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Pumpkin Swirl Brownies Recipe (With No Cream Cheese)

Fall is here, and that means I’m having fun with pumpkin puree. I may not like traditional pumpkin pie, but these pumpkin swirl brownies? Oh yes please!

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Delicious recipe pumpkin brownies

I’m currently on a “get it out of my house” spree. I am working on clearing out the clutter and getting rid of things, and the wee ones are helping me.

I realized I had four cans of pumpkin puree, so creating something with pumpkin became key. I wanted to make something unique and fun, but I wasn’t feeling too inspired. Finally I figured it out. The pumpkin swirl brownies I made were good.

Easy pumpkin swirl brownies recipe from scratch

I’d seen pumpkin brownies before, but they always had a cheesecake like layer swirled in. I wanted a more pure pumpkin taste for me.

Couple that with the fact that I don’t love cream cheese anyway, and this pumpkin batter won my heart.

Mister Man already asked if I can make it again, and my husband kept taking “little” pieces from the pan. Did I mention that none of us like pumpkin pie?

Delicious pumpkin swirl brownies

Looking for more pumpkin inspiration?

You may want to try my chocolate chip pumpkin bread, pumpkin scones, pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, and of course pumpkin muffins.

Why Do You Need an Extra Bowl for the Pumpkin Swirl Brownies?

These brownies rely on a single batter you divide partway through the recipe to create a pumpkin batter and a brownie batter. This means an extra dirty dish, but the cleanup is worth it!

When you separate the batters, don’t divide them in half to start. Instead, make sure you have approximately one-third in one bowl and two-thirds in the other.

This ensures you get the pumpkin flavor in the brownies and helps ensure you don’t end up with one dry dough and one very thin batter.

After you mix the pumpkin puree into the larger bowl, then you pour from that bowl into the smaller bowl to get more of a 50/50 split. The bowl with the newly added batter gets the cocoa added to it to create your delicious brownie base.

But let’s get back to the beginning.

What kind of pumpkin should I use for baking?

When you bake, you want to use pumpkin puree in a can or make your own pumpkin puree from a pie pumpkin.

Whatever you do, do not use pumpkin pie filling. That has all sorts of spices and sweeteners and more added to it, and it will not work for recipes that call for pumpkin or pumpkin puree.

Is canned pumpkin puree really pumpkin?

The answer is yes and no. Squash and pumpkin are closely related, and the USDA defines canned pumpkin as either pumpkin or squash.

Many brands use winter squash in their canned pumpkin, which works in baking recipes. That said, if you want the real pumpkin flavor, Libby’s uses only pumpkin and I can taste the difference.

This is why many people like to make their own pumpkin puree. However, the challenge with this is that fresh pumpkins vary significantly in their water content, so you can end up with puree that has more or less water than you expect, a problem when you bake.

Forget the time it takes to make my own pumpkin puree, the inconsistency is the biggest reason I use canned pumpkin whenever I bake.

How to Make Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Start by preheating your oven to 350. Make this recipe in an 8×8 pan, and line it with parchment paper for easy removal.

You don’t need to grease the parchment paper, which I appreciate. I tried making this in a 9×13 pan with a larger recipe, but it didn’t bake evenly.

In your large bowl, mix together melted butter, both sugars, and the vanilla until well beaten. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Mix in the baking powder and salt, then add the flour and stir until just combined.

This is when you separate the batter into two bowls as I described above, one that has about two-thirds of the batter and the other with one-third.

Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin puree to the larger bowl, and mix until just combined. Scoop some of that batter into the bowl with less batter until the bowls are about even again.

In the second bowl where you just added some of the pumpkin batter, add the cocoa and half the chocolate chips. Stir until just combined.

Place half the chocolate batter into greased pan. Add spoonfuls of pumpkin mixture atop it. Spoon remaining chocolate atop that.

Alternate pumpkin and brownie batter

Use a spatula carefully swirl it up just a little bit. Add remaining chocolate chips atop the batter.

