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.
So, what’s the main secret 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.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
- Raw, unsalted sunflower kernels: These provide all the fat that normally oil or butter would provide. Using the sunflower seeds makes these extra fudgy and rich, but healthier.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Pure maple syrup
- Baking powder
- Brown rice flour: This keeps these vegan brownies gluten-free and whole grain.
- Oat flour: Using oat flour also keeps these gluten-free and provides a bit of chewy brownie texture that we all love.
- Vanilla
- Dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips: I use Enjoy Life.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE BROWNIES
Step 1: Make the brownie batter. Add just the sunflower kernels to a food processor and process into a flour. Add the remaining ingredients and blend for several minutes until completely smooth and no bits of seeds remain.
Step 2: Transfer the batter to a bowl. Add the chocolate chips and stir.
Step 3: Bake the brownies. Add the batter to a loaf pan and bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with sticky crumbs, not wet batter and not dry.
Step 4: Cool 45 minutes to an hour before cutting. This is important so they hold together and not fall apart, which cutting them while warm will yield crumbly brownies.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
- Use a scale: This is so important for baking, especially vegan gluten-free baking. Without eggs, traditional flour or oil, precision is key!
- Follow the recipe closely: Omitting any step will affect the outcome and texture. It’s imperative to blend the ingredients as instructed until completely smooth. This is how the brownies turn out fudgy and hold together.
MORE VEGAN BROWNIE RECIPES TO TRY
- Vegan Peppermint Brownies
- Vegan Fudgy Coconut Butter Brownies
- Vegan Fudgy Zucchini Brownies
- Chocolate Pumpkin Cake Brownies
- Raw Brownies with Raspberry Coulis
- Fudgy Vegan Low-Fat Brownies
UPDATE: I originally wrote this recipe using the Oriya protein powder. However, I NO longer use the protein powder, 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.
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Healthy Vegan Gluten-free Brownies (So Fudgy!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (140g) raw, unsalted sunflower kernels (Do NOT use roasted or you will get an aftertaste!)
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (36g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon 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
- 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 .
NOTE
- As always, I recommend highly to use a scale to prevent room for error. You don't need cups or to compare the weights to cups, just simply follow the weights listed, as this is exactly how the recipes are tested and made. Make sure to zero out before adding each ingredient.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and spray WELL a 9X5 loaf pan with nonstick spray. I tried some with parchment paper and didn't like how they stuck to the paper and were more fragile.
- Add the sunflower kernels to a food processor and process for 30 seconds until a flour is formed. Add the cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and process again until just mixed.
- Add the syrup, vanilla and water and process for 3 minutes or so until completely smooth. 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, you will end up with dry crumbly brownies since the fat from the sunflower kernels is what makes these so fudgy!
- 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.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread out evenly to the corners. Place extra chocolate chips on top.
- 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 wet batter, but more of a sticky batter. The edges should be firm and have slightly pulled away from the pan. 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.
- Cool for 45 minutes to an hour, with no exception. They will fall apart if you try to remove them earlier. 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. Store at room temperature wrapped tightly in foil.
Nutrition
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I tried this recipe the other day,unfortunately my kids cut into them before they were cooked all the way and made them look all a mess? however, they were still delicious, if not photo worthy. I realized too late that I used the wrong sunflower seeds, I used Roasted,unsalted. Which made for a pretty strong seed flavor. But the texture was perfect and I still loved it. I can’t wait to try it again with the raw, unsalted seeds!
Haha, I don’t blame the kids 🙂 I’m so happy they were enjoyed, even before they were done! Thank you so much for making them and the feedback!
I made my own brown rice and oat flour mixture in my Nutra Bullet, and the brownie mix was delicious! It’s baking in the oven now…can’t wait to taste the completed product! (I may play around with the recipe and replace the maple syrup with dates…or just reduce the amount next time just because it seems like alot of sugar)…must say though that the batter was heavenly just as it was ?
Wonderful! It needs that much syrup for them to taste correctly since there is a lot of cocoa powder, otherwise they can come off tasting bitter. You are certainly welcome to try it with date syrup, it will change the texture and make them more gooey/raw, but I would think would still be yummy. So glad you love it!
OMG seriously wow these look ridiculous as in freaking delicious. I just want to clarify you say if you omit the protein powder use all purpose flour instead of the oat flour and protein powder? Maybe I am confused. If I don’t want to use the protein powder can I just leave it out but still use the oat flour? So in other words can I follow the original recipe as it but just omit the protein powder?
