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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These were the best brownies that I have ever had! I didnt use the protein powder and swapped to plain flour, but wow! Even hubby and the kids loved them. Being so rich and decadent its easy not to eat too many 😉
Thank you so much Nicole for taking the time to leave such an amazing review! Love that they whole family loved these so much! Thank you for the awesome feedback!
Hi
these look delicious. I have 2 queries :
Can I use oat flour throughout,instead of rice flour?
Can the maple syrup be replaced with honey as the former isnt easily available where I live.
Hi Tia! I would not recommend oat flour instead of rice flour because I think that will make them TOO gooey because they are already very fudgy, which is why I didn’t use all oat flour. You can try it but just know it’s not going to be the intended result. As far as honey goes, again, honey is VERY thick and sticky so it will make these exceptionally gooey. Maple syrup is much thinner and honey is a totally different taste so you can always try but I can’t vouch for the result. Let me know if you try it! I think agave would be a much better sub than maple syrup, but be sure to up the chocolate chips.
oops sorry—see it under a different name and also see your substitution note at the bottom of the
recipe.
“>)
evidently that Oriya Organics Superfood Protein Medley is no longer available on their web site.
What as a substitution?
Thank you
Mary Jean
Sorry I missed this before Mary Jean! The subs for protein powder are listed right next to the ingredient. Says “see Notes below for subs” 🙂
Wow these are so good!!!! I used 3T pastry flour instead of protein powder. I also added 1T coconut sugar to make it just a little sweeter and topped it with chopped pecans. I could have eaten the whole pan by myself!!!! Are there any special instructions if I want to double the recipe and use a 8×8 pan? Do I just double everything? Anyone tried this yet
Sorry I missed this comment before Kate! I’m so happy to hear you loved them so much! I know I’m way late on this, but yes, just double the recipe for an 8×8 pan…basically the same cooking time.
OMG! These look mouth-watering. Not a natural vegan myself I look for good vegan recipes for the calorie loss! I only have to look at a cake to put weight on. It sounds good!
Thank you Anne! These just taste every bit as rich as traditional brownies, they don’t “taste vegan” or anything, haha! A large amount of my readers make them for friends/family and they aren’t vegan. These are a huge hit with people, so you should definitely try them!
These look amazing! Is it possible to make them without a food processor? I have a NutriBullet so I could still grind up the sunflower seeds, and maybe use the blend setting for the maple syrup and vanilla part? And my mixer for the rest? I really want to make these for a thanksgiving dessert! Thanks!
Hi Abbie, it’s really important that the entire mixture (all of the ingredients) are really mixed well together so it’s totally smooth. Mixing everything together is what makes it a really thick/smooth chocolate batter. This is what will affect how they bake up and hold together, so as long as you can do that, I think it should work. Let me know how they turn out!
Holy crap these are so freaking delicious I can barely stand it! I was loving the batter so much I didn’t want to bake them. I think I liked every last morsel out of the blender and off the spatula… I used Sunwarrior Plain Brown Rice Protein powder and baked them in a 8″ round pan in the toaster oven for about 35 minuets (I’m operating in a half functional kitchen right now) but that seemed to work – though it would be nice to have them a tad thicker. It was soooooo hard not to cut them until they cooled, but I did manage to refrain myself. Talk about an exercise in will power. Now it’s going to be hard not to eat the entire pan today! Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for such deliciousness. You really made my day 🙂
That is so awesome to hear Sarah, I’m so happy you loved these so much! I love them so much too! Thank you for the feedback!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Or as my husband said, “Oh, snap!” :). Best brownies I’ve had since going vegan 2 years ago. Definitely a keeper!
Haha, yay!! SO happy to hear that Dawn, thank you so much for the feedback! And I laughed at your husband’s response, haha!
Would another protein powder work? Looking at Garden of Life Organic plant protein.
I’ve only tried it with the one above, but the best option would be to just use brown rice flour if you have that, in place of the protein powder. Is the Garden of Life one flavorless? You don’t want one that is flavored and sweetened or it will affect the taste. The one I used had no sweetener or flavors.
Ok, I’ve made these twice now, and they’ve been absolutely delicious both times, but they look nothing like the picture, lol. They will not stay together, when you try to cut them, they just fall apart and crumble even though they are moist? It’s crazy! I didn’t have the protein powder, so I substituted the brown rice flour like you suggested, but otherwise followed the recipe. But like I said, they were still really good! ?
