by Faith VanderMolen
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Made with rich sesame seed paste and sweetened with coconut sugar and maple syrup, these Easy Vegan Tahini Brownies will make for a gooey, crowd pleasing dessert!
If you guys like nut butter or have tried my Vegan Peanut Butter Brownies, then you'll probably love these Easy Vegan Tahini Brownies as well. I really can't believe how simple these tahini brownies are to make. They only require 8 ingredients and one bowl to make!
While I've shared a number of different vegan brownie recipes on my blog over the years (check out these Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies and these No-Bake Nutella Brownies), this tahini brownie recipe is definitely my favorite. (If you don't care for tahini, then definitely check out my Vegan Flourless Almond Butter Brownies!)
Let me walk you through how to make these fudgy vegan brownies!
Jump To
- Why You'll Love This Recipe!
- Ingredients
- Substitutions and Variations
- How to Make Vegan Tahini Brownies
- Baking Pan Sizes
- Expert Tips
- Storage
- Recipe FAQs
- More Sweet Tahini Recipes!
- 📖 Recipe
Why You'll Love This Recipe!
- These tahini brownies only require 8 ingredients and one bowl! Yes please! I usually just make my flax eggs in the main mixing bowl, let them sit for a few minutes then dump everything in. Easy peasy.
- Thanks to tahini and flax eggs, these brownies are not only vegan, but gluten-free as well, making them a great dessert to serve to friends with allergies or to bring to a potluck.
- This recipe is more adaptable then you would think! Use runny almond butter instead of tahini. Swap brown sugar for the coconut sugar. Use cacao powder instead of cocoa powder. The result might be slightly different, but in general you'll end up with the fugdiest vegan brownies!
- These vegan tahini brownies tasted better the longer they sit in the fridge. The tahini hardens a little, which makes these brownies more like fudge...yum!
Ingredients
One of the things I love most about this recipe, other than the flavor of course, is how few ingredients are required to make these brownies. To make these easy vegan tahini brownies, you'll need the following ingredients:
- Ground Flaxseed - Ground flaxseed acts as a binding agent instead of having to use eggs. That means that this tahini brownie recipe is egg free, making it perfect for anyone with allergies.
- Tahini - If you are unfamiliar with tahini, it's basically the sesame seed version of peanut butter. Sesame seeds get ground into a paste, aka tahini, that can be used in both sweet and savory recipes. It's definitely a staple in my favorite homemade hummus recipe!
- Coconut Sugar - Coconut sugar has a caramel-y taste and is low on the glycemic index. I always have some in my pantry!
- Cocoa Powder - Cocoa powder is what gives these tahini brownies that rich, chocolatey taste.
- Maple Syrup - Maple syrup is my favorite natural sweetener. Definitely make sure you're using the pure maple syrup, not Aunt Jemima!
- Salt
- Baking Soda
- Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips - You can omit the chocolate chips if you want to cut down on the sugar a little bit, but they take these vegan brownies to the next level. They add some texture and extra sweetness that I think is crucial in this recipe!
Substitutions and Variations
- Tahini - If you don't like tahini or can't find tahini, you can always make these brownies with almond butter. Simply follow my Fudgy Almond Butter Brownie Recipe!
- Coconut Sugar - If I don't have coconut sugar on hand, I usually substitute brown sugar.
- Cocoa Powder - Cacao powder works great instead of cocoa powder.
How to Make Vegan Tahini Brownies
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350F, grease a standard size loaf pan and prepare your flax eggs.
Step 2: In a mixing bowl, stir together thetahini,coconut sugar,maple syrupand thickened flax eggs until smooth. Add in thecocoa powder,baking soda andsaltand stir until combined.
Step 3: Fold in the dairy- free chocolate chips.
Step 4: Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and spread it out into an even layer. Sprinkle with more chocolate chips if desired.
Step 5: Bake the brownies for 18-25 minutes, depending on the size of pan you used. Allow the brownies to cool quite a bit before cutting and enjoying.
