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Red Velvet Brownies

Juliane Grasekamp author bio picture - founder of Bonni Bakery dessert recipe blog.
Updated: Published: By:
Makes: 16 brownies
Time : 40 minutes
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Red Velvet Brownies that actually taste like red velvet, without compromising on the fudgy brownie texture.

three red velvet brownies stacked on top of each other with cream cheese frosting.

Red Velvet Brownie Recipe Snapshot

What it is: The perfect combination of fudgy brownies and red velvet cake - topped with cream cheese frosting.

Why you'll love it: They have the unique flavor of red velvet, but are soft and fudgy, not cakey.

How to make it: Whisk melted butter and sugars together, then add the eggs, followed by wet, then dry ingredients. Colour the batter and bake. Top with cream cheese frosting.

Red velvet brownie from the side with cream cheese frosting on top to show perfect corner and fudgy texture.

Red Velvet Brownies should taste like red velvet - not just chocolate dyed red. The problem is, the ingredients that give that signature flavor often push the texture in the wrong direction, leaving you with something closer to cake bars than brownies.

I spent a full week testing different versions of this recipe to find the balance - getting that subtle cocoa flavour and slight tang, while keeping the rich, chewy texture a good brownie should have. Small tweaks to the ingredient ratios made a huge difference (you can see some of my test batches below).

Now I can show you how to make red velvet brownies that actually taste like red velvet, AND have the perfect chewy, fudgy bite.

Reader Review:

Oh my goodness! These are the absolute best red velvet brownies I have ever had. Sweet, chocolatey moist and dense at the same time . The chewiness is what really won me over though. My family loved these too.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Heidi

Jump to:

Why This Recipe Works

  • Balanced Fats: I used a combination of butter AND oil to make the perfect texture. Butter adds rich flavour and oil keeps them soft and moist, even after cooling. The extra egg yolk adds richness and creates a deliciously dense, chewy bite.
  • Cocoa Ratio: Red velvet isn't supposed to be chocolatey. Using just a small amount of cocoa powder gives that subtle chocolate note while letting the other flavors shine.
  • Brownie Method: Classic red velvet ingredients are combined using a melted butter method, rather than the creaming method. This limits air in the batter and is the key to a fudgy texture rather than a cakey crumb.
red velvet brownie with a bite taken out of it.

Ingredients

This red velvet brownie recipe uses simple ingredients, similar to what you'd find in red velvet cake, but tweaked for texture and homemade brownie perfection. 

Ingredients to make red velvet brownies - flour, butter, sugar, light brown sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, vinegar, salt, cocoa powder and red food coloring.
  • Unsalted Butter -  We'll use both butter and oil in these brownies to balance a rich flavor and fudgy texture.
  • White Sugar - Granulated sugar (Caster sugar in the UK).  
  • Light Brown Sugar - brown sugar adds depth of flavor, but the higher moisture content also contributes to that gooey brownie texture.
  • Eggs - We'll need whole eggs and an extra egg yolk on top for additional richness. Get some ideas for how to use extra egg white.
  • Vanilla - Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste for a base flavor.
  • Oil - I use vegetable oil, but you can use any neutral oil, like canola or sunflower oil. This helps keep the brownies gooey and moist. 
  • Cocoa Powder - Dutch-processed cocoa powder will help make your brownies fudgy rather than cakey. It also has a milder chocolate flavor that won't overpower everything else.
  • Flour - Regular all-purpose flour (plain flour) is best for the structure of the brownies.
  • Vinegar - The ingredient most recipes skip, and the one that makes these taste like red velvet. It adds a subtle tang and reacts with the cocoa to enhance the flavor. White vinegar or apple cider vinegar both work
  • Cornstarch - This will help keep the brownie soft and a little chewy. 
  • Red Food Coloring - Use a gel food coloring to make sure the color comes through after baking.
  • Cream Cheese - For the cream cheese frosting, use full-fat, not the spreadable kind.
  • Powdered Sugar - (icing sugar). You may need more or less, depending on how soft your cream cheese is.

See recipe card for the full recipe and quantities in both cups and grams (though I strongly recommend weighing your ingredients with a kitchen scale for this recipe).

Things You'll Need

  • Square Cake Pan - 8-inches / 20cm
  • Mixing bowls
  • Whisk
  • Rubber Spatula
  • Sieve

Reader Review:

These are delicious and easy to make and are now in my permanent recipe file. .. I like the way the recipe is written (with quantities listed under each instruction, making it easy to double-check quantities.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Lore

How To Make Red Velvet Brownies

These homemade red velvet brownies are super easy to make, and you don't need any fancy equipment.

