Dairy Free Gooey Brownies

These dairy free brownies are rich, chocolatey, and so wonderfully gooey that you can eat them with a spoon!

These dairy free brownies have a rich chocolate flavor and a soft, fudgy center that almost melts in your mouth.

They're also incredibly easy to make. You only need a handful of basic ingredients, and there's no need to melt chocolate or to use a mixer.

And the hardest part about making these brownies is waiting for them to finish baking while they make the kitchen smell so delicious!

If you want to take the chocolate flavor up a notch, try mixing in a little instant coffee. You won't taste the coffee, but it helps bring out the chocolate flavor.

Jump to:

• Variations
• What are dry measuring cups and why should i use them?
• Why Does This Recipe Use Oil?
• Which Type of Cocoa Should I Use?
• What kind of sugar should I use?
• What Kind of Vanilla Should I Use?
• Do Eggs Need to Be at Room Temperature?
• Can I Make it Without Using Eggs?
• Can I Make it Gluten Free?
• Adjusting for a Convection Oven
• Troubleshooting
• how to double the recipe
• How to store
• How to Freeze
• DIY Dairy free brownie mix
• Recipe Tip
• Other chocolate Desserts you may like:
• Other dairy free desserts you may like:
• Dairy Free Gooey Brownies

What are dry measuring cups and why should i use them?

Dry measuring cups are the set of cups that usually come with measuring spoons. Each cup is a different measurement, just like each spoon is a different measurement.

Liquid measuring cups, on the other hand, are the cups that usually hold more than one cup and have lines on the side that mark the measurements.

The problem with using liquid measuring cups to measure powdery dry ingredients, like flour and cocoa, is that you shake the cup to level them off. This causes the powder to settle, and you end up with more than you need.

I tested this with a friend who didn't believe me, and we ended up with a quarter cup more flour than the recipe called for.

Should I sift the flour and other dry ingredients?

It's usually recommended to sift your powdery ingredients, like flour and cocoa, before using them.

Sifting aerates the flour and removes any lumps, which helps make baked goods fluffier.

It also helps you get a more accurate measurement than when you use flour that's been packed tightly in a bag.

And sifting dry ingredients together, like flour, cocoa, and baking powder, helps make sure they're evenly distributed in the batter. Which honestly, I think is probably overrated, so I personally never bother with it.

Why Does This Recipe Use Oil?

First and foremost, because unlike butter, oil is dairy free and these are dairy free brownies.

Also, butter - even vegan butter - has a tendency to steal the spotlight flavor-wise. Oil on the other hand allows the chocolate flavor to shine, which makes these brownies extremely rich and delicious.

In fact, some recipes call for both oil and butter, instead of only butter, if they want a lighter and airier texture while still keeping the butter flavor.

And baked goods made with oil tend to stay moist and tender longer than baked goods made with butter.

I created a baking with oil - butter to oil conversion chart for you in case you want to convert some of your butter recipes to oil recipes.

Which Type Of Oil to Use

I don't specify in the recipe which type of oil to use because it's mostly personal preference and I don't want anyone to feel they have to use specifically that type of oil. For the most part, you can use whatever oil you feel most comfortable using.

I use neutral oils like canola oil, safflower oil, and vegetable oil.

You can also use stronger oils like olive oil and coconut oil, but keep in mind that they may change the taste somewhat.

If you're going to use olive oil, use the one labeled pure olive oil because it has the mildest flavor. This should make the flavor a lot less noticeable.

Is It Better to Use Canola Oil or Olive Oil?

Canola oil is relatively cheap and, due to its lack of flavor and high smoke point, is very versatile.

Olive oil, on the other hand, is generally considered a healthier choice.

So, really, it's whatever you prefer.

Which Type of Cocoa Should I Use?

When a recipe calls for cocoa, always use unsweetened cocoa powder, unless specified otherwise.

This allows you to have better control of the sweetness of what you're making.

There are three basic forms of unsweetened cocoa powder: natural cocoa powder, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, and raw cacao powder.

Natural cocoa powder is your basic non-specialty cocoa powder, and it's the one you should use natural unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe.

Natural cocoa powder is the most commonly used type of cocoa powder and is what you should use in most recipes, such as brownies, chocolate cake, hot chocolate, or any recipe that simply says "cocoa powder."

Pro Tip: I store cocoa powder in a large canister so it doesn't make a mess when I go to use it. Doing this has made baking with cocoa so much easier and way less messy!

