I’ll show you how to make fudgy pumpkin brownies with only 2 ingredients! A box of brownie mix and a can of pumpkin purée are all you need, and these brownies come out super moist and delicious. Perfect for a fall dessert table!
With fall arriving, you might also love these pumpkin cream cheese bars, chewy pumpkin cookies, and soft-baked pumpkin blondies. If you’re looking for an easy shortcut to chocolate brownies, check out my cake mix brownies recipe.
Sweater weather is around the corner, and it’s honestly the best for baking! I’m sharing my semi-homemade shortcut to extra fudgy brownies with today’s pumpkin brownies recipe. Like my cake mix pumpkin cookies, these brownies need only 2 ingredients, including a box of brownie mix and pumpkin purée. These brownies are full of rich, fudgy chocolate flavor and just the right touch of comforting pumpkin warmth.
The Magic of This Pumpkin Brownies Recipe
- 2 ingredients. This is the EASIEST brownie recipe ever. Of all time. Combine a box of brownie mix with a can of pumpkin, and bake!
- Ultra-moist and fudgy. Pumpkin adds loads of moisture to these bars. The flavor isn’t super pronounced, but the texture is unmatched. You can always spice them up with a pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.
- Make them your own. These pumpkin brownies are delicious as-is, and they’re even better frosted with creamy pumpkin spice frosting. I include the recipe below.
Grab These 2 Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need for these easy pumpkin brownies. Scroll to the printable recipe card for the full recipe amounts and details.
- Brownie Mix – You’ll need one family-sized (19.5-ounce) box of your favorite chocolate brownie mix. I use the Chocolate Fudge brownie mix from Pillsbury. You can use any brand you prefer.
- 100% Pumpkin Purée – Pumpkin makes these chocolate brownies all sorts of gooey and dense, in the best way. Not to mention the added flavor! Make sure you’re using pure canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling (they’re surprisingly easy to mix up, and pie filling will NOT work in this recipe).
Optional Pumpkin Spice Frosting
Before we continue, I’m not saying that you need to frost your brownies. But have you ever met a brownie that wasn’t improved by a thick layer of homemade frosting? To make a simple pumpkin spice frosting, you will need:
- Butter – To make the butter easier to mix, take it out of the fridge ahead of time so it softens to room temperature.
- Powdered Sugar – Also called confectioner’s sugar. If you have granulated white sugar but not powdered sugar in the pantry, add the sugar to a high-powered blender and blend to create a fine powder.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice – This is a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves that you’ll find in pumpkin pie. Apple pie spice shares many of the same spices and is a good substitute in a pinch.
If you’d prefer, you could always slather these pumpkin brownies with chocolate cream cheese frosting or top them with my 2-ingredient chocolate frosting.
How to Make Pumpkin Brownies
I promised the easiest brownie recipe of all time, and I’m here to deliver. Here’s how to make the best pumpkin brownies in 3 quick steps.
- Prepare for baking. Preheat the oven to 350°F while you line a baking pan with foil. I recommend greasing the foil with cooking spray, too, for extra fuss-free removal.
- Mix the brownie batter. Add the dry brownie mix and pumpkin purée to a bowl, and mix until smooth.
- Bake! Pour the batter into your prepared pan and spread it around evenly. Bake at 350ºF for about 20-30 minutes. Once the center is set, take the brownies out and let them cool.
Frost the Brownies
If you’re frosting your pumpkin brownies, you’ll need to wait until they’re cooled completely. To make a quick pumpkin spice frosting:
- Cream together the butter and pumpkin spice, then add in the powdered sugar. Beat until the frosting is fluffy.
- Spread the frosting on top of the cooled brownies.
Tips for the Best Pumpkin Brownies
- Use real pumpkin purée. It’s very important to use 100% canned pumpkin purée. Pumpkin pie filling comes with thickeners and sweeteners already added, and doesn’t work in this recipe.
- Don’t overmix the brownie batter. These brownies are already denser than regular chocolate brownies, thanks to the pumpkin puree. Because of this, avoid overmixing the brownie ingredients! This ensures that your brownies still turn out soft and fudgy, and not overly chewy.
- These brownies are fudgy rather than cakey. Following the point above, if your brownies turn out cakey, this could be due to overmixing or overbaking. These pumpkin brownies are finished baking when a toothpick stuck into the center of the pan comes out clean.
Try These Variations
- Chocolate chip pumpkin brownies. Add a handful of semisweet, white, or dark chocolate chips.
- Pumpkin spice brownies. Spice up your chocolate pumpkin brownies with cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin pie spice.
- Add nuts. Fill these pumpkin brownies with pecans for crunch. Or, add 1/4 cup of your crushed nuts of choice to the batter. Walnuts and almonds are also good options.
- Top with caramel sauce. Add a generous drizzle of microwave caramel sauce or pumpkin spice caramel sauce.
