Quick and easy, these Cocoa Powder Brownies taste just like your favorite boxed brownie mix. They’re made with pantry staples and ready in 45 minutes!
Easy Homemade Brownie Recipe
Raise your hand if sometimes you reach for a box of brownies instead of making them from scratch. I know that I definitely have – sometimes it’s just so much easier! Now I just make these Cocoa Powder Brownies instead!
I created this recipe with the intention for it to be quicker and easier to make, and to mimic a boxed brownie mix. In a boxed brownie mix, you’d typically add oil, water and eggs. This recipe is the same, but instead of water, I added some milk for richness.
While most homemade brownie recipes do not usually have a leveling agent, I intentionally added one to this recipe. The baking soda prevents the brownies from being overly dense and fudgy, though they’re definitely not cakey either. It’s the perfect middle ground! (And some boxed brownie mixes, like our favorite Ghirardelli Double Chocolate, also contain baking soda.)
What’s the Difference Between These and Fudgy Brownies?
I’ve shared a handful of brownie recipes in the past, most of them variations on my fudgy brownies recipe. So what makes this recipe different?
- This recipe is quicker and easier to prepare with less dishes
- These are thinner, less dense and a litte less rich
- There’s no melted chocolate in this batter. The melted chocolate makes for a heavier, denser and fudgier brownie
- These chewy but still fudgy brownies are my version of our favorite boxed brownie mix.
- This recipe used oil instead of butter, which keeps them moist
Key Ingredients
Here are the main ingredients you’ll need for these homemade brownies. Scroll down to the recipe card to see the exact measurements and full ingredient list.
- Granulated sugar
- Oil – Vegetable oil helps keep the brownies moist. I don’t recommend substituting melted butter.
- Milk – Adds a richness to the brownies.
- All-purpose flour
- Cocoa powder – It’s important to use natural, unsweetened cocoa powder. See notes below.
- Baking soda – A touch of baking soda provides just enough air pockets in these brownies to mimic a boxed brownie mix.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Add that rich, chocolatey goodness.
- Flakey sea salt – Optional but I love the salty-sweet combo.
A Note On The Cocoa Powder
The key to making these brownies is to use natural cocoa powder, NOT dutch processed cocoa powder. (Learn more about the difference between the two here.) The reason for this is the baking soda in the recipe.
Baking soda requires an acidic ingredient to activate it in a recipe. Otherwise, you end up with a flat dessert and a metallic aftertaste. In the case of this brownie recipe, natural cocoa powder is the acidic ingredient.
If you use dutch processed cocoa, which is made from beans that have been treated with potassium carbonate, the baking soda will not activate and these brownies will not only not rise, they will have a not-so-pleasant aftertaste.
How to Make Cocoa Powder Brownies
This may be the easiest brownie recipe out there – it comes together in just a few quick steps!
Step 1: Combine the wet ingredients. Beat the granulated sugar with the oil, milk, and vanilla extract. Add the egg. Take care not to overbeat the eggs, beat just until combined.
Step 2: Add the dry ingredients. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add to the batter until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Bake. Transfer the batter to the greased baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add some extra chocolate chips on top. Bake then cool before cutting.
How to Tell When Brownies Are Done
Brownies, unlike cake, should be pulled when they are slightly underdone, as they will finish off baking as they cool. You often hear, insert until the toothpick comes out clean, but that’s not the case with brownies.
You are looking for a toothpick that is still slightly damp, with some crumbs sticking. It should not be gooey or wet.
For me, I pull my brownies around 25-27 minutes, I like them to be really fudgy once they cool. If you prefer a drier, less fudgy brownie, maybe you would go for 30 minutes. In my opinion, at 35 minutes, these brownies are overdone and would be much drier.
It’s important to note I use a metal baking dish, not glass. Glass baking dishes do not conduct heat as quickly as metal pans, and therefore it extends the baking time.
Can I Make These in a Different Sized Pan?
I recommend an 8-inch square pan for the perfect thickness, but if you only have a 9-inch pan, that will work too. The brownies will just be much thinner and you’ll need to reduce the baking time by a few minutes.
This recipe can easily be doubled for a 9×13 inch pan.
Tips for Success
Here are a few tips for making the best cocoa powder brownies – which may be different from what you would do for regular brownies.
- Don’t overbeat the batter once the egg has been added. Typically a well-beaten egg will help to create the meringue or flakey layer you traditionally find on the top of brownies. However, since this has baking soda, overbeating the eggs will cause the brownies to puff up too much in the centers and then sink as they cool. You’ll still get a thin crisp layer on top that cracks when you cut it.
- How to easily cut brownies. For clean-cut brownies, wash and dry the knife after each cut.
- Can I Use Butter Instead of Oil? While butter is an acceptable substitute for oil in brownies, I found that with the melted butter, these brownies came our drier than the oil version.
- Don’t overbake. A toothpick inserted in the middle should still come out damp, though not gooey or wet.
- Add sea salt. I love a touch of flakey sea salt on top to finish these off. It helps cut the sweetness and salty sweet is my favorite combo.
Serving Suggestions
I don’t believe there’s a wrong way to enjoy a brownie…but I will say that since these aren’t quite as dense and rich as fudgy brownies, they are perfect for making an ice cream sundae! Just add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, some chocolate syrup, and a maraschino cherry. Yum!
Or just enjoy with a glass of milk. (Bonus points if the brownie is warm.)
