These Vegan Malteser Brownies are rich, fudgy, and indulgently chocolatey with a light malt crunch. Made with aquafaba instead of eggs and dairy-free chocolate and butter, they deliver bakery-style brownies without any animal products—perfect for vegans and chocolate lovers alike.
Ingredients for the brownie
- 40g of cocoa powder
- 50g of vegan friendly malt powder (I use the Horlicks Kids Chocoland which is vegan friendly)
- 270g of all-purpose / plain flour
- 255g of dairy-free dark chocolate
- 165g of dairy-free block butter
- 180ml of aquafaba (chickpea brine)
- 420g of caster sugar
- 150g of vegan Maltesers (I use Moo Free Moofreesas)
Ingredients for the chocolate ganache
- 150g of dairy-free dark chocolate
- 110g of coconut cream (see notes*)
- 200g of vegan malteasers
Instructions
Method (brownie)
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ fan, and line a 8 x 8 inch square / loose base tin with grease proof paper. Allow the paper to hang over the edges of the tin, this makes it easier for removing the bars when ready.
- Sift the cocoa powder, malt powder and flour together in a medium bowl.
- Fill a small saucepan 1/4 full with water and place on the hob over medium heat. Add the dairy-free chocolate and butter into a heat proof bowl. Place the bowl over the pan, creating a bain-marie. Allow the chocolate and butter to melt together, stirring with a heat proof spatula. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes while you make prepare the aquafaba.
- Add the aquafaba and sugar into a medium sized mixing bowl and whip up on high speed for around 5 minutes until thick and glossy. I use a stand mixer with balloon whisk attachment. A electric hand whisk will work great too. Whip on high speed, the aquafaba mixture should be thick enough that when it drips into the bowl, the mixture should ribbon off the mixer.
- Pour the chocolate and butter mixture over the aquafaba, and carefully fold together with a spatula. Make sure to be very gentle with this step as you want to keep as much air in the mixture as possible.
- Once combined, sift in the flour, malt powder and cocoa mixture. Again, fold this in with a spatula until a rich and thick brownie batter forms.
- Fold in the roughly chopped maltesers. Alternatively, you could press them into the brownie batter once it’s in the tin before baking, but make sure they’re covered with brownie batter to prevent burning. Refer to video for example.
- Pour the brownie batter into the lined tin and level off with an off-set spatula.
- Place the tin into the middle of the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. If you want a more fudgyy brownie, you may want to underbake by 5 minutes!
- Once baked, remove the tin from the oven and allow to cool fully on a wire rack. TIP: Keep the brownie in the tin while it’s cooling. This will help it keeps it’s shape and will also lock in some of the moisture, which will help with the chewy texture.
- Keep the brownie in the tin as we will be adding on the chocolate ganache in the tin.
Method (chocolate ganache)
- Add the chocolate and coconut cream into a saucepan and heat on low, stirring constantly until it melts and is super smooth and glossy. You want the ganache smooth enough so they it can easily pour over the brownie. If the texture feels / looks too liquid, add in some more chocolate to help thicken.
- Once melted, allow to cool for a few minutes then pour over the brownie. Use the back of a spoon or off-set spatula to help spread it out, getting right into the corners of the tin in an even layer.You can even tap the tin on the worktop to release any air bubbles and smooth out the ganache.
- While the ganache is wet, add on some vegan maltesers. We do this while the ganache is wet as they’ll stick into the ganache as it chills.
- Once topped, place the brownie slab in the fridge until the ganache has set (approximately 1 hour).
- When ready, life the brownie out of the tin using the overhangs or push up base. Use a sharp knife to cut the brownie into squares / servings.
- Serve and enjoy!
Health Benefits
- Dairy-free & egg-free: Suitable for vegans and those with lactose intolerance
- Aquafaba-based: Lower in saturated fat compared to eggs
- Dark chocolate: Contains antioxidants that support heart health
- Plant-based ingredients: No cholesterol and more gut-friendly than traditional brownies
