The 5 Best Vegan Brownie Mixes for Effortless Baking, According to Registered Dietitians
When a craving for chocolate hits, nothing satisfies quite like a rich, decadent brownie—especially when they're fresh from the oven. Most brownie recipes—including ones that incorporate a box mix—contain dairy and also call for eggs. That means vegan eaters are deprived of that pure sweet brownie joy. Not cool, not cool at all.
But as plant-based eating has fully gone mainstream, more 100 percent vegan brownie mixes are starting to become easier to find. (Bless!) Some of them even have some nutritional benefits with every bite. Now, it's certainly not a requirement that brownies be "healthy." It's okay to have a dessert that's simply delicious. But as with anything in a box you'll find at the grocery store, some products have more nutrient-rich ingredients than others.
- Amy Gorin, MS, RDN, registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Amy Gorin Nutrition
- Christine Byrne, RD, an anti-diet dietitian based in Raleigh, North Carolina
Rounded up here are five vegan brownie mixes two registered dietitians say get their approval, at least in terms of what's on the nutritional panel and ingredients list. One caveat: Two of the mixes do call for eggs in their instructions, but this can easily be subbed out for flax eggs to keep the recipe completely vegan; the mixes themselves are fully vegan. Now the taste-testing, that's up to you.
5 vegan brownie mixes registered dietitians like:
What’s in it: Gluten-free flour blend, organic cane sugar, chocolate chips, unsweetened chocolate, Dutch cocoa, fructose, oat fiber, caramelized sugar, oat milk powder, sea salt, dry vanilla, baking soda
What you need to add: Neutral cooking oil and water
What RDs think: Partake Foods’s specialty is creating products completely free of the most common allergens, so this brownie mix is great for a wide variety of eaters even on top of being vegan. It’s something Amy Gorin, RD, a plant-based dietitian, says she appreciates about it.
Registered dietitian Christine Byrne, RD, says she bets it tastes really great too. “The mix of different sugars—cane sugar, light brown sugar, and molasses—likely gives this mix a strong depth of flavor,” she says. On the nutritional front, Gorin says it’s a bit lower in protein than some of the others you’ll see on this list (not a negative, just a note when comparing it to the others rounded up here).
What’s in it: Organic coconut sugar, organic chocolate chips, almond flour, organic oat flour, organic cacao powder, organic cassava flour, arrowroot powder, zucchini powder, organic chia protein, baking soda, salt
What you need to add: Neutral cooking oil and water
What RDs think: This brownie mix sure is alluring with its promise of four servings of vegetables per batch. Do the nutritional facts support the claim? Byrne says that while it does contain two grams of fiber per serving, that’s pretty on par with the other vegan mixes you’ll find out there. But Gorin points out that it’s higher in protein (three grams per serving) than other mixes—a great nutritional selling point. “The cassava flour, arrowroot flour, zucchini flour, and chia protein all provide beneficial nutrients,” she adds.
What’s in it: Organic cane sugar, organic wheat flour, organic cocoa powder, organic wheat starch, sea salt, baking powder
What you need to add: Flax eggs (in place of eggs), water, vegetable oil
What RDs think: “If you’re vegan and want something that tastes like an authentic brownie, this mix is your best bet as its ingredient list is closest to that of traditional mixes,” Byrne says. While it doesn’t have much in the way of nutritional benefits, Gorin does like that the ingredients list is simple with six recognizable ingredients—nothing sketchy. As long as you don’t have a gluten sensitivity, both RDs are all for this pick.
What’s in it: Almond flour, organic coconut sugar, chocolate chips, Dutch cocoa powder, tapioca starch, arrowroot, sea salt, baking soda.
What you need to add: Flax eggs (in place of eggs), oil, water
What RDs think: Since this brownie mix is primarily made with almond flour, Byrne says it will have a nice, nutty undertone that will taste really delicious paired with the chocolate. She adds that since almonds contain monounsaturated fats, you’re getting some heart-healthy benefits with these brownies too.
“Simple Mills’ mix is also higher in fat and lower in carbs than grain-based gluten-free flours like oat or buckwheat, which means that the brownies will be denser,” Byrne says of the texture. Both RDs also like that this mix is gluten-free as well in vegan. It checks off a lot of boxes!
What’s in it: Organic cane sugar, natural cocoa powder, brown rice flour, organic okara flour, organic pea starch, sea salt, baking powder, non-GMO corn starch, vanilla bean, xanthan gum
What you need to add: Vegetable oil, water
What RDs think: Both RDs are into the fact that this vegan brownie mix is made with upcycled okara, which otherwise would have been food waste. Like some of the others on this list, the mix is not only vegan, but gluten-free too. “Brown rice flour is a great alternative for anyone who has to avoid gluten, because its macronutrient breakdown—meaning the amount of carbs, protein, and fat—is similar to that of wheat flour,” Byrne says. “This also means these brownies will turn out extra chewy.”
No one should live a brownie-deprived life and these mixes ensure vegan eaters don't have to. Not only are there options, but delicious ones at that. You can almost smell the chocolate wafting through the kitchen air now...
Watch the video below to see how to make protein-packed black bean brownies—no mix necessary:
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