Easy chocolate carrot brownies recipe with box mix, homemade with simple ingredients. These vegetable brownies are fudgy, moist, chewy and lightly spiced with cinnamon and full of chocolate chips.
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Since I had a lot of carrots on hand, they somehow made their way into this dessert. Now typically, I am a huge fan of my Fudgy Brownies With Crackly Tops because everything about them is perfect but a change is always welcome. The addition of grated carrots makes these bars fudgy and chewy. I also added some cinnamon because it compliments the chocolate flavor so well and reminds me of my Moist Carrot Cake as well as these Carrot Cupcakes and my Carrot Cake Cookies.
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Key ingredients for carrot cake brownies
- Eggs- Be sure they are at room temperature.
- Oil- Brings that moist, gooey texture.
- Water- Acts as a base for the batter.
- Carrots- You'll want to make sure they are finely grated.
- Brownie box mix- This is not the same as cake mix.
- Cinnamon powder- Pairs really well with the chocolate flavor.
- Chocolate chips- Adds more flavor and texture.
Variations
- To make cake-like brownies- Add 1 extra egg and the rest of the ingredients will stay the same.
- Frost them- I didn't think it was necessary to frost these brownies but you can ice them if you like with Cream Cheese Frosting or Sour Cream Frosting (Vanilla) or even Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting. They all have a subtle tanginess to them which would very well here.
- Special decoration- You can also decorate a sheet pan of these brownies with frosting and orange chocolate dipped strawberries and crushed Oreos. This will make a cute carrot patch. The orange strawberries will look like carrots. Kids would love that at Easter parties.
- Replace water with another liquid- Such as milk or coconut milk to make the brownies more rich, or coffee that deepens the chocolate taste.
- Make into carrot shapes- To highlight the carrots in the brownies and make a fun Easter look. Top with orange tinted frosting.
- Try other chip flavors- Such as white chocolate, butterscotch, or peanut butter.
- Use mini chocolate chips- This will help distribute the chocolate more evenly in the batter.
- Pumpkin pie spice option- In place of cinnamon for a new flavor profile.
- Omit cinnamon- If you prefer a more classic, simple recipe.
How to make easy carrot brownies recipe with cake mix?
1. Add wet ingredients in large bowl- This includes eggs, water, oil and finely shredded carrots.
2. Mix- Until smooth.
3. Add in- Brownie mix, cinnamon and chocolate chips.
4. Stir- Just until combined.
5. Pour- Batter into prepared pan.
6. Bake and let cool- Then slice and enjoy.
Tips and techniques
- Make sure the carrots are finely grated- So they blend more smoothly together with all the other ingredients.
- You must use a brownie mix and not a cake mix- If you want to use a cake mix, I recommend making my Cake Mix Brownies, which is a different recipe altogether.
- To get perfectly even slices- Make sure to let the brownies cool to room temperature and then measure with a ruler and cut with a sharp knife. Clean the knife with a moist paper towel after each cut.
- Use room temperature ingredients- Because this helps everything blend together well.
- Don't over-bake- Or the brownies will be dry.
- Be careful not to over-mix- Because this can change the overall texture and won't be as good.
- Don't fret about thick batter- This is they way it is supposed to look.
Recipe FAQs
Likely they are over-baked or you have added too much of the dry ingredients relative to the wet ingredients.
There are many ways to do this. I personally like to use a food processor, because it is easiest, but you can also use a box grater or shredder.
This can happen if you over-mix the batter or bake them too long. Also, be sure you are measuring ingredients accurately as an error in this can also lead to cracks. Too much flour, for example, could be the culprit.
Storage
- Refrigerate- Place in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
- Room temperature- These can be left on the counter for no more than 1 day (24 hours).
- Freeze- Place in a sealed container for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge and enjoy. You can even place in the microwave for a few seconds to make them warm and gooey again.
- Make ahead- 1-2 days in advance, make this dessert and place in an airtight container in the fridge.
More easy brownies
- Gooey Brownies (Chocolate Cherry Brownies)
- Easy Black Bean Brownies (Gluten Free)
- Brownie Bowls
- Easy Brookies (With Brownie Mix)
- Cheesecake Brownies (Cream Cheese Brownies)
Recipe
Carrot Brownies (With Box Mix)
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Ingredients
- 2 Eggs Large, Room temperature
- ½ cup Oil
- ¼ cup Water
- 1 cup Carrots Finely grated
- 1 box Brownie mix 16.3 oz box and 17.8 oz. box both worked well with this recipe. Anything in 18 oz. or larger size did not work well.
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon powder
- ½ cup Chocolate chips Semisweet
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add eggs, oil, water, grated carrots and mix everything together until smooth.
- Add brownie mix powder, cinnamon powder, chocolate chips and mix until just combined. Don't over-mix! The mixture will be thick.
- Pour the batter into a square pan (Dimensions: 9x9), lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with oil. Spread batter with a spatula.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with a few sticky crumbs. I prefer my brownies slightly under-baked because they are more fudgy this way. Also, the residual heat of the pan continues to bake them as they cool.
- Let it cool to room temperature. Then, cut slices and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Try other flavors of chocolate chips like white, butterscotch, peanut butter e.t.c.
- Replace regular sized chocolate chips with mini sized ones because they distribute more evenly in the batter.
- All ingredients must be at room temperature so that everything blends together smoothly.
- Do not over-bake or you will end up with dry brownies.
- Replace cinnamon powder with pumpkin pie spice or omit altogether, if you are not fond of it.
- Read additional tips and variations above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
Jenn and Seth
i'm so intrigued by this! i'll have to give it a go next time i have a bunch of carrots awaiting a home!
Evelyne
I bet these are awesome with carrots? Have you tried pumpkin puree? To cute the box with your son lol.
Kate
These look so colorful, I couldn't resist either! They look fantastic!
Tiffany
What a great way to sneak carrots into your diet! And I love the shots of cute little baby hands!
MaryMoh
I was just thinking of beetroot brownies when I see your lovely carrot brownies. We are thinking at the same wavelength 😀 Your brownies look very pretty and delicious. I love brownies too, especially the chewy ones. And your baby is SO cute! But one day...he won't let go anymore...haha. He will ask for more.
Jenny
I love the idea of carrot and chocolate together! I love carrot cookies, my home economics teacher taught us how to make them, but they don't look anywhere near as delicious and decadent as these!
Bibi
I tried to sneak veggies into cookies & cakes before, but never brownies....I gotta try this
kitchenriffs
Great idea! It would never have occurred to me to add carrots to chocolate brownies, but they are rather sweet. And of course there's carrot cake. Really creative - thanks.
Asmita
What a great way of getting veggies into your kids diet. These look amazing!
Cass
I love peanut butter M&M's! My affair with them started off with just peanut M&M's but I can't resist either! I love this idea. Like red velvets I suppose but with carrot instead of beetroot of course!
Wendy Irene
I don't like to waste food either and I think it is really awesome that you made carrots into dessert. The pictures of the little hands on the M&M box are so adorable.
Jenny Johnson
How creative. I've never thought of adding carrots to brownies. I'm sure it is fantastic.
Amy
Delicious!!!! Peanut Butter M&M's are my fave! I would never have thought about adding carrots as well.
CCU
Mmmmm, I would definitely be running to get these brownies
thoma
Boy, they look delish. And am sure you had it from first bite to last. I'm yet to ask someone here what's substitute for sour cream!! M&M boy!! I forget his name.
Eftychia
My kids would be thrilled with this dessert! Yummy!