Baking Pan Sizes
- 8x8: I found that an 8x8 standard brownie pan made these brownies too thin, but if thin brownies are your thing, go for it! You'll just need to adjust the baking time accordingly. Additionally, you could also double this recipe and then use a standard 8x8 baking pan in order to get more brownies that are still thick and hearty!
- Standard Loaf Pan: I've made these brownies in an 8x6 rectangular pan as well as in a loaf pan and the loaf pan was definitely my favorite as it made for thick, hearty brownies! The down side to the loaf pan, though, is that you only get edge pieces. I love edge pieces, because you get some chewier parts as well as gooey middle parts, but if you enjoy more gooey, middle sections you may want to use a larger pan size.
Expert Tips
- Make sure you use the runniest kind of tahini you can find. It might even take some trial and error to find the best tahini that works for your climate, etc. I try to use tahini that is already runny and pourable straight from the store and isn't separated into a dry clump of sesame at the bottom and a bunch of oil at the top.
- When it comes to enjoying these brownies, you'll need to be patient! They will need a bit of time to cool down before they are ready to eat, otherwise they'll be too gooey to cut and melt in your hands. If you enjoy gooey brownies, however, still allow these brownies to cool in the pan before enjoying them. Even after cooling for a while, they'll still be gooey and delicious.
- If you want fudgier brownies, allow the brownies to cool completely in the fridge before enjoying. They get denser and fudgier after being chilled in the fridge and are the most amazing brownies you'll ever eat!
Storage
Whenever we live in a cold climate and it's winter, we just leave these brownies on the counter covered with some aluminum foil. When we are in Malaysia, however, I store these brownies in an airtight container in the fridge to keep them from being too gooey.
Recipe FAQs
What is tahini?
Tahini is a seed butter made from (usually toasted) sesame seeds.
On its own it can be used as a dipping sauce and it is often used to make many Middle Eastern dips and spreads such ashummus, baba ganoush as well as halva.
Where can you buy tahini?
I can almost always find tahini at my local grocery story and I'm sure you can find it at your local grocery store as well!
Sometimes it's located in two or three different locations. It could be 1.) with other nut butters like peanut butter and almond butter, 2.) in the international food aisle, or 3.) nearby the honey or other baking supplies.
How do you make tahini?
you just toast 1-3 cups of sesame seeds for a few minutes until they start to turn golden brown.
Then you remove them from the heat and allow them to cool before processing them into a paste/butter, either using a high speed blender or a food processor.
I've found that I don't need to add any extra oil when I make tahini in my Vitamix.
However, if you have an older blender or a less powerful food processor, you can always add in some oil towards the end to achieve a runnier, smoother tahini.
What are good tahini substitutes?
If you really don't like tahini, you can always try substituting a different nut or seed butter like almond butter or peanut butter. I've made almond butter brownies and even peanut butter worked great! You just want to use the most runny nut butter you can find, otherwise the brownies will be dry.
How can I make brownies without eggs?
When baking brownies, eggs act more as a binding agent and add richness and fattiness to brownies. To make egg-less brownies, you can easily use ground flaxseed or flax eggs instead of real eggs. I substitute flax eggs for eggs all the time in baking and they work great!
How to make fudgy brownies?
Usually for fudgier brownies, you want a higher fat to flour ratio. Because these Vegan Tahini Brownies are flourless and use a good amount of tahini, they are the most fudgy vegan brownies ever! If you enjoy more cakey brownies, you would want to be using a recipe that calls for more flour and includes baking powder, which is a leavening agent!
More Sweet Tahini Recipes!
- Black Sesame Tahini Vegan Banana Bread
- Tahini Brownie Bites
- Easy Tahini Granola (with Crunchy Clusters!)
- Double Chocolate Black Tahini Banana Muffins
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
📖 Recipe
Easy Vegan Tahini Brownies
Faith VanderMolen
Made with rich sesame seed paste and sweetened with coconut sugar and maple syrup, these Easy Vegan Tahini Brownies will make for a gooey, crowd pleasing dessert!
