Vegan Guinness Brownies

My vegan Guinness brownies are dense and fudgy, packed with decadent chocolate flavor and a subtle depth from the addition of Guinness beer. They’re perfect for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, or for enjoying any time a chocolate craving strikes.

Where are my Guinness lovers at?! I have to admit, I’ve never drunk an entire glass of Guinness, or any beer for that matter. It’s just not my thing. But I love cooking with beer, and I really, really love it when that beer is Guinness. It was an amazing addition to my vegan Guinness chocolate cake and my vegan Irish stew, giving both dishes a rich, complex, and even slightly bitter flavor. Today I’m sharing another recipe gem featuring Guinness: vegan Guinness brownies.

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These aren’t like other brownies you’ve probably had. While I love my classic vegan chocolate brownies, these Guinness brownies are richer, denser, and fudgier. They don’t taste like beer, but there’s a little hint of bittersweet chocolate flavor in there. (Super dark chocolate fans will LOVE these suckers.)

Ingredients You’ll Need

Below you’ll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.

Guinness beer. You can use another brand of stout beer if you’d like, but be careful because they’re not all vegan. Just make sure it’s vegan by running the brand through Barnivore before you buy.

Non-dairy milk. You can use any non-dairy milk you normally like to drink. Soy milk, almond milk, cashew milk, and oat milk are a few examples that will work. Read through my guide to dairy-free milks if you need some guidance in choosing one.

Ground flaxseed. You’ll be mixing this with the non-dairy milk to create a flax egg, which is a great vegan egg substitute for baking.

Vegan butter. You can buy this at most grocery stores, and it’s usually kept right near the regular butter in the refrigerator case.

Vegan chocolate chips. I used Enjoy Life brand chips, which are vegan and available at lots of grocery stores.

Vegetable oil. Any neutral oil you normally use for baking will work.

Sugar. We’re using organic sugar in this recipe, to keep it vegan. Non-organic sugar is often processed using animal bone char.

Brown sugar. This also needs to be organic.

Vanilla extract.

Flour. I developed this recipe using all-purpose flour, also know as white flour or plain old wheat flour. Use any other variety at your own risk.

Cocoa powder.

Cinnamon. This is optional, but adds another layer of complexity to the flavor of these brownies.

Baking soda.

Salt.

How They’re Made

Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!

Step 1: First, reduce your Guinness. Place it in a saucepan and simmer it on low heat for about twenty minutes, until it gets down to about ½ cup. Let it cool.

Square baking pan lined with two sheets of parchment paper.

Step 2: Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prep your baking pan by lining it with parchment paper. Leave a little extra — you’ll use this as a sling to pull the brownies out when they’re done.

Non-dairy milk and ground flaxseeds in a mixing bowl with a wire whisk.

Step 3: Mix the flax egg. Whisk your non-dairy milk and ground flaxseed together. Let it sit for a few minutes to gel. You can move on to the next step in the meantime.

Melted vegan chocolate and butter in a mixing bowl with spoon.

Step 4: Melt the chocolate. Heat your chocolate and vegan butter in 30-second increments in the microwave, stirring in between. Get them fully melted and fully mixed.

Wet ingredients for Vegan Guinness Brownies in mixing bowl with a wire whisk.

Step 5: Mix wet ingredients. Add your reduced Guinness, oil, flax egg, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla into the melted chocolate mixture.

Vegan Guinness Brownie batter in a mixing bowl with a wire whisk.

Step 6: Add dry ingredients. Now add your flour to the bowl, then sprinkle the cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt on top. Whisk everything together.

Guinness brownie batter in a baking pan.

Steps 7 & 8: Pour and bake. Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan, then pop it into the oven. Let your brownies bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Steps 9 & 10: Cool and Frost. Let the brownies cool completely on a cooling rack before you take them out of the pan. You’ll see them puff up slightly when they bake, but they’ll fall as they cool and will be very fudgy by the time you slice them. Optionally, slather them with some vegan chocolate frosting.