Use spatula to swirl pumpkin brownie batter

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes – until your tester comes out clean. Let it cool fully in the pan, then cut into 16 squares and serve.

Baked pumpkin swirl brownies from scratch

Store your pumpkin swirl brownies in a tightly sealed container on the counter for 2-3 days or freeze up to a month.

Me? I plan to bring these to our teacher dinner during conferences – if I have any left, that is!

Bite of homemade pumpkin swirl brownie

Have you ever tried pumpkin swirl brownies? What’s your brownie weakness?

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Yield: 24 brownies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Enjoy these delicious and easy pumpkin swirl brownies this fall. Made without cream cheese, they are rich and fudgy brownies with fantastic flavor.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350, and line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.
  2. Mix together melted butter, sugar, and vanilla until well beaten. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the baking powder and salt and mix well again. Add the flour and mix until just combined.
  3. Separate the batter into two bowls, one that has about 2/3 of the batter (bowl 1) and the other with 1/3 (bowl 1). Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin puree to the bowl with 2/3 of the batter and mix until just combined. Take some batter from bowl 1 and add it to bowl 2 until the batter is evenly split between the bowls.
  4. In bowl 2, add the cocoa and half the chocolate chips and stir until just combined.
  5. Place half the chocolate batter into greased pan. Add spoonfuls of pumpkin mixture atop it. Spoon remaining chocolate atop that. Use a spatula carefully swirl it up just a little bit. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
  6. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes - until tester comes out clean. Let it cool fully in the pan, then cut into squares and serve.
  7. Store in a tightly sealed container on the counter for 2-3 days or freeze up to a month.

Notes

  • This recipe does not double well to make it in a 13x9 pan instead of an 8x8 pan. If you double it, bake it in two 8x8 pans instead.
  • Fore more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 brownie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 154Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 67mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 2g

This site uses an outside source to provide nutrition. If you need exact details, please calculate yourself.

Did you make this recipe?

Please rate the recipe above and save it on Pinterest so you can find it to make again and again. Leave me a comment to let me know what you think about it, too!

Need some other brownie recipes? Check out some of my favorites:

Homemade pumpkin swirl brownie recipe from scratch. This recipe uses no cream cheese and has a deep pumpkin flavor coupled with a rich, fudgy chocolate. This dense brownie is not at all cake like. Perfect fall dessert recipe!

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  1. […] the large can. Fortunately, there are so many other pumpkin recipes out there. I used mine to make pumpkin swirl brownies that I plan to freeze and use for the teacher dinners, too. I debated making my favorite pumpkin […]

  2. […] rounded out our lunch with homemade sandwiches and my pumpkin swirl brownies, and for less than $40, I fed 20+ people with […]

  3. Dawn Conklin says:

    I am that person who goes nuts for pumpkin stuff as soon as fall approaches. I don’t like pumpkin spice lattes tho surprisingly, just pumpkin baked goods. This will be a nice treat with a mix of chocolate!! Can’t wait to try these.

  4. Yum! I cannot get enough pumpkin!

  5. […] favorite flavors in a little different way. I rounded out our lunch with homemade sandwiches and my pumpkin swirl brownies, and for less than $40, I fed 20+ people with […]

  6. […] I don’t like pumpkin. Pumpkin pie? No thank you. But make it into a hint of a flavor like the pumpkin swirl brownies I make or pumpkin muffins and I’m happy. I don’t quite get it myself, but I’m […]

  7. […] archives in the hopes that I had posted the recipe and I could simply remake it found a recipe for pumpkin swirl brownies from around the right time, but I didn’t feel like making those – and I didn’t […]

  8. Michelle says:

    Cris – They are SO good. Sooooo good. I made more today for our Super Bowl party tomorrow.

  9. Cris Goode says:

    YUM! Thanks so much for posting this! Pinning it for future reference 😉

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