These pumpkin brownies are deliciously rich and and fudgy, with layers of dark chocolate surrounding a smooth pumpkin cheesecake center. It’s the ultimate Fall brownie recipe!
Why you’ll love these pumpkin brownies
- No boxed brownie mix required. Brownie from scratch taste so much better.
- Extra pumpkin cream cheese = more creamy pumpkin filling in every bite.
- Each decadent, bakery style brownie gives you fiber, vitamin A, and just 120 calories.
- Did I mention how unbelievably fudgy they are? It is worth mentioning again. A tray of these brownies will disappear fast!
Also try Flourless Pumpkin Brownies
Ingredients for the pumpkin swirl brownies
Pumpkin puree – The easy option is to buy canned pumpkin puree at the store. Or make your own homemade pumpkin puree by roasting a pie pumpkin and then pulverizing the flesh until smooth.
Cocoa powder – For the best chocolatey flavor, use high quality unsweetened cocoa powder ad Dutch cocoa powder. Or experiment by replacing some of the cocoa with chocolate protein powder.
Flour – You need one cup of flour. Options that work well include all purpose white flour, whole grain spelt flour, or all purpose gluten free flour. I recommend following the gram measurements for consistent and outstanding results every time.
You may experiment with other flours, such as whole wheat flour, oat flour, or almond flour. But I have not tried any of these options so cannot vouch for them.
Cream cheese – I recommend full fat cream cheese, or dairy free cream cheese for vegan pumpkin brownies. Low fat or fat free cream cheese may not set correctly.
Sugar – Using both brown sugar and white sugar adds depth of flavor. You can substitute granulated erythritol for added sugar free pumpkin brownies. The filling calls for powdered sugar or an equal amount of a no sugar powdered sweetener.
Spices – Ground cinnamon, salt, and pumpkin pie spice perfectly compliment the pumpkin. Feel free to add a pinch of ginger or nutmeg as well.
Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract brings out the sweetness in the brownie base and pumpkin cream cheese filling.
Oil and water – Melted coconut oil is my favorite option here. Vegetable oil works as well. Or swap the oil for a equal amount of melted unsalted butter. You also need one cup of water.
Cornstarch – The recipe uses either cornstarch or ground flax seeds and baking powder to bind the brownies without eggs.
Step by step recipe video
How to make the best pumpkin brownies
- Start by making the pumpkin swirl filling. Add pumpkin puree, room temperature cream cheese, powdered sugar, spices, and one fourth teaspoon pure vanilla extract to a large bowl or stand mixer machine.
- Use handheld beaters or your mixer to whip the filling until thick and smooth.
- Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit or about 165° Celsius.
- Grease a 9 by 13 inch rectangular baking pan, or line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Set this pan aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cocoa powder, flour, white sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and cornstarch or flax meal. Whisk well.
- Melt the oil if solid. Stir the oil, water, and one tablespoon of pure vanilla extract into the brownie batter until just evenly combined. To avoid a dense or gummy texture, do not overmix.
- Smooth into the prepared pan, using a spoon or spatula to spread the chocolate batter out evenly.
- Dollop blobs of the pumpkin mixture over the brownies, swirling with a spoon or a non sharp knife.
- Bake for thirty minutes on the center rack of the oven.
- Carefully remove the pan and let cool before slicing and serving.
Frequently asked questions
These are on the fudgier side, as they call for less flour and no eggs to make them rise. However, the results will vary based on the specific ingredients you choose.
As a general rule, use butter for cakey brownies or oil for fudgy brownies. For chewy brownies, simply swap the amounts of brown sugar and white sugar.
Unlike cakes, you should not use the toothpick method to test brownie doneness. Instead, make sure your oven is calibrated correctly. Remove brownies from the oven when they are still slightly underdone. This ensures your results will be soft, not overcooked or dry, because brownies continue to firm up as they cool.
Let the pan cool completely before covering, to avoid trapping excess moisture. Once cooled, cover and store leftovers on the counter overnight. Or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to six days.
Absolutely. Wrap each cooled brownie tightly in saran wrap or in a container with a layer of parchment paper between each layer of brownies. Thaw fully before serving.
The recipe was adapted from my Vegan Brownies and these Sweet Potato Brownies.