Thanks,
Riley
Oh nevermind I understand now. If I leave out the protein powder I replace that with brown rice flour or all purpose flour. Sorry about that don’t know why I confused.
Hi Riley! Yes, you have two options for completely omitting the protein powder. You can simply sub the protein powder for brown rice flour (3 T) OR you can leave out both the protein powder and the oat flour and just use 1/4 cup all purpose flour instead of those 2. I prefer the brown rice flour option because they are more fudgy, but both are delicious! Let me know how they turn out! ?
Hi there,
These look so yummy can you tell me where I can get the protein powder? Thank you so much
Hi DeeAnna! I have listed in the notes a couple of different subs if you don’t have the protein powder or don’t want to order it. 🙂 You can sub the protein powder with 3 tablespoons brown rice flour and that will yield nearly the same result, since that’s the main ingredient of the protein powder anyways. Otherwise if you wanted to order the protein powder, there is a link to it further above in the post. It’s important to use a non-flavored rice protein powder since the one I used had virtually no taste and worked so well, so the easiest sub would just be brown rice flour which you can find at most grocery stores these days. I hope that helps!! ?
I made these brownies for my friends birthday and I am not exaggerating….I think they are actually the best brownies I have EVER put in my mouth! And I am quite the brownie snob. I definitely scraped the pan with a spoon to eat the fudgy leftovers that stuck to it and I am NOT ASHAMED ?
Seriously though Brandi, I can honestly not believe how decadent and unhealthy these taste!!! I was literally dancing in my kitchen because I was so excited. None of my friends at school are vegan and they were blown away that these were actually good for you and had no butter or eggs! My roommate actually jokingly told me to never make them again or she would eat the whole batch haha. You nailed this one!!!!
Caitlin, your feedback and beautiful photo you shared on Instagram was like the best feedback ever and described perfectly how I feel about these brownies! Thank you so much for making them and sharing them! So happy they were such a hit with everybody! P.S. I’m a total brownie snob too, lol!
Tonight I really wanted brownies to go with your awesome PB sweet potato ice cream. Over the years I’ve done many google searches for vegan brownies, but have never been very satisfied with the results since they all have a lot of oil or earth balance, and applesauce doesn’t always work as a perfect substitute. I thought surely you must have come up with a better way, so I searched your blog and sure enough, here it is!
The only problem was I didn’t have any sunflower seeds, so I considered using another nut, but I also have an abundance of pulp from almond milk, so I went with that. The only other change was to reduce the water by 2 tbsp, figuring the almond pulp added enough extra moisture. They came out great! Not only do I now have a delicious brownie ice cream sundae but also a great sense of accomplishment for using some more almond pulp! ?
I’m so happy you loved these brownies so much and to go with the ice cream!! I’m so happy to hear the almond pulp was a good sub for the sunflower seeds too, that’s wonderful! Thank you so much for making them and leaving feedback!
These look amazing! They’re definitely going to be the guest of honor for my girls’ night tomorrow. But I have one question: If I’m a little short on sunflower seeds, might I supplement with something else? I have hemp seeds and nuts aplenty.
Made these and they’re delicious. Only had whole wheat flour and baking powder that expired in 2010 but they still turned out fabulous and fudgy. Yay! Posting it on Instagram!
Awesome Kim! I’m so happy to hear that they worked out so well with the wheat flour, thank you so much for the feedback!
Sooooo goooooood! Made them using 1/4C gluten-free all purpose flour and they baked up beautifully! Thanks, Brandi! (FYI- I did a search to purchase the superfood powder and noticed there was a recall last summer, just in case anyone has any leftover from that long ago- http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm403695.)
Awesome Colleen! I’m so happy to hear you loved these so much! And yikes about the recall!! I just read up on it on your link…thanks for sharing. I didn’t have any issues with mine thank God!
Oh and at the time I did this post it was about a year later after that recall, so I’m guessing they got it all worked out 🙂
These were INCREDIBLE! Iwanted brownies but I wanted them now so I heated and just threw everything in the Vitamix. I didn’t have oat flour so I just
Awesome Amalie! I’m so happy to hear you loved these so much! Looks like part of your comment got cutoff, but thank you for the feedback nonetheless!
These look SO good! Can the sunflower kernels be subbed with sunflower butter? If so, how much would you recommend?
