The Best Fudgy Nut-Free Brownies (Gluten-Free & Vegan)

These fudgy nut-free brownies are not only the best nut-free brownie recipe, but the best brownie recipe ever! It's one of those recipes you make and as soon as you finish eating them you already want to make them again. These fudgy brownies are sweet, rich, and chewy with the perfect flaky top. This recipe is made with clean and simple ingredients and is guaranteed to be a hit amongst all!

Making homemade brownies is one of my favorite things to bake. Typically I like chilled brownies like my Date Sweetened Brownies or my Fudgy Gluten-Free Vegan Protein Brownies. However, sometimes you just can't beat a warm brownie out of the oven topped with some vanilla ice cream. And that's exactly what these brownies are. They have the perfect chewy texture and rich dark chocolate flavor.

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Jump to:

• Nut-Free Brownie Ingredients:
• How To Make The Best Brownies:
• Substitutions:
• ​Nut-Free Brownie Variations:
• What You Need To Make The Best Gluten-Free Brownies:
• ​How To Store These Fudgy Vegan Brownies:
• Top Tip:
• Frequently Asked Questions:
• Related Sunbutter Recipes:
• The Best Fudgy Nut-Free Brownies (Gluten-Free & Vegan)
• Food Safety:
• More Nut-Free Recipes:

Nut-Free Brownie Ingredients:

These nut-free brownies are the perfect easy recipe because they are made with simple ingredients that you can pick up at any of your local grocery stores.

Wet Ingredients:

• Vanilla Extract - I love adding vanilla extract to baked goods. It adds the perfect warm flavor. I always recommend using Mexican vanilla because it has a much deeper flavor.
• Sunbutter Organic Sunflower Seed Butter - The key to making these nut-free brownies extra fudgy and oil-free is the Sunbutter! I absolutely love baking with Sunbutter because it's a great oil substitute and it has such a rich flavor. When you combine Sunbutter with chocolate in this recipe you get the ultimate fudgy and chewy brownies.
• Water - You will need to mix the ground flax seed with water to create the flax egg.

Dry Ingredients:

• Coconut Sugar - I love using coconut sugar as a natural sweetener because it is a 1:1 substitute for cane sugar. The flavor is rich like brown sugar and it works perfectly in these brownies. Coconut sugar is not a refined sugar because it does not have as big of a glycemic impact and it is full of vitamins and minerals. 
• Gluten-Free Flour - Any gluten-free flour mix will work. However, since they are all made with different ingredients it may affect the outcome slightly. I have linked my go-to gluten-free flour. You can find it at pretty much any grocery store.
• Vegan Dark Chocolate Chips - The key to creating the perfect fudgy brownies is adding melted chocolate to the batter. I recommend using naturally sweetened vegan chocolate chips. If you need to pick some up at your local grocery store, the Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chips are a great option. 
• Baking Powder - This will help the brownies rise slightly without making them too fluffy.
• Ground Flax Seed - This will be combined with the ground flax seed to create the flax egg. A flax egg is a combination of water and ground flaxseed that turns into the perfect vegan egg substitute. 
• Sea Salt - I love a salted brownie. I really think the salt takes brownies to the next level, so make sure to add it!
• Cacao Powder - You can use either cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder for these brownies. I always go for cacao powder because it is less processed and full of antioxidants. 

See the recipe card for quantities.

How To Make The Best Brownies:

The way you make these nut-free brownies is key. There are a couple of extra steps, but I promise it'll be worth it!

1. Begin by combining the ground flax seed and water together in a small bowl and mix. Set the mixture aside for 5-10 minutes to form the flax egg.

2. Preheat the oven to 350. 

3. In a large bowl combine the coconut sugar and Sunbutter. Use an electric mixer to mix the ingredients together until a crumble has formed. 

4. Add the flax egg to the crumble mixture and mix until the mixture is slightly glossy-looking. 

5. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or with a double boiler.

6. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla extract to the bowl and mix again.

7. Add the cacao powder, sea salt, gluten-free flour, and baking powder to the chocolate mixture and mix until combined. 

8. Pour the mixture into an 8x8 square baking pan (it may appear too thick, but this is correct and why the brownies turn out so fudgy.). Place the brownies in the oven to bake for 35-40 minutes.

9. Once done, allow to chill at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with my Healthiest Vegan Ice Cream and chocolate sauce. 

Hint: The top of the brownies should have some cracks in it when it is done baking.

Substitutions:

There are a handful of substitutions that can be made to these nut-free brownies if needed. For best results I recommend following the recipe as-is, however, if a substitution is needed it will work just fine.

• Flour - You can replace the gluten-free flour with a flour like almond flour (if you don't have a nut allergy) or cassava flour (I wouldn't recommend coconut flour). It can also be replaced with all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour if you are not gluten-free.
• Sugar - You can replace the coconut sugar with brown sugar or white sugar if you don't care about adding refined sugar. Another great refined sugar-free substitute is maple crystals (sometimes called maple sugar). 
• Chocolate - You can use semi-sweet chocolate, dark chocolate, or milk chocolate chips. All will work perfectly.

​Nut-Free Brownie Variations:

There are plenty of fun and delicious ways to mix up this delicious brownie recipe. Here are some of my favorite variations.

• Chocolate Chip - If you're a chocolate lover add a handful of your favorite chocolate chips to the brownie batter for the perfect ooey gooey brownies.
• Crunchy - You can add a handful of sunflower seeds for the perfect nut-free crunch!
• Chocolate Caramel - You can add swirls of my 2-ingredient vegan caramel into the batter in the prepared pan for the perfect flavor combination.

What You Need To Make The Best Gluten-Free Brownies:

​The equipment you use can have an impact on how any recipe turns out. Here's what I recommend using for these nut-free brownies.

• Mixing Bowls - You will need a large mixing bowl, a medium bowl to melt the chocolate in, and a small bowl to make the flax egg in.
• Electric Mixer - I strongly recommend making these brownies with an electric mixer rather than by hand because the batter gets quite thick. You can use either a hand mixer or a stand mixer.
• 8x8 Square Pan - Any kind of 8x8 pan will work perfectly. If you have a 9x9 pan I recommend timing this recipe by 1 ½.  

As always you can find all my go-to equipment on my Amazon storefront or my affiliate page.

​How To Store These Fudgy Vegan Brownies:

This vegan brownie recipe is great because it tastes amazing fresh out of the oven and it tastes amazing as a leftover the next day. 

If you've ever stored leftover brownies in the fridge, you know that even the perfect brownie with the best texture can become hard and chewy. This recipe is great because it's oil-free and therefore will not dry up as much in the fridge. It will definitely get chewier, but not dry. 

I recommend storing these brownies in an airtight container for best results. 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Related Sunbutter Recipes:

Looking for other delicious recipes using Sunbutter? Make sure to check out some of the other recipes on my website!

If you try this Fudgy Nut-Free Brownie Recipe, I’d really love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. I’d also really appreciate a recipe card rating! Make sure to share it on social media and tag @theallnaturalvegan to be featured! Thank you for supporting The All Natural Vegan!

Food Safety:

• Wash hands before handling food.
• Never leave cooking food unattended.
• Use oils with a high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

More Nut-Free Recipes:

Love these nut-free brownies? Make sure to check out some of my other nut-free vegan recipes!