This Easy Homemade Brownies Recipe makes cakey brownies that taste like box mix brownies! With perfect crisp crackly tops and chewy centers, these made from scratch brownies hit all the right notes.
Just Like Box-Mix Homemade Brownies
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: a simple brownie recipe that tastes like “box mix” brownies but is actually made totally from scratch. These homemade brownies have just the right combo of cakey and chewy texture, plus they have that classic “crack” on the top.
Basic brownies may seem kind of unexciting, but don’t be fooled. These are anything but! Everyone needs a good, solid brownie recipe in their arsenal and this is the one!
Recipe Ingredients
This brownie recipe has simple ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Vegetable Oil – Just like a box mix brownie, we are going to use oil instead of butter.
- Sugar – I use regular white sugar in this recipe.
- Vanilla Extract – Be sure to use pure vanilla extract.
- Eggs
- Flour + Baking Powder
- Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder – I recommend using dark chocolate cocoa powder. I use dark chocolate cocoa in most of my baking. In baking it makes a much more chocolatey final product. I’m sure they’d taste great with regular cocoa. But if you’re willing, give the dark a try.
- Salt – Adding a bit of salt to desserts brings out their sweetness.
How to Make Brownies from Scratch
These brownies are no fuss! Here’s how to make them:
- Prep your tools: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×9 square baking pan, or line it with parchment paper.
- Mix wet ingredients: Mix together the oil, sugar and vanilla extract. Add eggs and mix until well combined.
- Mix dry ingredients: Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
- Add dry ingredients: Slowly add to the egg mixture until well combined.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
That’s it! Making these brownies from scratch is just as easy as using a box mix. 🙂
Tips for the Best Brownies
- Use dark chocolate cocoa powder. As I mentioned above, I think dark chocolate cocoa really takes the chocolate in brownies to the next level.
- Don’t over bake. It’s better to pull your brownies out too early than bake them for too long. Bake them until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached. If you’re unsure, just go ahead and take them out of the oven. They will still cook a bit as they cool.
- Let them cool. These brownies are seriously good, but give them a chance to cool so that you can get that cakey, chewy texture. Plus, they will be easier to slice if you let them cool.
How to Store Brownies
You can store your homemade brownies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for 4-5 days.
Can I Freeze Brownies?
Yes! You can freeze brownies for up to 2 months. Let them come to room temperature, then wrap each brownie in saran wrap or foil and place them in an airtight freezer safe container.
Read transcript Print
Quick and Easy Brownies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12-16 Brownies 1x
- 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 vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/3 cup + 2 1/2 tbsp cocoa
- 1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×9 square baking pan, or line it with parchment paper.
- Mix together the oil, sugar and vanilla extract.
- Add eggs and mix until well combined.
- Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
- Slowly add to the egg mixture until well combined.
- Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
Notes
Recipe modified from AllRecipes.com
Keywords: brownies, homemade, easy, from scratch, brownie mix, homemade
Recipe modified from AllRecipes.com
Enjoy!
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This is the best brownie recipe ever! I followed recipe exact and only put in a Pam sprayed iron skillet. So so good. Just what I was looking for, mine only took about 26 minutes.
Hi can you please let me know what flour that you used to make the chocolate brownie thanks Brian 🙂
all purpose flour
I’ve tried this recipe multiple times because of how easy it seemed, but every time I’ve followed the directions exactly and I NEVER get the crackly brownie skin on top.
I made this in an 8 by 8 pan and added chocolate chips, and it turned out to be super gooey and I had to bake it for an hour before it was done. Is that okay?
This is the best brownie recipe everrr!! I cut 1/2 cup of sugar. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Hello, I was just wondering what size is each serving?
I’m not really sure what you mean. It’s a 9 x 9 pan, so it depends on how many servings you cut. You can make the servings larger or smaller.
Can I use brown sugar?
Sure
Hello! Loved the recipe!
It’s not in the recipe but would it mess up the brownie to add some chocolate chips?
Glad you enjoyed it! Chocolate chips should be fine.