Hi Jessica! I have only tried it the above way, so I’m just not sure exactly how much sunbutter it would equal to. Maybe 1/3-1/2 cup?? I’m not sure. The dough should be thick but spreadable…similar to how it looks in the processor bowl photo above. Let me know if you try it! Sorry, it’s just hard to say since I’ve only tested it the above way.
Dear Brandi,
Im new kids on cooking 🙂
I like your brownie recipe. Just want to ask how we mix the ingredient? Do we use mixer or food procssor?
Thank you and have a great day!
Hi Kartika! I have noted to use a food processor in the directions, that it the best way to get the mixture super creamy 🙂 Let me know how they turn out! Thank you!
These were great! The chocolate chips mix well with the rest of the brownie to give them a rich, chocolate-y flavor. Had to hide them away after the first brownie and a half…do you have nutrition facts for these? I substituted gluten-free flour (mostly brown rice flour with some other types of flours like sorghum, tapioca) for the protein powder. Also used an 8×5 loaf pan and took them out after 35 min. Great, easy recipe!
Awesome! Thank you so much for such wonderful feedback Layla! I really appreciate the kind words!!
Oh and yes, the nutrition is above under NOTES on the recipe 🙂
Seriously delicious in every way. I’ve made these several times and they’ve come out perfectly each time, although I cannot find the protein powder in my neck of the woods. I subbed in rice flour and it seemed to do the trick.
I have to tell you a funny story about the first time I made these. I set them to cool near an open kitchen window. My husband and I impatiently waited in the living room for them to cool when we heard a strange sawing noise coming from the kitchen. A squirrel had attached himself to the screen and was gnawing a hole trying to get in! I can only guess the smell of the baking sunflower seeds was too much to resist. So now we have a half inch hole in the screen as a reminder of the day the squirrel tried to break in and eat our brownies. LOL.
Anyway, these are great and my go-to recipe for brownies. They are dark, chewy, not too sweet and a chocoholic’s dream. My non-vegan daughter and my brother both love them, too and never guessed they were vegan. I wouldn’t think of making any other kind of brownies now! Thank you for the recipe, Brandi… genius as usual!
This was some of the best feedback I’ve ever received and soooo funny Caroline! Thank you so much for sharing, hahaha! I’m so happy these brownies are your favorite and your family members loved them too! Always so awesome when non-vegans have no clue it’s not traditionally made with the bad ingredients!
Hi Brandi you genius! I made these tonight as a treat for myself and my husband because he is a chocoholic- usually of the unhealthy type- but since I’ve changed my diet, he has tried some of my foods (like nice creams!) and was shocked to realize he liked them better than the original version! So when he requested healthy brownies I knew it was the perfect opportunity to slip this recipe in! I had to make subs, coconut flour for oat flour, whey protein powder, rice malt syrup for maple, ground almond meal to stretch the recipe instead of doubling the sunflower seeds, and no chocolate chips meant cacao crackle instead! I baked it for less time- 20 minutes at 200C and it was slightly drier- I should have taken it out at 15minutes! But I didn’t need to wait too long to cut into that chocolate goodness! And my hubby loved them! THANK YOU!!!
Awww thanks so much for such wonderful feedback!! I’m so happy to hear you and hubby loved these so much!! Yes, coconut flour is MUCH more absorbent than any other flour, so I would use a lot less and try that instead!
Ok.. I must’ve done something wrong..
Probably with the degrees.. Did you mean 350 degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit? Because I put them at 250 degrees Celsius in the oven (it only goes up to 275) and they were totally burned after 10 minutes
The dough looked so good and now I ended up with a black and hard cake
Hi Saditoxo! That’s why, it should be 350 Fahrenheit. You had the temp way too high. 350 is a very standard Fahrenheit degree. So the equivalent to Celsius for you would be 177. Then the cooking time of 35-40 minutes should work. I will update the notes to say Fahrenheit.
Okay thank you
I’ll definitely try these again !
Sooooo, I got these out of the oven. They smelled fantastic. After an hour, they hadn’t set up like I had hoped, even though they were very cool and the pan was cooled off. I actually found the sunflower taste to be way too strong, so I think I might like to mix those with something else. Any suggestions? I love sunflower seeds, and maybe mine weren’t as fresh as they could have been, but I just found the flavor a bit overwhelming. Also, not sure why they didn’t set up more. Anyhow, I will try this recipe again for sure, but will modify it. I wonder what else I could use? I could cut the sunflower quantity in half and add something else, but not sure what? Gluten free flour mix maybe? I welcome everyone’s thoughts.
