These olive oil brownies are dense and chocolatey with crisp edges, sweet chocolate chips and a crackly top.
Everything a dairy free brownie should be. You’ll only need a whisk and a bowl to make them too – no mixer required.
A few weeks ago, I asked one of my dairy free recipe groups on Facebook what sort of recipe they’d like to see. One of the first comments was brownies, and I was surprised I hadn’t thought of it before.
Who doesn’t love a good brownie? And, I knew that before long, I’d be making batches and batches of brownies because I knew that brownies would be an easy recipe to convert to dairy free.
In fact, I know that there are at least two major brands of brownie mix that don’t contain any milk products. So I figured it would be a breeze to replicate with real food ingredients. Unfortunately, it ended up being harder that I thought to find a good base recipe to convert.
So many recipes out there only make a 8×8 square pan of brownies. And, if you’re anything like me, that’s no good. If I’m going to spend time making brownies, I want a decent sized batch. A 9×13 pan of olive oil brownies was a must for me.
How to make olive oil brownies:
I found this recipe for old fashioned brownies on Pinterest, and I thought it would be a great starting point for my dairy free brownies. It used melted butter, which is easily substituted with oil, and cocoa powder rather than melted chocolate or anything too complicated for me.
The only other change I made was to double the vanilla extract. It’s a trick I learned after my niece accidentally used tablespoons instead of teaspoons in her chocolate chip cookies, and they turned out amazing.
And, these brownies were no different. They turned out better than any brownie I’ve ever had in my whole life. Try them for yourself and let me know what you think.
Other great dairy free bars and brownies: Halloween Brownies / Skillet Brownie Sundae / Banana Snack Cake / No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites
Tips for making dairy free, olive oil brownies:
- Use any olive oil you have on hand. I used extra virgin, but a lighter olive oil would work, too.
- Take them out of the oven before you think you should. If you’re toothpick comes out with a tiny bit of batter on it, that’s okay. They’ll be nice and fudge-link.
- Use the best dairy free chocolate chips you can find. I found a local brand that makes dairy free ones, but Enjoy Life makes allergy friendly chocolate chunks that would work great.
- Line your baking dish with parchment paper. Just fold the corners. It doesn’t have to be perfect because the batter will fill it out.
10 EASY DAIRY FREE SUBSTITUTES
Not sure where to get started with dairy free substitutes? My easy cheat sheet will guide you through it and show you some great examples of how to use them.
Even more chocolate recipes:
- Chocolate pudding
- Hot fudge sauce
- Chocolate cupcakes
- Chocolate chocolate chip cookies
- Dairy free hot chocolate
- Microwave fudge
Prep Time:
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This easy, dairy free brownies recipe is made from scratch using healthy olive oil. They’re simple to make and extra fudgy with vegan chocolate chips.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 2/3 cup olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F and line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- Whisk 1/3 cup olive oil and boiling water into cocoa powder mixture until smooth.
- Add sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and remaining 1/3 cup olive oil. Whisk until smooth.
- Slowly whisk in flour until smooth.
- Fold in chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
- Pour batter into pan and top with extra chocolate chips (if desired). Bake for 35-40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 30 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition
- Calories: 0
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 0 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 0 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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Going on my MUST TRY ASAP list! Brownies are my weakness!
Oh my gosh. I hadn’t had a brownie for years, but I think they might be weakness now, too! I hope you like them!
Too dry and flakey. Olive oil does not work wel with this recipe.
Olive oil makes them very dry. Don’t recommend this recipe.
I cooked my brownie in a smaller pan 7″ x 10 1/2″ ( 18 cm x 27 cm ) and it turned out perfect.
Also try putting extra choco chips on top after baking it to melt for a great topping.
★★★★★
Excellent Brownie Recipe. I also baked this in a smaller pan and in addition to the cocoa, I added 2 teaspoons of Instant Coffee to enhance the chocolate flavor.
★★★★★
Oh great idea! I will have to give it a try sometime! I’m glad you liked the brownies 🙂
This is my first time attempting dairy-free brownies and to be honest, these are so good that no one will miss the butter-filled version! I did make a couple of alterations based on the reviews and my own experiences in the kitchen.
1. Smaller pan – I used 10 X 7ish (baked for 35 minutes on 350*). So moist!
2. Added espresso powder – a must when making chocolate cake or brownies in my house
3. Increased the vanilla to 1 TBSP
Thanks for the recipe! It’s a keeper!
Thanks for sharing! I love that you added extra vanilla. It’s one of my favorite ways to amp up the flavor, but I try not to suggest it in my recipes because it can be so expensive. I’m glad you liked these!
Incredibly fudgy and decadent. I used dark chocolate and just cut it up. Also used smaller pan as that’s all I had. Really nice brownie recipe.
Thank you! I’m so glad you liked them!
This is SO GOOD.
Like another reviewer, I didn’t have chocolate chips so I chopped up a couple dairy-free dark chocolate bars. It ended up they didn’t hold their shape like chocolate chips, but they created little areas of melty deliciousness.
A couple other reviewers mentioned using espresso powder. This sounded like a great idea but I didn’t have any, I I substituted the 1/2 of boiling water with hot, dark decaf coffee. Also increased the vanilla to one tablespoon.
Seriously, you wouldn’t know these are dairy free — so fudgy and flavorful — and they’re actually better than just about any dairy-full brownies I’ve made. (Rocky Road was my family’s go-to in my dairy-full days…your recipe could probably easily be modified to include the nuts and marshmallows!)
Thanks so much for the recipe!
