These homemade Vegan Strawberry Brownies are ultra fudgy, rich, and topped with vegan whipped cream and fresh strawberries. One bite of these brownies will make your mouth water right away.

Warm or cold brownies?

Right before I head to bed when I was in elementary school, I used to put a package of those cosmic brownies that I was obsessed with into the fridge. The next morning while I waited for my mom to make me breakfast, I would pack my lunchbox, mostly just the snack. Those Little Debbie’s cosmic brownies were my favorite to bring to school with me and the ones I get the most excited about besides fruit roll ups and fruit gushers.

I don’t know why, but back then I loved having those brownies cold. For some reason, they seem fudgier and chocolatey to me when they are cold so I always made sure that I had them in the fridge before bed. Since my lunchbox was insulated, the brownies will still be cold by lunchtime. While everyone was in line for the school lunch, I would be one of the few at my table digging into my lunch. I would be lying if I say I didn’t eat some of the brownies before my actual meal. No matter how many times I had them, the first bite always tasted heavenly to me especially, since, at that time, we didn’t make brownies often at home.

I usually share my snacks with my classmates, but I had a no sharing policy with those cosmic brownies. Maybe I would if my mom let me buy more than one box of them when we grocery shopped, but they make the brownies taste even better because there were only 6 packages in a box and not enough for the entire week for me, making me savor each bite even more.

This is what these Vegan Strawberry Brownie Boxes remind me of except the brownies being more chocolatey, richer and fudgy, sprinkled with extra chocolate chips instead of the candy-coated chocolates. I just put them into a box because they look cuter, but you don’t have to (buuuut I do recommend it).

So if you are ready to indulge yourself in some brownies for those afternoon slumps or for dessert, let’s get to making these Vegan Strawberry Brownie Boxes!

Here is an overview of these Vegan Strawberry Brownie Boxes.

Ingredients

Flour: I used regular all-purpose flour to make these brownies. Make sure you sift the flour first.

Cacao Powder: I prefer to use cacao powder over regular cocoa powder because I love how much richer and deeper the chocolate taste and even better that it has more nutrients and antioxidants compared to cocoa powder.

Sugar: To make it refined sugar-free you can use coconut sugar.

Vegan Butter: I like to use unsalted, vegan butter to better control the saltness level of the brownies. If you do not have unsalted, vegan butter you can just omit the salt in the batter! I would not recommend substituting the butter with coconut oil.

Aquafaba: This is the liquid found in a can of chickpeas. It serves as the egg replacer to the batter.

Applesauce: I prefer to use unsweetened applesauce, keeping the naturalness of the apples as much as possible and to be able to control the sweetness of the batter. The applesauce serves as an egg replacer and also a lower fat source than using more vegan butter. If you don’t have applesauce, you can add equal amounts of vegan butter.

Espresso Powder: The espresso powder enhances the chocolate flavor in the brownie batter! If you don’t have it, you can omit it.

Chocolate Chips/Cacao Nibs: I used vegan chocolate chips in the batter for a richer taste to the brownies and some cacao nibs for a more dark chocolate flavor. I love dark chocolate and the darker it is the more I love it. So if you prefer a less dark chocolate batter, you can omit the cacao nibs.

Vegan Whipped Topping/Cream: I used store-bought vegan whipped topping but you can also use fresh homemade vegan coconut whipped cream. You can find my recipe for one here.

Tips

Can I make the vegan brownies gluten-free?
Yes! You can substitute the regular flour with 1:1 gluten-free flour in equal amounts. I recommend using Bob’s Red Mill’s 1:1 gluten-free flour (the one in the blue bag).

How do I store these strawberry brownie boxes?
These Vegan Strawberry Brownie Boxes are best served fresh when assembled. If you have any leftovers, store them in the fridge. You can also store the unassembled brownies in an airtight container or bag and place them in the freezer. When you are ready to have them, thaw the brownies overnight in your refrigerator or leave them in your kitchen counter for a few hours. You can also place it in the oven and reheat them at 200F for 10-15 minutes or until they are soft again if you want a warm brownie. When you are ready to have them, assemble the boxes from scratch.

Can I make the brownies refined sugar-free?
Yes! You can substitute the sugars with coconut sugar instead!

How do I know when the brownies are done?
When you insert a toothpick into the center of the brownies, the toothpick should come out clean.

What can I substitute the cacao powder with?
You can also use regular cocoa powder!

I don’t have espresso powder. Can I omit it?
Yes, you can leave out the espresso powder if you don’t have it!

If you like these Vegan Strawberry Brownie Boxes, you might also like to try:
Vegan Vanilla Cake Boxes
Vegan Sweet Cream Buns
Vegan Japanese Shibuya Toast (Brick Toast)

I cannot wait for you to try these Vegan Strawberry Brownie Boxes! If you do, please tag me on Instagram @_withhelen or leave a comment below letting me know you like it! Happy Baking!

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