No-Bake Brownies (Vegan)
on May 06, 2020, Updated May 05, 2026
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These double chocolate no-bake 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.
Variations
- No-Bake Espresso Brownies: Add 1-2 tsp espresso powder or up to 2 tbsp finely ground coffee beans.
- No-Bake Orange Brownies: Add 2-3 tsp orange zest or 1-2 tsp orange extract.
- For another variation, try these Vegan Peppermint Brownies with chocolate ganache topping.
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
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.
Delicious- also can add some bee pollen for more protein & flavor -! Thanks you!
I love this recipe and have made it many times now. Thank you Deryn! I recently gave some of these brownies to an older neighbor on his birthday and he really loved them too! I never feel bad giving something healthy and delicious to others, it’s a win win.
Well that’s just amazing to hear, love the win-win!! So glad you’ve all been enjoying them. Thank you so much for the review.
These were so ridiculously good. I even misread the recipe and only added half the dates called for and they *still* turned out delicious! Can’t wait to take these to our Lenten potluck tonight. =)
Oops, I was mistaken about my mistake. I did add the right amount of dates!
Haha.. well I’m glad they worked out and you enjoyed them! Thanks for letting me know!
Hi! I was wondering if I could use all purpose flour instead of the walnuts because walnuts are prett expensive and I don’t want to use just all nuts.. Thanks and please let me know!
I’ve never made this type of recipe with flour but you could try it. As long as you have a thick dough, it should work. It will change the flavour and texture and I can’t guarantee how they’ll turn out, but let me know if you try it!
An incredible recipe, as always!! I threw in a little coconut oil and some shredded unsweetened coconut as well and it turned out great. I was wondering – when you decide you’re going to create a new recipe, where do you start? Where do your draw your inspiration from, and how do you know something is going to work out?
Haha, I don’t always know something is going to work out. There are many, many, many failures that don’t make it to the blog! A lot of recipes I don’t continue with or if I like it, I might have to make it 3 or 4 times with adjustments before I feel ok to share it on the blog. I draw inspiration from my own recipes, cookbooks, other bloggers, Pinterest but mostly I’ll just get random ideas and go with them. 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks!
Wooow okay that looks super delicious!!
Alina// https://seventyeightbyalina.blogspot.de/
Great recipe! Looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing, perfect for both adults and kids!
The kids will definitely loved it. I must try this one at home.
-Gustavo Woltmann
These look so fudgy and moist! Definitely my kind of brownie! 😉
Oh man, they are so fudgy. And since I’m not the best baker, they’re fail-proof!
Oh my lord, these look amazing! And so simple… I’ll definitely have to give them a go.