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This easy homemade brownies recipe makes wonderfully cakey, fudgy brownies with crave-able, crisp, crackly tops and chewy centers. They are just like the ones made from a box but even better.
The Best Homemade Brownie Recipe
For some time I’ve been searching for a way to make brownies from scratch without losing that brownie mix feel. It took a lot of brownie making and a whole lot of brownie testing (someone had to do it!) but I think I finally found it, and gosh am I excited to share it with you.
These simple brownies have a texture like “box mix” brownies but are actually made totally from scratch. There’s no crazy method here, you just whisk everything together in a bowl. And they are exploding with fudgy chocolate flavor and are just the right combination of cakey and fudgy/chewy. They even have that classic brownie “crack” on the top. Everyone needs a good, solid brownie recipe under their belt. This is the one!
What Makes These Brownies So Good?
Boxed brownies are pretty delicious but these are even better. Here are some of the reasons you have to try them.
- Texture. Making these brownies with oil (many homemade brownie recipes use butter instead) gives them a delightfully moist, fudge-like texture. They are the perfect combination of cakey and chewy and are an absolute dream to sink your teeth into.
- Rich chocolate flavor. As brownies should be, these wonderfully fudgy treats are filled with deep, rich chocolate flavor.
- Quick and easy. No fancy mixing method and no tricky twists and turns. This recipe is so simple and easy to throw together. You’ll only need to spend 10 minutes of active time in the kitchen before letting the oven do the rest of the work.
What You’ll Need
Here’s a list of ingredients needed to make these moist, flavorful brownies. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for exact measurements.
- All-purpose flour – Feel free to use your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour instead.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – I used to use Hershey’s special dark cocoa in these, but they changed it a few years back and now I prefer regular cocoa in these. The final texture is better.
- Baking powder – For just a bit of rise, contributing to that cakey texture.
- Salt – For flavor and always needed.
- Vegetable oil – I have tried butter in these brownies and while it works, the oil definitely produces the more intended mix of cakey/fudgy texture.
- Sugar – For sweetness and moisture.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla extract actually helps soften some of the bitterness of cocoa.
- Eggs – For binding things together and adding chewiness.
How to Make Brownies from Scratch
In just 10 minutes you could be popping these amazing homemade brownies in the oven. What are you waiting for? Here’s how to do it. Don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
- Prep. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9×9 square baking pan.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine the wet ingredients. Mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla extract. Add the eggs and mix to combine.
- Put it all together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to combine.
- Bake. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Helpful Tips
- Don’t over-mix. When mixing the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, mix just until incorporated. Over mixing the batter will cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop, giving you a tough, dense brownie.
- Make it mess-free. You can either grease your brownie pan or line it with parchment paper. Either way will do. If you choose to grease the pan, do so liberally. If you go the parchment paper route, I suggest using a piece that extends over the sides of the pan. This will allow you to easily remove the brownies from the pan for cutting when the time comes.
- Oil, not butter. Many brownie recipes call for butter instead of oil. I promise you that oil is the best call here. It adds an incredibly rich, fudginess to the dessert that butter just doesn’t. Trust me. I’ve done all of the experimenting for you. So make these brownies without butter, please.
Serving Suggestions
On their own, these brownies are some of the best you’ve ever tasted but with the addition of a scoop of ice cream, some whipped cream, and/or a delicious sauce they are out of this world fantastic. Here are some ideas to get you inspired.
- Ice cream. Grab a pint of vanilla ice cream or make your own! I love this Birthday Cake Ice Cream and my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream. Try my No Churn Peppermint Bark during the holiday season.
- Whipped cream. Add a dollop of store-bought or Homemade Whipped Cream to the top of these fudgy chocolate treats. Feeling adventurous? Try my Strawberry Whipped Cream or this Baileys Chocolate Whipped Cream.
- Sauce. Drizzle some of my Salted Caramel Sauce or this Easy Caramel Sauce over your brownies. You could also try this Raspberry Sauce or (for an extra chocolaty treat) my Easy Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce.
How to Store Brownies
Allow the brownies to cool completely before slicing and arranging them in a single layer in an airtight container. If you need to stack the brownies, separate any layers with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking. Alternatively, you can slice the brownies and wrap individual pieces in a double layer of plastic wrap. Store them at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Can I Freeze These?
You can! Store the brownies just as you would if you were to keep them at room temperature or in the refrigerator (see the section above titled “How to Store”) except place them in the freezer instead. They will stay good for up to 3 months. Allow the brownies to thaw in the fridge before devouring them.
More Brownie Recipes
I love brownies so, naturally, I have spent some time playing with recipes and developing new takes on the classic. Here are some of my favorite brownie recipes for you to try.
Watch The Video
PrintEasy Brownies Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12-16 Brownies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy homemade brownies recipe makes cakey brownies that taste like box mix brownies! With perfect crisp crackly tops and chewy centers, these brownies hit all the right notes.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (98g) all-purpose flour (measured properly)
- 1/2 cup (57g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (180ml) vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×9 square baking pan, or line it with parchment paper, leaving some over hanging on the sides for easy removal from the pan later.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt to a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Add the oil, sugar and vanilla extract to large mixing bowl and mix together until well combined.
- Add the eggs and mix until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined, but don’t over mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
- Allow brownies to cool completely, then use the overhanging parchment paper to remove the brownie from the pan. Cut into bars.
- Store brownies in an airtight container at room temperature. Best if eaten within 5-7 days.