Before beginning, preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C (160° fan) and line an 8-inch square cake pan with parchment paper. 

Butter + Sugars

Pour the melted butter into a large mixing bowl along with the white and brown sugar and whisk together just until combined.

melted butter, sugar and light brown sugar in a bowl to make red velvet brownies.

Wet Ingredients

Whisk in the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla, then add the oil and vinegar and whisk until glossy and smooth.

process shot of making red velvet brownies - eggs going into the batter.

Red Food Colouring

Take a couple of tablespoons of the batter and put them into a small bowl, add your red gel food coloring to this bowl and mix it in until the gel is all incorporated and there are no lumps. Add this mixture to the main bowl of batter and mix until combined.

red velvet brownie batter in a bowl.

Dry Ingredients

Sift the flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt together, then gently fold them into the batter in two batches, using a rubber spatula. Be very careful not to overmix here.

Optional: If you want to add white chocolate chips, fold them in now.

red velvet brownie batter in a mixing bowl, being mixed with a rubber spatula.

Bake

Pour the brownie batter into the prepared cake pan and bake until the edges are set and pulling away from the pan, and the centre still looks soft, but not wet.

Baking time will vary depending on your oven and pan, but mine takes roughly 20-25 minutes. If you insert a cake tester in the middle, it should come out with moist crumbs. The brownies will continue to bake as they cool.

Let them cool completely before decorating and slicing.

red velvet brownies batter in a lined baking pan, ready to be baked.

Decorate and Slice

Once the brownies are completely cool, remove them from the pan and cover with cream cheese frosting.

If you want some pretty red crumbs to sprinkle on top, cut a small slice off one end of the brownies before putting the frosting on. Crumble it up with your fingers and sprinkle on top for that classic red velvet cake look. 

Slice into 9 or 16 squares.

Red velvet brownies with cream cheese frosting, from above, being sliced into 16 small squares.

Getting the Perfect Brownie Texture

After testing a lot of small variations of this recipe, I was surprised by how much even tiny changes affected the final texture. Here are the key rules I found that make the biggest difference:

  • Use a scale:
    This is especially important for brownies. Even small differences in flour can completely change the texture from fudgy to cakey. The last two brownies in this picture had a difference of just 30g of flour. Cups are not consistent or accurate - use a scale if you want perfect bakes.
  • Don't overmix:
    Once the flour is added to the batter, fold it in gently just until there are no more dry streaks. Overmixing incorporates extra air and develops the gluten, which will make the brownies more cakey than fudgy.
  • Bake for texture, not time:
    Baking times vary depending on your oven and bakeware, so visual cues are more reliable than exact timing. These brownies are ready when the edges are set and pulling away from the edges, but the centre still looks a little soft. They continue to bake as they cool, so don't wait for them to look fully set or they will end up overbaked.
comparison image of various recipe iterations of red velvet brownies through the recipe development process.
Each of these versions of the red velvet brownies had the exact same ingredients, but with just small tweaks to the ratios and mixing methods.

Most Common Mistakes

These red velvet brownies have been one of the most popular recipes on my blog for the past 3 years, with over 400,000 of you baking them at home. While most people absolutely love them, I've also seen a small number of inconsistent results.

I've gone through your comments and questions to identify the most common issues, so you can avoid them and get perfect brownies on your first bake.

  • Cakey texture or dry brownies:
    Almost always caused by too much flour or overmixing the batter after the dry ingredients are added. Even a 1-2 tablespoons too much flour can significantly change the texture, which is why weighing your ingredients is so important for this recipe.
  • Taking a long time to bake
    Bake time will vary, so it's better to use visual cues to know when the brownies are baked. They are supposed to still look soft and a bit underbaked before coming out, as they will continue to bake as they cool. If they are taking a lot longer than they should, make sure you are using a metal 8x8-inch pan (not glass or silicone) and check your oven temperature with an oven thermometer.
  • Dense or heavy texture:
    This can be because of overmixing or mis-measured ingredients.
  • Wrong pan size:
    This recipe was developed to be baked in an 8-inch square pan. It's fine to use a different size of pan, but you'll need to adjust the baking time accordingly.
  • Ingredient Swaps:
    Substituting ingredients (like reducing the sugar or swapping fats) can massively affect the texture and structure of the brownies. The most common one I see is people using natural cocoa powder instead of Dutch-processed, which can make the brownies drier and denser, and can overpower the other flavours.
three red velvet brownies on a table with red velvet crumbs all around.

