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 made these tonight (rice flour, coconut oil) and they were fantastic! Omitted the sugar (but stuck with Stevia) and the brownies were sweet to perfection. Living alone, I have no brothers (imaginary or otherwise) to blame for missing sweets so I halved the recipe, but still ate all! Strangely, I couldn’t really taste the pumpkin – instead, these reminded me of fudge. Thank you Katie!
How much rice flour and coconut oil did you use? Did you use all stevia- liquid or powder?
Hmm, this was a long time ago! I think I used 3 tbsp coconut oil and 1/32 tsp of uncut stevia. Good luck!
Hey Katie!
I had a brilliant idea today..what do you think of swirling together the brownie batter with the pumpkin bar batter and get a pumpkin-chocolate swirl bar?? Would that work?
That idea crossed my mind, too. I would LOVE to know if it works!! Please let me know if you try it! 🙂
Yum! These were really good. I am bringing them to a meeting tonight so I hope everyone likes them. The only thing I left out was the chocolate chips because I didn’t have any (sad, I know!).
Those look amazing! Brownies are my all time favorite dessert and I still haven’t found a vegan recipe that’s perfect. I’m going to try these 🙂
Katie!!
I made the brownies last night and they are awesome!! So fudgey and dense ((I used maple syrup))!! The only problem was ..this morning there were all but 3 pieces left :S :S ..so I made some more!! I had some leftover batter, so thought I would add a little more flour and drop of soy milk and make it into pancakes, and I have to tell you, fudgey-pancakes = amazing!!
This time when I made the brownies, I used agave nectar ((1/4 cup)), subbed about 1/3 of the cocoa for carob and used a full teaspoon of baking powder. The second batch is not quite as dense as the first and they were much easier to portion!!
Thank you for yet another super recipe, Katie!!
Keep up the good work 😉 😉 .
Hi Katie, i have some questions – can i use fresh pumpkin? I live in Hungary, so we have plenty of them at the moment, i’ve already tried some pumpkin pancakes with cheese (unfortunately, not vegan, but delicious anyway) and pumpkin muffins, and they were really good. What about rye flour? I can’t use wheat unfortunately.
Yes, you definitely can! Just be sure to puree it first (i.e. don’t stick it in there in chunks!).
I don’t think rye flour would taste very good in brownies… but I could be wrong!
Ok, we will see.. i’m baking it already and my kitchen smells with chocolate 🙂 i mixed rye with spelt flour, i’ll let you know how it worked 🙂
ok, i must say, this is absolutely delicious 😀
Awww yay!!
I am a new reader to your blog and just had to try this recipe today. Thanks so much – it was a BIG hit – even with my three teenage boys! I used dark chocolate almond milk and turbinado sugar and everything else you suggested and the brownies are rich and delicious! I did double the recipe and was able to make in a 9 X 9 square pan.
I can’t wait to try some of your oatmeal recipes.
Oh wow, I am so excited they liked it!!!
I have now made these five times. They are sooooo good. We also loved your 5 minute chocolate oatmeal – great pre-run fuel!
These have to be the BEST brownies I have ever made. They absolutely trump any boxed mix. I doubled the recipe, added a chia egg, used carob chips istead of chocolate, and used coconut sugar (I reduced the amount by 1/3 of a cup) and these are still incredibly sweet (to me at least). My little sister even likes them! She kept on asking for more 😀
Wow, that just makes me SO happy!!
mine barely made it into the oven! the batter was sooo good I can’t wait to taste the final product. it’s my 1st chocolate covered katie recipe!
do you think i could use all stevia? they look so yummy!!
No. You need the sugar or maple (I only use half a cup) for right consistency.