Air-Fryer Brownies

Brownies in the air fryer? Yes, you read that right. These air-fryer brownies are just as classic and delicious as any fudgy brownies should be, but are made a little more quickly by baking in everyone’s favorite appliance. This is the perfect dessert recipe for anyone without an oven, or those obsessed with their air fryers.

Ingredients for Air-Fryer Brownies

• Chocolate chips: Ghirardelli creates a lovely bag of 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate baking chips. If you can’t find bittersweet chocolate chips, semisweet is the perfect swap.
• Eggs: Make sure you’re baking with room temperature eggs for this recipe. Cold eggs hitting melted butter will make it re-seize and poorly affect the brownie’s texture.
• Vanilla extract: If you’re an avid baker, you probably use vanilla extract a lot. Grab one of the best vanilla extracts to really make your baked goods shine, as tested and suggested by our Test Kitchen pros.
• All-purpose flour: Our favorite flour for brownie recipes is all-purpose flour. It provides the best crumb structure for stability and tenderness.

Directions

Step 1: Melt the butter and chocolate

Preheat your air fryer to 325°F. Line a 6-inch square or round cake pan with parchment paper, letting the ends extend up the sides.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and one cup of the chocolate chips, stopping and stirring in 15 second increments until the mixture is smooth. Let the mixture cool at room temperature slightly.

Editor’s Tip: Chocolate seems to take forever to melt in the microwave at first, and then it suddenly melts all at once. Be careful melting during this step as your chocolate can easily burn.

Step 2: Create the batter

In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer and beat the sugar, eggs, water and vanilla. Gradually beat in the chocolate mixture.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture just until combined. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Step 3: Bake

Air-fry the brownies until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs, 40 to 45 minutes (do not overbake). Tent the brownie pan with aluminum foil as needed to prevent overbrowning. Cool the brownies at room temperature on a wire rack.

Test Kitchen Tip: In our testing, we found that air-fryer cooking times vary dramatically, even among the best air-fryer brands. Begin checking the brownies in the air fryer at the 40-minute mark.

Step 4: Cut and serve

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Remove the brownies from the pan by lifting the parchment overhang. Cut the brownies into squares and serve.

Recipe Variations

• Deepen the chocolate flavor: Did you know the secret ingredient for better chocolate desserts is a bit of coffee? Even if you’re not trying to make mocha brownies, a touch of instant espresso powder or coffee can give you a deeper chocolate flavor.
• Add mix-ins: One of our favorite ways to make brownies taste better is by adding chocolate chips, toasted nuts or caramel bits into the brownie batter. These little morsels in baked brownies are so decadent, you’ll want a glass of milk nearby.
• Finish with a frosting: If you’re anything like us, you love to indulge. Once these air-fryer brownies have cooled completely to room temperature, frost them with an easy homemade chocolate frosting. No shame in buying store-bought frosting either—we actually made a list of our favorite chocolate frosting brands.

How to Store Air-Fryer Brownies

To store, allow the air-fryer brownies to cool completely to room temperature. Wrap them in storage wrap in their pan or place them in an airtight container. They can be kept at room temperature for up to five days.

Air-Fryer Brownies Tips

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What other pans can you use to make air-fryer brownies?

You can also make air-fryer brownies in 8- or 10-ounce ramekins, baking for about 20 minutes. These will typically have a gooier center than a full pan but check for doneness the same way you would for other brownies.

What toppings can you put on air-fryer brownies?

Once your brownies are out of the air fryer, top them with whipped cream, homemade salted caramel sauce, sprinkles or our best-ever vanilla ice cream.