Vegan Pumpkin Swirl Brownies (Healthy and Fudgy)

These amazing vegan pumpkin brownies are such a fun and tasty fall treat. It has a gooey dark chocolate base with a sweet and slightly spiced pumpkin cream topping, then marbled with more melted chocolate. Healthy and super satisfying.

Welcome to our new favorite treat: Vegan pumpkin brownies!

I'm usually not the biggest fan of pumpkin everything... I would rather make apple recipes in the fall, such as vegan spiced apple cider donuts, but this year I'm not sure what's going on because I want to pumpkinize all sweet things. Especially the chocolate ones. Don't you think that pumpkin and dark melty chocolate are meant to live together?

Last week, I shared my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies which was a huge hit. These cookies never survive the day!

And since I'm more of a brownie girl, then I felt the urge to add a pumpkin twist on a gooey, fudgy and extra chocolatey vegan brownie recipe. I used my mini matcha brownies as an inspiration and swapped the matcha flavor for a soft and spiced sweet pumpkin pie filling top layer. And the result is outstanding!

Using white beans while making the batter creates a brownie that's super soft and rich in texture without having to use a ton of extra fats. Plus, you won't taste or know they are there at all, but will add some valuable bonus fiber!

So, even if you are not a huge fan of all the pumpkin season treats, I still highly recommend you to give these vegan pumpkin brownies a try!

I hope you enjoy! ❤️

Check out these other vegan brownie recipes!

• Vegan black bean brownies
• Vegan mug brownie
• Vegan banana brownies
• Vegan chickpea blondies

Why you'll love these vegan pumpkin swirl brownies

• Extra rich, fudgy and decadent.
• Dense, soft and moist.
• Healthier and lower-in-fat than regular brownies
• Ultimate fall, Halloween or Thanksgiving dessert.
• Beautiful marbled colors.
• Egg-less, dairy-free and healthy.
• Plus, they hide fiber-packed white beans! (I promise, you won't know they are in there).

Ingredients you'll need

• Canned white beans: they make these brownies super gooey and soft in a healthy way, plus they are completely unnoticeable.
• Flour: I used this white whole wheat flour from King's Arthur.
• Ground flax seeds: they replace the eggs by forming a jelly texture once combined with water.
• Maple syrup: sweetener, can also use agave nectar. Do not substitute with granulated sugar.
• Baking powder: leveling agent.
• Coconut oil: choose refined coconut oil to avoid a coconut flavor.
• Cacao powder: included in the chocolate layer. Use cocoa powder if that's all you have.
• Chocolate chips: use dark and dairy-free chocolate chips.
• Walnuts: they add such a good crunch!
• Canned pumpkin purée (plain): be sure not to use a pumpkin pie filling as it is packed with sugar. Or make your own! Here is a guide on how to make your own pumpkin purée from scratch by Inspired Taste.
• Pumpkin spice mix: feel free to make your own mix by combining cinnamon, nutmeg and ground ginger. Feel free to follow Cookie and Kate recipe to make your own pumpkin spice mix!

How to make it: Step-by-Step

Get ready: pre-heat the oven to 350º and line a square baking dish (9' x 9') with parchment paper.

Step 1- Make the main batter

Start by making the flax egg: combine the ground flax with the water and give it a whisk. Set aside until ready to use, about 10 minutes. It will form a loose gel.

In a food processor, add the white beans, maple syrup, coconut oil, flour, baking powder and the flax egg. Process until smooth.

Remove ½ cup of the batter and set aside.

Step 2- Make the chocolate brownie layer

Transfer the remaining batter from the food processor to a medium bowl and add the cacao powder. Stir well until there are no clumps anymore. Use a spatula if needed to press on the clumps to incorporate them better within the creamy batter.

Then, add the walnuts, chocolate chips and stir.

Transfer the chocolate batter to the prepare baking dish and even the mixture by gently pressing with a spatula.

Step 3- Make the pumpkin layer

To the ½ cup of batter that you set aside, add the pumpkin purée, the extra ⅓ cup of flour, the extra ½ tsp of baking powder and the pumpkin spices. Stir well until combined and spread it over the chocolate layer (use a spatula to even its surface as well).