Storage

You can store the unfrosted red velvet brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Once they have the cream cheese frosting on, though, it's best to keep them in the fridge for up to a week.

They will go a little firmer in the fridge, so let them sit at room temp for 20-30 minutes before serving.

stack of red velvet brownies shot from above to show the cream cheese frosting.

Watch How To Make Them

Watch my video tutorial on exactly how to make these Red Velvet Brownies:

Show Me Your Bakes!

If you make this recipe, please tag @bonni_bakery on Instagram or send me a photo - I love seeing all your creations.

Want your bake featured on the blog? You can also upload a photo here.

Show Me Your Bakes!

If you make this recipe, please tag @bonni_bakery on Instagram or send me a photo - I love seeing all your creations.

Want your bake featured on the blog? You can also upload a photo here.

More Brownie Recipes

If you love this red velvet brownie recipe, try some of my other brownies!

See more Brownies & Bars →

Recipe

three red velvet brownies stacked on top of each other with cream cheese frosting.

Red Velvet Brownies

Recipe Author: Jules Grasekamp
4.6 from 132 votes
Share Print
Prep 10 minutes
Bake 30 minutes
Total 40 minutes
Perfectly fudgy Red Velvet Brownies, topped with delicious cream cheese frosting.
Makes 16 brownies

Ingredients

For the Red Velvet Brownies
  • 85 g (¾ stick) Unsalted Butter melted
  • 200 g (1 cup) Granulated Sugar (Caster Sugar)
  • 55 g (¼ cup) Light Brown Sugar
  • 3 Large Eggs room temperature
  • 1 Large Egg Yolk room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 80 ml (⅓ cup) Vegetable Oil
  • 25 g (¼ cup) Cocoa Powder Dutch-processed
  • 90 g (¾ cup) All-purpose Flour (Plain Flour)
  • 1 tablespoon Vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • ½ teaspoon Red Food Coloring
  • 130 g (¾ cup) White Chocolate Chips optional
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 115 g (4 oz) Cream Cheese full-fat, room temperature
  • 85 g (¾ stick) Unsalted Butter room temperature
  • 240-360 g (2-3 cups) Powdered Sugar (Icing Sugar) *see notes
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Equipment

Instructions

Make the Red Velvet Brownies
  1. Line an 8-inch square cake pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C (160°C fan assisted).
  2. Put the white sugar and light brown sugar in a large mixing bowl, then add the melted butter and whisk together until combined.
    200 g (1 cup) Granulated Sugar (Caster Sugar), 55 g (¼ cup) Light Brown Sugar, 85 g (¾ stick) Unsalted Butter
  3. Add the eggs, egg yolk and vanilla and mix together. Be careful not to overmix - we are not trying to add air into the mixture as that will make the brownies cakey.
    3 Large Eggs, 1 Large Egg Yolk, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  4. Add the vegetable oil and vinegar to the brownie batter and whisk until it looks glossy and smooth.
    25 g (¼ cup) Cocoa Powder, 1 tbsp Vinegar
  5. Take a couple of tablespoons of the batter and put them into a small bowl. Add your red gel food coloring to this bowl and mix it in until the gel is all incorporated and there are no lumps. Add this mixture into the main bowl of batter and mix until combined.
    80 ml (⅓ cup) Vegetable Oil, ½ tsp Red Food Coloring
  6. Sift the dry ingredients and mix them together, then fold them gently into the brownie batter in two batches, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
    Be very careful not to overmix here as it can make the brownies dense or cakey.
    90 g (¾ cup) All-purpose Flour (Plain Flour), 1 tbsp Cornstarch, ¼ tsp Salt, 25 g (¼ cup) Cocoa Powder
  7. Optional: If you like, you can add some white chocolate chips at this stage. I decided I liked the brownies better without.
    130 g (¾ cup) White Chocolate Chips
  8. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared cake pan and bake until the edges are set and pulling away from the pan, but the centre still looks slightly soft.
    Baking time will vary depending on your oven and pan, but mine takes roughly 20-25 minutes. If you insert a cake tester in the middle, it should come out with either moist crumbs or a very thin layer of batter. The brownies will continue to bake as they cool.
  9. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before frosting and slicing.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
  1. Beat the room temperature butter and cream cheese together until smooth and combined.
    115 g (4 oz) Cream Cheese, 85 g (¾ stick) Unsalted Butter
  2. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix in slowly to avoid a dust cloud. You may need more or less powdered sugar depending on the thickness of your cream cheese, so add it 1 cup at a time until it is thick enough to spread. Beat for a few minutes until light and fluffy.
    240-360 g (2-3 cups) Powdered Sugar (Icing Sugar), 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  3. Spread over the red velvet brownies before slicing.

