Satisfy your chocolate cravings with these air fryer brownies! Use my helpful tips and recipe to make brownies from scratch in the air fryer that are deliciously fudgy and chewy!
Did you know that you can make brownies in an air fryer?!
Air frying is a great way to make your favorite fried foods a little bit healthier, but you can use the air fryer for baking, too! It's much quicker than baking in an oven, and you don't have to heat up the kitchen with a hot oven!
A rich and chocolatey air fryer brownie tastes just like one baked in the oven, but the cook time is only 20 minutes instead of 40!
This is truly one of my favorite air fryer desserts (these air fryer sugar cookies and air fryer cheesecake are also delicious!)
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quicker to make. It only takes 10 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes to bake brownies in an air fryer.
- Freezer friendly. Your fudgy homemade brownies will freeze well for up to 4 months!
- Your kitchen will stay cool.
Ingredients
See ingredient substitutions in the next section. ⬇️
To make brownies from scratch in the air fryer, you'll need:
- eggs
- salted butter
- canola oil
- vanilla extract
- white granulated sugar
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- chocolate chips
Substitutions and Recipe Variations
- unsalted butter: If you need or want to use salted butter, just omit the kosher salt from this recipe.
- canola oil: Honestly, any neutral flavor of cooking oil can be substituted for canola.
- eggs: The eggs are important for adding moisture and structure to the brownie batter. If you want to test the recipe with an egg substitute, you can! For tips and suggestions, check out my article on substitutes for eggs in brownies.
- white granulated sugar: To cut down on the calories of your dessert, feel free to use any cup-for-cup granulated sugar substitute. Monkfruit sugar is a good option. Light brown sugar works as a substitute, but it will add a molasses flavor to the brownies.
- baking powder: There is a distinct difference between baking soda and baking powder. Do not substitute one straight-up for the other. However, you can combine ¼ teaspoon of baking soda with ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar for each teaspoon of baking powder in this recipe.
- vanilla extract: If you want to use a different flavor of extract, you can. Peppermint, almond, and even chocolate extract are good substitutes. Vanilla essence (an alcohol-free extract) will also work.
- all-purpose flour: If you'd like to make brownies gluten-free, substitute with a cup-for-cup brand of gluten-free all-purpose flour. Two popular brands are Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur Flour.
- chocolate chips: I use semi-sweet, but you can substitute them with bittersweet or milk chocolate chips if you'd like. You can even swap them out for peanut butter chips, white chocolate, mint, or butterscotch chips!
To jazz up your brownies, feel free to include up to ½ cup total of additional ingredients. Use just one, or a combination of any of the following:
- mini marshmallows
- M&Ms
- chopped nuts
How to Make Air Fryer Brownies
Summary only. The complete recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post ⬇️
- Combine the wet ingredients.
- Incorporate the dry ingredients.
- Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Add batter to a preheated baking pan. To ensure that the air fryer brownies bake evenly, it's important to preheat the air fryer and the baking pan.
- Air fry brownies for 20 minutes in a preheated air fryer.
Liz's Tips for the Best Brownies from Scratch
- Avoid over mixing the batter. Stop stirring when there are no visible streaks of flour.
- Let them cool slightly before cutting. This makes it easier to remove the brownies from the pan, and helps prevent the servings from crumbling and falling apart.
Storing and Freezing
Storing: You can store any leftover brownies for up to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Freezing: You can freeze air fryer brownies as well. Allow the brownies to cool, then remove the brownies from the pan or ramekins, and place them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to two months. Thaw completely before enjoying.
Making Brownies in an Air Fryer FAQs
Yes! You can make brownies from a box mix in the air fryer basket.
Prepare the brownie mix according to its package instructions.
Divide the boxed brownie batter into two small-batch brownies. Cook one batch at a time.
If you do not have a 7-inch circular baking pan for this recipe, you have options. Since not all air fryers are not the same size, I would test fit your baking pan or dishes before pouring in the batter. Most air fryers allow for the use of glass, ceramic, silicone, metal dishes, or bakeware. The best practice is to double-check your air fryer's user guide first. My favorite alternative baking dish is 2-3 ceramic ramekins.
Brownies are cooked if you stick a cake tester in the center of the pan and it comes out clean. If it comes out gooey or with batter on it, the brownies are not cooked.
I haven't tried baking the brownies without a pan, so I can't fully recommend it. However, some people say you can do it by lining the air fryer basket with parchment paper, but I think that could get messy quickly if you aren't careful.
Other delicious brownie recipes:
If you like this Air Fryer Brownie Recipe, try one of these brownie recipes:
- Peanut Butter Brownies
- M&M Brownies
- Healthy Sweet Potato Brownies
- Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
- Heart-Shaped Brownies
- S'mores Brownies
- Chocolate Strawberry Brownies
Air Fryer Brownies
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup salted butter melted
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat a 7-inch baking dish for 5 minutes in the air fryer at 375℉ on baking mode.
- Meanwhile, add eggs, melted butter, oil, and vanilla to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Whisk ingredients well to combine.
- Add sugar and whisk until the mixture is creamy, with little to no grains of sugar remaining.
- Add cocoa powder, flour, and baking powder to the bowl and stir to combine, until the flour and cocoa powder are fully incorporated into the mixture.
- Gently fold in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into the preheated baking dish in the air fryer and cook for 15-20 minutes at 375℉. To ensure that brownies are done baking, insert a toothpick into the center of the pan. If it comes out dry, or with a few moist crumbs, remove brownies from air fryer.
Helpful Notes and Tips From Liz
- Avoid over mixing the batter. Stop stirring when there are no visible streaks of flour.
- Let them cool slightly before cutting. This makes it easier to remove the brownies from the pan, and helps prevent the servings from crumbling and falling apart.
Linda
Delicious and easy
Linda
I made these today in my ninja air fryer. Deli on and easy. Linda
Linda M
I just made these brownies in a round cake pan in the Ninja 13 in 1 digital air fryer. They are delicious.
Berni
I have a compact air fryer so I had to make a few modifications - temp is only by 10's (used 370) and the cake pan was too tall so I had to use the pizza pan from a previous Cosori I had. I cooked for 14 minutes but that was just 1 minute too long. The top was just starting to burn but the inside was still super "moist" which I was shocked by. I thought I had ruined it. I loved this recipe. It was perfect for my family to share. I had all the ingredients on hand and it was easy and quick. Next time I just need to go for a minute less and there will definitely be a next time