These red velvet brownies are rich, fudgy and topped with cream cheese frosting. They are the best combination of moist, chewy brownies and vibrant red velvet cake.
Table of Contents
Red Velvet Brownies
Brownies are everything I love in a dessert. Moist, fudgy, rich, and loaded with chocolate flavor. Traditional homemade brownies are usually my favorite, but these red velvet brownies with cream cheese frosting are such a fun treat for holidays or special occasions.
They’re perfectly dense and chewy with a bold chocolate flavor from the cocoa powder. The rich cream cheese frosting is the perfect compliment on top. The vibrant red color makes them the perfect Valentine’s Day dessert, your sweetheart won’t be able to resist them!
Ingredient Notes
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Salted butter: Adds moisture and richness to the brownie batter, if using unsalted butter add a pinch of salt to the batter. You can use vegetable oil if preferred.
- Sugar: Sweetness added in!
- Eggs: This helps with the moist texture.
- Red food coloring: Brings in rich color and helps when baking in case the color lightens up. Use red gel food coloring for a richer color.
- Vanilla extract: A teaspoon for extra flavor!
- Flour: This will help build up the batter and give it structure when baking.
- Cocoa powder: This is a hidden ingredient for red velvet brownies! It adds a mild chocolate flavor, you can use natural cocoa or Dutch-processed cocoa powder.
- Cream cheese frosting: Cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and butter.
How to Make Red Velvet Brownies
These red velvet brownies are amazing! Every step is easy to make and comes together quickly. When you are in need of a quick brownie recipe, this is the one to make!
- Batter. Start by making the batter. Using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar, then mix in the eggs, red food coloring, and vanilla until combined.
- Mix. Pour in the flour and cocoa powder and continue mixing just until combined. Then pour the red velvet brownie batter into a prepared baking pan.
- Bake. Bake in the oven at 350°F for about 30 minutes. To test if the brownies are done, stick a toothpick in the center to make sure it comes out clean with only a few moist crumbs. Then transfer the pan to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Frosting. Make the cream cheese frosting, then using a rubber spatula evenly spread it on top of the cooled brownies with a spatula. Then use a knife to cut them into 16 squares.
Tips and Variations
- Chocolate chips. You can fold in 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips for more chocolate flavor.
- Don’t over-mix. Mix just until combined. Overmixing causes the brownies to dry out.
- Let cool. Although it’s tempting, make sure to let the brownies cool completely before enjoying them. Not only will the frosting melt if they are still warm, but the brownies might crumble.
- Frosting. While the cream cheese frosting is by far my favorite, you may also use a classic buttercream, sour cream frosting, or marshmallow frosting.
- Cheesecake swirl. Instead of the frosting, try adding a cheesecake swirl as I did with these cheesecake brownies.
- Best way to cut brownies. Use a plastic knife (instead of a silver knife) to cleanly cut the brownies into squares.
- Doubling. You can double the recipe and cook in a larger 9×13″ pan if desired. They may need to bake a few minutes longer, so use the toothpick method to double-check that they are done.
Love red velvet? Try these red velvet cake mix cookies, too!
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Red Velvet Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Red Velvet Brownies
- ½ cup salted butter , softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2-3 teaspoons liquid red food coloring
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (110 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
Cream cheese frosting
- ¼ cup salted butter , softened
- 6 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9" baking pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar. Place the 1/2 cup softened butter and 1 cup sugar into a large bowl. Cream together with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes. Add in 2 large eggs, 2-3 teaspoons red food coloring and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix just until combined.
- Add dry ingredients. Pour in 3/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup cocoa powder and continue mixing just until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and then bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
Frosting
- Beat 1/4 cup butter and 6 ounces cream cheese in large bowl with an electric mixer. Slowly add 2 cups powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Once the brownies have cooled, frost the tops and then slice into 16 squares.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
FAQs
Red velvet brownies are a unique flavor with cocoa powder and pantry staples. The ingredients blend together well and make a delicious dessert. .
To make fudgy brownies, you need to have a higher fat-to-flour ratio compared to a cakey texture. Add in more fat if you are looking for more fudgy brownies. Adding in more butter and chocolate will help.
It is a very mild cocoa taste. Adding the cream cheese frosting is a balance of smooth, soft, moist, and decadent dessert.
Store your brownies in an airtight container either at room temperature or in the fridge. If you are storing it with the cream cheese frosting on top, store it in the refrigerator due to the dairy ingredients.
Categorized as: American, Bars, Brownies, Desserts, Kid-Friendly, Nut-Free, Valentine's Day, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
This recipe didn’t disappoint! It had just the right amount of sweetness. I used an 8 oz block of cream cheese. I’m making another batch tonight.
These turned out perfect and I couldn’t get over how amazing the cream cheese frosting tasted! Thanks for sharing.
So glad you enjoyed the red velvet brownies! Happy Valentine’s Day!
These are always on the menu for Valentine’s Day!! They are gooey & delicious!
10/10 My family loved these and gobbled them right up. They were the perfect treat for our Valentine’s Day shindig!
I made these for Valentine’s Day and they were a huge hit! So yummy.
Really good and really easy!
So glad you liked the brownies!
I love how easy and delicious this recipe is! So easy, in fact, that I think my kiddos and their dad can make it for me for Valentine’s Day! Delish!
I’ve had plenty of red velvet cakes, but this is my first time experiencing red velvet brownies!
I also love how the rich creamy frosting complements the brownie, tysm!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! :)
I have made these several times and they are always a hit! But, I have had to keep experimenting with the food coloring; not enough and they’re a weird color, too much and the baking time and texture are thrown off. Would love advice on how much to use!
Hi Laura! Sorry for the delayed response. I’ve found using Wilton food coloring gels adds a much better color. I usually start with a teaspoon and go from there.
This looks really wonderful and delicious… I saved this post.
Who can resist red velvet! These look decadently delicious!