Raw Vegan Brownies
on May 06, 2020, Updated Nov 05, 2025
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These double chocolate no-bake raw vegan brownies are made in minutes with just 6 simple ingredients, no baking required!
Featured Review
Katelyn
These were amazing! I ended up using cashews instead of walnuts and then rolled them into balls and coated them with extra cacao powder. I cannot believe how good they taste and how easy they were to make. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Why You’ll Love Raw Vegan Brownies
In addition to all the chocolate goodness, there’s a lot to love about raw vegan brownies! Here’s why I think you’ll love them:
- Just 4 required ingredients plus 2 optional flavour enhancers.
- No baking, cooking or heating, yay.
- They’re a vegan and gluten-free dessert.
- They’re naturally sweetened with dates plus optional maple syrup.
- They’re quick and easy to make!
- They have a rich and decadent chocolate flavour and perfect chewy texture.
- They’re perfect for stashing in the freezer for when a brownie craving hits.
- 5-star reviewed so you can make them with confidence!
Ingredients
Below is a quick overview of what you’ll need to make the recipe and any substitutions you can make. Use the recipe card with the full list of ingredients and measurements at the bottom of the post when you’re ready to make the recipe.
- Dates: It’s important to soft, moist dates but you can use any variety such as medjool dates, sayer dates or deglect noor. You’ll need to soak your dates in hot water first if they’re very dry.
- Walnuts: Use raw walnuts with no added ingredients like oil or salt. You can substitute another nut like almonds or pecans.
- Cocoa Powder: You can use cocoa powder or raw cacao powder.
- Chocolate: You’ll need chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate. Substitute cacao nibs, white chocolate chips or peanut butter chips for a variation.
- Extras: Optional but recommended ingredients include maple syrup, salt and vanilla extract to enhance the flavor.
How to Make Raw Vegan Brownies
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.
Step 2. Add the cocoa powder, dates, and optional ingredients (maple syrup, vanilla and salt) and blend everything into a thick dough.
Step 3. Add the chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips and pulse a few times to mix it in.
Step 4. Press the brownie mixture into a standard-sized loaf pan. I’d recommend lining the loaf pan with parchment paper so you can easily lift them out of the pan when they’re ready to slice.
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. This is not absolutely required but it helps them firm up and the flavours to meld together.
Once the bars have firmed up, lift them out the pan, slice and enjoy!
FAQs
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.
These can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.
They’re also ok to store at room temperature but will get soft if it’s warm. I suggest keeping them it the fridge or freezer unless kept in a cool location.
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 like.
Notes From Deryn
- If you want to make these even more decadent by adding the chocolate ganache from these No-Bake Hemp Seed Brownies or peanut butter frosting from these No-Bake Vegan Peanut Butter Blondies.
- You could also just melt 1/2-3/4 cup dark chocolate or chocolate chips with 2 tbsp nut butter or coconut oil and spread that over your brownies for a chocolate topping.
- If your food processor is on the small side, you may need to blend the dough in two batches as it’s quite dense and heavy.
If you try these Raw Vegan Brownies or any other recipe on Running on Real Food, don’t forget to leave a comment and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe, and I love to hear from you. And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @runningonrealfood so I can see your creation! Thanks for trying my recipes! – Deryn
More Recipes to Try!
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No-Bake Hemp Seed Brownies
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Vegan Sweet Potato Brownies
Raw Vegan Brownies
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup raw walnuts, 190 g
- 2.5 cups loosely packed soft pitted dates, 425 g
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 35 g
- 1 tbsp maple syrup, optional
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, optional
- 1 tsp vanilla, optional
- 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chunks or chips, 85 g
Instructions
- Note if your dates are quite dry, you should soak them in hot water for 10-15 minutes then drain well before use. If your dates are soft, proceed with the recipe. Add the walnuts to a food processor and process to break down into a coarse, grainy four with some small pieces.1.5 cup raw walnuts
- Add the rest of the ingredients except for the chocolate and process again until it forms a thick, sticky dough.2.5 cups loosely packed soft pitted dates, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp vanilla
- Add the chocolate and pulse a few times to mix it into the dough.1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chunks or chips
- 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.
- Place in the fridge for a few hours or the freezer for about an hour.
- Lift and cut into 10 bars.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on December 13, 2016.
I’ve made these a couple of times now, and they are so delicious! My food processor is not too happy about this recipe, but heck, 30 years was a good run for him. The texture is a little more like fudge than brownies, and I cut them rather small because they seem so decadent. I like them made with plump soft gooey medjool dates and dark chocolate chips. I have tried substituting some of the walnuts (I ran out) with pecans and cashews, and the result was equally tasty. Thank you for your recipes. I keep an iPad on my kitchen counter for recipes, and your site is always an open tab. It’s a go to fave!
Oh no, poor food processor. Yes this is a hefty one for blending. I’m glad you enjoy them though and thanks so much for the kind comment!
I made these with walnuts my mom had (she died a year ago), so truly not the best outcome as they were a bit rancid! They were still good enough for me to buy more nuts and serve at a meditation gathering for 30 people this month! By the way, I still ate the ones I made already! Yum!
I’m so sorry to hear about your mom. Glad the brownies were enjoyed!
These were amazing! I ended up using cashews instead of walnuts and then rolled them into balls and coated them with extra cacao powder. I cannot believe how good they taste and how easy they were to make. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
You are so welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed them.
Can you tell me what food processor you use to make this recipe a success? It sounds too easy to me.
I have an 8-year old Ninja food processor and it did the trick just fine. Any decent one, something around $100 will work great. It is indeed, very easy. Enjoy!
Wasn’t sure where to leave this comment, but I just wanted to say I got your plant-based ebook and every recipe I’ve made so far has been amazing!! Now I’m scouring your blog to find even more delicious recipes. This one is definitely going on the list!
That’s awesome! I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying it. Thank you!!
I made these raw double chocolate brownies and it tasted awesome. My kids too ate to their heart’s content. It is a guilt-free recipe. Thanks for it
These were so great! I soaked the dates as suggested, and also added in about a half cup of chopped walnuts at the end. SO GOOD! Next time I’ll mix in some coconut flakes, too.
They’re delish with coconut! The walnuts at the end sound awesome. Thanks for the feedback, so glad you enjoyed them!