Name: Dairy Free Brownies (Gluten Free Option)
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3/4 cup oil or melted dairy free butter; 3/4 cup white sugar; 3/4 cup brown sugar; 2 eggs; 2 tablespoons honey; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; 3/4 cup cocoa powder; 2/3 cup flour; 1/4 teaspoon salt

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This dairy free brownies recipe is so easy to make, use oil or vegan butter, and only requires one bowl! With only a few simple ingredients, these brownies are perfectly fudgey, gooey and soft. There’s an option to make your fudge brownies gluten free, too, and they make the best dessert or treat that everyone can enjoy!

Ingredients in Dairy Free Brownies

For these dairy free brownies, you will need white and brown sugar, 2 eggs, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, salt and flour. You’ll also need 3/4 cup of a dairy free butter, or oil (such as vegetable oil or avocado oil). Honey is the secret ingredient here to make these fudge brownies super gooey and fudgey.

Using Vegan Butter or Oil in Brownies

Oil can easily be used in place of dairy butter to make a brownie recipe dairy free. The best oils to use are avocado oil, melted coconut oil, or vegetable oil. You can use olive oil, but it does have a slightly stronger taste.

There are also many options for dairy free butter that can be used! They will likely be marketed as vegan butter in the grocery store. If you tolerate ghee, that works equally as well.

Does cocoa powder have dairy

Powdered cocoa does not contain any dairy. When looking for cocoa powder, the ingredients listed should just be cocoa powder. This is also different than cacao powder which is a more raw form and has a more bitter taste. Cocoa powder can be found in baking sections in grocery stores.

In this recipe, the oil (or ghee), flour, cocoa powder and gluten free flour can also be found in major grocery stores, or online from retailers like Amazon or for a discount from Thrive Market.

Substituting Gluten Free Flour

You can absolutely substitute gluten free flour in this dairy free brownie recipe to make your brownies both dairy free and also gluten free. There are a few gluten free flour brands that are a 1:1 swap in baking recipes. The best ones I’ve found are the Cup4Cup Wholesome (the regular Cup4Cup contains traces of dairy), and King Arthur’s 1:1 Baking Flour. If I was ranking them, Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1:1 flour would be in third place.

How to Make Dairy Free Brownies

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. and line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper. It’s easiest to cut it so there’s some extra on the edges to pull the brownies out of the pan easier. If you’re using a dairy free butter or coconut oil that needs to be melted, microwave it until it’s liquid and then add it to a large mixing bowl.

Add in both the white sugar and brown sugar, and use a whisk to combine it until it’s paste-like. Then, add in the eggs, vanilla, honey and stir to combine again until the eggs are beaten and incorporated with the sugar. Lastly, add in the dry ingredients which include the flour, cocoa powder and salt.

Mix the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients just until they’re combined. Do not over-mix them. Then you’ll transfer the dairy free brownie batter into your prepared baking dish. Place it in the oven and bake them for 35 minutes.

Begin checking your brownies at 30 minutes. You do not want to over-bake them as that will result in brownies that are dried out and have less of that ooey gooey fudgey texture. When in doubt, it’s best to pull them out a few minutes early and let them sit in the hot baking dish than it is to bake them for too long. Lastly, let them cool before slicing.

Storing Your Brownies

Once the brownies have cooled, you can store them in an air tight container or bag on the countertop. We’ve even accidentally left them out overnight and they were still perfectly moist, soft and fudgey the next day, too. I do not recommend refrigerating them as that will cause your brownies to harden.

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