Dairy Free Chocolate Brownies: Easy to Make and Perfect for Traybakes
This dairy-free chocolate brownies recipe is super easy to make. It’s ideal for when you don’t have much time to bake but fancy some chocolatey treats.
This dairy-free chocolate brownies recipe is super easy to make. It’s an ideal recipe for when you don’t have much time to spend in the kitchen but feel like having some chocolatey treats.
Chocolate brownies
Everyone who loves baking must have baked chocolate brownies. And they will have their go-to recipe that is perfect for their liking
And this dairy-free chocolate brownies recipe is my go-to brownies recipe.
It only needs simple ingredients and uses a ridiculously easy method. Yet, it never fails to put a smile on those who try it.
It makes one of the chewy brownies that doesn’t taste way too sweet or too chocolatey.
And what’s more, the recipe is perfect for a traybake in that it yields more pieces of sweet treats for everybody in the family to enjoy. Or, for you to share with friends.
Cakey, chewy, or fudgy brownies?
Just like the name says, a cakey brownie has a cake-like texture. It’s a bit spongy because the recipe normally uses some raising agents e.g. baking soda, etc.
And a chewy brownie is one with a chewy texture and the recipe doesn’t use any raising agents. But, you have to cook the batter at the right time.
If you undercook, the brownie will be soft and gooey and its texture will be more like a fudge. Thus, it’s called a fudgy brownie.
The first time I tried chocolate brownies many decades ago, I didn’t realize that they were not “real brownies”.
In hindsight, they were just simply chocolate cake traybakes.
Mind you, the internet didn’t quite exist at that time. We didn’t have free and fast information flowing at our fingertips to check whether those brownies were authentic. Duh.
Anyway, now I know that there are so many versions of chocolate brownies. Depending on how you like them, you can either have a cakey brownie, a chewy brownie, or a fudgy brownie.
Why dairy-free?
This dairy-free chocolate brownies recipe is the one you want to try because you can’t use butter for your brownies.
And the reason may vary. Some of us may have a dairy intolerance, or some of us may be vegans. And some of us simply don’t have butter ready in the pantry/ kitchen.
Whichever reason you have, these brownies will satisfy your chocolate cravings in no time.
And if you need more ideas of dairy-free baking, try this delicious dairy-free and gluten-free banana cake by Clean Eating Kitchen.
Simple ingredients for dairy-free chocolate brownies
There are hundreds of chocolate brownie recipes you can find on the internet, in books, on TV, etc.
Over the years, I’ve tried so many chocolate brownie recipes myself. Some I quite love the taste like Jamie Oliver’s brownies or like this recipe from BBC. But they’re either hassle in the methods, or they use many ingredients that I don’t always have in my pantry.
Some other recipes can be easier to make, but they taste either too sweet for my liking, or too chocolatey for my kids’ taste buds.
So, after tweaking and trying, I’ve come up with this super-easy-to-make recipe that uses 7 simple ingredients to make dairy-free chocolate brownies. And they are plain flour/ all-purpose flour, sugar, cocoa powder, eggs, oil, vanilla extract, and salt.
Apart from cocoa powder and vanilla extract, I think the rest of the ingredients are pretty basic. They are food items that many of us will almost always have in our pantry/ kitchen.
When it comes to oil, you can choose any neutral oil that you like. I have tried mild olive oil (the one for cooking and baking), canola oil, sunflower oil, and rapeseed oil.
How to make dairy-free chocolate brownies
This recipe makes a crusty on the top and chewy on the inside brownie with the right level of sweetness.
And just like my other recipes, this dairy-free chocolate brownie recipe doesn’t take much time to make. It literally takes 10 minutes of preparation and 40 minutes of baking.
So, if you want to have these brownies for your after-dinner, you can quickly mix the ingredients before you start cooking your dinner. Pour the batter into a tin, and leave it to bake while you get on preparing your main course. By the time you finish cooking, your dessert aka brownies will be ready too.
Firstly, put the flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.
Secondly, beat the eggs and the sugar in a jug until all the sugar dissolves. Then stir the oil in until all is well mixed. You can use a hand whisk, a handheld mixer, or a handheld blender.
Thirdly, pour the egg mixture into the flour mix and add the vanilla extract.
Stir well until you get a nice smooth thick batter. Your batter will be so thick that it’s kind of gooey. But that’s okay.
Put the batter in the prepared tin/ tray. Using a spatula you can press and spread the batter to cover the tin/ traybake.
