These vegan pumpkin brownies are gooey and fudgy, and marbled with a pumpkin spice filling. Almond butter is used, which takes the place of butter and eggs and creates that thick, fudgy texture, like in these dairy free brownies. These pumpkin brownies are a simple but decadent fall treat that are also flour-less, protein-rich, high in fiber, and require no special equipment.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, I'll send you easy and delicious recipes every week!
Between the yogurt, canned pumpkin, and almond butter, this vegan brownie recipe is packed with protein and full of fiber.
These vegan pumpkin brownies are super gooey, chocolaty, and gluten-free, with a delicious pumpkin spice swirl. I recommend placing your brownies in the refrigerator to help set up after cooling - it helps them become extra thick and fudgy.
Jump to:
⭐️ Why These Pumpkin Brownies are the Best
- Fudgy, thick, and gooey vegan brownies with canned pumpkin
- Brownies with pumpkin puree that are high in protein and fiber, flour-less, dairy-free/vegan, oil-free, and gluten-free
- Quick and easy - prep time is just 10 minutes
- Kid-friendly pumpkin brownie recipe
- Make ahead instructions provided
- Freezer-friendly brownie recipe
🎃 Ingredient Notes
- Canned pumpkin - Make sure you are using canned pumpkin/pumpkin puree (often sold as "100% pure pumpkin") for this recipe, which only contains pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling is a different ingredient, and contains sweetener and spices. Use your leftover pumpkin to make vegan pumpkin cookies with chocolate chips.
- Non-dairy yogurt - You can use any dairy-free yogurt here (coconut yogurt, almond milk yogurt, etc.)
- Cornstarch or tapioca starch - This helps to thicken your pumpkin swirl.
- Pumpkin spice - A mixture of warm fall spices that pair beautifully with pumpkin (see below for my homemade pumpkin spice recipe!)
- Flax eggs - Often used as an egg substitute for vegan baked goods; flax eggs are created by soaking flax seeds in water. Use them to make gooey egg free blondies or egg-less lemon cookies. To make a flax egg: combine 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed with 3 tablespoons of water. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes until it becomes gelatinous.
- Almond butter - This is used to replace the butter and eggs typically used in brownies. It has a neutral flavor and contains healthy fats and protein.
- (Vegan) dark chocolate chips - Guittard makes excellent vegan (60%) chocolate chips.
📝 Variations & Substitutions
- Roasted squash or pumpkin. If you have roasted squash or pumpkin cubes leftover from another dish, you can purée them in a food processor, and they will work great.
- Eggs. If you eat eggs, you can substitute eggs in this recipe and will get similar results.
- Nut butter. You can substitute any nut butter of your choice here (peanut butter, cashew butter, etc.)
- Ground chia seeds. Chia seeds have a similar flavor and texture as flax seeds, and they are a fine substitute in this recipe.
- Make your own homemade pumpkin spice. This spice blend varies depending on which spices you want more or less of, but I make this version in my kitchen:
1 ½ Tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
¾ teaspoon allspice
¾ teaspoon cloves
🔪 How To Make Vegan Pumpkin Brownies
Make the Pumpkin Swirl
In a small bowl, whisk together all of the pumpkin swirl ingredients until smooth. Set aside.
Make the Brownies
Prepare the flax eggs and set aside to set up. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 8"x8" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the almond butter, canned pumpkin, flax eggs, and vanilla.
Add wet ingredients to dry mixture and stir just until combined. Pour in chocolate chips and stir lightly once more.
Transfer to prepared baking dish. Use the back of a spoon to make indentations in the batter, and fill with the pumpkin-yogurt mixture. Swirl mixture around using a spoon handle.
Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool completely before slicing. (Refrigerate for optimal fudginess).
🍽 Storage Instructions
For optimal fudginess, store brownies (covered) in the refrigerator. They can be stored for up to 5 days.
How to freeze: Place in a freezer-safe bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 1 hour.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips
- Make sure you are using canned pumpkin/pumpkin puree (often sold as "100 % pure pumpkin") for this recipe, which only contains pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling is a different ingredient, and contains sweetener and spices.
- Make ahead: Assemble brownie batter into a prepared baking dish. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake as instructed.