Hi Leslie! I just came back to see your first comment and now I see what the issue is…hemp protein powder and chia seeds!! How many chia seeds did you add? I actually never use chia seeds because I find the flavor just so bitter and overpowering. Both and hemp and chia are really strong in flavor. That is what you are tasting, it’s not the sunflower kernels. I definitely would not have added the chia seeds especially. Did you not use the oat flour? These setup really firm after cooling some, so your subs definitely changed the result. Unfortunately, I can only guarantee results with the ingredients I tested above. Sorry! Just trying to help troubleshoot your subs!
All the reviews above have been stellar and I don’t think these taste like sunflower at ALL. All the cocoa powder and chocolate chips mask any sunflower flavor. I don’t even love sunflower kernels and I don’t even taste them. They just taste like rich brownies, so I’m afraid your subs & addition affected the results it sounds like.
I did half sunflower seeds and half almond flour and they turned out great! Firm and moist! Perfectly tasty, too!
I just wanted to agree with Leslie – these do have a very strong sunflower seed taste. I made them as specified – no substitutions, no additions, no subtractions. They are fudgy and tasty, but everyone agreed (I had about 10 people for dinner who tried them) there definitely is a strong sunflower seed taste and if you don’t like that, then this is not the right recipe for you. If you can get past the sunflower seed taste, they are very fudgy.
Hi Shelby! I definitely named them sunflower brownies because of the large amount of sunflowers used in the recipe so people will know. However, out of 100’s of feedbacks, this is only the 2nd time I’ve ever heard that, lol! As you can see all these reviews! I personally do not taste sunflower kernels at ALL, so I guess it boils down to a super sensitive taste to sunflower kernels. I would also make sure you are using raw sunflower kernels and not roasted because that could be it, too. But since you are super sensitive to sunflower taste, I have these other brownies that are just as popular as these that you could try! 🙂 https://thevegan8.com/2014/01/28/vegan-fudgy-coconut-butter-brownies/
In the oven NOW! Thanks for this inspiration! I’m just starting to learn how to bake with alternatives due to allergies to wheat, eggs, dairy, so any recipe that is tried and true is near and dear to my heart. I added my own protein powder, but also ordered some of the one you specified, because it looks great! Mine was hemp protein, and I added chia seeds. I hope it turns out well! Will check back in and let you know. Thanks!
Made these last night –big hit with entire family! Yummy
Awesome Julie! Thank you so much for letting me know, so glad to hear!
As Insta-promised, I’m commenting on your recipe! 😉 These are truly my new favorite dessert! After developing a milk allergy, I decided to make the move to veganism and I feel great! On the downside, I have had the hardest time finding tasty treats for my horrible sweet tooth. These are gooey and chocolate-y PLUS dairy and guilt free! The syrup in it also gives it this wonderful flavor I can’t even describe. I did the flour substitutes–all purpose flour and brown rice flour and my only difficulty was getting a really even consistency. But once baked, it wasn’t even a problem. Add some extra DF chocolate chips on top and I’m in heaven. It’s kid (and husband) approved! Thanks for the best recipe!
These look just perfect. I too don’t have access to the powder and oats aren’t gluten free so I’ll be milling a mix of rice flour with chia seeds and my own gluten free flour mix. Can’t wait for my chocoholic husbands birthda tto try it Pre testing will be mandatory 🙂 Thank you so much for this gorgeous recipe.
Hi Anni! Wonderful! I can’t wait to hear what you think! FYI, I used certified Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free oats to make my oat flour, so they are gluten-free, but you can certainly try making your own rice flour blend. So many people have made these with slight flour variations, all with great results! 🙂
i was excited until I got to the powder containing spiraling and chlorella. I am allergic to these.
Hi Kayti! That is why I have listed 2 other options. I realize many people don’t have or don’t want to use protein powder, so just look at the NOTES section of the recipe and there are 2 other ways you can make it 🙂
Just made these brownies and they turned out amazing!! I’ve been looking for a healthier fudgey brownie recipe for so long, and this recipe is perfect! So dense, moist, chocolately, you’d never know they were vegan and oil free – thanks so much for the awesome recipe!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that Claire! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback!!