Best Ever Blondies (vegan, gluten-free)

Hands down, these are the BEST ever blondies recipe made with easy ingredients. Thick, gooey, and loaded with chocolate chips, they take less than 20 minutes to make!

Easy and simple blondies made without eggs, without refined sugar, and without chickpeas. A foolproof recipe for vegan gluten-free blondies from scratch. Vegan, Gluten-Free. 

Vegan Blondies

When it came to childhood bakery favorites, blondies were ALWAYS my number one.

As much as I was a chocoholic, I’d always lean towards blondies over brownies every single time.

I’ve since stopped buying blondies because making your own is SO quick and easy to do. They use no crazy ingredients. 

Many popular vegan blondie recipes use chickpeas for the texture, but I REFUSE to do that. 

Seriously, have you seen those desserts with chickpeas in them? No thanks. I’ll stick to my cookie dough without them…blondies too.

What is the difference between brownies and blondies? 

Blondies are considered to be the lighter counterpart to brownies. They are essentially a cocoa-less version of brownies, often with a more gooey texture.

They also are much easier to adapt and use a combination of sugars, to provide different flavor profiles and levels of sweetness. 

What does a blondie taste like? 

Imagine the texture of a brownie, but the flavor of a gorgeous vanilla cake or vanilla-based dessert.

That is what a blondie tastes like, but so much better. Sweet, fudgy, gooey, and with a gorgeous tender exterior. The mouthfuls of chocolate with every bite take it up a notch! 

I often get asked if blondies are supposed to be gooey.

The answer? YES!

A key feature of ANY good blondie is for it to be ultra gooey, so don’t fear that they may be under-cooked! 

How to make vegan blondies from scratch

The Ingredients

• Brown sugar– Gives the blondies a more robust, sweet flavor. Try to avoid using dark brown sugar, or the flavor will be quite overpowering and yield a darker blondie. 
• White sugar– Balances out the brown sugar, and also keeps the blondies lighter in color. 
• All-purpose flour– I used gluten-free all-purpose flour, to keep this recipe gluten-free. You can use white whole-wheat flour too if you’d like a slightly healthier profile. 
• Baking soda– Leavens out the blondies and gives them a little rise. 
• Salt– Brings out the sweetness. Also sprinkle a little salt on top of the blondies once they are done, to give that beautiful sweet and salty combination. 
• Vegan butter– When choosing a vegan butter to use, try to avoid cheaper brands, as they often contain added butter. This, in turn, will change up the texture of the blondies too. 
• Molasses– Optional, but gives an even more gooey texture. 
• Chocolate Chips– Use a combination of chocolate chips and a chopped up chocolate bar, to ensure every bite is loaded with pockets of chocolate. 
• Vanilla Extract– A must for any good blondie recipe. 
• Egg substitute– I used a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water), but I suspect a chia egg will also work the same. If you don’t follow a vegan diet, you can use 1 whole egg. 

The Instructions

• Mix your dry ingredients– Start by mixing your flour, baking soda, and salt. 
• Cream your sugar and butter– Using either a stand mixer or hand-held mixer, cream your sugars and butter together, for around 3 minutes, until silky and smooth. 
• Add the rest of the ingredients and mix– Add your dry mixture into the sugar/butter mixture. Add the rest of your ingredients, before folding through your chocolate chips at the end.
• Bake and cool– Bake the blondies in a preheated oven at 180C/350F for 15-17 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Allow the blondies to cool completely in the pan, before slicing and enjoying! 

TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS 

Why are my blondies cakey? 

Are you a cakey brownie fan or a gooey fudgy brownie fan? I, myself, am a hardcore cakey brownie fan. However, things are a little bit different for blondies. 

Unlike brownies, blondies should generally NOT be cakey. They are designed to be ooey and gooey.

If your blondies happen to turn out cakey, it means one thing… You overbaked them!!! 

This is why it is IMPERATIVE for you to cook the blondies no longer than 17 minutes, as it continues to cook as it cools and you WANT it to be gooey in the middle.

Besides, these are vegan, meaning they are eggless, so who cares if it seems underdone! 

If you want a blondie that is cakier, you’d be better off trying a cookie bar instead. 

Why do blondies sink in the middle? 

Blondies, or any baked dessert really (banana bread is a huge culprit!), can sometimes sink the middle.

The reason why this happens is due to overmixing the batter. 

You might think overmixing it would be a good thing (it all would be incorporated better, right?) but actually, it distributes the leavening agent and flour (in this case, baking soda!) and adds way too much air into the batter. When baked, this expands nicely, but then all of a sudden deflates and sinks in the middle.

Key point- DON’T OVERMIX! 

How do you know when blondies are done?

When we bake, we often use the ‘toothpick’ test to see if something is properly baked, or done. 

Vegan blondies are a little different. You want to remove the blondies from the oven when they become golden around the edges, but also haven’t been in the oven longer than 17 minutes. 

The blondies are required to cool in the pan before slicing, to once removed, they are going to continue cooking through.

Besides, blondies are designed to be gooey! 

Can I make these blondies sugar free?

Yes, blondies can easily be adapted to be 100% sugar free. Here are my suggested swaps-

• Brown sugar– Replace this with sugar free brown sugar. It has the exact taste and heavy texture of brown sugar, minus the calories, carbs, and sugar. 
• White sugar– Granulated monk fruit sweetener or swerve can be used. I prefer the monk fruit as swerve sometimes can have a bitter taste once baked. 
• Chocolate Chips– Use your favorite sugar-free chocolate bar (chopped up) or sugar-free chocolate chips. I often use stevia-sweetened chocolate chips. 

Is there a keto and paleo option?

You’ll love these keto and paleo blondies instead.

Bonus– For flavor twists, you might like raspberry blondies, pumpkin blondies, and zucchini blondies. 

 

More blondies, bars, and brownies you’ll love

• Best Ever Vegan Brownies (Gluten-Free)
• Oatmeal Cookie Bars
• Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
• Millionaire’s Shortbread Bars
• Flourless Apple Pie Blondies