Notes
Recipe modified from AllRecipes.com
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Brownie
- Calories: 203
- Sugar: 18.9 g
- Sodium: 50.8 mg
- Fat: 11.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Protein: 2.3 g
- Cholesterol: 34.9 mg
These were exactly the type of brownies I was craving. Quick and fool proof! Added walnuts and chocolate chips with no issues! Perfection in a square.
I had a late night craving and found this recipe. It makes the perfect brownie and is so easy. I used dark cocoa powder and they were rich, one brownie was plenty. Mine baked for closer to 35 minutes. Thanks so much! I’m adding this to my collection ☺️
I made these…just followed your recipe…very easy…my dad just loved them. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m in the group where this didn’t turn out well at all.
I live at about 5,500ft in altitude, but I’ve never had a baking problem before.
The middle never rose like the outsides and I baked for 40 minutes and it was still very wet in the middle.
These are terrible.
Total waste of time. 🙁
Here’s a site that shows the adjustments necessary for high altitude baking and cooking. I live over 5,000′ and, in making caramels, had to reduce the finished temperature from 244° to 234° so have found sometimes you just have to adjust things for altitude. Some things are fine without adjustments but since you had bad results, I’d try the recipe with the suggested adjustments before giving up on the recipe. Right now I’m going for banana chocolate chip cookies but I’m saving this recipe and, due to your comments, I’ll definitely adjust for the altitude and let all you high altitude bakers know the results.
https://www.bettycrocker.com/how-to/tipslibrary/baking-tips/baking-cooking-high-altitudes
What about adding coffee extract instead of vanilla extract? I have been making my own different extracts and since coffee is supposed to bring out the chocolate flavor more, I think I am going to try it.
Sure, give it shot and see.
Hi Lindsay! This recipe is indeed foolproof. Wow! It was our first time to bake…and this recipe was easy to follow and the result was amazing! Brownies were moist and delicious! Thank you again for sharing!
Thanks Tina! I’m glad you enjoyed them!
I love these brownies they look even better the picture so nice and homey and fudgy inside!
Excellent brownie recipe (and now my go to). I’ve made this recipe 3 times now, and each time is perfection. I once reduced the amount of oil by substituting half with applesauce and still had excellent results.
These were the best brownies I’ve ever had! My BFF at half the pan in less than a day 🙂
This recipe has become a favorite among my family and friends! I absolutely love it because it’s so flawlessly simple and easy to make. I refused to tell my friends the recipe. I always bake from scratch so I this recipe was perfect. All other brownie recipes have too much ingredients or they are tedious to make. This recipe was balanced.
Came home from church yesterday and my son decided we should have brownies for dessert. With NO Box mix in the pantry and not wanting to shop on Sunday, I went in search of an easy recipe to make them from scratch. I’m so happy I came across your recipe. These ar truly so yummy. The texture is nearly identical to what I experience when I make box mix brownies but I think the taste is better!
Only problem I had was baking them at 350 for 25-30 minutes. The brownies looked perfect around the outer edges and across the top, but they were still gooey (like batter) even after an hour of baking. (?) so I cranked it up to 450 for 15 minutes. They were fully cooked after that. Has anyone else experienced this??
Still yummy. Love the crispy edges and chewy center.
Thank you!!
Hmm, I haven’t had that happen. I’m glad you were able to get them cooked though and enjoyed them! Thanks Jen!
Hello, I just made these last night. I used special dark cocoa and boy we’re they yummy!! However my hubby was disappointed… because the top was cake like (moist and fluffy, not crispy and cracked like your beautiful brownies). I baked the brownies at 350 for about 40 mins(until the toothpick came out clean). Any advice?! Thank you!
You know it’s hard to say. It could be something about the mixing, or perhaps even the way they cooled. I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Just popped a double batch of these babies in the oven! Taking them up to a middle school bake sale later. Can’t wait to see the chocolate smears all over the kids’ faces. 😉
I hope they were a hit! 🙂
I tried this just last night and was really surprised at how delicious they turned out! I was so skeptical at first with the amount of oil, but I was proved wrong! I really want to try the other brownies you’ve mentioned now, as they sound delicious as well! This will be a family favourite for late night snacks from now on 😉
Thanks for the great recipe!
Are you using sweetened or un-sweeted coca powder?
It is unsweetened.
Just made these with my friend, slaved away trying to make them for a late night snack, and what do we find? That the oil and sugar mixture looks like a SLUSHIE and the whole taste of the final product is, to put it politely, revolting. The top layer of the brownie is borderline edible, and don’t even get me STARTED on the main brownie. I’m extremely sorry to say this, and maybe something went completely wrong or the vegetable oil in the UK is different, but yeah, not good. The taste of the final brownie was just pure oil- afraid to say, it did make me gag. Again, i do apologise, but thought it would be good to give you feedback. All the best, Janice.
I just made these brownies last night and they are amazing! Sorry to say but, I think you may have done something wrong. Maybe o we baked them . Mine only needed 20 minutes to bake to perfection.
I made these recently for a friend’s birthday party. I made about 1.5x the recipe and added 3/4 cup of dark chocolate chips. (I really love dark chocolate.) Everyone raved about them and I had multiple people ask me for the recipe. I directed them here. I love your recipes! Keep up the awesome cooking!
Thanks so much Callie! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them. 🙂
What could I use instead of vegetable oil, that’s healthier?
I’m not totally sure, since I haven’t tested anything myself. There are some healthier oils out there you could try though, like coconut oil, sunflower oil or even olive oil.
Loved these 🙂 Done them in a muffin pan! Turned out very yummy. Was looking for something quick and easy. Hopefully my coworkers enjoy them also. Topped them off with sprinkles on some and coconut on others
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!