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
The reasons I think i’m glad I only have a sister – although we both did some damage on sweets when they were around the house growing up!
Recipe looks creative and amazing…per your usual 🙂
Happy Friday Katie!
I have a little brother! Well he just turned 24 yesterday, so he’s not that little. But he’d eat all of those “extra” brownies 😉
Heyy Katie!!
Hmmm, I will gladly lend you my ((little!!??)) brother!! ((He’s 18 months younger than me ..but about 4 inches taller!! ..Plus he even looks older than me and I get asked for I.D all the time – very frustrating :S:S))
These brownies look great!! So ..fudgey, to sum um in one word!!
I’m in the UK and unfortunately we don’t seem to have canned/pureed pumpkin ((not that I can find, anyway :/:/)), which is so unfair!!
I have just bought come chestnut puree though, and I’m not too sure what to do with it yet.. It says on the tin that it goes well with chocolate so, I’m thinking maybe..
Chocolate-Chestnut Porridge ((Oatmeal))??
I’ve never bought it before, so shall have to experiment a bit. I don’t know if you have it there in the US, but please let me know if you do, and also any suggestions would be most helpful!!
Anyways, sorry for the long comment, I’m off now to work on my page a bit ((or try to – I haven’t quite got the hang of it yet :(:(.))
Ooh chestnut puree sounds fun! I love chestnuts. Don’t think I’ve ever tried the puree though…
Hey Jade, noticed you were in the UK (like me!) just wanted to let you know that you can buy pureed pumpkin online from various places- the best place i’ve found for ‘health food’ stuff is Goodness Direct. I’ve made a few things with it including the pumkin scones on my blog. anyway…hope that helps!
never met a pumpkin brownie I did not like! Looks great!
I made a pumpkin pie earlier today (and ate way too much), but now you have me craving pumpkin brownies! These look outstanding.
Heyy Katie!!
Hmmm, I will gladly lend you my ((little!!??)) brother!! ((He’s 18 months younger than me ..but about 4 inches taller!! ..Plus he even looks older than me and I get asked for I.D all the time – very frustrating :S :S ))
These brownies look great!! So ..fudgey, to sum um in one word!!
I’m in the UK and unfortunately we don’t seem to have canned/pureed pumpkin ((not that I can find, anyway :/ :/ )), which is so unfair!!
I have just bought come chestnut puree though, and I’m not too sure what to do with it yet.. It says on the tin that it goes well with chocolate so, I’m thinking maybe..
Chocolate-Chestnut Porridge ((Oatmeal))??
I’ve never bought it before, so shall have to experiment a bit. I don’t know if you have it there in the US, but please let me know if you do, and also any suggestions would be most helpful!!
Anyways, sorry for the long comment, I’m off now to work on my page a bit ((or try to – I haven’t quite got the hang of it yet 🙁 🙁 .))
Heyy Katie!!
Hmmm, I will gladly lend you my ((little!!??)) brother!! ((He’s 18 months younger than me ..but about 4 inches taller!! ..Plus he even looks older than me and I get asked for I.D all the time – very frustrating :O :O ))
These brownies look great!! So ..fudgey, to sum um in one word!!
I’m in the UK and unfortunately we don’t seem to have canned/pureed pumpkin ((not that I can find, anyway 🙁 🙁 )), which is so unfair!!
I have just bought come chestnut puree though, and I’m not too sure what to do with it yet.. It says on the tin that it goes well with chocolate so, I’m thinking maybe..
Chocolate-Chestnut Porridge ((Oatmeal))??
I’ve never bought it before, so shall have to experiment a bit. I don’t know if you have it there in the US, but please let me know if you do, and also any suggestions would be most helpful!!
Anyways, sorry for the long comment, I’m off now to work on my page a bit ((or try to – I haven’t quite got the hang of it yet .))
Hi! I’m in the UK too and have been getting my canned pumpkin from ocado.com. You can try Waitrose too! They should have some in stock around this time of year and that’s where I got it last year.
Hi Nicole, sorry for the late reply!!
Thank you so much for this :):) , we went out today and I got 3 cans of pumpkin from Waitrose!! Now I can try the recipes I have been so intrigued about on thus site :):) .Also, thank you Jo, I did look online and found a couple of websites with canned pumpkin, too (which I may just use once I get through these cans – which I have no doubt will be very long!! – as I’ve found Waitrose to be quite expensive.)
P.S. Sorry Katie, I didn’t realise before that my other comment appeared 3 times :-S:-S .
No worries!! Multiple comments are never a bad thing :).
These look so good…especially with the ice-cream. I might have to attempt making that first though!! I haven’t had ice-cream in a long time…but also haven’t had pumpkin in a long time either…hmm, decisions. You might have created a monster over here!
You’re killing me with all of these amazing pumpkin recipes!
You seriously are a genius, Katie. We aren’t worthy! 🙂
Yes! Keep on posting the pumpkin recipes. I know you said you worry about overwhelming us with pumpkin, but if your other recipes taste as good as this one does, there’s NO SUCH THING as too much pumpkin! 🙂
Oh man, aren’t brownies just the best thing ever? I have never met one I didn’t like :). Never thought of really combining chocolate and pumpkin but it sounds like a great idea!