If you, like us, have been searching for vegan chocolate brownie that can be made in a pan or over a campfire, then look no further! We’ve got all your campfire pan brownie needs covered…
We love this vegan skillet brownie because:
- It’s so easy
- You don’t need an oven
- It’s fudgy in the middle and cakey on the outside
- You can customise it with whatever extras you fancy!
- It’s absolutely delicious!
A skillet is a cast iron frying pan typically used for cooking over fires. Most recipes that you find when you look for skillet brownie just use the pan for decorative effect and they cook the brownie in the oven. Well that’s no good for people with no oven like us is it! So we came up with this vegan skillet brownie recipe - no oven required! It makes an amazing campfire brownie. And you can even make it in a normal pan, and on the hob, too. What’s not to love!
One of the reasons we love this skillet brownie is that it’s so easy to make. All you need to do is combine all the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and mix together. Then let the mixture sit for a few minutes, whilst you get your toppings ready!
If you are going camping, you can even mix the dry ingredients in advance, bring them with you in a jar or food container, and then simply add the water and oil when you are at camp. No need to carry lots of extra ingredients with you. Easy peasy!
You can customise this brownie however you like. Fruit and nut is a great combination, like the dried cranberries and flaked almonds that we used this time. Why not try walnuts, berries, peanut butter, jam… Get creative and have fun!
To cook the brownie press the batter into the skillet and then add your desired toppings. Cover with a lid. If you don’t have a lid that goes with your skillet you can improvise and use another lid, tray or heat resistant plate.
How to cook our vegan skillet brownie on a campfire
Ideally you want to make this brownie over hot coals, as you get a more gentle and even heat. You can also make it over flames, just make sure that they aren’t too strong as you can burn the base. Also, the less smoke the better so you don’t end up with a super smokey brownie! Timing wise it can vary depending on the fire, and the weather - we’ve taken from 10 to 20 minutes to make this on different occasions.
How to know when it’s ready
What you are aiming for is when you can see that the edges of the brownie have become lighter and cooked, but the middle is still dark and fudgy. This give the best brownie texture in our opinion. If you cook for longer it can become more cakey and crumbly, but is still tasty.
How to cook this brownie on a stove
You can also make this skillet brownie on your hob or gas stove. Simply cook with a lid on, for around 10 minutes on low to medium heat. If you have a grill, you can also cook it without a lid, for five minutes on the hob, and then five minutes under the grill. There’s just so many ways you can make our vegan skillet brownie!
Do I need a skillet to make this brownie?
A cast iron pan works well to evenly and slowly distribute heat. But it’s not essential! We’ve made this in a normal frying pan in our van. If you are using a normal pan over a campfire, then be careful to use on that is fully heat resistant. You don’t want any molten handles!
Our skillet is 18cm in diameter. So it’s quite a small pan, perfect for two very hungry peoples worth of brownie or 9 pieces. If you have a larger pan, simply use the serving slider in the recipe to change the number of portions to suit you.
You might like to check out our other really easy vegan camping recipes!
Chickpeas on Toast
Vegan Sweetcorn Fritters
Vegan Apple Fritters
Couscous Salad
📖 Recipe
Vegan Skillet Brownie
Ingredients
- ½ cup flour
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- ¼ cup oil sunflower or vegetable
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbsp flaked almonds optional
- 1 tbsp dried cranberries optional
Instructions
- Mix all the dry ingredients together - flour, flaxseed, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt
- Then add the oil and water and mix to a smooth dough
- Leave for a few minutes whilst you prepare your toppings or extras, you can use dried fruit, nuts, peanut butter, jam, choc chips... Have fun with it 🙂
- Press the dough into your skillet or pan. Top with your chosen extras, pressing them down lightly into the dough. Place a lid on top.
- Cook on a low/medium heat for approximately 10 minutes. See above for campfire cooking tips!
- You will know it is ready when the edges start to look lighter and cooked, but the middle is still dark and fudgy
- Either let the brownie cool and cut into squares, or just dig in straight away!
Notes
Nutrition
This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.
Happy brownie eating!
Sophie and Paul
Sarah says
Thank goodness to find such a perfect recipe. Just what I was looking for. I've just eaten my first serving of this lovely treat. It turned out a little on the dry side (I'm still experimenting with the right temperature on my induction hob) but no problem - I smothered it in vegan Baileys and made a glorious indulgent dessert for Mothering Sunday!
Thank you for this recipe. I've now subscribed and look forward to many more tasty treats!
Sophie and Paul says
Hey Sarah, thanks so much for your lovely feedback - sounds mouthwatering! Induction hobs are great at transferring heat, so with this brownie you want to keep the temp pretty low - with a bit of practise you'll get the sweet spot. We're so happy to have you on board and look forward to sharing more tasty stuff with you!
Sophie
natasha says
I thought I was inventive cooking noodles on the fire haha! This is next level!
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Natasha,
thanks for your lovely comment(s)!
Anyone who cooks anything on the fire other than sausages is inventive to me 😉 We'd be very interested in your noodles! You wouldn't share your recipe? 😉
I think cooking with fire is all about getting the right heat to where it needs to be. Then you can do anything!
Keep on inventing!
Love, Paul & Sophie