And, if you want to learn how to always use cocoa rather than melted chocolate in baking, you may like my post on how to substitute chocolate with cocoa powder.

Can I Use Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder?

Dutch-processed cocoa powder starts with cocoa beans that have been treated with potassium carbonate, which neutralizes their acidity.

Since Dutch-processed cocoa powder is not acidic, it does not react with baking soda the way natural cocoa powder does.

Recipes that rely on natural cocoa powder for the acidity to trigger the baking soda may not rise properly if you replace the natural cocoa with Dutch-processed cocoa.

For this recipe, I recommend sticking with natural cocoa powder, though I have had readers who switched it out and liked the results. So if you want to try it, that's totally up to you.

Can I Use Raw Cacao Powder?

Raw cacao powder is different from natural and Dutch-processed cocoa powders.

It's made from the cacao bean and isn't nearly as processed. It comes from seeds that have been fermented and are processed at low temperatures to ensure that their nutritional benefits and bitter flavor are preserved.

You can use raw cacao powder if you really want to, but I don't recommend it, since it's not as absorbent as cocoa powder, and it may cause the recipe to be too liquidy and not bake properly.

Can I Use Sweetened Cocoa?

Sweetened cocoa is natural cocoa powder mixed with sugar.

Please don't use it when making this recipe because it will make it too sweet.

What kind of sugar should I use?

You should use white granulated sugar, which is also called white sugar, granulated sugar, table sugar, or simply referred to as "sugar."

If you live in the United Kingdom, you can use caster sugar instead.

Do not use powdered sugar. It's mostly used for dusting desserts and making frosting, icing, and glazes but it is sometimes used to make fudge.

I've tested using powdered sugar instead of regular sugar and the results weren't good.

Can I use honey instead of sugar?

If you'd prefer to use honey instead of sugar, like I do in my honey challah recipe, you can. However, it may change the taste and texture somewhat.

Honey is sweeter than sugar, so you don't need as much of it, and it adds liquid to the recipe, so you'll need to reduce some of the other liquid.

Replace the sugar with ¾ cup honey and remove 3 to 4 tablespoons liquid from the egg whites.

What Kind of Vanilla Should I Use?

There are several types of vanilla you can use in baking, including vanilla extract, imitation vanilla, vanilla paste, and vanilla beans.

For everyday baked goods like muffins, cakes, cookies, and quick breads, some options are more practical than others.

Vanilla Extract

Vanilla extract is made by soaking vanilla beans in alcohol, which extracts the compounds responsible for their flavor. It is the most common type of vanilla used in baking.

When a recipe-including mine-calls for vanilla extract or simply says "vanilla," this is the type of vanilla that is generally being referred to.

Can I use imitation vanilla?

Imitation vanilla, also called artificial vanilla or vanilla essence, is considerably less expensive than pure vanilla extract and works well in everyday baked goods.

Since vanilla extract can be expensive, you can use imitation vanilla in my recipes without a problem.

Imitation vanilla can be used spoon for spoon in place of pure vanilla extract.

Though, keep in mind that some imitation vanillas are better than others, so if you can, try to use a good one.

Can I use vanilla paste?

Vanilla paste is a thick mixture containing vanilla bean seeds and vanilla extract. Commercial vanilla pastes may also contain sweeteners, thickeners, or other ingredients.

It can generally be used in place of vanilla extract and leaves visible flecks of vanilla bean in your baked goods.

Vanilla paste can generally be substituted for vanilla extract spoon for spoon.

Can I use vanilla beans?

Vanilla beans are the pods of vanilla orchids. The seeds inside the pod can be scraped out and added directly to a recipe.

Vanilla beans are more expensive and less convenient than extract, so I wouldn't recommend them for everyday baking.

But if you want to, you can use about 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for each inch of vanilla bean called for in a recipe.

This is only an approximation, since vanilla beans vary in size and strength.

Can I use vanilla sugar?

Vanilla sugar is sugar that has been flavored with vanilla. It is particularly common in Europe and parts of the Middle East, including Israel.

It can be made by storing vanilla beans in sugar, mixing vanilla bean powder with sugar, or combining sugar with vanilla extract. Some countries also sell vanilla powdered sugar for use in confections.

You can substitute vanilla extract with vanilla sugar spoon for spoon.

How Should I Store Vanilla?

Keep vanilla extract and other vanilla products away from heat and direct light. Store them in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.

