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If you’ve seen the viral brownie walnut pie from Costco, you already know why people are excited about it. It’s massive, ultra-chocolatey, topped with ganache and walnuts, and very much a “just one more sliver” situation. My dad used to call it “nickel and diming” it when we’d go back and take a little more from a cake or pie.

As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to try and make a vegan version (their pie is definitely not vegan and contains milk and eggs obviously) so my copycat vegan brownie walnut pie is exactly that. It uses components I already make like my own viral better boxed brownies, chocolate ganache, and an easy graham cracker crust all layered together in a way that looks impressive but is honestly very low effort.

What Is the Viral Costco Brownie Walnut Pie?

At its core, the Costco pie isn’t complicated. It’s basically:

A graham cracker crust.
A thick, fudgy brownie baked inside.
A glossy chocolate ganache on top.
Finished with toasted walnuts for crunch.

That’s it. Really.

It looks dramatic because it’s big and layered, but it’s not a technically difficult dessert. Which is why it translates so well to a homemade (and vegan) version using a boxed brownie mix, a two ingredient ganache and crust recipe.

While this pie is generating major buzz online and in food media, not every Costco is carrying it. My local store in Florida even said they might not be making it at all which makes recreating it at home (and vegan!) even more satisfying.

Why This Is Such an Easy Vegan Copycat

I didn’t reinvent anything here. I just stacked good recipes on top of each other.

The brownie layer is my super popular Better Boxed Vegan Brownies recipe.
The ganache is from my chocolate banana bread recipe, just cut in half.
The crust is a thicker graham cracker crust to support all that chocolate and is just two ingredients.
Toasted chopped walnuts go on top for crunch and texture.

If you can bake brownies, you can make this pie. No mixers, no decorating skills, no complicated timing.

Shortcut Option

If you’re really short on time, you can absolutely use a store-bought vegan graham cracker crust. You could also use different cookies for the crust like sandwich cremes, speculoos cookies, vanilla wafers or even a chocolate snap type cookie.

This recipe is flexible, and that’s part of the appeal.

The Brownie Layer: The Heart of the Pie

Instead of a cake-like brownie, this pie relies on a dense, fudgy brownie base which is why my Better Boxed Vegan Brownies work perfectly here. My recipe works better than just swapping the ingredients you would normally add from the back of the box recipe 1:1. I took time and care to test and retest to get to the perfect consistency and texture. My favorite brand is Duncan Hines brownie mix but I’ve tested others and most work well.

Baking the brownie inside the crust:

Locks the crust in place.
Creates that signature brownie-pie hybrid texture.
Keeps the center rich but sliceable.

This isn’t a gooey spoon dessert, it’s meant to be cut cleanly, just like the Costco version.

One of the reasons this pie turns out so well is because it starts with my Better Boxed Vegan Brownies method. Boxed brownie mixes on their own can be temperamental as they either turn greasy, cakey, or into bubbling lava especially when you try a straight vegan 1:1 ingredient swap. But my version tweaks the usual mix in all the right ways. Instead of drowning the mix in oil or strange substitutes, it uses melted vegan butter, a nut butter for extra structure, and a properly made flax “egg” to give you a fudgy, shiny-topped brownie that actually tastes like you meant it to be that way. It’s the kind of brownie that holds up under a ganache layer and still comes out rich and bakery-worthy, exactly what you want for a pie that’s more than just a brownie in a crust.

For this pie, I keep things simple and use ingredients I know will work every time. For the brownie layer, my preferred brand is Duncan Hines (including their Dolly Parton Fabulously Fudgy collab) because it bakes up fudgy, chocolate-forward, and sturdy enough to support a ganache layer when made using my Better Boxed Vegan Brownies recipe. For the ganache, I stick with neutral, reliable vegan heavy creams like Aldi’s vegan cream (can be hit or miss finding in stores), and also Silk, Califia or Country Crock plant cream that are great as well and all should heat and emulsify smoothly without adding a pronounced coconut flavor. For the chocolate, I always use equal parts bittersweet and semisweet chips (I tend to buy what’s on sale), which gives you the best of both worlds, making the whole pie taste balanced, and not too sweet with very little effort.

Serving Suggestions:

Slice small servings as this pie is rich, and a little goes a long way (you can always go back for seconds!).
Serve slightly chilled for the cleanest cuts and best texture.
Add a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream for a classic pairing.
A dollop of non-dairy whipped cream softens all that richness.
Finish slices with a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt right before serving to cut sweetness even more.