Pumpkin Brownies
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (180g)
- 3 oz cream cheese or vegan cream cheese (85g)
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar (sifted) (36g)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (optional)
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Brownie Layer
- 1 cup flour (120g spelt, white, or gluten free all purpose) (Or make these Keto Brownies)
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (60g)
- 1/4 cup Dutch cocoa powder (20g)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2/3 cup white sugar (140g)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (90g)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch or ground flax seeds (16g)
- 1 cup water (240g)
- 2/3 cup coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted (130g)
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract (15g)
Instructions
- 1. To make the pumpkin swirl layer, whip all pumpkin cheesecake filling ingredients in a stand mixer or in a large bowl with hand beaters until smooth.
- 2. Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit (165° Celsius).
- 3. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan with oil, or line the bottom with parchment paper. Set this pan aside.
- 4. Whisk all brownie layer dry ingredients well in a large mixing bowl. Stir in liquid ingredients until just evenly combined. Do not overmix.
- 5. Use a spatula to spread the brownie batter into the pan.
- 6. Dollop blobs of the pumpkin mixture over the unbaked brownies. Then swirl with a spoon or dull knife.
- 7. Bake on the oven's center rack for 30 minutes.
- 8. Remove the pan from the oven when brownies are still a little underbaked. Allow to cool before slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
More delicious Fall desserts
could i use black beans instead of the flour?
I had the same question, and I have the same name! Woohoo!
Holy wow. I misread the directions (used AP unbleached instead of WW pastry) and they STILL came out incredible! I’m usually more of a chewy brownie kind of gal, yet these still satisfied all brownie/chocolate cravings. Next time I’m sure the use of pastry flour will give them a bit more body. I had a piece with a generous dollop of vanilla bean whipped cream (Chef Chloe! http://chefchloe.com/sweets/summer-berry-cobbler-with-vanilla-bean-whipped-cream.html), which melted ever-so-slightly. Truly, one of the tastiest desserts I’ve enjoyed in a very long time.
Thank you, as always, for your innovation!
Just brought these in for my office so a few people who are diabetic or who avoid dairy could have some snacks since they never get to have any of the things people bring to work…
Rave reviews from several decidedly un-vegan, un-concerned-about-sugar coworkers. Definitely nailed the “this tastes delicious!” factor versus the “this tastes delicious for something healthy.”
I wished I had all the ingredients for the vegan cool whip on hand last night though. These brownies are SO fudgy they could use a topping of some kind to contrast…
Also, in order to get them to “set” correctly, it took my oven about twice a long to cook them (and it was on 330 precisely) and I had to stick them in the. I was afraid I’d over-cooked them but they were just fine…
I just made these tonight and they were awesome! I also added coconut and some coconut extract and they were gone within 15 minutes!
Oh wow.
I’m more of a lurk in the background kind of fan to blogs such as these, but I absolutely had to give you some credit by commenting. I had just about given up on healthy baking/treats and was coming to the conclusion that healthy lifestyle meant I just had to give up my sweet tooth.. One rubbery treat after the other!!! NOW NOW. These were super yummy and completely not any less so than a brownie I would get from a bakery.
Thanks CCK, you may just have saved my life from diabetes! lol
Just baked this and they are the best. U so can’t tell they are healthier than ur average brownie 😉
I was wondering if i could us a gluten free flour such as rice flour to make these brownies. What do you think?
I was also wondering about making them gluten free. Could I use chick peas (ground up, like in the chocolate chip cookie pie recipe)?
I tried to make them gluten free with chickpeas, but they didnt have enough substance to keep them together. If I try it again I would probably try to add ground up oats to help them not fall apart.
sorry meant to say I tried to make it gluten free with black beans.
Try this recipe instead!
https://lett-trim.today/2012/09/06/no-flour-black-bean-brownies/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Hi Katie,
I am an elementary school teacher. I have a class of 3rd-5th graders this year. We received a donation of about 75 sugar pumpkins on Monday and have been experimenting with them all week. I remembered that you had a “thing” for pumpkin, so I checked your site for recipes right away. In addition to a few other things, we made these brownies today. Before the students could eat them, they had to observe, study and write about them, what they looked like and smelled like. It felt like forever! THEN, they could eat them. They were a HIT! The kids LOVED them. They said that they were “sweet and gooey”, “not too sugary” and “chocolatey awesomeness”. They also said, “Are you sure they put the pumpkin in?”, “I can’t taste the pumpkin” and “This is the best brownie I have ever tasted.” They all wanted to take some home for their families.
Thanks so much for your awesome recipes!
Amy
Wow, thank you for trying them!
I made these. Yep totally awesome, seriously. I had some friends over for dinner and when we got to these we all somehow took our bites at the same time and a collective “oh my god” escaped. I baked them in the toaster over in a bread pan, and they needed 10 more minutes but turned out insane!