How to Store & Freeze
These homemade brownies will last for up to 3 days when stored on the counter in an airtight container. If you want them for a few extra days, store them in the fridge where they’ll last for up to 5 days.
To freeze the brownies, I recommend wrapping each one individually in plastic wrap. You can thaw in the fridge, on the counter, or pop them in the microwave for 15-30 seconds for warm brownies.
More Brownie Recipes:
- Homemade Broookies – Brownies and Cookies together!
- M&M Brownies
- Cheesecake Brownies
- Mint Chocolate Brownies
Cocoa Powder Brownies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 brownies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Quick and easy, these Cocoa Powder Brownies taste just like your favorite boxed brownie mix. They’re made with pantry staples and ready in 35 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (238g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (78ml) vegetable oil
- ¼ cup (59ml) milk
- 2 teaspoons (10ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (40g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cups (168g) semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus additional for garnish
- Flakey Sea Salt garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease an 8-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine with the granulated sugar with the oil, milk and vanilla extract and beat together until well combined.
- Next add the egg beat just until combined, about 30 seconds or so.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and sprinkle another handful of chocolate chips over top. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center will be damp but not gooey or wet. Remove from the oven and allow to cool prior to cutting.
Notes
- Baking times: several people have reported longer baking time. Refer back to the blog post section with the toothpick test to determine about how long the brownies should cook for. Use a metal baking pan and ensure the oven is properly preheated. To bake in a 9-inch pan, reduce the baking time by a few minutes.
- Storing: Brownies are best for 3 days when stored on the counter in an airtight container, or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
- Freezing: I recommend wrapping each one individually in plastic wrap. You can thaw in the fridge, on the counter, or pop frozen brownies in the microwave for 15-30 seconds to warm.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 259
- Sugar: 29.2 g
- Sodium: 35.5 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 40.2 g
- Fiber: 2.6 g
- Protein: 3.5 g
- Cholesterol: 15.6 mg
So Good!! I made these in a mini muffin pan making perfect brownie bites!
Sounds wonderful Renae! Thanks for sharing this tip!
These are really good! Made with chocolate almond milk and canola oil. Added chopped pecans too. These are now how I will always make brownies! Easy and awesome!
So happy to hear that Robin! Thanks you for sharing your adjustments!
Very good brownies and mine rose up high like a cake would. I will be keeping this recipe to make again.
Thank you Donna!
Very very sweet. Going to look up how to reduce sugar and keep volume. Other than that they were very good. This is a quick and easy recipe
You’re welcome!
Really easy and tasty brownies
Yes! I love that Brianna, thank you!
This is our favourite brownie recipe. I have made these so many times and they always turn out!
I am beyond excited to hear that Brandi, thank you!
loveee!!! But I would definitely stick to the recipe y the batter was a bit thick
Thanks for sharing Sophia! I am glad you enjoyed them!
These brownies are amazing, the best recipe I’ve found so far, and I have been making brownies for 15 years! The kids loved them and now beg me to make them 😊 They’re super fuddgy and have a nice crisp top. I highly recommend them!
This is just awesome Lisa! Thank you so much!
YUM! Made it for a gathering and they disappeared immediately. Loved the addition of the chocolate chips and appreciated the pictures of the toothpicks to check if they were done.
That’s awesome Kathy, thank you so much for sharing. I am glad you found the toothpick test to be helpful!
These brownies are amazing! They’re thick, moist, and just sweet enough. Best brownies I’ve ever had!
Thank you Stephanie! This makes me so happy to hear that.
Cannot wait to make this one. Is there a brand of natural cocoa I can typically get locally that you like
I mostly use Hershey’s or Ghirardelli
My boyfriend asked for homemade brownies & this recipe is spot on 👍🏼 taste just like a boxed brownie would, only better! thanks for sharing!
Thank you Sam! That is exactly what I was aiming for with this recipe!
This was a very easy recipe to follow. I doubled the recipe. Instead of adding the chips in the batter, I sprinkled chips and chopped walnuts on half of the batter before baking.
These taste amazing!!
Sounds amazing Julie! Thank you so much!
I have made this recipe for brownies about 4 times and my family love them! They always turn out the best even with my glass baking pan. I am definitely sharing this recipe with family.
Wow Brandi, thank you so much!
great recipe, it was my first time making brownies and they turned out delicious.
I love to hear that Nicole, thank you!
I’ve made this recipe so often for my family. We are a large family and I always make a double pan. I’ve had to use substitutes occasionally and no matter what, it never fails that they still come out perfectly! For extra chewy we use 1/2 cup butter instead of oil! 🤫❤️❤️❤️
Thank you so much for your very kind comments. I am SO happy you enjoyed it!
Just made these and put in the oven but the batter lets me know I picked the perfect recipe. Thanks and keep them coming
Yeees Nicole! Can’t wait for you to take that bite!
Made these yesterday. Left out the chocolate chips, but covered with some leftover chocolate frosting. Will definitely make again
That’s wonderful!! Thank you Judy!
I’m on a low iodine diet at the moment, and I was able to modify this recipe really easily to work within the restrictions of the diet – swapped homemade almond milk for the milk, used egg white in place of the egg, used non-dairy chocolate chips, and kosher salt in place of the salt. I even swapped a portion of the sugar for splenda. They came out great!! I had to cook them for a few minutes longer than called for, but the flavor and texture is excellent. Thanks for the great recipe!!
Thanks for sharing your alternations, I am glad the adjustments you made still produced a good result
So yummy like best brownies EVER
Love this Sophia! Thank you so much!!