Super easy and ridiculously delicious Vegan Blondies in 30 minutes! They are made with chia seeds instead of egg and olive oil instead of butter and you'd never know it!
Believe it or not, these are high in fiber, loaded with all kinds of 'good for you' ingredients, AND are still everything you and your kids love about blondies! In fact, I just made these for a group of teenagers, and they were gone in minutes. 😍
Aside from serving these for dessert, these blondies would even make a tasty and unexpected high-fiber snack for kids. And if your kids don't have an egg or dairy allergy, my Easy Raspberry and White Chocolate Blondies and Chewey Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are also pretty tasty, if you ask me 😉
My favorite thing about this recipe is that they are safe for kids with egg and dairy allergies as long as dairy-free chocolate chips are used (most are). And because they are made with olive oil instead of 'vegan butter', the batter is also soy-free (just be sure to use chocolate chips that are soy-free, if needed), as some kids with a milk allergy may also react to soy.
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😍Why You'll Love This Recipe
These are the best vegan blondies whether you are making them for a crowd or for your family.
- Easy Recipe If you can measure and mix ingredients, then you can make this recipe! All the ingredients in this recipe are stored and used at room temperature, so there is no need to wait for butter to soften or melt anything in a saucepan or microwave.
- Simple Ingredients All of the ingredients used in this recipe can be found in most grocery stores. And if you may even have all of them in your pantry already 🙂
- Kid-Approved I just made a double batch of these blondies to bring over to a friend's house the other night. There were 16 of us, including 10 kids ages 9-18. The blondies were devoured! 🤩
- Egg-free, dairy-free, and soy-free.
- Chia seeds soaked in water form a gel and is used in place of eggs in this recipe. This gel is sometimes referred to as a 'chia egg'.
💁♀️Dietitian Tips
Tip 1 If you like to host, consider asking your guests if they have any food allergies or intolerances that you should be aware of before you plan the meal. Afterall, there's nothing like spending a lot of time in the kitchen only to learn that some of your guests are unable to enjoy what you've prepared and for good reason.
Tip 2 Finding ways to incorporate high fiber ingredients like chia seeds and whole grain flour into recipes will help your family meet their daily fiber needs. And don't forget to make eating fun! I don't know about you but calling them a brownie like cookie or cookie bar sounds way more appetizing than 'vegan blondies.' 🤩
🍫Ingredient Notes
- White whole wheat Flour Unbleached and high in fiber. It has a milder flavor, lighter color, and softer texture than whole wheat flour.
- Oat flour Provides soluble fiber and helps balance out the texture and flavor of white whole wheat flour (in my opinion anyway, haha!).
- Chia seeds Some say these are the richest plant source of omega-3's. They are also a complete protein, providing all of the essential amino acids. Essential amino acids are the amino acids that you can only get from what you eat and drink.
- Olive oil Contains healthy fats. I use extra virgin olive oil.
- Sugar A combination of regular (white sugar or coconut sugar) and brown sugar are used for structure and flavor. For the brown sugar, either light or brown sugar can be used. The color and flavor of the blondies will vary slightly depending on which brown sugar you use.
- Vanilla Because this recipe is made with a lot of high-fiber ingredients, adding pure vanilla extract enhances the flavor of this recipe.
- Chocolate Chips It seems like Enjoy Life is the most popular brand of vegan chocolate chips and chocolate chunks. From my observation, not all brands advertise when their chocolate chips are vegan, so check the labels to be sure. The last time I checked, even the Trader Joe semi-sweet chocolate chips were vegan. Vegan white chocolate chips or chocolate chunks can be used instead of traditional chocolate chips.
👩🍳How to Make Chocolate Chip Vegan Blondies
Here's a summary of the steps to make the most delicious vegan blondies. For the full list of ingredients and instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Preheat oven and line a bar pan or lined baking sheet with parchment baking paper.
- In a small bowl, add chia seeds and water. Stir then set aside for 5-10 minutes. (Should sit for 5-10 minutes to form a gel).
- Use baking soda, NOT baking powder.
- Mix the dry ingredients in a separate large bowl. Set aside.
- Mix the sugar, brown sugar, olive oil, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. This can be done by hand using a whisk or wooden spoon. You can use a stand or hand mixer instead if you prefer.
- Add the chia and water mixture (it should have a gel-like consistency). Mix well.
- Add half of the flour mixture. Mix in.
- Add the rest of the flour mixture and mix just until all flour is incorporated.
- Add chocolate chips and stir them into the batter.