4.68 from 59 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Total Time 35 minutes mins
Course Desserts
Cuisine American
Servings 8 brownies
Calories 314 kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 flax eggs 6 tablespoons water + 2 tablespoons [ground flaxseed]
- 1 cup tahini
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup dairy free chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 °F and spray aloaf pan* with cooking spray. You can also use a larger pan, such as an 8x6 or even an8x8if you double the recipe. Read the section above titled "Baking Pan Sizes" for more detail!
In a small bowl, whisk together the ground flaxseed and water to create two flax eggs. Set aside to thicken.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the tahini, coconut sugar, maple syrup and thickened flax eggs until smooth.
Add in the cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and stir until combined.
Lastly, stir in the chocolate chips.
Pour the batter evenly into your prepared loaf pan and bake the brownies for about 18-25 minutes**.
Notes
*I've made these brownies in an 8x6 pan and a standard loaf pan.
**Feel free to use whatever pan you have on hand or double the recipe for larger baking pans. Just be sure to adjust the baking time depending on the size pan you chose and whether you like your brownies more gooey or chewy!
This recipe was adapted and veganized from Ambitious Kitchen.
Nutrition
Serving: 1brownieCalories: 314kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 7gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gSodium: 154mgPotassium: 239mgFiber: 4gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 20IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 76mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!
More Brownies
- Date Brownies (Vegan + Gluten-Free!)
- Vegan Brookies (Half Brownie / Half Cookie!)
- Almond Pulp Brownie Bites
- Vegan Almond Joy Brownie Bites
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Brooke Amrhein says
Hi Faith!
Really enjoyed these tahini brownies and can't wait to make again (today??). Just a comment on your nutritional information... the tahini alone is way more than 107 calories and 2g of fat that you have listed per serving. The recipe calls for 1 cup of tahini, if you have 8 brownies, that's 2 tablespoons of tahini per serving. My tahini lable says 190 calories and 17 grams of fat. Additionally, the maple syrup and coconut sugar increase the calories to around 455 calories per serving. That's my math anyway. Regardless, these are awesome brownies!Reply
Faith VanderMolen says
Hello! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe! It's definitely one of my favorites. And good catch on the nutritional information. Our calculator isn't always accurate as it pulls information from different sources. I'll look into fixing this one as I agree, 190 is definitely too low. Thanks Brooke!
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Faith VanderMolen says
Fixed it!
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Jenn says
These were incredibly delicious! So rich and fudgy! I didn't have enough tahini, so I did 1/2 tahini and 1/2 peanut butter. I was wondering though...can you freeze these? Thanks for such a great recipe!
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Faith VanderMolen says
I'm so glad you liked them! And I've never tried freezing them, so I can't say. If you try freezing them, let me know how they turn out!
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Sarah says
Hi! These look divine. I would love to make these tonight - I don’t have chocolate chips on hand, but I do have chocolate tahini! Do you think it would work if I used my chocolate tahini in place of the regular tahini without chocolate chips?
Thanks!
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Faith VanderMolen says
Yes! The chocolate chips aren't manditory...i just love getting bites with little crunchy chocolate chips in them. If you use the chocolate tahini, just keep in mind that it's probably sweetened a little bit so the final product may be on the sweeter side! This recipe isn't too sweet, in my opinion, so I'm guessing the chocolate tahini would work great. Happy baking!
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Lisa Wills says
Love these and so easy to make.
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Faith VanderMolen says
I'm so glad to hear that Lisa! Thanks for commenting!
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Joanna Syrmou says
Can I omit the maple syrup?
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Faith VanderMolen says
Hi Joanna! I haven't tried that, but I'm pretty sure that would change the texture quite a bit. You could try non-dairy milk instead of the maple syrup, but no promises on how it will turn out! Let us know if you try it and how it goes!
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Rochelle Rosenblatt says
The best and easiest brownies I’ve ever done!