- Use a metal pan. For the best brownie texture, I recommend using a metal pan (as opposed to a glass pan). Not only does it conduct heat better, allowing for more even baking, but it gives you perfectly straight edges. Check out this article to learn more about glass vs. metal baking pans.
- Use parchment paper. For easy removal, line your baking dish with parchment paper.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
Vegan brownies are simple to make. In this recipe, we use almond butter, which takes the place of butter and eggs in a "normal" brownie recipe. It creates that thick, fudgy texture that we want in a brownie.
Brownies made without eggs are very simple, thanks to the magic of flax eggs. By combining ground flax seed with water, it creates a gelatinous mixture that mimics the consistency of eggs.
Fudgy brownies contain more fat compared to cakey brownies. Typically, this is created by a higher ratio of eggs, butter, and chocolate to flour. In this vegan brownie recipe, the fat is replaced with almond butter, flax eggs, and plant-based yogurt. Because they are flourless, the brownies are extra thick and fudgy.
🍫 More Vegan Dessert Recipes
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook.
Subscribe to my email newsletter to get a FREE e-book of 20 vegetarian recipes, and get new recipes delivered to your inbox every week!
Vegan Pumpkin Brownies
Equipment
- 8"x8" baking dish
- small bowl
- medium bowl
- large bowl
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Swirl
- ¼ cup canned pumpkin
- ¼ cup non-dairy yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch or tapioca starch
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice (*see homemade recipe listed above)
For the Brownies
- 2 flax eggs (*see instructions below)
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 1 cup almond butter
- ¾ cup canned pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (vegan) dark chocolate chips (60 % or higher)
Instructions
Make the Pumpkin Swirl
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the pumpkin swirl ingredients until smooth. Set aside.
Make the Brownies
- Prepare the flax eggs and set aside to set up. *To make two flax eggs: combine 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed with 6 tablespoons of water. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes until it becomes gelatinous.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 8"x8" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the almond butter, canned pumpkin, flax eggs, and vanilla.
- Add wet ingredients to dry mixture and stir just until combined. Add chocolate chips and stir lightly once more.
- Transfer to prepared baking dish. Use the back of a spoon to make indentations in the batter, and fill with the pumpkin-yogurt mixture. Use a spoon handle to swirl.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool completely before slicing. (Refrigerate for optimal fudginess).
Video
Notes
- Make sure you are using canned pumpkin (often sold as "100 % pure pumpkin") for this recipe, which only contains pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling is a different ingredient, and contains sweetener and spices.
- Storage: For optimal fudginess, store your brownies in the refrigerator. They can be stored for up to 5 days.
- Use a metal pan. For the best brownie texture, I recommend using a metal pan (as opposed to a glass pan). Not only does it conduct heat better, allowing for more even baking, but it gives you perfectly straight edges.
- How to freeze: Place in a freezer-safe bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Use parchment paper. For easy removal, line your baking dish with parchment paper.
- This recipe is adapted from Feasting on Fruit.
Barbara Haner
Another great autumn recipe to try! I am going to be doing quite a bit of baking to experiment with high altitude baking, which is new for me so am excited to try these new recipes.
Gastronotherapy
Good luck with the high-altitude baking! I hope you try these pumpkin swirl brownies - I think you would love them!
Gina
Absolutely love the fudgy texture of these brownies and that they're vegan and gluten-free - will be making them this weekend!
Gastronotherapy
Hi, Gina! Yes - these brownies are super fudgy as well as being vegan and gluten-free! I hope you enjoy them this weekend!
sue
My daughter has just announced she's vegan, so the timing couldn't be more perfect, thank you!
Gastronotherapy
Perfect - I bet she will love them! 🙂
Sharon
I love the layers of chocolate mixed with the swirls of pumpkin batter. The best of both worlds in this dish!
Gastronotherapy
Absolutely, Sharon! I love all things pumpkin and chocolate, but these fudgy pumpkin brownies are on another level with their fudginess!
Cathleen
These brownies are so perfect for the fall! I can't believe they are vegan! I am definitely giving these a go, thanks so much for the recipe 🙂
Gastronotherapy
You're welcome, Cathleen! Let me know how they turn out!
Michelle
Such a delicious and healthy treat! The kids loved these!
Gastronotherapy
So happy to hear that, Michelle! 🙂