Kathy @notjustsmoothies
Hi Kathy! I’m so glad you love these!! Hmmm, that’s really strange, you’re the first person ever to mention that. I’ve had dozens and dozens make these and their pics look like mine above and each time I make them, they always turn out the same. The sunbutter is what holds them together. The only reason they would be crumbly is if you are removing them too soon after coming out of the oven, but they are so firm after completely cooked after they cook, even the next day. I make them all the time. Do you use parchment paper or spray your pan? I made them one time with parchment paper and they stick bad to the paper, making them crumble when you try to remove them. Maybe you need to cook them longer? The edges should be really firm and crisp up.
Thanks Brandi for your reply. I didn’t use parchment paper, I sprayed an 8×8 square glass dish, since I doubled the recipe. I cooked them the max time and let them cool completely in the pan. I did mix the the sunflower seeds in a vitamix since I don’t have a food processor & blended all the ingredients in a bowl by hand, so don’t know if that would make a difference? They were so good though and everyone loved them! I also tried to rate this recipe but when I clicked on the star it didn’t do anything? ?
Hi Kathy! Ok, I knew there was something that had to be slightly different, yes, all the ingredients should be blended up all together because the sunflower seeds should be completely pureed with the dry ingredients and liquids, when it is then blended up for a couple of minutes with everything, it becomes very sticky/pudding-like and cohesive. It causes it to bake up very firmly. 🙂 You should still be able to do all of that in your vitamix and the bars should turn out much firmer next time. Thank you so much Kathy! 🙂
Oh and yes, I got the stars, thank you! It went through 🙂
Ok, thanks so much Brandi, I will try that! I was thinking the sunflower seeds were just supposed to be made into a flour and not a butter. I hope it won’t be too thick for the vitamix. Is there a good food processor you could recommend? I’ve been wanting to get one but there’s so many different kinds, sizes, and prices, I don’t know where to start! ? Thanks again and I’m glad the stars went through? ?
Yes, I got the star rating, thank you so much! Yes, the first step is grinding it up into a flour, but then you need to blend it all together with ALL the ingredients so it becomes really smooth and a pudding consistency, it becomes sticky and gooey like a nut butter almost. They bake up and become really firm that way 🙂 My vitamix is the thin container and I have trouble doing thick textures in it, only my food processor works. I use this one and absolutely LOVE it! It’s an 11 cup, so perfect size to get a lot done. It is a bit pricey, but works: http://amzn.to/1SxM5yC
If you want something better prices, this is another one I had for years and loved it too! http://amzn.to/1SxMjWx
Do you know if anyone has made these without a food processor? I decided to go through my saved vegan8 recipes to see how necessary my food processor is (I do love it, but as I mentioned earlier I live in a hotel, and move my whole life in the back of my jeep every few months. I have accumulated was too much stuff, and desperately need to down size). What percent of the time do you use the food processor do you think I’m your recipes? I’m still kind of new to making them! Thanks!
Hi Vanessa! The sunflower seeds definitely need a food processor in order to process them and the whole mixture into a smooth batter…otherwise it will be gritty. You could try using sunbutter instead I guess and just really whisk the ingredients well until smooth, I’m guessing you would need 6-8 tablespoons sunbutter. As far as my recipes go, I use my food processor more than any other appliance. I use it for desserts and veggie burgers and hummus and dips, etc. I couldn’t live without it so I’d say it’s pretty important. Obviously not all recipes require it, but many use it. I rely on it more than my Vitamix, but use both.
Thanks. I think I will try to hang on to it (I do love my food processor, I can’t deny). As I went through more recipes last night I realized how many used it.
Brandi,
What a fabulous recipe! I am shocked at how delicious these turned out. You are absolutely right; these brownies are fudgy, dense, and there’s not the slightest taste of sunflower seeds! My husband is anti-vegan and even he was surprised and pleased with the results. I used the rice flour substitution but I tried 1T of ground chia seeds and 2T of rice flour. No other changes but mine were perfectly done in 32min. This will be my new go-to for when I need a chocolate fix. Thanks so much.
Yay Shirlie!! I’m so happy you and your hubby both loved these! Thank you so much for making them and leaving feedback!
WOW! These are great. Just made them today after drooling over the pictures the other day. So quick and easy to make. I was able to mix the batter in my vitamix and pour right into the pan, stir in chocolate chips and bake! So extra points for using “one bowl” so to speak. They came perfect! I used the subs for the protein powder and used 3 T of brown rice flour instead. My kids approve too!
SO happy to hear that Jenn! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback, I really appreciate it! Glad it’s kid approved too! They are my daughter’s favorite 🙂
OMG. What can I say… Thank you a million times!!! Your recipe was right on spot, my birthday present: my birthday brownies 🙂 I’m eating them all by myself haha
My notes: I baked in an 8inch square pan and therefore I think I needed less time — 30 min. They were crispy outside and amaaaaaazingly gooey inside! Since I also didn’t have choc chips, I just choipped some bitter chocolate and used them. Worked just fine, too!