Bake at gas 4/ 350°F/ 180°C for about 40-50 minutes until the surface is solid to touch but you can feel it slightly soft on the inside.
More sweet recipes
Thank you for checking out this dairy-free chocolate brownies recipe. I hope you are now interested to try it. When you do, please share what you think about the recipe in the comments below (leave a reply) I will really appreciate it.
And please follow me on Facebook, Instagram and/or Pinterest. To sneak a peek at what’s cooking in my kitchen.
Last but not least, don’t forget to check my other sweet recipes that you may love:
- Apple and raspberry crumble.
- Vanilla velvet cake.
- A quick chocolate mousse with two ingredients only.
- Agar-agar milk pudding with condensed milk and raspberry.
- No-bake milk custard pie with evaporated milk.
- Chocolate chip cookies with coconut oil and muscovado sugar.
Thank you and all the best.
Dairy-free chocolate brownies
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Handheld mixer or
- Stand mixer
- 12”x9” rectangular baking tin
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain flour.
- 1 cup cocoa powder.
- 2 cups white sugar.
- 5 large eggs lightly beaten.
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- ½ teaspoon salt.
- 1 cup oil you can use vegetable oil, Olive oil, or Canola oil.
- 1 cup chocolate chips optional.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at gas 4/ 350°F/ 180°C
- Prepare your baking tray, 12”x9” size, grease, and line.
- Put the flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a mixing bowl, and stir well.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar in another bowl until the sugar dissolves. You can use a handheld mixer or blender if you wish.
- Then stir in the oil into the egg mixture until all blended.
- Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture. Add the vanilla extract. Using a handheld mixer or a handheld blender, mix the ingredients for a few minutes until all is blended. You can add chocolate chips if you use them. The batter will be thick and sticky.
- Put the batter into the tray, spread it, and pat it using a spatula until it covers the tray.
- Bake the brownies for 40-50 minutes until the top looks firm although it may be a bit soft to touch
- Enjoy.
Notes
- Instead of chocolate chips, you can also chocolate bar/ block and chop it into small pieces.
- You can use any neutral oil such as mild olive oil, sunflower oil, or rapeseed oil.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutritional info in this recipe is only estimate using online calculator. You should refer to it as a guide only. Please verify with your own data if you seek an accurate info.
Legendary. ….these are the business.
Brownies are probably my ultimate sweet treat. These dairy free ones look delicious.
These brownies are so delicious!
These look so fudgy and decadent and much easier to mix in oil than butter anyway!
These brownies look like they have a perfect texture. I’m making them later today and adding some nuts too.
Thank you. Hope you like it.
It’s great to have a dairy-free brownie recipe. There are so many people with allergies. Using oil instead of butter is the perfect substitute. In fact, I often prefer oil in my baked goods. Nice recipe!
Thank you. I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks so
This recipe is so easy takes ten minutes to make and so worth it take it out after 25 minutes as recommended and it’s incredibly gooey and beautiful second time I’m making this week! So glad I found this recipe – thank you!
You’re so welcome. I thank you too. This makes me happy.
When do you add the vanilla essence ?
Thank you for asking this, my mistake. Though I did explain this in the main post, I seem to miss it in the recipe card. I have amended the card now. I add the vanilla extract when I mix the egg mixture into the flour mix, just before mixing them. Happy baking.
Thus recipe caught my eye as I’m always looking for vegan recipes for my son. They have eggs in so they are not dairy free! I was really looking forward to trying them 🙁
First of all, a real dairy product is anything made of cow’s milk. Though I understand that supermarkets always put eggs as a part of dairy products. Thus, it caused confusion to a lot of people.
Second of all, if you do want a vegan version of this dairy-free chocolate brownie, you can replace the eggs with banana, chickpea flour, or yogurt. There are other suggested vegan substitutes for eggs. But in my opinion, these three things are probably better for chocolate brownies. Disclaimer though, I have never made a vegan version of this recipe. However, I know a few vegan people who use egg substitutes for making brownies.
As for the proportion, 1 egg can be replaced with 4 tbsp mashed banana, 4 tbsp yogurt, or 2 tbsp chickpea flour mixed with 2 tbsp water and 1 tsp oil. For the latter, you will have to mix it and leave it for at least 5 minutes before using it for your cooking/ baking.
I hope that helps.
These sound perfect. Is it OK to freeze them?
Of course, you can. Like most cakes and desserts, this brownies store well in the freezer for 2 months.