Tip: Not feeling the chocolate frosting? My vegan vanilla buttercream frosting and vegan cream cheese frosting are also great options!

Vegan Guinness Brownie on a plate with more brownies in the background.

Step 11: Serve. Your vegan Guinness brownies are ready to enjoy! Sink your teeth into that rich, fudgy goodness.

Variations

Nutty Guinness brownies. Fold in a cup of chopped walnuts or pecans.

Chocolate chip brownies. Fold in a cup of vegan chocolate chips. Your brownies will be over-the-top rich and fudgy!

Mocha brownies. Add some instant espresso powder to the batter. Add a teaspoon for mild flavor to a tablespoon for intense mocha flavor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can these brownies be made gluten-free?

I don’t recommend attempting a gluten-free version. The recipe is already finicky (it took a bunch of trials to get right), and switching to a gluten-free flour could have unpredictable results.

Can I use a different type of beer?

I’m sure the brownies would turn out fine if you used another type of beer, although the flavor will be milder.

Can I make an alcohol-free version of this recipe?

Unfortunately, no. But rest assured, between simmering the Guinness and baking the brownies, most of the alcohol will have evaporated by the time you eat them. If you’re looking for an alcohol-free brownie, try my fudgy vegan brownies recipe.

How should I store my brownies and how long will they keep?

Your Guinness brownies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. They can also be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to three months. Chilling or freezing them tends to make the brownies even more dense and fudgy.

More Vegan Chocolate Recipes

Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!

📖 Recipe

Vegan Guinness Brownie on a plate with fresh berries.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 5

Ingredients

1 (14.9 ounce/440 ml) can Guinness beer½ cup unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk2 tablespoons ground flaxseed½ cup vegan butter6 ounces vegan chocolate chips¼ cup vegetable oil¾ cup organic granulated sugar½ cup organic brown sugar2 teaspoons vanilla extract1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)½ teaspoon salt⅛ teaspoon baking soda

For Topping (Optional)

Vegan chocolate frosting (about ⅓ of a batch)

Instructions

Pour the Guinness into a small saucepan and place it over medium heat. Bring the Guinness to a low boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer until it reduces to about ½ cup, about 20 minutes (Note 1). Let the Guinness cool until it’s just barely lukewarm or cooler (Note 2). You can start to prepare your other ingredients while the Guinness cools.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line the bottom and sides of a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Leave a little overhang, which you’ll later use to remove the brownies from the pan.

Whisk the non-dairy milk and ground flaxseed together in a small bowl. Let the mixture sit for at least five minutes, to gel.

While the flax mixture sits, place the butter and chocolate chips into a large, microwave-safe mixing bowl. Microwave them in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until they’re completely melted and smooth. It should only take about two or three zaps (Note 3).

Whisk the reduced Guinness into the melted chocolate mixture, followed by the oil, flax mixture, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.

Add the flour, then sprinkle the cocoa powder, cinnamon (if using), baking soda, and salt over the flour. Whisk just until the ingredients are combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake the brownies for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Place the pan on a cooling rack and let the brownies cool completely.

Once the brownies are cool, remove them from the pan by gently pulling upwards on the excess parchment paper.

Optionally, frost the brownies. Cut them into squares.

Serve.

Notes

This will reduce the Guinness to about a quarter of its initial volume. The easiest way to gauge when it’s ready is by using a saucepan with volume measurements displayed on the inside. If you don’t have one, you’ll need to measure it in a liquid measuring cup. Be super careful when doing this, as abrupt temperature changes could cause the measuring cup to break. Warm your measuring cup up under hot water before adding the reduced Guinness.
Transferring the Guinness to a cool vessel or placing the pot in a cold water bath can speed this up.
You could also melt them in a double boiler, if preferred.
Recipe adapted from Guinness Brownies by Sally’s Baking.
Nutrition information does not include frosting.

Nutrition