*This post may contain affiliate links. Read more »
This well-tested, kid-approved Halloween brownie recipe is the easiest and fudgiest way to bring spooky vibes to your dessert table, without a baking meltdown. You're working with basic pantry staples, they bake in just 30 minutes, and the easy-to-pull-off mummy decorations are way cuter than ghastly.
Recipe tips tailored to what matters most to you:
Swap in a 1:1 gluten-free blend for the all-purpose flour, but whatever you do, keep the tapioca starch.
No piping bag needed. A zip-top bag with a snipped corner works just fine for the mummy bandages.
Dutch-process cocoa works in place of a special bag of black cocoa. The brownies just come out more middle-school brown than haunted mansion black.
Brownies are never going to be a salad, but you can pipe thinner mummy bandages and use less of that powdered sugar frosting.
Out of tapioca starch? Potato starch can pinch-hit in a similar way, though tapioca brings a little extra finesse to the crumb.
Make sure your vegan butter is truly softened or it won't cream into the chocolate mix properly.
Stir just until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing activates the gluten in the flour and leads to dense, rubbery brownies.
Start checking for doneness at 28 minutes. Every oven is a little different, and overbaking dries them out fast.
Oodles more tips, step-by-step recipe photos, info on weird ingredients, and FAQs are all still here. I just tucked 'em out of the way so you can start cooking sooner.
The rich, fudgy base is loaded with melty chocolate chips, while the bandage-style frosting gives you all the Halloween swagger without fancy piping skills. Make them for a Halloween party or to serve to your besties, Elvira and Art the Clown, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They obviously consume nothing but vegan Halloween treats right?
Made these tonight and my family loved them! They are satisfying and everything a great brownie should be-my fiancé commented that this recipe is better than my regular brownies! I love the color and was glad I had purchased the dark cocoa. I want to make more for Halloween to share with neighbors. Fun to decorate, too. Super cute!
Jump to:
🥰Why you'll adore this Halloween brownie recipe
✊ Vegan AF: Like all of my vegan desserts, this one ghosts all the dairy and eggs-no no eye of newt up in here.
💥 Double the Chocolate: Melted chips, black cocoa, plus extra unmelted chips, means each bite has a perfect mix of smooth and melty with tiny bursts of chocolatey goodness.
Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of my vegan recipes, this one was tested by a massive team of recipe testers (actual living humans, and zombies alike) with spooky-good results.
I'm on my knees staring weirdly into your eyes, asking you in a soothing voice to be my taste-testing partner in crime. Sign up for the recipe testing crew and get early access to new recipes before they're published.
👻Vegan mummy brownies ingredients
The Flours
All-purpose flour is the scaffolding that holds up all that melty chocolate drama. Without it, you'd be left with goo in a pan (which, admittedly, still tastes good, but let's aim higher). If you're baking for the gluten-free crew, swap in a 1:1 gluten-free blend, but whatever you do, keep the tapioca starch.
Tapioca starch gives these brownies their perfectly chewy texture. I use tapioca starch in my crispy-edged vegan oatmeal cookies, too, and it never lets me down in improving the texture. If you're out, potato starch can pinch-hit in a similar way, but tapioca brings a little extra finesse to the crumb.
Black Cocoa Powder
Because light brown brownies are basically chocolate cake in denial, I lean hard into black cocoa powder. This ultra-dark, low-acid cocoa turns your brownies nearly noir with a subtle Oreo-like flavor that's straight-up lovely. I use it all the time in recipes like my vegan chocolate babka and vegan flourless chocolate cake. Dutch-process cocoa will work, but just know your brownies will come out more middle-school brown than full-on haunted mansion black.
The Chocolate Chips
Melting semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips creates the base of the batter, giving it a rich, fudgy foundation. I also toss in a full cup of unmelted chips at the end for contrast, so you get both silky chocolate flow and those occasional chunky, melt-in-your-mouth landmines of joy.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar reacts with the baking soda to give these brownies just enough lift to keep them from feeling like dense fudge bricks. But its real superpower is helping curdle the soy milk, which gives the batter a smoother, more "made with buttermilk" texture. I use this same method in my vegan apple cider donuts, vegan gingerbread donuts, and vegan pancakes. Don't worry, the acidity totally vanishes when it's balanced by the sugar in the recipe.
Vegan Butter
My go-to is Earth Balance Buttery Sticks because they've got that solid fat content and reliable flavor. Trader Joe's version is more budget-friendly but comes in a different-from-stick shape in a wrapper that has no tablespoon markings, which makes it a little more annoying to measure. You can also make your own from scratch using my dairy-free butter recipe in the vegan dairy crash course.
Powdered Sugar
Powdered sugar is the base of the mummy frosting, giving it that smooth, classic sweetness. But heads-up: not all powdered sugar is vegan. Many brands still use bone char filtration (yep, actual animal bones) to process their cane sugar into a bright white powder. Look for specifically vegan-labeled ones, or just do some digging on the ol' internet to keep things fully plant-based.
