These cake mix brownies are the easiest brownie recipe made with 4 ingredients in under 30 minutes. Rich, fudgy and chewy, using a cake mix means you can whip up this crowd pleasing dessert anytime!
I love cake mix recipes for making cake mix cookies, cake mix cookie bars or chocolate cupcakes from cake mix in a fraction of the time!
Table of Contents
Best Fudgy Cake Mix Brownies
Brownies are my go-to dessert when a chocolate craving hits. Give me cosmic brownies, German chocolate brownies, or Oreo brownies and I’m in heaven!
While brownies from scratch are fantastic they take more time. Cake mix brownies are one of the easiest desserts and all you need is a box of chocolate cake mix!
I will show you how to make delicious fudgy brownies from a cake mix and once you learn this easy shortcut, you’ll always keep a boxed mix on hand to make chocolate dump cake or brownie mix cookies!
Recipe Ingredients
This cake mix brownie recipe only has 4 ingredients which is part of the reason why they’re so easy to make!
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Box devil’s food cake mix: Devil’s food flavor is darker than regular chocolate cake, but use whatever chocolate cake mix you have in your pantry.
- Salted butter: I use melted salted butter for its rich and delicious flavor, plus the salty butter balances the chocolate. If using unsalted, add a pinch of salt. The melted butter also helps to give the brownies a chewy, fudgy texture.
- Large eggs: If you’re baking a cake from a box, you’ll usually add 3 eggs, but we don’t want to make super cakey brownies, so I’ve reduced the number of eggs to 2.
- Chocolate chips: Adding semi-sweet chocolate chips gives brownies from cake mix a fudgier texture.
Substitutions and Variations
I’m giving you the basic recipe, but go ahead and customize these cake mix brownies to your own preferences. This recipe will work with different cake flavors and mix-ins.
- M&M: Mix in 1 cup M&M’s or do half chocolate chips.
- Different chips: Think toffee bits, peanut butter chips, or butterscotch chips.
- Nuts: Add about 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, peanuts, or pecans.
- Oreo: Add half the batter and press a layer of Oreos then spread the remaining batter on top.
- Caramel or Nutella: Add a layer of melted caramel as I do with my fudge caramel brownies or a swirl of Nutella like in these brownies using Nutella.
- Red velvet: Use a red velvet mix to make red velvet brownies and swap out chocolate chips for white chocolate chips. I also like making red velvet cake mix cookies.
- Blondies: Use a mix of yellow cake to make blondies.
How to Make Brownies from Cake Mix
This is a fool-proof one-bowl recipe that you can make in a matter of minutes. Grab a bowl and spoon and let me show you how making brownies from chocolate cake mix is done.
- Mix. Line a 9×9″ or 8×12″ pan with parchment paper. Whisk the eggs then pour the cake mix and melted butter on top and stir together lightly until just combined. Over mixing the dough can result in dry brownies. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Spread the dough. Press the thick brownie batter dough into the prepared pan until it covers the surface. Sprinkle on a few extra chocolate chips if you want your brownies to be extra chocolatey.
- Bake. Bake brownies at 350°F until a toothpick comes out clean. Keep an eye on them as they are baking as you don’t want them to brown.
- Cool. Remove from the oven and let your cake mix brownies cool for 15 minutes then remove them from the pan and slice them into 12 squares.
Expert Tips
- You can use a glass baking dish or metal baking pan to bake your cake mix brownies. Metal pans will give you slightly crispier edges.
- Lightly spray your hands or a rubber spatula with cooking spray to help spread the thick batter over the pan.
- Avoid over baking cake mix brownies by checking them before the finish time. They should look baked around the edges with the center looking slightly undone. They’ll continue to bake from residual heat in the pan after removing from the oven.
- Let the brownies cool completely before slicing them into squares. Running your knife under hot water before making the slices will give you cleaner edges.
Serving Suggestions
I’m all for enjoying these rich, chocolatey, and chewy brownies from cake mix as is, but they’re also amazing when they’re dressed up!
Top them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of hot fudge sauce and you have yourself a mouth-watering dessert! I’ve also served them with a dollop of whipped cream and some homemade caramel sauce as a sweet end to dinner. Delicious!
Do you like your brownies frosted? Try spreading on some chocolate buttercream or caramel cream cheese frosting to make them just a bit more decadent.
Recipe FAQs
Both mixes contain flour, flavor, and sweetener. Cake mix contains more leavening agent than brownie mix, so the cake will rise up more, but in this recipe, we reduce the number of eggs required for making a cake to help counteract the rise.
Using oil makes brownies fudgier while butter adds a richer flavor and gives them a touch more cakey texture. Because we add chocolate chips though, these brownies from a cake mix still turn out fudgy even when using butter!
Absolutely! Chocolate brownies are the traditional flavor, but you can follow this recipe using your favorite cake flavor. I use strawberry cake mix to make strawberry brownies!
