You’ll fall head over heels for these deliciously easy Olive Oil Brownies. Made without butter, these fudgy dairy-free brownies can ready to eat in under 1 hour. No electric mixer needed.
Quick Look Olive Oil Brownies
- ⏱ Prep time: 20 minutes
- 🔥 Cook time: 30 minutes
- ⏳ Total time: 50 minutes
- 🍪 Serving: 12 brownies
- 🍂 Flavour profile: Soft and fudgy with a rich chocolate flavour.
- 👌 Difficulty: Easy
- ❤️ Why we love them: No electric mixer, super fast to make, kids can help – and they stay moist for days.
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Best. Brownies. Ever. You’re going to LOVE these amazing Olive Oil Brownies. Not only are they dairy-free, but they’re delicious, with a seriously fudgy centre.
Just like my favourite Olive Oil Chocolate Cake recipe, olive oil keeps these brownies soft and moist. Despite being made without butter or melted chocolate, they’re filled with cocoa powder and chocolate chips and are still full of chocolate flavour.
I love to make these when I’m craving something chocolatey but I don’t have a block of chocolate in the house and can’t make my classic Homemade Brownies. They’re chewy, gooey and all too sweet.
Why you will love this recipe
- Quick and easy: Made with just a bowl and spoon, this Olive Oil Brownie recipe is simplicity at its best. No electric mixer or fancy equipment needed.
- Basic ingredients: This recipe uses only pantry staples, including cocoa powder instead of a block of chocolate. Great for those days when you crave chocolate but don’t have any in the house – or butter either.
- Moist for days: Since these brownies have oil in them instead of butter, they stay moist and soft.
Excellent, have made them 3 times and they worked every time. Yum!
– Celia (reader)
Recipe testing
Sometime late last year I wrote on my recipe list, Olive Oil Brownies. And this week I decided to dive headfirst into the wonderful world of recipe testing brownies.
I was looking for a brownie that had all the key elements of a regular brownie – a crispy top, chewy edges and a fudgy centre. So I started by making my tried and true One Bowl Cocoa Brownies, but subbed in olive oil for butter.
The result (brownie 1) was too fudgy and oily. So next, I reduced the sugar and eggs slightly and subbed in more cocoa to create a drier brownie.
The result (brownie 2) was delicious but it moved over into the cake category. I lost my crinkly top and the fudgy centre was much more like a thick, rich cake. So for test 3, I added a little more sugar back in and reduced the cocoa powder.
Brownie 3 was very close to my perfect Olive Oil Brownie. It was fudgy, sweet with a moist (but not too wet) texture. However, there was one problem. I had lost my signature crispy, crackly top. It was then I realised I didn’t need to change the ingredients but rather the method.
So instead of adding all the ingredients into one bowl and mixing them together. I whisked the eggs briefly separately before adding them to the batter. And that’s when we landed on brownie 4. The Winner.
Ingredients
You only need a handful of pantry staples to make Olive Oil Brownies from scratch. Here’s a quick breakdown of everything you need, including any substitutions you can make.
- Olive oil: I recommend using a mild olive oil for this recipe. If you don’t have any olive oil, you can use other flavourless oil like vegetable oil, grapeseed oil or even coconut oil.
- Sugars: This recipe uses both caster sugar and brown sugar. If you don’t have caster sugar, you can use granulated sugar.
- Eggs: You will need three eggs to make these brownies. If you want an egg-free brownie recipe, try my Vegan Brownies.
- Plain flour: You will need plain flour or all purpose flour for this recipe. Because we want these brownies to be fudgy, they do not have any raising agent in them.
- Cocoa powder: These brownies rely on cocoa powder for their chocolate flavour. You can use natural cocoa powder or Dutch processed cocoa powder. I also love to dust the top with extra cocoa powder too.
- Chocolate chips: To make these brownies extra fudgy, I love to add in chocolate chips. You can use milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips or white chocolate chips.
See the recipe card below for the full list and quantities of ingredients.
How to make Olive Oil Brownies
Olive Oil Brownies couldn’t be easier to make. You only need to mix the ingredients together using a bowl and a whisk – so easy! See below my step-by-step photos and instructions for making brownies from scratch.
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Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, add olive oil, vanilla and sugars. Whisk together until combined.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, adds the eggs. Whisk the eggs briefly with a fork or hand whisk.
Step 3: Add eggs to olive oil mixture and whisk until combined and smooth.
Step 4: Add cocoa, flour and salt. Whisk or stir until smooth and combined.
Step 5: Stir through chocolate chips.
Step 6: Pour brownie batter into prepared pan and gently smooth it out into one even layer.
Step 7: Bake brownie for 28-30 minutes until it no longer wobbles in the middle. Dust cooled brownie with cocoa powder.
See recipe card below for full method and baking instructions.
Storage instructions
Storage: You can keep Olive Oil Brownies in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge. To enjoy them warm, reheat brownies in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
Freezer instructions: You can also freeze brownies. Simply cover them tightly in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight container or ziplock bag. To serve, thaw them at room temperature or reheat in the microwave in short bursts until warm and fudgy again.
Olive Oil Brownie FAQs
Yes! You can use this recipe but use any mild or flavourless oil you like. I like to use a mild olive oil or grapeseed oil which are fairly tasteless. Vegetable oil will work as well. You could also try my Coconut Oil Brownies.
Yes you can. I find they add a little more chocolate flavour and moistness, but the brownies are still lovely without.