Step 4- Make the chocolate swirl and bake

Melt the extra 3 tbsp of chocolate chips in the microwave and roughly drizzle/dollop all over the pumpkin layer. Then, using a stick, create swirls.

Bake in the oven for 27-28 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, then pull on the edges of the parchment to remove all of the brownies. Slice in squares. Enjoy!

Watch how to make it

Baking tips

• Don't forget to line your baking dish with parchment paper! Leave some extra length on the sides so you can pull on them, and remove the whole brownie out of the dish. It makes it so much easier to slice.
• Be sure to let the white beans drain very well before adding to your food processor and process the beans very well so you don't feel their hearty texture (if not processed enough, their skins can remain intact).
• The chocolate base is a sticky batter, which can be tricky to spread, so take your time so it is nice and even. Use a spatula to press on the batter and remove the chocolate batter that sticks to it once in a while (it will stick more if the spatula is covered with the batter). Be sure to even it all the way to the corners! To help you, you can also cover the chocolate batter with parchment paper and use the bottom of a glass to gently press in it.
• The cacao powder clumps easily, so I usually simply use a spatula to press on the clumps to break them as much as I can. Also, feel free to use a fine mesh colander to dust to cacao powder over the batter.
• Don't overbake the brownies. Slightly underbaked is better, so watch carefully. I cook them for 27 minutes, but start watching from 25-26 min and don't let it go much longer than 27-28 min. They will also keep cooking slightly after out of the oven.
• When cutting the brownies, clean your knife in between the slices. This will ensure you get a clean cut!

Tips when making the swirls

• Try to scatter the melted chocolate all over the pumpkin layer, you won't be able to distribute it much more afterwards.
• I love to use a chop stick to create the swirls, but a butter knife or even a spatula would work. I find the tooth pick to be too small or thin in this case.
• You don't have to poke very deep, just try to stay within the pumpkin layer while making the swirls.
• You can start by going vertical with the stick (make a continuous movement up and down), but then change direction and swirl horizontally as well (side to side).

Variations/additions

• You don't have to do the extra chocolate swirl (but why wouldn't you, really).
• Feel free to play around with the spices as well. The spice flavor is rather subtle, so add more if you want.
• You can use ground chia instead of ground flax depending of what you have. In either case, you can buy them already ground or grind them yourself using a high-speed blender.
• If you are not into nuts, then just omit the walnuts all together. Also, swap them with chopped pecans if you prefer.

Make vegan Halloween pumpkin brownies

You can easily transform your vegan pumpkin swirl brownies into a fun Halloween dessert!

It is quite simple: follow the recipe as described, but instead of creating chaotic swirls of chocolate, you can use the chocolate to draw a spooky Halloween design!

To help you draw, then transfer some melted chocolate (you might need more than the 3 tablespoons recommended) into a piping bag. Here are a few ideas:

• Spooky large spider webs. Check out this video from sweet wise to help you draw spider webs easily.
• A jack-o-lantern. Use a circular baking dish to bake the brownies and draw over the pumpkin layer to create eyes and nose (make small triangles for these) and a large mouth representing a jack-o-lantern carved pumpkin. You could also simply display the unmelted chocolate chips to create this design.

Storage and serving suggestion

You can keep them at room temperature for about a day, but then cover them and transfer to the fridge so they stay fresh longer. Also, cut them all first so you can just grab-and-go. They will get harder after cooled down, but simply warm them up only for a few seconds in the microwave so they regain their gooey soft texture. They will get softer too if taken out of the fridge 20 minutes or so before enjoying.

Serve them with a cup of warm milk tea or a chilled spiced horchata. You can also frost them with a vegan dark chocolate frosting for an extra treat or drizzle some vegan chocolate sauce when serving.

Also, a fun way to serve them is to cut the brownies in small bite size cubes, then, in a see-through glass, alternate layers of cubed brownies with a spiced whipped cream or vegan ice cream to make a delicious brownie parfait!

FAQ's

Other autumn sweet recipes you might like

• Cinnamon oatmeal cookies
• Pumpkin and orange overnight oats
• Vegan spiced zucchini muffins
• Vegan pumpkin chocolate chips cookies
• Sweet potato granola
• Vegan apple cider donuts
• Pumpkin spiced milk

I hope you enjoy these vegan pumpkin brownies as much as we do! If you try them, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how they were. Your feedback is so helpful!

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