Yes, you can also store them in an airtight container or freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Once you’re ready to serve them, remove them from the freezer and thaw them at room temperature.
I also like to warm them up for a few seconds in the microwave. It makes the middle even fudgier!
Storing
Store your cake mix brownies in a covered container to lock in the moisture. If you leave them exposed they’ll dry out too quickly. Keep them for up to 3 days at room temperature.
It’s best not to refrigerate your cake mix brownies. Storing them in the fridge can dry them out and they’ll become hard.
Need more cake mix recipes? Make lemon cake mix cookies, peach dump cake, or chocolate poke cake!
More Brownie Recipes
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Cake Mix Brownies
Video
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounce box devils food cake mix
- 7 Tablespoons salted butter , melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup chocolate chips , more for top if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9" or 8×12" pan with parchment paper and set aside. For a thinner brownie you can use a 9×13" pan.
- In a large bowl whisk together the 2 eggs. Then pour the cake mix and butter on top. Add a dash of vanilla if desired. Stir together slightly. Then add in the chocolate chips and mix just until combined.
- Scoop the dough into the prepared pan. The dough will be thick, so press down evenly with a piece of parchment paper, a spatula or the palm of your hand. Top with additional chocolate chips if desired. Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes clean. You don’t want them to brown.
- Allow to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then remove and slice into 12 squares.
Notes
- M&M: Mix in 1 cup M&M’s or do half chocolate chips.
- Nuts: Add in about 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Oreo: Add half the batter and the press a layer of oreos. The spread the remaining batter on top.
- Caramel: Add in a layer of melted caramel like I do with my fudge caramel brownies.
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!
Categorized as: Brownies, Desserts, Nut-Free, 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.
these were the best and i had to bake them again! turned out fluffier the 2nd time but used the some pan. why?
Without being in the kitchen right with you it’s hard to say, did you use the same brand of cake mix?
turned out so good!
So glad you enjoyed the cake mix brownies, Alexa!
Unfortunately I do not agree with the comments/ while this is an alternative- I feel the brownies did not come out like I expected them to from the reviews and I would not choose to use this recipe again- they are very cake like, not the rich fudge-y expectation set, they are much dryer. I followed the recipe to a tee, I’m not knocking the recipe- it’s just not something I would do when I realize I don’t have a brownie mix in the cupboard again- I’ll run to the store.
Sorry to hear that they didn’t turn out to your liking, everyone’s taste are a bit different.
Great recipe, and easy peasy!
Easy peasy, love it! Thanks for the review!
I baked it for the recommended time & it was still nit cooked inside. It took another 20 minutes at least. Why would that be?
All oven temperatures run a bit differently as well as pan size can make a difference in baking time, thicker bars will cook longer, thinner bars will bake faster. As with most brownies, they will continue to cook after removing from the oven as well.
Love the flavor. I had to make adjustments to the next batch. I did 4 tblsp salt free butter and 4 tablsp vegie oil… the cake mix had plenty of salt. Also, used 3 yolks and only 1 egg white as whites tend to dry the brownie.
Baked at 350 for only 20 minutes.
Yummy!! Added vanilla, used a full stick of butter, and underbaked them! Thank you for a quick and easy alternative when you’re pressed for time!
I made these tonight, and they are delicious and very simple to make.
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.
These cake mix brownies Is super easy to make! It turned out so fudgy and yummy! It’s the best!
It doesn’t get much easier than these! The kids loved them, the perfect snow day treat!
They turned out rich, fudgy, and chewy. I added caramel on some and that was really good! Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the brownies Nessa :)
Followed the recipe almost exactly (added a bit of oil to moisten it up) and it definitely turned out more cake-like than brownie. Good flavor, but I feel like I need to add frosting to really enjoy it.
I’ll give it 5 stars because it’s chocolate. I made this, it’s cooling now. Baked 24 minutes. Doesn’t look dry around the edges. Added chopped walnuts and 2 capfuls of vanilla. Will make again.
Great simple easy brownie hack! I cooked a little too long (24 min) so it was dry around the edges, but would make again.
I am so glad that you loved the simplicity of these brownies!
Very yummy but I followed the recipe exact and it felt like my brownies were more on the cake side. I’m not a huge fan of chocolate chips in desserts so I reduced that but given the ability to substitute it i didn’t think it would make as huge of a difference.
Yes, made with a cake mix will give a slight cake vibe, the chocolate chips do help with the fudgier texture though. Thanks for the review!
Gooey, chocolate-y, & so yummy!! These are super easy to make & everyone loves them!!
Brownies are one thing I always struggle to get right – this brownie recipe came out PERFECTLY. I am never making brownies any other way ever again.
That makes me so happy! So glad you enjoyed the cake mix brownies!
Well these were super easy to make! I wanted to make brownies but didn’t have a mix… so this cake one came out great!