Lifestyle

We tasted 10 boxed brownie mixes — and our No. 1 pick tastes straight from the bakery

Food & Wine · Feb 13, 2026 14:26 · 4 min read

Food & Wine / Photo by Greg DuPree / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall

No mix-ups here — these are the boxed brownies we’d happily buy again.

Brownies are one of my all-time favorite sweet treats, and I find baking them from scratch genuinely therapeutic. But sometimes my sweet tooth is impatient, and I reach for a boxed mix to speed things along. Luckily, there’s no shortage of available brownie mixes — it's just a matter of finding one that tastes as good as it is convenient. To determine this, we baked off 10 (yes, 10) different boxed brownie mixes and tasted them head to head to find the best ones for all your baking needs.

How we selected the brownie mixes

We selected 10 widely available chocolate brownie mixes sold nationwide. We excluded flavor variations (like caramel turtle or Oreo) as well as mixes with add-ins such as candies or nuts. We also left out gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan options, since those formulations are difficult to compare fairly with standard brownie mixes.

How we tested

Plates with different brownie sections labeled with numbers — Food & Wine / Andee Gosnell

We prepared and baked each brownie mix according to its package directions. However, mixes vary widely in their instructions — oven temperature, bake time, type and amount of liquids and fats, and even recommended pan. For this test, most brands called for baking at 350℉, with one instructing 325℉. Every mix required water plus one or two eggs, and most specified vegetable oil, though one brand called for melted butter instead.

Most brands recommended either an aluminum or glass baking pan. To keep the comparison as fair as possible, we baked every mix in an 8- x 8-inch aluminum (or metal) pan, since that’s the pan our Test Kitchen most often recommends for brownies.

Bake times varied, but we set our timers to the earliest suggested time and baked longer as needed, stopping when a toothpick inserted into the center came out clean. Finally, we let the brownies cool completely so our editors could sample them plain at room temperature.

Our testers were served the brownies on unmarked plates or trays and asked to sample them in a randomized order. They rated each brownie’s flavor and texture on a scale of one to five, then gave an overall score based on enjoyment and how likely they’d be to buy the mix themselves or recommend it to others. We averaged the scores to determine the winners.

For flavor, we weighed sweetness and chocolate intensity most heavily. Because brownie texture is largely a matter of personal preference, we also asked testers to note whether they generally favor fudgy or cakey brownies and to explain how that preference influenced their ratings.

Best overall: Trader Joe’s Brownie Truffle Baking Mix

For a truly from-scratch feel, head to Trader Joe’s for this brownie mix — a fan favorite for more than 25 years. Made with Dutch-process cocoa and studded with semisweet chocolate chips, it delivers pronounced yet well-rounded chocolate flavor without a sharp acidic edge. The effect is similar to boosting chocolate cake with a pinch of espresso powder. “This one tastes like a grown-up brownie,” said F&W Recipe Tester and Developer Anna Theoktisto.

As the only mix that called for melted butter instead of vegetable oil, it delivers a deeper chocolate profile with toastier notes and a richer finish. The brownies bake up with crisp yet tender edges that give way to a decadent, fudgy center. Unsweetened cocoa butter further intensifies that fudgy texture without reading pasty or underbaked, while boosting the cacao aroma. Bring out the French vanilla ice cream for this one for a truly luxurious dessert experience.

Best cakey brownie: Ghirardelli Premium Brownie Mix Double Chocolate

It’s no surprise that one of the oldest continuously operating chocolate companies in the United States turns out a first-rate brownie mix. Ghirardelli doubles down with both semisweet and bittersweet chocolate chips, delivering a ganache-like chocolate intensity. “This brownie feels the most comparable to what I make from scratch. The chocolate is much more present,” said F&W Recipe Tester Isabelle Easter.

Compared with other contenders, these brownies bake up with an open crumb and lighter texture — hallmarks of a well-made cakey brownie. While cakier brownies can veer dry, Ghirardelli’s avoid that pitfall: The edges are crisp without turning brittle, and the center stays tender and nicely moist.

Best classic brownie: Betty Crocker Delights Supreme Fudge Brownie Mix

These brownies have an old-school familiarity. The chocolate flavor isn’t especially complex, but it’s present and deep enough where the brownies don’t taste just sugary. Along with the mix, the box includes a chocolate syrup pouch that gets folded into the batter; once baked, it creates swirls of fudge through the crackly top. “Very pleasantly moist interior and crisp yet tender edges. The fudginess is underscored by the fudgy ripples throughout,” notes F&W Recipe Tester Tricia Manzanero-Stuedeman.

Because this Betty Crocker mix calls for less water than some other brands, it bakes up extra-decadent and fudgy — though also notably dense. To cut through the richness, serve with fresh berries like raspberries or strawberries, or a scoop of homemade whipped cream to contrast the texture.

Best value: Great Value Fudge Brownie Mix

When we were shopping, Great Value, was the clear bargain at our local store: Walmart’s private label cost 8.9 cents per ounce for an 18.3-ounce box — less than half the per-ounce cost of Betty Crocker (18.6 cents per ounce for 19.01 ounces) and nearly a third of Ghirardelli (24.2 cents per ounce for 18 ounces). The brownies landed squarely (no pun intended) between fudgy and densely cakey. “I really like this crumb. It is lighter but holds a fudgy texture. It isn’t super chewy and tastes soft,” said Easter. The chocolate flavor was milder and the overall profile leaned slightly vanilla-forward, but we still enjoyed them.