Candy Eyes
The candy googly eyes take these from "brownie" to "boo!" Most baking aisles carry them this time of year, but double-check the ingredients: many are made with non-vegan confectioner's glaze. Either find a vegan-friendly version or DIY it using my vegan royal icing recipe, made a little thicker with just a touch less liquid to hold that perfectly round, unblinking stare. I use the same icing for decorating vegan Christmas cookies, and it's super versatile for artsy projects like this one.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
📖 How to make vegan Halloween brownies
Follow the step-by-step photos below to get mummyfied on your very first try. If you're just here for the goods, scroll on down to the printable recipe card and get bakin'.
Step One
The Blair Whisk Project:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the tapioca starch, all-purpose flour, black cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
Step Two
Melter Skelter:
Melt 1¼ cups of semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips in a double boiler or heatproof bowl set over simmering water, stirring until smooth.
Step Three
Batter Watch Out:
Stir the soy milk, apple cider vinegar, vegan butter, and vanilla extract into the melted chocolate mixture.
Step Four
Stir of Echoes:
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined. Fold in the remaining 1 cup of unmelted semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips.
Step Five
Bring Her Bake:
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cool completely.
Step Six
Beaten to Death:
Meanwhile, beat the softened vegan butter until smooth. Add the plant-based milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat until light and fluffy.
Step Seven
Stabby Stabby:
Cut the cooled brownies into 8 rectangles.
Step Eight
Eye Know What You Did Last Summer
Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with a small flat or round tip. Pipe two dots somewhere on the upper ⅓ of each brownie. Press 2 candy eyes onto each dot of frosting.
I think these look cuter when each mummy's eyes are placed a little differently. Experiment with having one eye just slightly higher than the other, or both eyes a bit off center.
Step Nine
Mummy Dearest:
Pipe diagonal lines across each brownie to resemble mummy bandages. Refrigerate for 10 minutes to help the frosting set.
Grab my easy-yo-use app that builds your whole week with real, chef-tested vegan dinners in 30 seconds, customized to your budget, time, and taste, with a shopping list sorted by aisle.
👉Top tips
- Room Temp Rules: Make sure your vegan butter is truly softened or it won't cream into the chocolate mix properly. If it's too cold, it won't incorporate, and you'll end up with some greasy lumps throughout.
- Don't Overmix: Stir just until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing activates the gluten in the flour and leads to dense, rubbery brownies-aka the opposite of what we're going for. Use a spatula, not a whisk, to gently fold the mixture.
- Check Early: Start checking for doneness at 28 minutes. Every oven is a little different, and overbaking dries them out fast. Look for a few moist crumbs on the toothpick-wet means underbaked, clean means you've gone too far and will have bone-dry, sucky brownies.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Add a little extra vegan butter to thin, or sift in more powdered sugar to thicken.
Nope! A zip-top bag with a snipped corner works just fine.
Yes. Microwave the chocolate chips in 20-second bursts, stirring in between until melted.
👻 Storing: Store decorated brownies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If your kitchen is warmer than 75 degrees, you should keep them under refrigeration.
❄️ Freezing: Freeze undecorated brownies for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
🎃You'll love these vegan Halloween treats too:
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Cinnamon Snail.
Halloween Brownies
Equipment
- 8-inch square baking pan
- stand mixer optional
Ingredients
For the Brownies:
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch or potato starch
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons black cocoa powder
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips for melting into the batter
- ¼ cup soy milk
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup vegan butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips for mixing into the batter unmelted
For Decorating As Mummies:
- ½ cup vegan butter room temperature
- 4 teaspoons unsweetened plant-based milk
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 24 vegan candy googly eyes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8-inch (20-cm) square baking pan with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the tapioca starch, flour, black cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
- Melt 1 ¼ cups of chocolate chips in a double boiler or heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring until smooth.
- Mix the soy milk, apple cider vinegar, vegan butter, and vanilla into the bowl of melted chocolate.
- Add the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the remaining 1 cup of unmelted chocolate chips.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 30-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cool completely in the pan.
- To prepare the frosting, beat the softened vegan butter until smooth. Add the plant-based milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat until light and fluffy.
- Cut the cooled brownies into 8 rectangles.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a small flat or round tip.
- Pipe two small dots of frosting onto the brownies and press 2 candy eyes firmly onto each dot. I think it looks cute when some of the eyes are slightly different heights, or a little off center, but you can make them as you like.
- Pipe diagonal lines across each brownie to resemble mummy bandages. Refrigerate for 10 minutes to help the frosting set. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Cinnamon Snail.
KRB says
These came out perfect - I find most vegan brownie recipes too cakey. These are rich (the black cocoa powder is worth it, although I'm sure they're still great with regular cocoa powder) with a great texture, crispy edges and good crumb. They held together well. I just was craving brownies so didn't do any icing or decorations, and didn't miss them but can imagine they would elevate the flavor even more.
Paige Davis says
Made these tonight and my family loved them! They are satisfying and everything a great brownie should be—my fiancé commented that this recipe is better than my regular brownies! I love the color and was glad I had purchased the dark cocoa. I want to make more for Halloween to share with neighbors. Fun to decorate, too. Super cute!
Dushenka Silberfarb says
Love the decorating ideas!!!