So, that was it, I’ve got a mouth full of delicious brownie now 😛
Haha, loved this feedback Barbara, thank you so much! I’m so happy you loved these so much and Happy birthday!!!
These are FANTASTIC! Be careful not to eat the whole pan in one sitting! absolutely delicious!
Haha! Oh, I’m so happy to hear that, thank you so much Silvana! 🙂
I made these last night after my husband threatened to order brownies from Papa John’s (the horror!) He was very skeptical about sunflower seeds in brownies, but after I read him your admonishment of cakey brownies “Cakey brownies, step aside. You are not brownies, you are cake. Accept it and move on.” he was SOLD!
I had to make a double batch because he just laughed at the size of the original batch (he can eat a lot of brownies). I only had one cup of sunflower seeds, so I used them plus one cup of almond flour that was leftover from another recipe and needed to be used up. I used the Bob’s Red Mill GF 1-to-1 baking mix in place of the oat flour + protein powder. I also added pecan pieces because my I helped my sister shell some last weekend and I had some that she gave me. The brownies were excellent! My husband said they were not sweet enough (typical) but the texture was spot-on. I personally thought they were the perfect sweetness (which usually means he won’t think they are sweet enough).
thank you Vegan 8! You are my hero!!
Wow, thanks so much for the wonderful feedback Gira! Wow, really! Your hubby must like things very sweet, lol! You can always throw in extra chocolate chips next time for him 🙂
Made these last night for a Christmas party and they were a hit! Everyone was amazed that they were vegan. Going to make them again for Christmas and try my hand at the chocolate chip cookies too. 🙂
Yay! So happy to hear this, thank you so much Linda for letting me know!!
This recipe is amazing!!!! Thank you! ? I’ve made them in various ways and they always taste lovely!
I want to make a double batch in an 8 x 8 tin. Any idea as to what temp/time I could try?
Keep up the amazing work! Your one very talented lady xxxx
Awww thank you so much Gemma, so kind of you! I honestly would just follow the same heat temp and directions since doubling it will be so much like just using 2 loaf pans, so I would keep it the same and follow the same directions.
I have been trying to find a good vegan brownie recipe for a while now. All the others I’ve tried have been too cake-like inside, or too dry and not moist and fudgey, or the tops weren’t crunchy or shiny enough, etc etc. This is the only one I’ve found that is exactly what I believe a brownie should be – dense and fudge-like inside, crisp and shiny on the top, without any strange beany or fruity flavours anywhere. Thank you so much for posting this. My brownie search is finally over.
Thank you so much Pam for this amazing feedback! I’m so happy you loved these brownies as much as I do! They really are just as I love them to be too, dense, fudgey and chocolatey! Thank you so much!
I’ve got these in your oven now! The batter is very tasty and I can’t wait till they are done!! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us!! ??*my*
I had sunflower seed BUTTER sitting in my pantry for months that I was never too fond of… I came across this recipe and was so inspired! I didt have brown rice flour but what I ended up using was very similar, and the batter is addicting! Thank you:)
Wonderful, so glad you like them! I am not sure how much sunflower butter you would need for the recipe for the right results, but I’m glad you made it work!
Ooh. Hi! Do you happen to recall how much sunbutter you used? my little one is allergic to nuts and I can only get my hands on nut free sunbutter and not nut free sunflower seeds (they always have traces of nuts :-() thank you!
Hi Gabi, I’m not sure since I’ve only made this using the seeds, never actual sunbutter, but if I had to guess, I would say about 1/2 cup. Just look for the final brownie batter to be like a nut butter consistency. It should be thick, but not stiff. Hope that helps!
I made these and they turned out amazing. I could taste the sunflower seeds but only because I knew they were in there. My husband is sitting next to me enjoying these babies and can’t even guess what they’re made of! Such a good source of fat in a dessert, great recipe! Thank you 🙂
Wow, thank you so much for the wonderful feedback! I’m so happy to hear your hubby loved them too! Yes, you never know the sunflower seeds are in there, unless you “know”, haha! I honestly cannot taste them and my hubby had no clue either. Just rich chocolate. Thanks so much for the feedback!
At first I thought, really – sunflower seeds…not! But holy moly everyone devoured these and absolutely loved the flavor and how moist they were. I used the brown rice flour and it tasted delectable. Big big hit.
Haha, yes it sounds like they wouldn’t be that great based off the ingredient list, but they really surprise everybody! So happy these were such a hit, thank you for the feedback!