With crispy edges and a moist, fudgy center, these vegan matcha brownies are the perfect dessert! They're rich, chewy, and have that shiny, crackly top that's hard to come by in vegan brownies. These brownies are packed with a decadent dark chocolate and earthy, green tea flavors, giving them just the right amount of sweetness!
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All you need for this recipe is 2 bowls and 10 minutes of your time before you can leave them to bake! They're super quick & easy to make and perfectly moist (I'm sorry but it's the best word in this scenario).
These matcha brownies are made without white chocolate, eggless, dairy-free, vegan, oil-free, and can easily be made gluten-free with a simple swap!
Ingredients
- Aquafaba (Chickpea Brine): we'll be using this as our egg replacement! Whipped aquafaba is similar to whipped egg whites. It will not only bind the ingredients together but it'll also lift the brownies so they're nice and fluffy. Aquafaba is the key to getting shiny, crackly tops on vegan brownies.
- Sugar: for sweetness of course! AND, sugar + aquafaba = magic.
- Vegan Butter: for flavor and to melt our dark chocolate into! Make sure you're using vegan butter sticks and not the tubs.
- Dark Chocolate: any kind you like - I recommend using dark chocolate chips or a dark chocolate bar that you actually love and enjoy eating on it's own. I personally like use the Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips or the Hu dark chocolate bars.
- Matcha Powder: there's 3 different kinds of matcha powder: culinary grade, ceremonial grade, and premium grade. Culinary grade is designed for baking and cooking but it's more bitter than the others and the most dull in color. Ceremonial grade is high-quality, vibrant, and traditionally used for Japanese tea ceremonies. Premium grade is high-quality, vibrant, and used for daily consumption. I recommend using ceremonial grade or premium grade in order to achieve the best flavor. Vibrancy doesn't really matter for this recipe since the brownies are still...brown. BUT if you choose to use white chocolate, definitely use ceremonial or premium grade to get the best flavor and color. All of that being said, really any of them that you can get your hands on will do the trick.
- Cocoa Powder: let's be honest here, you can use Dutch process cocoa powder or good old unsweetened Hershey's natural cocoa powder (I love using Hershey's Special Dark for mine). I've tested this recipe (and regular vegan brownies) with both and I like them equally.
- All Purpose Flour: the foundation! You can use 1:1 gluten-free all purpose flour if you're gluten-free.
- Vanilla Extract: my favorite ingredient ever.
- Salt: just a dash to help balance out the sweetness from the chocolate.
Instructions
Line an 8x8 dish with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Start by adding the aquafaba and sugar to a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat together for 2-3 minutes until glossy and thick. You should see ribbons/folds forming as you move the mixer through the bowl.
In a separate bowl, add the vegan butter and dark chocolate. Microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until fully melted (it should only take a minute and a half at most).
Pour the melted butter and chocolate into the aquafaba along with vanilla extract. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold until combined.
Sift the flour, matcha powder, salt, and all-purpose flour into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. If you'd like to add chocolate chips, do so now! Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out semi-clean. It's okay if there's a tiny bit of batter left on the toothpick - we want them to be fudgy! Plus, they'll continue cooking as they cool.
Remove from the oven and leave the brownies in the baking dish to cool completely. Once cool, slice and enjoy!
Variations & Substitutions
- If you want your matcha brownies to be green, simply swap the dark chocolate for white chocolate and ditching the cocoa powder! Because you'll have less dry ingredients, use just 1 cup of flour.
- Make these matcha brownies gluten-free by using 1:1 gluten-free flour.
- You can use unsweetened natural cocoa powder. It'll do the job just like dutch process cocoa only it'll yield a slightly different, yet still delicious, flavor.
- Feel free to add nuts like walnuts for added texture and flavor.
- Use coconut oil instead of vegan butter. This swap will be a bit healthier while still giving you the right texture,
- For enhanced flavor, 'brown' the vegan butter then melt your dark chocolate in it. Brown butter is elite.
