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This homemade Chocolate Brownies recipe is the only recipe you'll ever need. They are fudgy, chewy, and made with simple pantry ingredients in just one bowl.
The Easy Brownie Recipe You'll Memorize
The Easy Brownie Recipe You'll MemorizeI am picky about brownies, and these are IT for me! They are everything a good brownie should be: rich, fudgy, and packed with deep chocolate flavor. We enjoy them plain, dusted with powdered sugar, or topped with rich chocolate frosting! My kids favorite is this brownie recipe topped with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce, for a brownie sundae. I love this brownie recipe to make Mint Brownies.
Don't miss my other brownie recipes, like Lemon Brownies, Zucchini Brownies, Banana Bread Brownies, Peanut Butter Brownies, Peppermint Brownies, German Chocolate Brownies, or Mississippi Mud Brownies!
How To Make Chocolate Brownies From Scratch:
Make Batter: In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and oil then stir in eggs, mixing after each one. Whisk in cocoa powder until it's well incorporated. Add salt, flour, and vanilla then stir until combined.
Bake: Pour into a 9×13 baking dish and bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. I know you'll want to cut into them immediately after baking, but I think they are best after they have cooled completely.
Frost (optional): If you'd like frosting, follow the instructions below to make it and frost the tops of the brownies only after they have cooled completely. Enjoy!
Homemade Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
Brownies:
- 1 cup oil*, canola, avocado or vegetable oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Frosting (optional):
- 1/2 cup butter, , room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- pinch of salt
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5-6 Tablespoons milk, (or half and half, or cream)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix sugar and oil in a mixing bowl. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg is added. Add vanilla.1 cup oil*, 2 cups granulated sugar, 4 large eggs, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- Add dry ingredients: cocoa powder, salt, flour, and stir until combined.6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- Bake: Pour batter into a greased 9×13'' baking pan and spread into an even layer. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool completely before frosting.
- For the Frosting: Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add cocoa powder and salt and mix until well combined. Add vanilla. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, mixing well until you reach your desired frosting consistency. Spread frosting over cooled brownies.½ cup butter, ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, pinch of salt, 2-3 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 5-6 Tablespoons milk
- Store brownies in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe in April 2015. Updated January 2019, March 2024 and March 2026.
If you changed the unsweeted cocoa powder to using chocolate how would that change the recipe
That’s a big change and we would need to test it to make a solid recommendation. If you want to test it yourself, I’d start with 3 oz unsweetened baking chocolate (or 4 oz semi-sweet) and mix it in with the oil/sugar/eggs. If using semi-sweet, I’d also reduce the sugar by 2–4 Tablespoons since the chocolate is sweetened.
I made these for the first time yesterday! I brought them to a dinner with friends — everyone had at least two! So delicious and moist! Very easy to make!
These brownies aren’t chocolaty enough for me. The texture was good, although more cakey than I prefer. No shiny top crust. Just okay for me.
This is a simple recipe good brownies but they need to bake for almost 60 minutes. After 40 minutes they are still not done enough to suit me. I might try this one again.
before we even took them out the oven, they smelled like an overcooked mcdonald’s fry. after taking it out and tasting it, it tasted like a chocolate egg brick.
If they smelled like overcooked fries, it’s probably the oil — make sure it’s fresh and neutral (like canola or veg). Old or strong oil = off taste.
Hi, I would like to use a a mega cookie sheet 21×15, do you recommend doubling or tripling the recipe?
I appreciate any input! Thank you 🤗
Great question! I’d recommend tripling the recipe for a 21×15 pan to get a nice thick brownie layer. Can’t go wrong with more brownie!
Excited to try these! I do have a question – what would you recommend for bake time if what you have available is an outside cooking grill? I do have a couple of cast iron pans.
I appreciate any input! Thank you! 🙏🏼
Set your grill to around 350°F and use indirect heat (turn on one side of the grill and place the pan on the other). Cover the grill to mimic an oven. Check them around 25–35 minutes in, depending on how hot your grill runs. You want the center just set and a toothpick to come out with a few moist crumbs. Keep the lid closed as much as possible to hold in the heat.
This is my go-to brownie recipe. I like it just as it is written!
Its become a staple to my boyfriend lunch box. I make it at least a few times a mo.th This and her home made bread 😋.
First batch 99.9% the perfect brownie. Second batch added 2 tablespoons expresso powder with the cocoa. Absolutely perfect to us now! Great recipe!