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
I want to make this tomorrow! Can i use coconut sugar?:)
Made them. I made the dough, tasted it and thought…. I don’t think I like it. Then I baked it and waited a few hours as suggested and LOVED them. Thanks you taking the time to share these tasty treats! Perfect texture!
I made these and after baking for nearly 40 min they still weren’t done. I used oat flour and cane sugar. I took them out of the oven, and they came out goopy. Any ideas?
Just let them sit in the fridge overnight and they magically firm up perfectly! You want them underdone when you take them out because then they “set” like fudge and are not dry.
thank you for this lovely recipe……i make these once a week now that fresh pumpkin is in season – even my 27 year old son loves them – & he’s not into healthy ! thank you once again… kay, athens, greece
Has anyone actually made these and reviewed them? I read a lot of comments about “gotta make these” and “these look great”, and way too many about the poster having a little brother, but after reading a couple of dozen posts I got tired of looking for an actual review. Anyone???
Oops, I didn’t realize that this website publishes their comments oldest first, and by the time I finally worked my way down to the newest ones I got the answers I was looking for. But I cannot figure out how to cancel my original. 🙂 Will report back after I’ve made these.
I used sweet potato and can’t wait to try them when they cool! Do you have to store these in the refrigerator or can I keep them out on the counter?
Does anyone have calorie info on these? They are so yummy!
I love the idea of your recipes and I think have made a couple successfully, but these and the zucchini brownies, I can’t seem to get the cooking time down. Could it be different oven temperatures? The zucchini ones ended up being really runny and I am now going on 33 mins for these pumpkin ones and they are still very liquidy. Any ideas?
Hi Lauren. I wanted to post to your question. I just made these and doubled the recipe. Used almond flour, vegetable oil. Pumpkin. When I went to put my oven on 330, it went into convection mode. I kept testing it and putting it on for 15 min times three times. After initial baking time. It kept coming out moist on the bottom. Finally at the end of the last 15 minutes I just took it out and waited another half hour to cool, then cut it up still warm. It tastes really good. But I don’t think I will make it again. I have had trouble in the past making cakey texture desserts. I made this in a Pyrex large oblong dish. Something about the glass and the temperature and the timing not right. I followed the ingredients. I added two tablespoons of almond butter after I finished the can of pumpkin. Too much work for me. Thank you Katie, I enjoy your other recipes. The pumpkin snack cake and the bean brownies come out perfect. As does the coconut butter which makes anything come alive with flavor with a low glycemic index. Although I do have consistency issues with the coconut butter as well. Comes out more liquid. Adding two, then one tablespoon of coconut oil. I may add none the next time. See what that does. Then hardened, then warm up and it’s fine. Just this cakey issue. My bad.
HI Lauren. I made these last night and had the same problem with the time. After all the pulling out to check, leaving them in a hot oven with the temperature off, turning the oven back on, putting them back in, I think I finally landed on baking them closer to 45 minutes at 350. I could see how the top got progressively baked so that was how I decided when to stop baking them. Someone else left a comment about using a glass baking dish (which is what I used), and I agree that that might lengthen baking time for these. Also, although I used the 8-inch recommended baking dish, my brownies are deeper than how CCK’s look in her pictures, so maybe that has something to do with the baking time too.
I am not an everything-pumpkin person so I added sweetened dried cranberries, walnuts and white chocolate chips to the batter. And because these were called Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Brownies, I added cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger as well. They are very fudgy and gooey. But I would rather have my pumpkin-loving kids taste test them to decide if I keep the recipe.
Thank you for asking about the two ingredients. I was unclear, too, and I also didn’t want to be the first dummy.
Hi Katie,
I have made these a few times, and for some reason they take almost 20 minutes longer to bake than the recipe states. Any idea why this could be? They are delicious and gooey and wonderful, but at 23 minutes of baking, they are almost completely raw, with only the edges cooked.
Oven calibration? Climate?