- More mix-ins. Chop up your favorite candy bars (Snickers, Reese’s, Butterfingers, etc.), or add in M&Ms for a pop of color!
- Make them spooky. Make Halloween pumpkin brownies with frosting (colored orange and topped with sprinkles so it’s extra festive!).
How to Store Pumpkin Brownies
- Store airtight. Store these brownies airtight on the countertop for up to 4 days. They’ll be at their freshest within the first 1-2 days. You can also keep them in the fridge; however, this dries out the texture a little.
- Can I freeze pumpkin brownies? These pumpkin brownies freeze well for up to 3 months. Freeze the brownies in a freezer-safe container, freezer bag, or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. If you’re layering these when freezing, I do recommend placing a piece of parchment paper between layers. Thaw the brownies at room temperature, and enjoy.
More Brownie Recipes to Try
Pumpkin Brownies
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 25 brownies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Make fudgy, 2-ingredient pumpkin brownies with a box of brownie mix and a can of pumpkin purée. These easy brownies are perfect for a fall dessert table!
Ingredients
For the Brownies
- 1 “Family Size” box (19.5 oz) brownie mix
- 1 (15 oz) canned pumpkin puree
For the Frosting (optional)
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a 9×9 pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
- In a bowl, mix the brownie mix and pumpkin until smooth.
- Spread batter into the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until set.
- Let cool completely. Frost if desired.
Add the Frosting (Optional)
- Cream butter and pumpkin pie spice until smooth.
- Turn the mixer to low and add powdered sugar.
- Turn the mixer up to medium and beat until fluffy.
- Spread the frosting over the brownies, if desired.
The most disgusting thing I’ve ever eaten. Brownies taste only of squash. The texture is off-putting but the flavor is definitely the worst part, can’t bring myself to eat any more of it. A shame and a waste of brownie mix.
The texture is somewhere between fudge and a cosmic brownie. My guys didn’t care for them, but I thought they were DELICIOUS. I did not frost them, because I don’t like super sweet desserts. These were very rich and chocolatey, the perfect cure for my chocolate craving. I thought there was a slight pumpkin aftertaste, but otherwise I couldn’t taste it. Let’s just say leftovers were not a problem.
Using only 2 ingredient making brownies wow that really awesome
You get 25 brownies from a 9×9 pan? That is a bit deceiving.
HORRIBLE!~!~! Don’t waste your fall pumpkin, OR your box of brownie mix!~!~ 1 bite each, and we dumped the entire pan!
Hello! I discovered this while searching for something to bake to take my mind off not likely to are a bonfire! I determined this could be perfect to bake dinner. So that I can not wait to find baking, I love Halloween and drop. I’m going to use store bought icing because I do not have one of these mixes items.
Thanks,
Jason
Thank you! This is a wonderful recipe that is wonderfully delicious! I love chocolate and pumpkin together! I’m thinking the brownies need the pumpkin pie spice and a splash of vanilla extract or almond extract! I love uncommon flavor combinations!
I made this exactly as written except when it came to the frosting (more on that later). I am hard put to describe the finished product. I guess I would call it a chocolate pumpkin pound cake. it is very dense and chewy. I love all food so I liked this but I am leery to see how my guests will like it when I serve it at a party tonight. the density is not quite a fudge, not quite a brownie, and definitely not a cake – as I said, it is just odd (but I like it) Now for the frosting… when I read it I thought ‘this is just your basic buttercream frosting’ but then when I went to make it I noticed it didn’t call for any milk or any liquid. I tried it as written and as a previous reviewer said, there was no spreading this as made. I went back to the mixer and added about 2 Tablespoons of milk and brought it up to barely spreading consistency. then I tasted it and remembered why I stopped making buttercream frosting. It is cloyingly sweet. I will probably not make this again – Why waste a good brownie mix? – but it was a fun idea and lord knows, it was easy enough to make!
So, the “Family Size” brownie mixes are no longer 19.5 oz, they’re 18.4 oz. Which can probably throw off the consistency and how moist these are. I’d take 1-2 tablespoons or so of the pumpkin out of the can first. I would definitely add a little pumpkin spice to the mix. As for the frosting, I don’t know if it’s because I made a double batch of the frosting (since I made 2 pans of brownies) or what, but it’s SUPER thick and won’t spread. Adding milk will help soften it up, And if doing a double batch, I’d stick to the same amount of pumpkin spice…it’s REALLY strong. If buttercream frosting is too sweet for you, get the cream cheese canned frosting, dump it into your mixing bowl, add a bit of the pumpkin spice and blend it together…then it’s a 2 ingredient brownie, and a 2-ingredient frosting. 🙂 The texture of the brownies is definitely different…a little off putting to me personally (I have textural issues), but if you put it in the fridge to get cold, it then feels more like fudge and is easier to handle. Add white chocolate chips otherwise, to break up the texture. (but then it’s a 3-ingredient recipe)
Terrible! Can’t even taste the pumpkin….