These double chocolate raw vegan brownies are rich, decadent, and can be prepared in minutes with just a few ingredients. No baking required!

A stack of 4 raw brownies on a cutting board.

Recipe Features

  • quick and easy – all you need is a few minutes, 4 ingredients and a food processor
  • vegan and gluten-free – suitable for those with dietary restrictions
  • freezer-friendly – keep a stash in your freezer for a healthier dessert option any time you need it

What You’ll Need

Chocolate, cocoa powder, walnuts, dates and vanilla in labelled containers.

A complete list of ingredients with amounts and full instructions is located in the printable recipe card below. This section covers ingredient and substitution considerations.

  • dates – soft, moist dates are important but you can use any variety
  • walnuts – use raw walnuts that have no added ingredients such as salt or oil
  • cocoa – regular cocoa powder is great, or use raw cacao powder to add extra nutrition
  • chocolate – use chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate

Optional ingredients include maple syrup, salt and vanilla to enhance the flavor.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1. Add the walnuts to a food processor and break down into a coarse, grainy flour. Some large pieces left behind are totally fine.

Blended walnuts in a food processor.

Step 2. Add the cocoa powder, dates, and optional ingredients (maple syrup, vanilla and salt) and blend everything into a thick dough.

Cocoa powder, dates and walnuts in a food processor container.

Step 3. Add the chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips and pulse a few times to mix it in.

Dark chocolate chunks in a food processor with a thick chocolate dough.

Step 4. Press the dough into a standard-sized loaf pan. Take a few minutes to press it in firmly and evenly. Pop the whole pan into the freeze for an hour or fridge for a couple hours.

Quick Tip: Line the pan with parchment paper so you can easily lift them out of the pan when they’re ready to slice.

Raw brownies in a loaf pan.

Once the bars have firmed up, lift them out the pan, slice and enjoy!

An overhead image of a unsliced slab of brownies.
An overhead image of a slab of brownies sliced into 8 pieces.

Recipe Tips and FAQs

  • Soft, moist dates are important in this recipe. If your dates are on the dry side, soak them in hot water for 15 minutes then drain well before using.
  • For best results, use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients as volume measurements can vary greatly. You can grab one on Amazon for under $15.

The dough isn’t sticking together!

If the dough is crumbly and not sticking together it’s most likely because the dates you used were too dry. Add 1 tsp of warm water, blend again and check to see if you can press the dough between if your fingers.

If not, add another teaspoon of water and repeat this until you can. Just a splash of water should do the trick.

How should I store these?

These can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.

What kind of chocolate can I use”

I used Enjoy Life Mega Chunks to make these but you can Enjoy Life or another brand of dairy-free chocolate chips or chop up good quality dark chocolate. If you’re not vegan or plant-based, you can use any kind of chocolate you want. 

A close up of a stack of 4 raw brownies on a cutting board.

Loving no-bake brownies? You might like these ones too:

Feel like baking? Check out my black bean brownies or sweet potato brownies.

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A close up of a stack of 4 raw brownies on a cutting board.

Raw Vegan Brownies

  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 10 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: No-Bake
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

These double chocolate no-bake brownies are so rich and fudgy no one will ever guess they’re vegan and full of wholesome ingredients.


Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Add the walnuts to a food processor and process to break down into a coarse, grainy four with some small pieces.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the chocolate and process again until it forms a thick, sticky dough.
  3. Add the chocolate and pulse a few times to mix it into the dough.
  4. Line a standard-sized loaf pan with two overlapping strips of parchment paper that are long enough to stick out either side of the pan. Firmly press the dough into the pan, taking a few minutes to work it into every corner and smooth it out.
  5. Place in the fridge for a few hours or the freezer for about an hour.
  6. Lift and cut into 10 bars. Store the bars in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freezer for up to 2 months.

Notes

The salt, maple syrup, and vanilla help enhance the flavor. The recipe will work without them but I recommend adding them for the yummiest result.

Soft, moist dates are important. Medjool dates work best since they’re so juicy but deglect noor or sayer also work. If your dates are on the dry side, soak them in hot water for 15 minutes then drain well before using in the recipe.

If you blend everything up and the dough seems too dry and crumbly, add 1 tsp of warm water, blend again and check to see if you can know press it together between your fingers. If no, add another teaspoon of water and process again. Just a splash should do the trick.

For best results, use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients.

Keywords: no-bake vegan brownies, raw vegan brownies

UPDATE NOTE: This recipe was originally published on December 13, 2016. It was updated with new photos and text on May 6, 2020.