Do Eggs Need to Be at Room Temperature?

The short answer is "no."

While a lot of recipes call for room-temperature eggs, the difference is only noticeable if you do a side-by-side comparison, and even then, the difference is very slight.

Are Eggs Dairy?

No, eggs are not dairy.

Dairy is milk and any food products made from milk, including cheese, cream, butter, and yogurt.

So, while eggs are an animal product, they are not dairy.

Recipes like my pancakes without milk are dairy free, even though they contain eggs because they don't use milk or butter.

If this sounds like a silly question to you, you'd be surprised how many people think eggs are dairy because they're in the refrigerated section of the supermarket.

How Can I Tell if My Eggs Are Still Good?

Fill a glass with cool water and submerge the eggs.

If the eggs sink to the bottom and lay flat on their side, they're still fresh.

If they sink but stand on one end at the bottom of the glass, the eggs are older but still good to use.

If an egg floats to the top, it's very old and should be checked carefully for signs of spoilage before using.

Can I Make it Without Using Eggs?

I recommend you try my eggless brownies instead, which are also dairy free.

Can I Make it Gluten Free?

I recommend trying my dairy free gluten free brownies or dairy free oat flour brownies.

Adjusting for a Convection Oven

Convection ovens blow the hot air around, producing around 25 to 30 percent more heat.

Since convection ovens produce more heat, you need either lowering the temperature or shortening the cooking time to compensate.

When recipes specify temperatures and cooking times, it's for conventional ovens, unless specified otherwise.

A simple rule to follow is to lower the temperature by 25ºF.

You can also leave the temperature the same and instead, shorten the cooking time by 25 percent.

However, keep in mind, some convection ovens actually make a heat adjustment for you. That is, if you set a convection oven for 350ºF, it might actually set itself to 325ºF to compensate. So, check your manual before making adjustments.

Troubleshooting

Even though this recipe is very easy to make, life happens and things sometimes don't go as expected.

Why is it taking longer than described to bake?

Over time, the thermostat on ovens gets a little off, causing some ovens to run hot and others to run cool. This is why recipes tend to say things like "10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown."

So, if it takes you longer than expected, that's fine. Don't worry about it. Just keep baking until ready.

Why did it come out dry?

Just like some ovens run cool, others run hot. If your oven runs hot, bake these at a lower temperature.

Ideally, you should get an oven thermometer to know what temperature you're really baking at.

Why did it burn?

If you baked it for the right amount of time, then burning is usually caused by two reasons.

The first is if you put them on the lower shelf in the oven.

The second is if the bottom of your oven has food particles that dripped onto it. Even a small bit of food that drips down could cause an oven to have problems heating properly and burn the cookies.

Why did it come out too wet?

Check your measuring cups. Sometimes measuring cups aren't accurate, and if you are using different sets of wet and dry measuring cups and measuring spoons from different brands, they may not match.

I've had sets that were a ¼ cup off.

To test your sets, fill your dry and wet measuring cups with 16 tablespoons. If 16 tablespoons doesn't fill a cup, your measuring cups are too big.

If it takes you less than 16 tablespoons to fill up a cup, your spoons are too big.

I've actually mixed and matched sets of spoons and cups that are too big because they matched each other, even if they weren't accurate.

Technically, it could also be that your cups or spoons are too small, but I haven't seen that happen before.

Something went wrong, I can't even explain it... what happened?

When this has happened to me, it's been because I overstuffed the oven.

Make sure to bake the recipe on the middle shelf in the oven, and only a normal amount at a time.

I once tried to make a bunch of brownie recipes all at once, and I think I may have had something on the bottom shelf too because I was in a rush, and it came out terrible.

I can't even describe what was wrong with it. It was just very, very wrong.

how to double the recipe

If you double the recipe you will need a 9 x 13-inch pan. 

Bake for to 30 to 35 minutes.

How to store

For uncut brownies, wrap well in plastic wrap or in an airtight plastic storage bag. 

Keep at room temperature for up to 4 days.

How to Store already cut

For cut brownies, wrap individually with plastic wrap. Store in an airtight container or an airtight plastic bag.

Keep at room temperature for 1 to 2 days. 

How to Freeze

Wrap cooled uncut brownies tightly in a plastic wrap.  Wrap again in aluminum foil.  

Freeze for up to 3 months.  After 3 months, the brownies are still safe to eat but the quality begins to degrade.   

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