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Chocolate strawberry brownies are a little chewy, fudgy, and loaded with rich cocoa and fresh strawberries – also, egg and dairy-free (no one can tell!)
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
I’m going to be honest – I was surprised to discover most strawberry brownie recipes on Google are not only not really brownies (there’s no cocoa in them!), but they’re often made with cake-mix, so even the texture isn’t brownie-like. This chocolate strawberry brownie recipe is not one of those!
Instead, this recipe for strawberry brownies from scratch elevates fudgy, decadent (dairy-free!) chocolate brownies with fresh chopped strawberries (and optional swirls of strawberry jam) for an indulgent treat that tastes like chocolate-covered strawberries in brownie form.
They’re perfect for Valentine’s Day, BBQs, baby showers, and other special occasions, along with salted caramel brownies, Biscoff brownies, and sweet potato brownies.
The Ingredients and Substitutes
Refer to the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
Recipe Variations and Add-Ins
- Strawberry jam/preserves: To enhance the berry flavor, make the brownies with strawberry jam. Add dollops over the batter and swirl with a skewer or knife.
- Boost flavor more: Boost the strawberry flavor with a cup of freeze-dried strawberries ground into a powder OR 1-2 teaspoons pure strawberry extract.
- Espresso powder: Just a little will enhance the chocolate flavor.
- Vegan chocolate: Add ½ – 1 cup dairy-free dark, milk, or white chocolate chips/ chunks.
- Nuts: Add chopped nuts (walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, etc.) for crunch.
- Freeze–dried strawberries: Sprinkle over the top for subtle crunch.
- Toppings: There are several ways to dress up these fresh strawberry brownies.
- Powdered sugar dusting
- Melted vegan chocolate drizzle
- Vegan cream cheese frosting/ strawberry frosting
- Strawberry glaze
- Oreos (blitzed to crumbs with a little vegan butter to sprinkle over frosted brownies)
How to Make Strawberry Brownies
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Then, mix the ground flaxseed, plant milk, and vanilla in a small bowl and finely chop/slice the strawberries. Then, mix the ground flaxseed, plant milk, and vanilla in a small bowl, and set aside for 10 minutes to thicken. Also, rinse and finely chop/slice the strawberries.
Step 2: In a separate large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and baking powder) until combined.
Step 3: Stir in the flax mixture and oil until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix.
Step 4: Transfer the brownie batter to the baking pan, using a spatula to spread it evenly. Sprinkle the brownies with strawberries, pressing the pieces into the batter and then bake for 40-50 minutes.
For the fudgiest brownies, refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight, before serving.
FAQs
I haven’t tried, so I can’t guarantee results. However, it may be possible to replace the oil with unsweetened applesauce, vegan Greek yogurt, or naturally fatty cashew butter/ sunflower seed butter.
We’ve tested strawberry brownies without cocoa powder, though the texture was more cake-like (so it requires more tweaks).
If you want to try it, though, replace the cocoa powder with 1 cup strawberry jam, use only ½ cups + 2 tbsp of plant milk, ¼ cup of sugar, + 1 tbsp extra oil.
You can prepare the batter up to 2 days in advance, bringing it back to room temperature for 30 minutes, adding the strawberries, and baking. If needed, add 1-2 extra minutes.
I haven’t tried, though there may be too much liquid in frozen berries.
Pro Recipe Tips
- Measure the flour correctly: To avoid dense, dry brownies. Fluff it with a fork in its bag, use a spoon to transfer it to the measuring cup, then the back of a knife to level the top.
- Don’t over-mix the batter: Mix it just enough to combine the ingredients. A few tiny lumps are fine. Otherwise, you can overwork the gluten and get dense, tough brownies.
- Don’t overbake: They become dry/cakey when overbaked. If anything, it’s best to slightly underbake, as residual heat continues to cook them while cooling. Ideally, they’re ready when a toothpick inserted in the center (which should look soft but not jiggly) has sticky/fudgy crumbs attached (not wet batter). Check often in the last 10-15 minutes.
- For fudgier brownies: Use the brownie base from our Biscoff brownies recipe, which contains melted vegan butter and vegan chocolate for extra fudginess.
Storage Instructions
Allow the vegan strawberry chocolate brownies to cool and store leftovers covered at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
You can also freeze them (cut or uncut, wrapped in plastic wrap) for up to 3 months. Then thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for several hours and optionally microwave for 10-20 seconds before serving.
Strawberry Brownies
Ingredients
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed meal
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of soy milk (any variety)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1 cup of cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon of canola oil
- 1 cup of fresh strawberries, diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, mix together the ground flaxseed meal, soy milk, and vanilla extract. Set aside for at least 10 minutes to allow the mixture to thicken.
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder and whisk until well mixed.
- Add the flaxseed meal mixture and canola oil to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Spoon the thick brownie batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the top evenly with the strawberries and gently push them almost all the way in.
- Bake for 45 minutes. Allow to cool fully in the pan. For the fudgiest texture, refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Don’t over-mix the batter: Mix it just enough to combine the ingredients. A few tiny lumps are fine. Otherwise, you can overwork the gluten and get dense, tough brownies.
- Don’t overbake: They become dry/cakey when overbaked. If anything, it’s best to slightly underbake, as residual heat continues to cook them while cooling. Ideally, they’re ready when a toothpick inserted in the center (which should look soft but not jiggly) has sticky/fudgy crumbs attached (not wet batter). Check often in the last 10-15 minutes.
- For fudgier brownies: Use the brownie base from our Biscoff brownies recipe, which contains melted vegan butter and vegan chocolate for extra fudginess.
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