Love it!Reply
Faith VanderMolen says
Yay! I'm so glad to hear that! Thanks so much for commenting and sharing:)
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Grace says
Best brownies I’ve ever eaten !! Didn’t have enough tahini so made it up with pb which worked perfectly! Love the gooey/ chewy texture with the crispy top. Non plant based / gluten free housemates agree these are incredible!Reply
Faith says
Music to my ears Grace! We love them too so I'm so glad they were a hit with you and your friends. Thanks so much for letting me know!
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Victoria says
My family loves these brownies and my Vegan friends were ecstatic! I'm serving them with raspberry sorbet for Easter...Thank you!Reply
Faith says
That's so great to hear Victoria! Thank you so much for sharing and leaving a rating! Enjoy!
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eliz says
Have you tried subbing cooked red lentils for some of the tahini? I'd like to make them less rich and was wondering if it might work.
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Faith says
I haven’t but what an interesting idea! I’m curious what substitutions would work, so please let me know if you try it out!
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Wister says
I didn't follow this recipe exactly, but I used half the tahini, and it worked out great! I cooked and blended red lentils (approx. 2/3 c when cooked) combined with 2T chia seeds (instead of flax), and added water to make it equal 1 c before adding the rest of the ingredients. Thank you, Faith, for the recipe!
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Faith says
I saw your post on Instagram and they looked amazing! I’m gonna have to try that myself with all kinds of beans now!
Caren says
Just pulled these brownies out of the oven. There is no way I could wait for them to cool! So I took a spoonful from one of the corners of the loaf pan. Oh man!!! The only change I made was to use 1/3 cup date syrup in place of the maple syrup and coconut sugar.
Great recipe! Thanks.Reply
Faith says
I feel the same way about warm brownies too Caren! They are definitely hard to wait for. I'm so glad you liked this recipe and that using date syrup worked out for you. Thanks so much for sharing!
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Laura says
Thanks for the date paste sub. That nails it for me pas it is a whole food!! ????
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Faith says
So glad that worked out for you Laura! I can wait to be back in a kitchen so I can make these!!
Katie says
That’s great to know!! Just to make sure you mean 1/3 c date syrup / maple instead of both coconut sugar and maple syrup? So it won’t affect texture if using more liquids and less dry incredients ie the coconut sugar? Would love to try this recipe looks so good!!
Faith VanderMolen says
I'm not sure Katie will see your comment...unless you reply specifically to the one she left! I read what Katie suggested as you did...to sub the coconut sugar and maple syrup for 1/3 cup date paste, but I'm not positive as that decreases the amount of sweetener in the recipe a little bit. I'd love to know as well!
Caren says
Yes, I used 1/3 c date syrup instead of both the coconut sugar and maple syrup. The result is less sweet and more intensely chocolate. It works for me but not for everyone.
Faith VanderMolen says
I'm all about less sweet, more intense chocolate-y things! Thanks for sharing!
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
I've been so curious about tahini in baked goods! I think I need to give it a try. These brownies look delicious!Reply
Faith says
You won't regret it Liz! It may be my new favorite baking ingredient!
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Dena says
These taste better than “real” brownies!! Thanks again Faith!
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Faith says
Wow, you already made them?! So glad you like them as much as we do. Thanks for sharing Dena!
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Dena says
Yes, but I used regular organic sugar because I didn’t have coconut sugar. My husband loves them as well and we’re wondering if it would be a good idea to add some peanut butter to them?? Or would they be too gooey??
Faith says
So glad they worked out for you Dena! And also glad your husband is enjoying them too. You could possibly substitute the tahini for peanut butter (or do 1/2 cup tahini and 1/2 cup peanut butter), but I think adding in more nut butter to the original recipe may make the brownies too gooey. I'm not sure though! Let me know if you try something new out and if it works for you!
Caren says
I'm responding even though the original comment was made almost a year ago.
I make these brownies sometimes with tahina and sometimes with peanut butter. I haven't tried mixing them, though. They are great both ways although I find the tahina brownies to be somewhat more oily.Faith says
I’m so glad to know about the peanut butter option! I’ve been wanting to try them with PB but was scared I’d waste a cup of nut butter if it didn’t work out. Thanks Caren!
