Equal parts chocolatey goodness and pumpkin make these brownies a dessert recipe that’s always a hit.
The Best Pumpkin Brownies
These pumpkin brownies are rich with the perfect balance of pumpkin in every bite. The swirl makes these the best dessert around, as unique as they are delicious, and always a hit anywhere I bring them.
If you’re anything like me and you go all out in the fall and make pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin scones, or get fancy with your creme brulée, then these brownies are right up your alley.
Ingredients
These brownies are made with a bar of bittersweet chocolate (not powder) melted with butter. Then, you’ll create the batter with all-purpose flour, baking powder to make it rise, salt, sugar, eggs for structure, vanilla, canned pumpkin pureé (not pie filling), vegetable oil, and pumpkin spice or cinnamon.
How to Make Pumpkin Brownies
Check out the steps to make these pumpkin swirl brownies and then take a look at the short video in the recipe card:
- Melt the chocolate and butter.
Use a heat-proof bowl to melt them over a hot water bath. - Make the batter base.
While the chocolate melts, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in one bowl. Then, in a large bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, and vanilla until fluffy. Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture and combine. - Divide and combine.
Divide this batter base into two bowls. Add the melted chocolate to one bowl and combine. Add the pumpkin, oil, and pumpkin spice to the other bowl and combine. - Make the pumpkin swirl brownies.
Pour the chocolate batter into a lined baking pan. Carefully spoon or pour the pumpkin batter over the chocolate brownie base, then gently swirl it around. - Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
Bake in a preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the pan comes out clean. Let the brownies cool before slicing.
Getting the Perfect Swirl
For a great swirl, divide the base batter in half. Mix the chocolate into one bowl and the pumpkin into the other. Spread the chocolate layer into the pan first, then spoon the pumpkin batter on top and gently drag a knife through both layers to create those pretty swirls without overmixing.
Can You Add Pumpkin to Boxed Brownies?
Yes! Make the boxed brownie batter as directed, divide it in half, and mix pumpkin and pumpkin spice into one bowl. Then, follow the layering directions and bake. The swirl will be darker than the from-scratch version, but the pumpkin flavor is the same.
More Pumpkin Desserts
If pumpkin is your jam, try my cream cheese frosted pumpkin cookies, this frozen pumpkin pie, or this pumpkin cookie dough dip as a snack.
Pumpkin Brownie Recipe
Watch how it’s made:
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups canned pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ teaspoon pumpkin spice*, or cinnamon
Instructions
Prep the oven:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 rectangular baking pan or dish with parchment paper or grease it with cooking spray.
Make the batter:
- Place the chocolate and the butter inside a heat-proof bowl. Fill a small saucepan halfway with water and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Set a heatproof bowl over the saucepan melt the chocolate and butter while stirring occasionally until melted and smooth. Turn off the heat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- Using a hand mixer in a large bowl or stand mixer, mix the sugar, eggs, and vanilla, on medium speed until fluffy and combined, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix to combine, stopping periodically to scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Divide the batter between 2 medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Add the chocolate mixture to one bowl and stir to combine.
- To the non-chocolate mixture, add the pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg and stir to combine.
Swirl it:
- Pour the chocolate batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Next, pour the pumpkin batter over the chocolate in a semi-swirl way. With a small spatula gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect.
Bake:
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until set and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the pan.
- Remove from the oven and allow the brownies to cool on a wire rack before cutting into 16 squares.
Notes
- Swap the ¾ teaspoon pumpkin spice for 1 teaspoon cinnamon + ¼ teaspoon nutmeg.
- Using a boxed brownie mix: you’ll only need canned pumpkin and pumpkin spice. Follow the directions in the box to make the brownie batter. Then, divide it into two bowls. Add the pumpkin puree and spice to one bowl, then follow the swirl directions and bake. Since brownie mixes have the chocolate already in the entire mix, the swirl batter will be a dark brown, not a light orange, as when making it from scratch, but the flavor is there.
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Barbara says
Very tasty and nice. I used Belgian chocolate and cultured butter for a lovely richness. BUT, a true brownie is shiny and crackled on top from melting the butter and sugar together at the start. This is more of a snack cake with a fluffiness from beating the eggs and sugar so long rather than a brownie. Layering the denser chocolate batter on the bottom and spreading the lighter pumpkin batter on top makes it hard to create a true marbling. The final cake is not so attractive since it is mostly the pumpkin batter with a dull finish. Could be corrected by frosting it. Brown butter frosting would be very nice.