It’s the peak of summer, and I’ve been seeing rhubarb everywhere lately— grocery stores, neighbors’ gardens, farmers market— what better use for those vibrant ruby stalks than in a dessert?
When baked, the rhubarb softens into a mellow, tart layer that acts almost as a frosting, complimenting the sweet richness of the chocolate.
Even without the rhubarb, these brownies stand on their own— they’re fabulously thick, fudgy, and chewy, truly rivaling the best non-vegan brownies I’ve had.
Ingredients for Fudgy Vegan Rhubarb Brownies:
- Cocoa powder.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chunks. Ensure dairy-free.
- Instant espresso powder, to enhance the chocolate flavor.
- All-purpose flour
- Turbinado sugar.
- Baking soda.
- Vegan butter. Feel free to substitute with coconut oil.
- Ground flax + water, acts as an eggless binder.
- And rhubarb, of course. You’ll need about 2-3 stalks of fresh rhubarb; the brighter the pinks the prettier the topping, but the green stalks are actually just as good, flavor-wise.
How to Make Fudgy Vegan Rhubarb Brownies
Measure out dry ingredients:
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Prepare wet ingredients:
In a saucepan, bring a quarter cup of water to a boil and then throw in the chocolate chips, stirring until they’re melted. Add the vegan butter and sugar and cocoa powder, mixing well.
Using a rubber spatula, transfer contents of the saucepan into the flour mixture. Stir and fold until thoroughly well combined, and batter is glossy and very thick.
Transfer batter to a baking pan.
Then arrange rhubarb on top in a chevron or herringbone pattern, pressing the pieces lightly into the batter.
For the rhubarb topping, you have a few options. I was contemplating a chevron pattern, herringbone, or stripes, but ultimately settled on a simple diagonal pattern.
A pro-tip: arrange the rhubarb first on a 8×8 inch piece of parchment paper that matches the pan size. You can do all the cutting and trimming on this surface, and then transfer the rhubarb pieces to the batter.
If you’re short on time, simply split the rhubarb stalks lengthwise and lay them out in vertical stripes, or dice the stalks and add the rhubarb directly into the batter (you’ll want to use about 2 cups chopped rhubarb).
Bake for 22-25 minutes.
Let fully cool before cutting into squares.
More Chocolate Vegan Treats:
If you made these brownies let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and a rating below. Or tag me on Instagram @hannah__chia, I love seeing your re-creations!
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Print📖 Recipe
Fudgy Vegan Rhubarb Brownies
Vegan brownies with true brownie texture— thick, fudgy, and chewy— topped with a soft, tart layer of baked rhubarb that accentuates the rich chocolate flavor. A crowd favorite!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 9 1x
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Bake
Ingredients
- 1 + ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax + 6 tbsp water)
- ¼ cup water
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (or use semi-sweet chocolate chips), about ½ cup + 2 tbsp
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp instant espresso powder
- 1 cup turbinado sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 6 tbsp vegan butter (or coconut oil)
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2–3 stalks fresh rhubarb, cut into 3-inch pieces and then sliced lengthwise into matchsticks
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and line an 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together ground flax and water in a small bowl and set aside to thicken.
- In a small saucepan, heat ¼ cup water. Once it reaches a boil, add in chocolate, cocoa powder, and espresso powder, stirring until chocolate chips/chunks are melted. Remove from heat and add sugar, vegan butter, vanilla extract, and flax eggs, stirring vigorously until the mixture is smooth.
- Using a rubber spatula, transfer contents of the saucepan into the flour mixture. Stir and fold until thoroughly well combined, and batter is glossy and very thick. Transfer to the baking pan, then arrange rhubarb on top in a chevron or herringbone pattern, pressing the pieces lightly into the batter.
- Bake for 22- 25 minutes on the middle rack. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before cutting into squares.
Notes
- If you want, you can soak the rhubarb beforehand in a syrup of hot water + sugar. I didn’t find this necessary since the rhubarb softens nicely as it bakes, but it would result in a more glazed look.
- I used dutch-processed cocoa powder (I prefer a more intense/dark chocolate flavor) but regular cocoa works too.
- The instant espresso powder is optional, but it greatly enhances the chocolate flavor.
- I’ve made this recipe multiple times with only ¾ cup sugar, and I actually prefer it this way (I generally don’t like desserts to be too sweet). For the traditional sweetness stick to 1 cup.
- For gluten-free brownies, substitute gluten-free 1:1 flour (note that I have not tested this, but if you do please leave a comment below to share!)
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