Vegan Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Brownies

These vegan, gluten-free peanut butter brownies are oil-free and refined sugar-free, but incredibly fudgey and decadent-tasting! You’d never know that they are made with wholesome ingredients. My best brownies yet!

You all know that I don’t like to brag or use superlatives when it comes to my recipes (humility is something that I value), but I have to give credit where credit is due: These vegan, gluten-free peanut butter brownies have to be my best dessert recipe yet! I’m not even exaggerating. They did not last long in our house, and I have a suspicion that they won’t last long in yours, either! I used my almond butter oat flour brownies as a blueprint, but I made a few notable changes: I reduced the oat flour and sugar, increased the cocoa, and replaced the coconut oil with applesauce. The resulting brownie is more fudgey than the original, and way better, in my opinion! They’re easy to make, affordable (no almond or cashew butter here!), and free from oil, refined sugar, and gluten (but you would never know it). They’re dense and fudge-like, rather than cakey, which is a quality that I look for in a brownie. So if you’re looking for a rich fudge brownie, this is it! I’m even thinking of creating a mint variation in the near future for something festive. And because nobody else in my household likes chocolate mint desserts, I’ll finally get a dessert all to myself. Muahaha. 🙂 Stay tuned for that!

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED

• Ground flax, peanut butter, applesauce, coconut sugar, maple syrup, almond milk, vanilla extract, oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, sea salt, and chocolate chips.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper with enough overhang to allow you to easily lift the brownie out of the pan after it cools.
2. Prepare the flax egg: In a large bowl, whisk together the flax and water. Wait a couple of minutes for it to thicken. To the bowl, add peanut butter, applesauce, coconut sugar, maple syrup, almond milk, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and sea salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Mix in the chocolate chips. The batter will be thick. This is normal for a brownie!
5. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. I recommend wetting your hands and using them to press the brownie into all four corners of the pan. Smooth it out into an even layer.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes- 18 minutes for a very fudgey brownie!
7. Let the brownie cool in the pan for 30 minutes. You can then lift it out of the pan and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. I sliced mine into 9 large brownies, but you can also go for 12-16 smaller squares if you wish.
8. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for a few days, or in the fridge or freezer for longer term storage.

MORE VEGAN CHOCOLATE RECIPES TO TRY

• Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Cups (Vegan)
• Vegan Double Chocolate Caramel Sandwich Cookies
• Cashew Butter Cardamom Hot Chocolate (Vegan)

I hope that you love (and I mean love, love, love) these vegan gluten-free peanut butter brownies! If you make them, I’d love to hear how you enjoyed them. Leave a comment and rating below the post, and be sure to tag @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen if you post a photo to Instagram! Finally, if you like what you’re seeing and want to stay up to date on all of my latest recipes, subscribe! You’ll even get a free e-cookbook with 10 bonus recipes as a thank you. 🙂 Hope you’re having a fabulous December so far. Sending you good vibes, today and everyday. Pin this for later:  Enjoy! Print