Vegan Cheesecake Brownies

These Vegan Cheesecake Brownies are every bit as decadent as they appear. We're talking thick, thick super chocolatey, super fudgy brownie, topped with a creamy, slightly tart cheesecake layer, all finished off with a smattering of chocolate chips, because this my friends, is chocolate overload.

The two layers work perfectly together because the slightly tart cheesecake topping cuts through the richness of the brownie and balances out the sweetness. The perfect gooey combo!

In this post:

Some notes on the key ingredients:

• Cocoa - You can use either natural or dutch-process cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa does give a richer, smoother, deeper flavor though.
• Almond butter - My preference in this recipe but you can use any other nut or seed butter. Just make sure it's soft and drippy and not really stiff like the end of the jar gets sometimes.
• Flour - Most flours work well in this recipe, even gluten-free baking flour.
• Aquafaba - Simply the liquid from a can of chickpeas. I save mine when we have chickpeas for dinners and freeze it for recipes like this. You can also open a can of chickpeas, use the liquid and freeze the drained chickpeas in a container. They will be fine to add to soups, curries, stews etc. If you don't have or want to use aquafaba you can use flax eggs instead.
• Vegan chocolate chips - Many semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips are naturally vegan, and easy to find in pretty much all grocery stores. I tend to use the Kirkland Signature Semi-Sweet Chips from Costco because they are great value and with lots of recipe testing I go through a lot.
• Maple syrup & sugar - Real maple syrup, not pancake syrup. The combination of both helps make the brownies extra fudgy while also adding another layer of flavor.
• Dairy-free milk - Any non-dairy milk will do such as oat milk, soy milk, cashew milk, or almond milk.
• Full fat coconut milk - This is essential for the cheesecake topping. Light will not work.
• Cashews - I don't recommend using anything else. If you need the recipe to be nut-free omit the cheesecake topping and use seed butter (like Sunbutter) in the brownie batter.

Tips and Tricks

• Don’t over-process the brownie batter once the flour is added. Just mix until the flour is incorporated and no white patches remain.
• It's important not to over-bake the brownies. The skewer should have a few moist brownie crumbs attached.
• Let the brownies cool in the pan then refrigerate for a little while to set the top and get nice clean cuts.
• A little coffee does something amazing to brownies. It enhances the flavor of the chocolate and cocoa and gives the richness a boost without imparting a coffee flavor.  So although it's optional I recommend using it if you can.

Serving Suggestions

For the cleanest cuts I recommend cutting the brownies straight from the refrigerator with a sharp knife. You can then let the individual slices come to room temperature before eating them if you want to or enjoy them cold.

I absolutely adore these brownies served with some fresh berries. Blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries are particularly good. If you want to be a little extra, you could even drizzle over some melted dairy-free chocolate or vegan chocolate syrup. The perfect dessert!

The brownies are ok left out at room temperature for a short time but for longer-term storage the brownies should be refrigerated. The keep well for up to 1 week.

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