Video

Nutrition

Calories348kcal | Carbohydrates42g | Protein3g | Fat20g | Saturated Fat10g | Polyunsaturated Fat3g | Monounsaturated Fat5g | Trans Fat0.4g | Cholesterol75mg | Sodium82mg | Potassium84mg | Fiber1g | Sugar36g | Vitamin A425IU | Vitamin C0.04mg | Calcium38mg | Iron1mg

Notes

Ingredient Notes:

Cocoa Powder - Use dutch-processed cocoa powder for brownies that are more fudgy than cakey and have a subtle cocoa flavour that won't overpower the other ingredients. 
Eggs - Use large eggs in the US or medium eggs in the UK (our eggs are bigger). 
Cream Cheese - Cream cheese is one of those ingredients that is wildly different depending on where you are in the world. US cream cheese is a lot firmer than UK cream cheese, so you'll need a lot less powdered sugar to turn it into frosting. The best thing to do is add the powdered sugar gradually until your cream cheese frosting is thick enough to hold soft peaks. I have a post all about the difference between US and UK baking ingredients if you'd like to learn more. 
I recommend with all my recipes that it's best to weigh ingredients with a scale for the most accurate measurements and most consistent results.  With this recipe, it is especially important that the measurements are accurate, as the tiniest tweak in ingredients can hugely impact the texture of the brownies.   Just a little too much flour for example, can make the brownies have more of a cake-like texture than a chewy brownie texture - so if you can, use a scale! 

Tried this recipe?

Could you please do me a huge favor and let me know in the comments how it was? I love hearing your feedback to make my recipes the best they can be!
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Reader Interactions

Jules (Juliane) Grasekamp, baking blogger at Bonni Bakery standing in the kitchen holding a heart spoon.

Hi, I'm Jules!

I'm a Scottish ex-bakery owner sharing my tried and true dessert recipes and expert tips to help you whip up impressive desserts at home.

Check out my baking blog and try a few recipes.
Or just lick the screen a little...

Happy Baking!

About Jules

Comments

    4.62 from 132 votes (96 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Veronica Sargota

    5 stars
    Can the recipe be double & baked in a 9x13 pan

    Reply

  2. Nada

    i want to make these in an 8×8 inch pan please help !!

    Reply

    • Jules Grasekamp

      Hi Nada,
      The recipe is made for an 8x8 inch pan, so you're good!
      I hope you enjoy the red velvet brownies!

      Jules

      Reply

  3. rose

    girl these brownies ATEEEEEE like they're probably one of the BESTT brownie recipes out there imo like they have always come out perfect and they're so simple so even if you don't normally bake you can still clear the kitchen down boots with these brownies like i'm on my 5th batch of the month tysm jules x

    Reply

    • Jules Grasekamp

      I'm so glad to hear you like my red velvet brownies Rose!
      Thank you so much for trying my recipe and for letting me know you loved them!

      Jules

      Reply

  4. Julie

    Hi Jules, what’s the red stuff crumbled on top in the picture?

    Reply

    • Jules Grasekamp

      Hi Julie,

      It's just some of the red velvet brownie crumbled on top. I cut a thin slice off of the sides to make for nice clean edges and used that as a topping 🙂

      Jules

      Reply

  5. Jorja Johnson

    5 stars
    Loved making these took me a little long but that was prob my fault lol. This recipe is easy to follow and the instructions are step by step. The frosting is delicious. Made these yesterday going to make more tmr!

    Reply

    • Jules Grasekamp

      I'm so glad you enjoyed making the red velvet brownies Jorja!
      Thank you for trying my recipe and for taking the time to let me know you loved them!

      Jules

      Reply

  6. Karen A Showaker

    I absolutely loved these brownies!! I'm a retired Home Ec. teacher, and these recipe steps were written so well! Fantastic flavor and texture!

    Reply

    • Jules Grasekamp

      What a wonderful thing to say, thank you so much Karen!
      Thank you for trying my recipe and for taking the time to leave such a lovely comment!

      Jules

      Reply

  7. SJD

    5 stars
    I made the red velvet cream cheese version. These are decadent, just as advertised! Easy recipe to put together fast. They will be a hit for a home dessert, to take to a potluck, picnic, or in place of a birthday cake with a scoop of homemade ice cream! Yummy!

    Reply

    • Jules Grasekamp

      I'm so glad you loved the red velvet brownies! Thank you for trying my recipe 🙂

      Jules

      Reply

  8. sophia

    5 stars
    i have no idea why there are so many negative reviews??? these are my favorite brownies, ive made them four times now and each time ive loved them.