Hi Lindsay, it’s me again… I did it exactly right this time as per instructions, ingredients and all. They were great! The whole family loves them! Chewy, moist, nice “crust”, just perfect!
★★★★★
I’m so glad to hear that everyone liked them!
This recipe is fantastic. I made a few adjustments (I know, I know…), that I thought I’d put in here for anyone else who stops by. I cut the sugar down to a scant 1 cup, swapped 1/4 cup of flour for additional cocoa (so it was 1/2 cup flour and 3/4 cup cocoa), and used only 2 eggs for a slightly different texture. I’ve been looking for a recipe exactly like this one, and I’m so glad to have a go-to that’s not from a box, and that I can make with gluten-free flour. Thank you!!!
★★★★★
Where has this been all my life?! I never write reviews, this is my FIRST REVIEW EVER because this recipe delivered. I was craving box mix but limiting grocery runs and this filled my craving. I do bake other brownie recipes but theres something about box mix that bring sleepover nostalgia during these times. Thank you! Never going back to the box! Highly recommended!!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed them!
I’m the same I hardly ever review. But they were perfect! No changes needed.
This recipe changed two lives. My wife and I are in our early 60’s. For decades we fell into the traditional roles of me tuning up and repairing our old Volkswagen beetles while Ella did the cooking. I thought boiling an egg was an accomplishment. …Anyway, in 2015 Ella was going through chemotherapy for lymphoma. She rarely had an appetite, had low energy and had lost a lot of weight. One evening she said she had a hankering for brownies. We had no mix and it was snowing. I found your recipe, it was easy to make, turned out perfectly and Ella loved it. …And I found out that I like to cook! Ella recovered, and said she wanted to do new things herself, such as learn how to fix her car. Now I’m the main cook, Ella is our mechanic and we’re both happier for it.
★★★★★
What an amazing story! So glad to hear you guys have enjoyed the recipe!
Hello, Ihave a question. Would it be alright to use half a cup butter an fourthcup oil?
It would change the texture of the brownies, but it’d probably bake ok.
I’ve made this recipe twice and I’ll be using it as my go-to brownie recipe from now on. When I made it the first time I followed the recipe exactly (except my cocoa wasn’t dark chocolate) and added pecans. Delicious.
When I made it the second time I used more cocoa than the recipe called for (my preference…again, the recipe is great as written), subbed some of the white sugar with brown sugar, and added pecans. Double delicious!
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed them!
After using this recipe for a year – it is tried and tested. I made it for a friend’s daughter who can’t have lactose but is fine with eggs. It is now everyone’s favourite for any baking occasion, perfect every time. My only change is that as I only have 1 set of cup measures- I mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl then all the wet in a separate jug then mix together. Today I added some broken up Easter eggs that were still hanging about instead of chocolate chip/chunks and cherries. Thank you so much. Jan from Wokingham, UK
Easy instructions – easy to bake and taste great !! I can’t eat dairy and these are Cakey and Chocolatey and crispy texture on top just like they say 😃 yummy warm and definitely gone back for seconds yum yum
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed them!
This was so easy to make and so delicious! I added some dark chocolate chips and some heavy whipping cream! My family loved them!!!
★★★★★
I followed the recipe and it turned into a cake not a brownie
Fabulous!!!! I ve made it 6 times double of every ingredient using 8×12 cake pan. twice with chopped walnuts, and twice with cheesecake swirl. All six time, perfect. And it is sooooo easy. This recipe is great. Id give a 10 star if they had it. Thank you for sharing the recipe with us;
SM
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed them!
I just made these. they take about 15 minutes longer in an 8”x8” pan. They puffed up and got crispy around the edges. The insides sank and got fudgy.
I have been looking for a homemade “box brownie knockoff” recipe for forever!! I’ve tried a few and nothing has been good enough to make again. So thank you for posting this years ago and keeping it posted! I have been so disappointed to go to make recipes from Pinterest, only to find that the blog owner has deleted or moved them, and a search doesn’t bring it up! I’m so glad I finally found your recipe 😍 absolutely perfect!
★★★★★
Can I use a 8×8?
Yes, you’d just need to increase the baking time a bit.