- For an extra chocolatey flavor, toss in your favorite chocolate chips! You can use semi-sweet, dark chocolate, or white chocolate chips. All will be equally as delicious.
Expert Tips
Use the best quality chocolate & matcha powder you can find and afford. I promise you'll get much tastier results if you use dark chocolate that you enjoy eating and ceremonial or premium grade matcha powder. If you like matcha lattes, you'll be able to use this high-quality powder for more than just these brownies!
Sift the dry ingredients. I know it's annoying but cocoa powder, flour, and matcha powder can be pretty lumpy so sifting will help to give you a smooth brownie batter. It will also give the brownies a better rise!
Measure your flour properly. You can do this best by using a kitchen scale but if you don't have one, use the spoon and level method instead. Spoon your flour out the bag/jar into your measuring cup and then use the flat side of a butter knife to level it off.
Don't over mix! I always say it with my dessert recipes but it's important to stop mixing the second there's no more flour streaks. If you over mix, the brownies will be cakey and dense.
Don't slice the brownies too early. I know it's tempting but if you want a chewy brownie, you have to let them completely cool. Brownies continue to cook while they rest so if you slice them too soon they'll fall apart and ooze out chocolate like it's lava. You'll notice these brownies are chewier on the second day. That's good and normal!!
Storage Tips
I personally think these brownies are best the next day! They're somehow even fudgier. Store them at room temperature wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
You can freeze these brownies as one whole slab or cut and freeze as individual pieces for up to 2 months. Once cooled, wrap the entire brownie square or individual pieces in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer bag or sealable container. Let them defrost at room temperature when you're ready to eat one.
FAQ
You should always cut brownies once they are cool! When the brownies are warm, they haven't set enough so cutting them will be gooey and messy. This will cause you to have to messy and misshaped brownies.
Allow the brownies to cool completely first, this is the most important part of cutting brownies neatly! When you're ready to cut your brownies, run a knife under hot water to warm it up. Then cut them into 9 even squares!
This could be from not beating together the aquafaba and sugar long enough or overmixing your batter once all of the ingredients are added.
Other recipes you might like
Iced Matcha Latte
Overnight Matcha Chia Seed Pudding
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Matcha Brownies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup (120 g) aquafaba chickpea brine
- 1 ½ cups (351 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (171 g) dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup (115 g) vegan butter
- 1 tablespoon (13 g) vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (216 g) all purpose flour
- 7 tablespoons (42 g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder or dutch-process cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons (5 g) high quality matcha powder
- ½ teaspoon (5 g) salt
Instructions
- Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Start by adding the aquafaba and sugar to a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat together for 2-3 minutes until glossy and thick. You should see ribbons/folds forming as you move the mixer through the bowl.½ cup aquafaba, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- In a separate bowl, add the vegan butter and dark chocolate. Microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until fully melted (it should only take a minute and a half at most).¾ cup dark chocolate, ½ cup vegan butter
- Pour the melted butter and chocolate into the aquafaba along with vanilla extract. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold until combined.1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Sift the cocoa powder, matcha powder, salt, and all-purpose flour into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. If you'd like to add chocolate chips (I recommend 1 cup), do so now!2 teaspoons high quality matcha powder, 1 ½ cups all purpose flour, 7 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out semi-clean. It's okay if there's a tiny bit of batter left on the toothpick - we want them to be fudgy! Plus, they'll continue cooking as they cool.
- Remove from the oven and leave the brownies in the baking dish to cool completely. Once cool, slice and enjoy!
Mariann
I replaced the matcha powder with espresso powder and they came out perfectly!! Definitely recommend a scale on this one because I used way too much flour the first time 🙂
Pinch of Parsley
Yes!!! So easy to make these into classic brownies. Glad you liked them 🙂
Bianca
These are truly the best brownies ever! The matcha flavor is so minimal that even my matcha hating mother LOVED these!
Pinch of Parsley
Thank you so much Bianca!! So glad you and your mom loved these