What to Make with Flaxseed Meal

This is what to make with flaxseed meal for dessert! Egg free brownies with cocoa powder are delicious and moist with a deep chocolate flavor. Bake a batch of these in the oven or Instant Pot brownies for your family this week!

Flaxseed Meal Brownies

We made this one into a rectangular pan and sliced into squares. You could also use a small cookie cutter and into two bite brownies which are fun too! You can dress these up with chips on top, sprinkles, or even crushed candy canes for a peppermint punch. 😉

Integrating flaxseed meal into the mix is hidden but great for you too, and it’s dessert y’all! Eggless brownies are great if you are following a vegan diet, but you won’t even miss that they’re gone. You can jump to recipe at bottom or follow along to see how we make this brownie batter here.

How Can I Get More Flaxseed into My Daily Diet?

1. Try this recipe for flaxseed brownies
2. Blend 1-2 tablespoons into your morning smoothie or protein shake.
3. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons over your yogurt or oatmeal for added texture
4. Add a pinch on top of your salads for a bit of a punch and health benefit

Okay so about a year ago my husband was feeling sick like a lot. There wasn’t a real health rhyme or reason to it so we just started cutting things out of his diet here and there. The most common issue a lot of times when we age is our bodies can’t process gluten and/or dairy products so we started with this no egg Crazy Cake and went from there.

He ate a lot of yogurt, cheese and milk so my first thought was to start there, which was tough at first. None of us have any allergies so I never had to cut out anything in recipes before. I was really surprised to find a lot of products at the store he loved, but cut out the lactose entirely. That was it!!

A few months after he started feeling better, went further with cutting out eggs and including more flaxseed into recipes instead and we never turned back. I’m so used to it now that I thought I would start writing about our experience, and a few of our favorite recipes like this and our dairy free banana bread too.

We are going to use a rectangle 9×13″ pan for these. Bake time is appropriate for that, a square pan would be much thicker, take longer, and edges will be well done by the time the middle is cooked. I suggest this size for the best result in the end.

Eggless Brownies Ingredients

• You’re going to need a few Tbsp of flaxseed meal
• Water
• Almond milk or your choice of dairy product
• Smooth peanut butter
• 1/3 c coconut oil melted
• All purpose flour
• Milk chocolate chips are used here
• 1/2 c cacao powder – different than cocoa powder but you can use that
• White granulated sugar
• Just a little pinch of salt
• Vanilla extract

How to use flaxseed meal instead of eggs in recipes

Combine 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons of water. Then let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken. This mixture can replace 1 egg in baking recipes, adding moisture and fiber too.

A piece of parchment paper is handy to line with. You can use non stick spray into the pan but this is nicer if you have it. That way once cooled you can lift it out, on to a cutting board and slice right through. Lifts off easier and stays in tact.

Variations

Now let’s talk about some substitutions you could make if need be. If you are new to baking without milk, eggs or butter you may be scratching your heat. I’ll walk you thru it. Depending on how strictly vegan you are, or sensitive your stomach may be will depend on what you use.

What I am saying is that in our case my husband isn’t allergic, he is just sensitive. Not so much so though that he cannot have regular chips in baked goods. If you cannot have any dairy you can find chocolate that is free from all dairy (linked above). I don’t bother going that far but is definitely an option.

If you need to replace the dairy in this, almond milk is a great alternative milk product that I use for all things now that I have to make lactose free recipes. I’ve used it to make instant pudding, sweet breads and this quick easy dessert too.

Egg Substitutes for Brownies

This is where the flaxseed comes into play. You can totally use it with water after it sits for a while instead of eggs. Vegans use this “trick” quite a bit so the recipe still binds together nicely, and it actually has some great health benefits. Adding fiber, protein, and Omega 3 fatty acids you’ll never guess it’s even in there!

Butter Substitutes for Brownies

You can use a lot of things instead of a stick or melted butter. Just a few of these are; applesauce, mashed avocados, Greek yogurt and/or creamy peanut butter. I think the last option is best for these because the flavor profile just matches up well.

NOW though I have found another, and my favorite swap in. Country Crock now has sticks (and tubs) of a plant based butter alternative that works and tastes the same as a “regular” version.

How to Make Brownies with Coconut Oil

We chose to use coconut vs. vegetable oil in these. Once again it offers a better flavor overall with this particular treat. Another plus is that even though we add it melted it does firm up more than oil when cooled slightly so it’s great for the overall texture. I mean I grew up in Hawaii so I could eat coconut everything all day long so there’s that too.

I mean this isn’t so different from if you were to make any other sort of baked goods. You always incorporate the wet ingredients in one and the dry ingredients with the flour and all in another. Then slowly incorporate the two until wet and you’re ready to go.

How to Make Brownies with Flaxseed Meal

• First you’re going to want to mix the flaxseed meal with water in a small bowl.
  • Let it sit for 15 minutes so it develops a sticky consistency.
  • After those 15 minutes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Prepare a 9×13’’ baking pan with parchment paper. Set it aside. Add flaxseed mixture into a large bowl.
  • Add non dairy milk, vanilla extract, peanut butter, melted coconut oil, and sugar into that bowl.
• Whisk well after each addition.
  • In a different bowl, combine dry flour, baking soda, cacao powder, and salt.
  • Add flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir until well combined.
• Fold it into the prepared pan. Spread it evenly all the way across so it’s the same thickness all the way across.
• Sprinkle 1/3 cup chocolate chips (if desired) on top of the brownie. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the center is set and it’s crinkly on top.
• Remove, allow to sit in the pan until room temperature, pull out of the pan and slice to serve.
• To make as Ninja Foodi brownies, use this temp and timing instead.

A scoop of lactose free ice cream on top is great, or melt chocolate in microwave to drizzle on top. Longer baking results will = a moist but spongy brownie. A shorter baking time will = a fudgy brownie. Let it cool completely before lifting paper out and slicing. Enjoy!

If you are making these during the holidays, make them into fun shapes like trees or reindeer with our Christmas Brownies.

How to save leftover cooked brownies

You always want your batch to cool completely first, this will take a good 30 minutes or longer. Put what’s left on a plate wrapped with plastic wrap to avoid air getting inside. That will dry them out. If you have quite a few, put a piece of parchment in between the layers or else they will stick and become one big chunk.

Set on the countertop and not in the fridge. They will keep nicely for 2-3 days but 24 hours later is best. Enjoy one at a time as is or warm for 15 seconds in the microwave to make them taste “fresh” again. Ok and we add a bit of ice cream (Dreyers has a great lactose free version) on top too so it melts a bit.