These vegan peanut butter brownies marry rich peanut butter with sweet, fudgy chocolate in the best way. Plus they have those irresistible, crisp-yet-chewy edges you crave! No flour or vegan butter and only 10 ingredients and 15 minutes prep time.
Why You'll Love These Brownies
Even though these vegan peanut butter brownies are on the healthier side as far as brownies go, you still get the contrasting textures everyone loves. You know, the crunchier pieces around the edges, the shiny, crackled top, and a rich, fudgy, and dense middle. So good!
They're super easy to make, too, with simple, easy-to-find ingredients. No vegan butter or added oils either! Just straightforward, rich, dense, and satisfying chocolate peanut butter brownies.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Peanut butter - any type of natural peanut butter you like will work. I use a crunchy and salted one. If using unsalted you'll want to add a generous pinch of salt to the batter.
- Cocoa - either regular or Dutch process cocoa powder is fine, or raw cacao powder. Note, if you use Dutch process cocoa, you'll need to replace baking soda with baking powder, since it's too alkaline to react with the baking soda.
- Oats - these brownies begin with old fashioned rolled oats; you'll use a food processor to turn them into a coarse flour. Or if you have oat flour on hand, feel free to use that instead.
- Brown sugar - I prefer light brown sugar in these brownies, but regular cane sugar or dark brown sugar will work, too. See tips below for refined sugar-free options.
- Maple syrup - this adds moisture and sweetness, so I don't recommend omitting it.
- Dairy-free chocolate chips - these are important for the overall sweetness of the brownies, so look for a semi-sweet variety (55-60% cacao). See notes below for refined sugar-free suggestions.
How to Make Vegan Peanut Butter Brownies
- Add oats to a food processor, and blend into coarse crumbs.
- Add other dry ingredients, and pulse to combine. Transfer dry ingredients to a bowl.
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- Process wet ingredients until smooth.
- Return dry ingredients to food processor, and pulse until a thick batter forms.
- Fold in chopped walnuts and chocolate chips.
- Spread batter into a parchment-lined 8x8 pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
Now comes the most difficult part of making these peanut butter brownies... waiting until they're cool before slicing!
This is really important, though. Since they're gluten-free they are pretty fragile while warm.
Tips and Variations
- If you have brewed coffee on hand, replace 2 tablespoons of the milk with coffee. It takes the chocolate flavor to the next level!
- For refined sugar-free vegan brownies, try one of the different flavors by Hu Chocolates, and use coconut or date sugar instead of brown sugar.
- And for a nut-free brownie, try these with sunflower seed butter!
How to Store
The brownies are fine at room temperature for a day, but I like to refrigerate them once they've cooled. Store vegan peanut butter brownies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to one month.
I hope you love these vegan peanut butter brownies as much as I do. If you try the recipe be sure to comment below, or tag me on insta with @myquietkitchen. I always love to see what you're baking!
Recipe
Vegan Peanut Butter Brownies
Equipment
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup rolled oats plus 2 Tbsp - Certified gluten-free if needed
- 1 teaspoon baking soda - *If using Dutch process cocoa, use baking powder. Dutch process isn't acidic enough to react with baking soda
- ½ cup cocoa powder - or raw cacao powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon - optional
Wet ingredients:
- ¾ cup natural peanut butter, salted - Smooth or crunchy
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup non-dairy milk
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
Additions:
- ½ cup dairy-free chocolate chips, semi-sweet
- ½ cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped - optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175℃), and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Pulse oats in food processor until the consistency of coarse flour (a few larger pieces are okay). Add remaining dry ingredients and pulse to combine. Transfer to a bowl.
- Combine wet ingredients in food processor, and blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients to food processor and pulse until everything is combined. The batter will be thick and sticky. Fold in walnuts and chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter evenly in the lined pan. Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until the edges are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
- Let the brownies cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely (if possible), before cutting into squares.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
Layan says
This was a really nice brownie recipe and I always have these ingredients. I think if i had a better quality peanut butter it would taste better. It wasn't as dry as other recipes I tried, but of course still had that peanut butter effect. I had these when they were a bit warm and I loved them that way, even though i over baked them just a little since I halved the recipe. Thanks!
Christina says
I’m excited to try these! My husband has to be dairy and gluten and egg free so it’s great to finally have a brownie recipe that doesn’t require any of those ingredients!
Angela says
Could fat be lowered by using part powdered peanut butter in place of full fat peanut butter by chance?
Lori says
Hi Angela, you could probably reduce the peanut butter slightly but it does contribute moisture to the brownies, so in addition to powdered peanut butter for flavor you'd want to add moisture from applesauce or banana. Another way to reduce the fat is to reduce the chocolate and omit the walnuts.
Let us know if you give them a try!
Ricki says
I am thrilled I found you. I appreciate the variety of your recipes. I am plant based unimaginative. You may be exactly what I need. Salads and soups are getting tiring.
Lori says
That's so kind, Ricki. Thank you! I hope you find lots of recipes you love. 😀
Karen Ricketts says
I could tell from the great photos that this was the brownie I was looking for - moist and dense, but not gooey. This is the perfect brownie - and the great pictures can't capture the amazing taste. I used maple sugar instead of brown sugar as that was recommended for WFPB. Thanks so much for this!
Lori says
Karen, so glad you love them. I know what you mean about the texture...they’re my favorite, too! Thanks for the feedback. 🙂
Anna says
Can you leave out the sugar?
Lori says
Hi Anna, no the brown sugar is pretty important for both flavor and texture as the recipe is written. Omitting it would require reworking some of the other ingredients so that you would have a successful brownie. If you're looking for a healthier treat, you might like my refined sugar-free Banana Brownies!
marta says
Do these brownies come out gooey/ chewy or are do they have a cake like texture??
Lori says
Hi Marta,
These are more of a dense type of brownie - sort of between gooey and cake. They can be made *more* gooey by sticking with a shorter bake time. They’re moist and rich tasting.
If you prefer a lighter, cake brownie, you might like my Oil-Free Banana Brownies.
Margie says
I just found this recipe and made it today - they were wonderful! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Lori says
So glad you enjoyed them, Margie. Thank you for the feedback!
Julie says
Lori, how can you say your peanut butter brownie is gluten-free, when oats are one of the grains (wheat, barley, oats and rye) a coeliac has to avoid, due to its gluten?
Lori says
Hi Julie, with the use of certified gluten-free oats (manufactured to avoid cross contamination) this recipe is gluten-free. Thankfully labeling has gotten much better and GF oats are fairly easy to find. My understanding is that most people with celiac disease can safely eat GF oats. A small percentage can't but it's due to a different protein called avenin. Of course, it's up to the individual to know whether gluten-free oats are safe for them to eat.
Susan spalding says
CAN'T wait to try this and more, Great blog.
Lori says
Thank you, Susan! 🙂