At the end of the day, my vegan copycat Costco brownie walnut pie isn’t about chasing a trend or perfectly recreating a bakery dessert, it’s about taking familiar, reliable recipes and turning them into something fun, indulgent, and genuinely easy to make. If you already bake my boxed vegan brownies recipe and know your way around a simple ganache, this pie is just a remix, not a project. It’s the kind of dessert that looks impressive on the table, cuts clean, feeds a crowd, and reminds you that vegan baking doesn’t have to be complicated to be really, really good. Please rate and review if you try it!

Vegan Copycat Costco Brownie Walnut Pie

Recipe by Kreg Sterns

5.0 from 2 votes

Course: Desserts, Easy Eats, RecipesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8-10

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

A rich, fudgy vegan copycat Costco brownie walnut pie made with a thick graham cracker crust, boxed-style vegan brownies, glossy chocolate ganache, and toasted walnuts that’s easy to assemble, easy to slice, and guaranteed to impress.

Cook Mode

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Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust
2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup melted vegan butter
Better Boxed Brownies
1 box brownie mix 16-18 oz that are vegan by ingredients
1⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄4 cup vegan butter, melted
1⁄4 cup nut or seed butter
1⁄3 cup water
3 tablespoons finely ground flax meal mixed into 1/4 cup warm water
Chocolate Ganache Topping
4.5 oz chocolate (chips, chunks or bar)
1/2 cup vegan heavy whipping cream
Walnut Topping
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Directions

Graham Cracker Crust
To make the crust, combine the crushed graham crackers (I used two full sleeves of Nabisco plain graham crackers and blitzed them in a food processor) with the melted vegan butter and mix well to combine. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 or 10 inch pie dish. I use the bottom of a small juice glass to press it in place and use my fingers up the sides. Pie will be a bit thicker in a 9 inch pan and in a 10 inch pan, it may bake a bit faster so watch baking times carefully. Set crust aside.
Brownie Layer
Whisk the flax meal into the warm water and set aside to thicken for a few minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350°. Open the brownie mix and empty into a large bowl. Whisk in the baking powder then add the rest of the ingredients and the flax egg and beat for a few minutes with a hand mixer or by hand with a stiff spoon until completely blended and glossy. Add to the crust dolloping evenly over it then smoothing it out carefully but evenly with an offset spatula or knife. Do it gently so as not to disturb the crust too much.
Bake for 24-27 minutes depending on your oven. Convection bakes faster. You’re looking for the filling to rise up and look matte and not to jiggle when you move the pie dish. You want it between fudgy and cakey in texture. I found 27 minutes to be perfect for my oven but your time may vary a little so check early and add time if needed.
Let pie cool completely before adding the ganache topping for at least a few hours in the fridge or preferably overnight.
Chocolate Ganache
To make the ganache, combine the vegan cream and chocolate in a heat safe bowl and either over a smaller pan of simmering water or using the microwave, melt the chocolate. If using simmering water like a double boiler, whisk just until the chips are just melted and remove from the heat. If using the microwave, heat in 30 second intervals just until the chips start to melt. Don’t over cook as every microwave has a different power level and if you overcook the mixture will seize and there’s no coming back from that. Don’t let it boil. All the chocolate doesn’t need to be melted as the residual heat will continue to melt the chocolate.
Pour over the cooled pie and smooth out with a knife or offset spatula. Add toasted walnuts (I toasted mine on a baking sheet for 4 minutes in a 350° oven) to the top and refrigerate until set about an hour.
Cut two slices first as it makes it easier to remove the first piece cleanly. The pie is rich so some may want smaller slices than usual. Refrigerate leftovers.

Recipe Video

Notes

Use a 9-inch pie dish for best height and structure.
Allow the brownie layer to cool completely before adding ganache.
Toasting the walnuts is optional but enhances their flavor.
Chill before slicing for clean cuts.
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
A store-bought vegan graham cracker crust may be used.
Use a hot knife for cleaner slices.
I prefer a smooth loose almond butter for the brownies but peanut butter, cashew or macadamia would also work as well as sunflower seed butter. I’ve tried tahini but felt the bitter notes were noticeable and wouldn’t recommend it.
See main post for my brownie mix and heavy cream recommendations.