Luscious, velvety, and rich, this vegan chocolate brownie recipe yields soft, delectable squares of blissful brownie goodness – all made from yam purée! You heard it right – a vegetable.. in brownies. But you won’t even know it’s there. The yam gives the brownies an incredibly fudge-y texture and a little sweetness, and is well hidden behind the bold flavors of dark chocolate cocoa powder and shaved baker’s chocolate. You won’t be saying “yam?!” after a bite, you’ll be saying “yum!”
Vegan Chocolate Brownie Ingredients
- Garnet yam purée
- Maple syrup
- Dark brown sugar
- Smooth peanut butter
- Olive oil
- Pure vanilla extract
- Ground golden flaxseed
- Stone-ground whole wheat flour
- 100% natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Roughly chopped walnuts
- Finely shaved unsweetened dark baker’s chocolate
Chocolate Brownie Recipe: How To Make ‘Em!
Making this vegan chocolate brownie recipe is easy. Here’s how!
- First, you’ll need to make the yam purée. Essentially, all you need to do is boil a yam in a couple quarts of water until soft. So, bring a few quarters of water to boil in a medium pot, drop your large garnet yam in, and then cover and let boil. It can take anywhere from 40 – 50 minutes for your yam to be tender and mashable, so check it often by inserting a fork into it. It should slide cleanly into the yam.
- Next, remove the skin from the boiled yam (should come off easily), and then mash it on a plate with a fork until smooth. Transfer 1 cup of the mashed yam purée to a large bowl, along with the maple syrup, brown sugar, peanut butter, olive oil, vanilla extract and ground flaxseed. Whisk this together well until everything is incorporated.
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Once preheated, sift the whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into the large bowl with the other ingredients. Fold everything together until well combined, then add the chopped walnuts and shaved baker’s chocolate, and fold that in gently just until everything is evenly distributed.
- Grease an 8×8 baking pan with a little cooking spray, and distribute the brownie batter into the baking pan evenly. Pop the brownies in the oven for 28 – 32 minutes, until the brownies are no longer super soft on top, and when a toothpick inserted doesn’t come out with a bunch of batter on it.
- Lastly, in a small, microwave-safe bowl, combine ¼ cup shaved baker’s chocolate and 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and microwave for 30 – 45 seconds, until it’s all melted. Whisk it around until it’s smooth, and spread this evenly across the baked brownies in the dish, followed by a dusting of chopped walnuts. Cut the brownies into 9 even squares, and enjoy!
How To Make A Quick Microwave Ganache?!
Ganache is just a fancy word for chocolate sauce. Just microwave 2 ingredients – unsweetened baker’s chocolate and maple syrup – together in a microwave safe bowl for 30 – 45 seconds and stir.
Do that, and you’ll have a perfect chocolate drizzle to spread over the top of the brownies in this chocolate brownie recipe. It gives them a bit of a sheen, and also helps the ground walnut garnish atop stick better.
Quick Chocolate Ganache
- ¼ cup finely shaved unsweetened dark baker’s chocolate, shave with a knife into fine shards
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Difference Between Yams & Sweet Potatoes
Both are tuber vegetables. Both are delicious. Both probably work in this chocolate brownie recipe (thank you to Minimalist Baker for the recipe idea, btw). We can agree on that. They’re often used interchangeably, but what’s the difference between a yam and a sweet potato anyways?
- Sweet potatoes are from the Americas, and true-to-form yams from Africa.
- Yams tend to be a bit more starchy and more dry than sweet potatoes, and a little less sweet.
- Yams tend to be rougher and more oblong than sweet potatoes, and have a skin that’s more difficult to peel without cooking.
The kind of “yam” you’ll be using in this chocolate brownie recipe is a garnet yam, which is actually a sweet potato.. sorry to burst your bubble. In the U.S., It’s more of a just a marketing scheme to distinguish between different colored and shaped sweet potatoes than anything else. No worry! This chocolate brownie recipe is still fantastic, yam or not yam.
Tips for This Chocolate Brownie Recipe
- Be sure to grease the 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray before pouring in brownie batter.
- Careful not to overmix the batter.
- Only sift in the dry ingredients when the oven is preheated. This ensures you’ll get the best rise out of your bake.
Other Brownie Recipes
FUDGY AVOCADO & WALNUT BROWNIES
Alright – enough of my yammerin’! Here’s the vegan chocolate brownie recipe featuring yams. If you do, consider leaving me a comment or recipe rating before you go.
Garnet Yam Brownies
Equipment
- 8×8 baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 cup garnet yam purée, about 1 large garnet yam, boiled and mashed
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup smooth peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground golden flaxseed
- ⅔ cup stone-ground whole wheat flour
- ½ cup 100% natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup roughly chopped walnuts
- ¼ cup finely shaved unsweetened dark baker's chocolate, shave with a knife into fine shards
Quick Chocolate Ganache
- ¼ cup finely shaved unsweetened dark baker's chocolate, shave with a knife into fine shards
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- Some finely ground walnuts, as garnish
Instructions
- First, you'll need to make the garnet yam purée. Essentially, all you need to do is boil a garnet yam in a couple quarts of water until soft. So, bring a few quarters of water to boil in a medium pot, drop your large garnet yam in, and then cover and let boil. It can take anywhere from 40 – 50 minutes for your yam to be tender and mashable, so check it often by inserting a fork into it. It should slide cleanly into the yam.
- Next, remove the skin from the boiled yam (should come off easily), and then mash it on a plate with a fork until smooth. Transfer 1 cup of the mashed garnet yam purée to a large bowl, along with the maple syrup, brown sugar, peanut butter, olive oil, vanilla extract and ground flaxseed. Whisk this together well until everything is incorporated.
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Once preheated, sift the whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into the large bowl with the other ingredients. Fold everything together until well combined, then add the chopped walnuts and shaved baker's chocolate, and fold that in gently just until everything is evenly distributed.
- Grease an 8×8 baking pan with a little cooking spray, and distribute the brownie batter into the baking pan evenly. Pop the brownies in the oven for 28 – 32 minutes, until the brownies are no longer super soft on top, and when a toothpick inserted doesn't come out with a bunch of batter on it.
- Lastly, in a small, microwave-safe bowl, combine ¼ cup shaved baker's chocolate and 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and microwave for 30 – 45 seconds, until it's all melted. Whisk it around until it's smooth, and spread this evenly across the baked brownies in the dish, followed by a dusting of chopped walnuts. Cut the brownies into 9 even squares, and enjoy!
Nutrition
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
Is the sugar Vegan?
Really just depends on the brand you use.