    Reply

  9. Mildred Hernandez

    1 star
    I tried these brownies and they were the worst brownies I have ever tried to eat. Way to much icing

    Reply

    • Jules Grasekamp

      Hi Mildred,

      Sorry to hear you didn't like the brownies. You can definitely control how much icing you put on the brownies according to your preference so if you like less then you can add it at any thickness you like :).
      Did you run into any issues with baking the brownies themselves? Or was it just about the frosting to brownie ratio? I'd be happy to help you troubleshoot 🙂

      Jules

      Reply

  10. Sara

    5 stars
    Made these for valentine's day and they turned out perfect! Thank you!!!

    Reply

  11. Sam

    1 star
    I wish I’d read the reviews before I decided to make these for my boyfriend for valentines day… First of all they took over an HOUR to bake and set, haven’t ever had brownies take that long. I have a great oven that’s never had issues being spot on for a recipe. I am an avid baker, used a scale, used a metal pan. On top of that they are chalky tasting, not fudgey OR cakey. Straight garbage and ruined his gift 🙁

    Reply

    • Jules Grasekamp

      Hi Sam,

      I'm so sorry to hear your brownies didn't turn out - it's so disappointing when that happens! I'm really not sure what could have gone wrong to make them go chalky but I'm happy to help you troubleshoot?
      The reviews on this recipe are for the most part overwhelmingly positive - it's a crowd favourite on the blog, so I'm sorry to hear you didn't love it.
      As you can see from the post, a LOT of time and iterations went into getting these to be the perfect balance of fudgy and cakey - but I guess everything is subjective. May I ask what the texture was like? As I'm not sure what a brownie can be if neither of those things? It might helps us to figure out what went wrong.

      On another note, I'm sure your brownies were not garbage! Be kinder to yourself! And I'm sure your boyfriend will love them regardless - if he felt his gift was ruined because some brownies didn't turn perfectly then maybe it's the man that needs to be tossed, not the brownies 😉

      Happy Valentines Day!

      Jules

      Reply

  12. Amber

    Hi! What kind of vinegar do you use? Also, do you use a glass or aluminum pan?

    Reply

    • Jules Grasekamp

      Hi Amber,
      I used white wine vinegar, but regular white vinegar is fine to. I also have helpful notes on all of the ingredient choices in the 'ingredients' section in the post.

      I definitely recommend an aluminium pan for baking - glass pans take a lot longer to heat up and so it can mess up the bake time and make them take a lot longer.

      Hope this helps!

      Jules

      Reply

      • Benny

        5 stars
        I don't know what sum of yall are saying. I'm a kid that can not cook for nothing and these tured otu great!

      • Jules Grasekamp

        Yay I'm so glad to hear that Benny!
        Thank you so much for letting me know! 😀

        Jules

  13. olive

    1 star
    it had no flavor and it was so dry and dense... if i didn't make it myself and i was blind, i would have never came to the conclusion that it was red velvet or brownie. these reviews have to be botted.

    Reply

    • Jules Grasekamp

      Hi Olive,

      Thank you for your 'constructive criticism'. I can assure you I have never paid for a review in my life, every comment you see on my website is genuine.
      About 60,000 people visit this red velvet brownie recipe alone every month, and I have never had such a negative (or nasty) comment on it.

      I understand it is frustrating when a bake doesn't turn out, and I am happy to help you troubleshoot what went wrong. This is one of the most loved recipes on my site and lots of people have success with it every day, I'm sorry to hear that you didn't.
      Would you like help troubleshooting? I have a feeling you wouldn't but I want to extend the same level of helpfulness and positivity to every reader, regardless of how they start the conversation.

      Jules

      Reply

  14. Rochelle

    Do you have any recommendations for high elevation? Talk about a science experiment - there are so many variables. I'm at 8300 ft, high desert, so dry climate. SOP is reduce sugar and leavening, increase flour and bake temp. Box mix brownies ususally just need an additional 4 Tbsp of flour to come out decently gooey. I was thinking of trying that for my first attempt. Can't wait to try these, wish me luck!

    Reply

  15. Rochelle

    5 stars
    Do you have any suggestions for high elevation? I'm at 8300 ft (high desert) so the SOP is reduce leavening and sugar, increase flour. Most box brownie mixes turn out well ( and nicely gooey) with an additional 4 Tbsp flour. Do you think this may work for your recipe? I can't wait to try these. Thanks!

    Reply