- Use a rubber spatula to spread the blondie batter in an even layer on the lined bar pan. Use the palm of your hand to press and spread the batter out evenly. There will be room on the sides for the batter to expand.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges and top of the blondies are golden brown in color (for me it takes 22-24 minutes). If you like them crispier, bake them for 26 minutes. For more gooey chocolate chip blondies, take them out after 22 minutes
- Let cool, cut into pieces, and serve!
💡Helpful Tips
- Be sure to let the chia sit in water for at least 5-10 minutes to form a gel. This will help with the structure of the blondies. I let the chia seeds soak in water while I measure out the rest of the ingredients
- Eggs can be used in place of the chia and water combination, if desired (the batter will no longer be egg-free or vegan).
- Melted butter or vegetable oil can be used in place of olive oil. Note: melted butter is not vegan.
- Flax seeds can be used in place of chia seeds as an equal substitution to make a flax egg (flax seeds will be more noticeable than chia seeds because they have a different texture and add a unique flavor).
- All-purpose flour can be used instead of either the white whole wheat or oat flour (the recipe will be lower in fiber).
- You can make your own oat flour by blending rolled oats to the consistency of flour using a food processor or high-speed blender.
- If your child has food allergies, be sure to always check food labels to know exactly what ingredients are used when processing the ingredients.
- Using dark brown sugar will cause these blondies to be darker in color compared to when using light brown sugar. I have made these both ways and my kids couldn't tell the difference in flavor.
- The parchment paper is used to make the blondies easier to cut and for less mess. You may choose to grease the bar pan well instead of using parchment paper if you prefer.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container once they are cooled completely.
❓Questions You May Have
Brownies are made with cocoa, while blondies are not. Also, brown sugar is used to make blondies, not necessarily regular brownies. So, in the end, the color, texture, and flavor are different.
A vegan recipe is a recipe that does not use any ingredient that are derived from animals or animal products.
Yes, you sure can! In fact, if you are making them for your family but don't want them eaten all in the same day, you might want to freeze half of them to enjoy another time. 😉 Just be sure to let them cool first and make sure the airtight container you put them in is freezer-safe.
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Did you make this vegan blondie recipe and love it? Please let me know by leaving a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review in the comment section. A 5-star rating is the best compliment!
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Vegan Blondies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon chia seeds
- 6 tbsp water
- 1 ¼ cup white whole wheat flour can substitute all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup oat flour can substitute all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup olive oil extra virgin
- 6 ounces chocolate chips half of a standard sized bag of chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit.
- Line a bar pan with parchment baking paper.
- Place chia seeds and water in a small bowl and stir. Set aside to soak for at least 5 minutes.2 tablespoon chia seeds, 6 tablespoon water
- In a separate bowl, stir together the white whole wheat flour, oat flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.1 ¼ cup white whole wheat flour, ¾ cup oat flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Place the sugar, brown sugar, olive oil, and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl and mix well. Either use a whisk or wooden spoon (if mixing by hand) or the paddle attachment of your stand mixer to mix the batter.1 teaspoon vanilla, ¾ cup sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup olive oil
- Add chia mixture (it should have a gel like consistency before adding) to the sugar and oil mixture. Mix well.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix until most is incorporated.
- Add the rest of the flour mixture and mix just until all flour is incorporated.
- Stir in chocolate chips.6 ounces chocolate chips
- Spread dough out evenly over the bar pan by pressing down firmly with the palm of your hand.
- Bake in the oven for about 22 minutes or until the edges are golden in color.
- Remove from oven and let cool before slicing into squares.
Notes
- If you are not using parchment paper, grease the pan well instead.
- If you do not have a bar pan, a 9x13 baking dish can be used.
- Let the chia seeds sit in water for at least 5-10 minutes to form a gel. This will help with the structure of the blondies.
- The dough will be very thick and feel oily when fully mixed. This is normal.
- You may use light or dark brown sugar. Dark brown sugar will make the blondies darker in color.
- All-purpose flour can be used in place of either the white whole wheat or oat flours. This change will lighten the blondie and reduce the fiber content of the recipe.
- Flax seeds can be used in place of chia seeds. If substituting eggs for the chia seeds, do not add water to the recipe.
- Softened butter can be used in place of olive oil. This will add dairy to the recipe and it will also change the fat profile.
- For a firmer, cookie like consistency bake for 24-26 minutes.
Laura says
My family absolutely 💕these. Love the texture. And it’s a sweet treat you can feel good about
Kristi says
So great!
Jules says
love the texture and perfect for having a sweet tooth!!
Kristi says
I'm so glad you love these cookie bars! They are our family favorite, for sure!