Vegan Pumpkin Brownies
Our recipe for vegan chocolate brownies is one of our (and your) absolute favorites on the blog. No matter if you're looking for something sweet for a birthday, a barbecue, or as a dessert for a dinner party: these brownies are easily adjusted to fit any occasion. As brownie skewers they are the perfect finger food dessert for a picnic or a buffet. Served with chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream they become a delicious brownie sundae. Today we'll show you another way to combine our classic vegan brownie recipe with an actual hearty ingredient: pumpkin!
Start by cooking hokkaido pumpkin until fork-tender, then blend it and mix with vegan cream cheese. Vegan cream cheese is available from different brands in many supermarkets already. When buying it, make sure you pick plain cream cheese that doesn't contain any herbs or spices. Vegan cream cheese adds some freshness and a nice creaminess to the brownie batter which is then balanced out by the hearty pumpkin. As some types of cream cheese can still have their own flavor, it’s best to season and sweeten the pumpkin puree to taste before you add it to the brownie batter.
In any case, we’re very curious for which occasion you’ll prepare these pumpkin brownies!
Vegan Pumpkin Brownies
Ingredients
For the pumpkin puree:
- 200 g (7 oz) hokkaido pumpkin
- 100 g (0.5 cup) vegan cream cheese (plain)
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- ground all-spice
For the brownie batter:
- 200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate
- 200 g (1.66 cup) flour
- 200 g (1 cup) sugar
- 50 g (0.5 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 100 g (0.5 cup) apple sauce
- 100 ml (0.5 cup) vegetable oil
- 200 ml (0.75 cup) plant-based milk
Instructions
Prepare the pumpkin
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Wash pumpkin and cut off a chunk of approx. 200 g (7 oz). Chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Add pumpkin to the simmering water and cook for approx. 10 minutes, or until fork-tender.
- Drain pumpkin and add to a liquid measuring cup. Use an immersion blender to blend smooth. Let cool down for several minutes.
- Mix cooled pumpkin puree with vegan cream cheese and season with a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, and all spice to taste.
Note: Depending on the vegan cream cheese you're using, you might need to season the pumpkin puree to taste once more before adding it to the brownie batter. Some cream cheeses taste a a bit milder.
Brownie batter
- Melt dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Once melted, remove from heat and let cool down a bit.
- Preheat oven to 180°C/355°F (circulating air). Grease a baking pan (20x25 cm ( 8x10 inches) and dust with cocoa powder.
- Mix flour, sugar, and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Add melted chocolate, apple sauce, plant-based milk, and vegetable oil. Stir to combine until a smooth batter forms.
- Transfer the brownie batter to the prepared baking pan, then spread the pumpkin puree on top. Use a fork to swirl both doughs until the pumpkin batter is nicely visible and incorporated.
- Bake brownies at 180°C/355°F for approx. 25-30 minutes. Let cool down before cutting and serving.
