Vegan Pumpkin Brownies
Our recipe for vegan chocolate brownies is one of our absolute classics. Whether it’s for a birthday, a barbecue or as a dessert for festive dinners, the brownies can be combined, modified and served in any way to fit any occasion. Skewered, they make great finger food at a picnic or buffet. With chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce and vegan whipped cream, they are a delicious sundae in summer. And our version with espresso and walnuts always goes down well at any picnic or buffet. Today, we're showing you another way to enjoy your brownies this fall – with an actually savory ingredient: pumpkin! The mild, sweet and nutty flavor of Hokkaido pumpkin makes it perfect for sweet dishes.
We cooked our pumpkin, blended it and mixed it with vegan cream cheese. Vegan cream cheese is available from various brands in the supermarket. When buying, make sure you go for a natural and plain variety, which does not contain herbs or spices. Another important note is that the cream cheese should be nut-based. If you opt for a cream cheese that’s coconut oil based, it will melt in the oven. The vegan cream cheese gives the brownies a great freshness and creaminess, which is again balanced out by the savory pumpkin. However, it's best to season your pumpkin cream to taste before spreading it on the brownie batter because you may need to sweeten it, depending on the flavor of your vegan cream cheese.
We are definitely curious about what occasion you prepare the pumpkin brownies!
Vegan Pumpkin Brownies
Ingredients
For the pumpkin puree:
- 220 g (7.75 oz) hokkaido pumpkin (170 g / 6 oz pumpkin puree)
- 100 g (0.5 cup) vegan cream cheese (plain)
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- ground all-spice
For the brownie batter:
- 200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate
- 200 g (1.66 cup) flour
- 200 g (1 cup) sugar
- 50 g (0.5 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 100 g (0.5 cup) apple sauce
- 100 ml (0.5 cup) vegetable oil
- 200 ml (0.75 cup) plant-based milk
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cut the pumpkin into bite-sized pieces and cook for approx. 10 minutes until all the pieces are soft. Then drain and blend in a tall container, and leave to cool.
- Mix the cooled pumpkin puree with vegan cream cheese and season with cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.
Tip: Be sure to taste the pumpkin cream cheese mix before spreading it on the brownie batter, as each type of cream cheese is different in flavor. Add more sweetness if needed.
- Melt the dark chocolate over a double boiler and allow it to cool slightly.
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C (355 °F) (convection heat). Grease a baking pan (20 x 25 cm /8 x 10 inches) and pat out with some cocoa powder.
- Mix the flour, sugar and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Then add the melted chocolate, apple sauce, vegetable oil and plant-based milk and mix until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, then spread the cream cheese and pumpkin cream over the brownie batter and create small swirls through the brownie batter with a fork.
- Bake the brownies at 180 °C (355 °F) (convection heat) for 25–30 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting.
