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In this post
- Why You’ll Love These Dairy Free Brownies
- Ingredients Needed for Making Dairy-Free Brownies
- Substitutions
- Recipe Variations
- Quick Tips for Making Dairy-Free Brownies
- Common Questions

Why You’ll Love These Dairy-Free Brownies
- This dairy-free brownies recipe is also vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and refined sugar-free
- This recipe uses oat flour as a less-processed alternative to all-purpose flour
- This recipe also includes substitutions for various ingredients to allow you to customize to your liking and available ingredients
- This recipe does not require eggs or chocolate
- This recipe consists of only 9 ingredients
- This post walks you through the few and simple steps of mixing wet and dry ingredients
- You can make these fudgy brownies without butter or oil
- One dairy-free brownie is the perfect serving size for a simple sweet treat
- This easy gluten-free dairy-free brownie recipe makes a total of 9 servings (9 brownies)
- This dairy-free recipe take less than 30 minutes to make

Ingredients Needed for Making Dairy-Free Brownies:
- Coconut Sugar
- Oat Flour
- Almond Butter
- Non-Dairy Milk
- Cocoa Powder
- Ground Flax + Water (Flax eggs)
- Vanilla Extract
- Baking Powder
- Salt


Substitutions
- Coconut Sugar: You can substitute dark or light brown sugar in place of coconut sugar for this recipe, but it will no longer be considered refined sugar-free.
- Oat Flour: If you want to make these healthy gluten-free brownies wheat-free, substitute almond flour for the oat flour. Almond flour brownies will have a very similar taste and texture compared to oat flour brownies.
- Almond Butter: I used almond butter for this recipe but you can use many different types of nut butter to make these dairy-free brownies including peanut butter, walnut butter, cashew butter, coconut butter (runny/room temperature), or sunflower seed butter. I would not recommend substituting dairy-free butter or oil (coconut oil, olive oil, etc.) in place of the nut/seed butter.
- Non-Dairy Milk: You can use any type of non-dairy milk but I personally prefer almond milk, oat milk, or soy milk.
- Cocoa Powder: I prefer to use a high-quality grade of Dutch-process cocoa powder when making these dairy-free chocolate brownies, but you can use any unsweetened cocoa powder or natural cocoa powder.

Did you enjoy this dairy-free brownies recipe? Check out some more dairy-free desserts and other dairy-free recipes you might also like!
- Mini Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookies (V + GF + OF)
- No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Quick Tips for Dairy-Free Brownies
- Use a natural nut/seed butter. I recommend using a nut butter that is sugar-free and oil-free. Almond butter or another type of nut butter that has added sugar and oil will not ruin this recipe or drastically change it, but it may make the consistency and taste slightly different. Additives such as palm oil will give the nut butter a different thickness and may make it harder to swirl on the top of the brownies. If you plan on using a nut butter that has palm oil or added sugar, then I recommend melting a small amount in a bowl in the microwave for 5 – 10 seconds to make it easier to drizzle.
- Use Dutch-process cocoa powder if you can. I prefer to use Dutch-process cocoa powder for baked goods including these vegan gluten-free brownies. Dutch-process cocoa powder has a deeper, richer cocoa flavor for a smoother chocolatey brownie. My personal favorite and the best Dutch-process cocoa powder for this recipe is by Droste.
- Try to use a fine oat flour if you can. If you’re making your own oat flour, I recommend sifting it through a fine mesh strainer, then re-blending the larger pieces until it’s all a super fine flour. If you want to make these brownies gluten-free, make sure to use certified gluten-free oats or oat flour.

Common Questions
- Which flour is best for making gluten-free brownies? Gluten-free baking can be a little intimidating if you’re unfamiliar. For this recipe, I recommend using oat flour. You can also use almond flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour.
- Can I make these brownies without chocolate? Yes! The cocoa powder in these brownies adds a great chocolate flavor. I like to add dairy-free chocolate chips/chunks to the batter at the very end of this recipe but chocolate is not required.
- Are these brownies moist? Yes! These brownies are surprisingly moist and fudgy!
- Can I freeze the leftover brownies? Yes. To freeze any leftovers, wrap them in plastic wrap or put them in a resealable bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Can I substitute baking soda in place of baking powder? No. Please be sure to use baking powder when making this recipe.
- Are gluten-free brownies healthy? This recipe uses oat flour as a healthier alternative to processed all-purpose flour. This recipe also uses coconut sugar which is refined sugar-free. Lastly, instead of using butter or oil within these brownies, the recipe uses nut/seed butter as a healthier option.
- Can I make my own nut/seed butter for this recipe? Yes! There are tons of recipes and tutorials online for making your own nut/seed butter. I recommend using a nut/seed butter that doesn’t contain any added oils or sweeteners.
- Can I make my own oat flour? Yes! To make homemade oat flour, add the oats to a blender and blend into a fine powder.
- What makes this recipe dairy-free? Traditional brownie recipes use butter and other dairy ingredients. This dairy-free brownies recipe doesn’t require any butter and uses dairy-free milk.
- What size baking pan do I need? A standard 8 x 8 inch or 9 x 9 inch baking pan is perfect for this recipe. I recommend lining it with parchment paper.

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Dairy-Free Brownies (Vegan + Gluten-Free)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 – 9 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These healthier dairy-free brownies are also gluten-free, vegan, egg-free, oil-free, and refined sugar-free.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 3/4 cup Coconut Sugar
- 2/3 cup Oat Flour*
- 2/3 cup Almond Butter**
- 2/3 cup Non-Dairy Milk
- 1/3 cup Cocoa Powder or Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder***
- 2 Tbsp. Ground Flax + 5 Tbsp. Water
- 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 Tsp. Salt
Additional Optional Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Non-Dairy Chocolate Chips/Chunks
- Additional Nut/Seed Butter
- Flaky Sea Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a small bowl, mix the ground flax and water together to create a flax “egg”. Set aside for 5 minutes to thicken.
- In a large bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- In a medium bowl combine the coconut sugar, almond butter, non-dairy milk, and vanilla extract.
- Add the bowl of wet ingredients along with the flax “egg” to the bowl of dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Optional: Mix in any chocolate chips or chopped chocolate pieces if desired.
- Pour the mixture into an 8 x 8 inch or 9 x 9 inch baking pan that has been lined with parchment paper or greased. Use a spoon or spatula to smooth the surface of the brownie mixture until it is evenly distributed within the pan.
- If desired, drizzle additional almond butter on the surface of the brownies then use a butter knife or chopstick to create a swirl pattern. Sprinkle on any additional chopped chocolate or chocolate chips if preferred.
- Bake for 20 – 23 minutes. Allow at least 10 minutes of cooling before cutting the brownies. Sprinkle with flaky salt, if desired, and serve.
Notes
- *Oat Flour: You can use store-bought oat flour or blend oats into a fine flour. Use certified gluten-free oat flour/oats if preferred.
- **Almond Butter: You can use another type of nut/seed butter as a substitution. I prefer to buy almond butter that doesn’t contain added sugar, oil, or salt.
- ***Cocoa Powder: I prefer Dutch-Process cocoa powder because it has a smooth chocolate flavor and it allows more moisture when used in baked goods. Using Dutch-process cocoa powder in this recipe makes the brownies even more gooey and fudgy!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes


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