Oh my goodness. I’m totally making rocky road brownies ASAP! That sounds so good. I am really glad to hear that you liked the brownies, and I love the coffee add-in!
Not bad. I didn’t have semisweet dairy free chocolate chips, so I used dark chocolate instead. I cooked them in smaller pans, and they turned out well. The corner pieces are a bit dry, but it’s very rich and fudgelike towards the middle. It’s definitely a keeper.
★★★★
I have made a lot of brownies and these were by far the best! We didn’t have any butter in the house so made these and they turned out amazing! So good we are baking them to sell at a bake sale!
★★★★★
I’m so happy to hear you liked them! I hope they’re a huge hit at the bake sale!
Could you sub applesauce for some of the oil?
You should be able to, but I haven’t tested it. If you try, I would love to know how they turn out!
Amazing! Crispy, chewy edges and gooey and delicious in the middle. Happy to have found this recipe!
★★★★★
Thank you! I’m so happy to hear that you loved it!
I made these last night at like 9pm for a birthday potluck today. They are sooo easy to make and turned out fantastic! I’ve never made brownies from scratch before, I feel like a baking whiz! Thank you!
Thanks for this yummy recipe! Question though: I followed the recipe exactly, but mine looks nothing like yours. It came out more like a cake. Yummy, but cake not brownie. What am I doing wrong?? I never seem to make brownies, they always come out like a cake. Could it be my oven, or do I just not have the brownie thumb? Any ideas?
It might just be that you’re baking them too long or your oven is too hot. You really want to take them out earlier than you *think* they’re ready. If that doesn’t work, try replacing half 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup sugar (rather than 2 cups of sugar).
The taste is great on these! Unfortunately 35 minutes was way too long for mine – they were burning several minutes before my timer went off and they came out tasting more like a slightly burnt cake than brownies 🙁 Would recommend checking these 25 minutes in just to be sure, or maybe using a smaller pan would do the trick!
I also think 2 c of sugar would have been too much – I used only 1.5 and they still came out plenty sweet.
★★★★
The sugar does more for the recipe than just sweetening. It actually gives the brownies their gooey texture. Since you changed the ingredients, you can’t expect the recipe to come out properly. Oven temperatures also vary quite a bit, so you should always keep an eye on what you’re baking and get to know your own oven. I’m glad they still turned out ok!
What can I substitute eggs with for any dairy free vegans?
★★★★
I would do a flax egg or egg replacer product!
Absolutely excellent recipe and I work in the Congo with no suitable oven, and they still came out perfect!
The outside has the perfect amount of stretchy crispness and the inside is dense without being too heavy. This is a new favorite!
★★★★★
I’ve been dairy-free my whole life by necessity, and finding tasty desserts has always been a challenge! Loved this recipe, thank you so much! I will say that I substituted some applesauce in for some of the olive oil as another reviewer brought up that idea, and though the brownies have a wonderful texture, they are less chocolate-y tasting. I used unsweetened organic applesauce, and the brownies are almost a fruity-sweet taste, similar to carob-powder brownies. Since I prefer a VERY strong chocolate taste, I’ll probably add more cocoa powder but keep the applesauce in the future! (I can’t have caffeine, so sadly I couldn’t add coffee or espresso to enhance the chocolate as others have suggested!)
★★★★★
The top got really crunchy and feel into the uncooked middle. This recipe did not work for me at all. https://photos.app.goo.gl/RRfC1K5PnamknXex7
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I’m really sorry that your brownies didn’t turn out. Did you follow the recipe exactly without making substitutions?
I loved this! My favorite brownie recipe by far. I’ve made 3 batches since last night and I think my whole family is addicted. I would recommend these to ANYONE, dairy-free or not. My best friend Loves to bake so I will definitely share this with her. Thx for sharing.
★★★★★
Have you tried making these as brownie bites? Thinking of using a heart muffin pan for Valentine’s Day. If muffins, is cooking time half?
I haven’t tried it myself, but I would try baking them for about 20-22 minutes and checking them with a toothpick at about 20 to see how they’re doing. I would love to know how they turn out if you make them like this!
I haven’t tried it myself, but I would recommend baking them for about 20 – 22 minutes if you’re going to do a average sized cupcake tin. Let me know how they turn out if you do it!
Made this tonight..OMG! So good! So, I admit that I didn’t have any chocolate chips, so I had to get creative.
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
3 Tbsp powdered sugar.
Whisk it up and it makes a delicious gloopy chocolate to drizzle over the top before you bake it. Then marble it in. SOooo good!
★★★★★
Hey! I tried these this past week and mine turned out more cake-like than brownie. I still loved the flavour but I’m wondering what I did wrong.
Thanks
★★★★
You might just be baking them too long or your oven temperature might be slightly off. Try taking them out 2 minutes early next time to see if they’re more to your liking!
OMG thanks so much. I think I’ll try them again tomorrow.
Great recipe though. I’ve never really been good with brownies.
Thanks for all your help.
I hope this recipe can help me become a brownie expert someday. Lovely recipe.
BTW just wondering if you have posted any cookie recipes?
I made these using melted coconut oil instead of olive oil and they turned out fantastic!!! Super crumbly and hard to get out of the pan since I didn’t have parchment paper and just greased. Also I just mixed it all in one bowl at once because I was lazy and they still turned out great!
★★★★★
Hey guys! I love this recipe and my friends and family are in complete astonishment that these brownies are dairy free. As much as I love them, I am having difficulty cooking the center. If I leave them too long in the oven, the outer edge burns! 🙁 I followed the recipe exactly, but should I use a metal pan instead of glass?? Just trying to think of something I could have possibly done wrong!
★★★★