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
How big of a batch does this make? I saw someone doubled it for a 9×9 pan, should I triple it if aiming for a 9×13 baking dish??
One recipe will fill up 1/2 an 8×8 pan :).
Emily, I doubled the recipe, used a 9×13 pan and it is approx 1″ thick. HTH
Used a mini muffin pans, made them into brownie bites. DELICIOUS.
And used 1/2 the sugar called for, added some cinnamon and ginger and nutmeg for a more pumpkin-y flavor. So fudge-y and delicious! Didn’t even need the chocolate chips (though of course added them to half the final products anyways. My half!) Thanks Katie!!
How long & what temp, for the mini muffins?
I just made these and they turned out a LOT more “fudgy” than solid brownie- had a really battery consistency…I did not use pastry flour …I usually use soy flour…would that have done it?
I used oat flour…mine took 43 minutes to cook into a “brownie.” But, it is very tasty. Could be used for so many things….
Awwhh! I want one of those RIGHT NOW! 😀
Katie, I don’t know why I ever doubt you! I searched for 2 days trying to find a good GF/SF vegan brownie recipe and I always came back to your recipe, my only hesitation was whether or not my GF mix would work with this. (We can’t have oats) I need something thick that I can make Christmas Tree’s out of and after much debate, I figured, Katie has never done me wrong yet so I made yours. O-M-G! I doubled the recipe, using a 9×13 pan, used all sugar and the oil and these are DELICIOUS! My only problem (besides trying to keep from eating the whole thing) is that I think 1 c. of choc chips is too much for this recipe (is that even possible to have too much choc? I know you’ll say no! lol)
It is cooling now and I’m hoping they stiffen up some cuz as they are right now, they’ll be too gooey to make the trees. I’ll put them in the freezer in about an hr and see if that stiffens them up more, but hey, if nothing else, ill eat this whole thing by myself (guess ill give a little to the kids) and make another batch with a bit less liquid. But yours looks pretty tight, like sticking a candy cane in them won’t affect it at all, I hope mine firm up like yours (or maybe I don’t 😉 )
As always, AMAZING!
Hmmm… lol I like mine gooey, but they do firm up a little in the fridge. I hope they firmed up enough for you! (You can also cook them longer, to get a less gooey texture.)
No no no, there is no such thing as too much chocolate ;).
Well, I froze them and that worked some. They did firm up some, and for the record, I also prefer mine gooey but gooey doesn’t work when you shove a candy cane in it lol I had to make another batch and, again I doubled it but this time I used 4TB oil and 1/2 c total of choc chips. The result, it was too “cakey” and wanted to fall apart. Of course me paying absolutely NO attention to what I was doing, and when I flipped it from pan to platter, I turned my head. What do you imagine happened? Yeah, totally missed the pan and all I could salvage for trees was the ends of it. but thats ok. cuz now we have an entire 9×13 pan from the scraps of both lol ask us if we mind 🙂
Just made a double batch of these and I’m in love! I officially have a new all-time favorite brownie recipe 🙂
I just put these in the oven! So excited to see how they turned out! Instead of chocolate chips, I made your 3 ingredient chocolate bar recipe and broke up some of that into the recipe… only 8 more mins till ima have warm gooey brownies 😀
These are great – thank you for sharing the recipe! I love pumpkin and I love brownies & the gremlins in my tummy demand low fat and dairy/soy free — perfect solution.
It would be nice if you offered a printable form of your recipes. If you do I’m not seeing it.
It’s on my list of changes to make when I get a chance :).
Katieeee!!!! This morning when I looked in the cupbard I caught a glimpse of that chestnut puree and thought “there was something I wanted to try with this..” and then remembered I wanted to try THIS recipe, subbing it for the pumpkin, and well, this comment is actually more of a warning….
IT SO DIDN’T WORK!!!! I’ve just taken the tray out of the oven and the mess looking back at me is so ugly!! Haha, so, until I know what I CAN do with the puree, I think I’ll stick with pumpkin for this recipe 🙂 – original is best!!