Yes. These brownies don’t have any butter in them. Just be sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips to make them truly dairy-free. If you are looking for an egg-free brownie, try my Vegan Brownie recipe.
Unlike cake, my brownies are designed to be dense and fudgy. To achieve this texture. I don’t use any raising agents like baking soda or baking powder in my Olive Oil Brownie recipe.
Jessica’s EXPERT tips
Try not to over-bake your brownie. The more you bake it, the less fudgy it will be. You’ll know it’s ready when it no longer wobbles or appears wet. If you insert a skewer into the centre and it has a few moist crumbs attached, it’s ready.
More brownie recipes to try
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok for more amazing recipe ideas.
Let’s Bake
Olive Oil Brownies
Fudgy Olive Oil Brownies that are also dairy free.
Ingredients
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) mild olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 90 grams (1/2 cup) brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 40 grams (1/2 cup) cocoa powder, sifted, plus extra for decorating
- 70 grams (1/2 cup) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 80 grams (1/2 cup) chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Line an 8-inch square pan with baking or parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vanilla, caster sugar and brown sugar until combined.
- In a separate bowl, add the eggs. Whisk with a fork or a hand whisk for approximately 30 seconds, just to break up the yolks.
- Add the eggs to the sugar mixture and briefly whisk to combine. Then add the cocoa powder, flour and salt. Finally, stir through the chocolate chips.
- Transfer brownie batter into prepared tin. Bake for approximately 28-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Leave brownies to cool slightly before gently removing from the pan. They will firm up as they cool.
- Dust brownies with cocoa powder. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes
Olive oil: I recommend using a mild olive oil for this recipe. If you don’t have any olive oil, you can use other flavourless oil like vegetable oil, grapeseed oil or even coconut oil.
Cocoa powder: You can use natural cocoa powder or Dutch processed cocoa powder for this recipe.
Chocolate chips: Use dairy free chocolate chips if you want to make this recipe dairy free.
Storage: You can keep Olive Oil Brownies in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge. To enjoy them warm, reheat brownies in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
Freezer instructions: You can also freeze brownies. Simply cover them tightly in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight container or ziplock bag. To serve, thaw them at room temperature or reheat in the microwave in short bursts until warm and fudgy again.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 1 brownie Calories: 178 Sugar: 17.6 g Sodium: 15.6 mg Fat: 9.7 g Carbohydrates: 22.8 g Protein: 2.4 g Cholesterol: 34.9 mg
Robin says
These were very very good! Great option if people are dairy free 🙂 next time I will start checking them at 20 minutes though, checked at 25 and were already a bit over done but that is my mistake! I made a couple of small changes – only 120g caster sugar, 80g brown sugar, and increased cocoa to 50g and the flavour was spot on!
Jessica Holmes says
Wonderful to hear that Robin! Thank you for your lovely feedback.
Prerna Malik says
This is now our go-to brownie recipe! The brownies come out fudgy, just the right amount of sweet and freeze beautifully too. I do substitute the olive oil with coconut oil and they’re still a hit even with my husband who doesn’t really eat a lot of desserts/sweet stuff.
Jessica Holmes says
That’s awesome to hear Prerna!
Rachel Green says
Blooming heck, family wants this every day, see what you did to me!!!!!
Jessica Holmes says
Hahaha I’m sorry Rachel! I can’t take it back now! 🙂
Rachel Green says
Brilliant Jessica. I just baked it and my hubby has almost swiped most of it. 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
How good is that Rachel!
Rachel says
No baking soda or powder.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Rachel, that’s correct! These brownies don’t need baking soda or powder as they are not cakey but fudgy.
Sandra Zaninovich says
Hi! This recipe looks wonderful and I am so excited to try it. I absolutely adore your site, I bake things from here all the time and am never disappointed. I live on an island in Croatia and I am worried that I might not be able to find a mild tasting olive oil (even though olive oil is one of the main products made here). If not olive oil, what oil would you recommend to use? Also, if I wanted them with frosting, which frosting would you recommend? Thanks again for this amazing site.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Sandra, that is so lovely to hear! You can really use these with most oils. Regular olive oil still works, you just get the faint taste of olive oil in it which you might not mind. Otherwise, can you get hold of grapeseed oil? I find it’s very netural in baking. And this brownie would work perfect with a frosting! You can use a ganache frosting like I do on my M&M Brownies?
Sandra Zaninovich says
Thanks so much Jessica, I will bake this next, as soon as I finish my latest batch of the scrumptious caramel slice (aka Millionaires’ Shortbread). And mazel tov on the cookbook, I know what a labor of love it was, and it looks like it is going to be absolutely amazing. I will order it as soon as it’s available somewhere where the shipping to Croatia is not costlier than the book itself.
Jessica Holmes says
That is so kind Sandra thank you! I really hope it makes its way into bookstores across the globe! And I hope you love this recipe too.
Sarah says
I made this today, and oh my! I used avocado oil, cacao powder and Lindt 85% dark choc cut into chips as that’ what I had on hand, ( and I needed it to be dairy free). This is sooooo good, I’m saving this recipe for keeps. Thank you!!
Jessica Holmes says
Oh how wonderful to hear Sarah! So pleased you enjoyed these as much as I do Sarah.
Jedd says
Pretty decent, as most online recipes, tad too sweet so used 1/2 cup of each sugar.
Also, as always, pinch of salt for balance and flavour enhancement. Nonetheless great recipe without butter.
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks for your feedback Jedd.
a says
This recipe was so easy to use and delish too! I used sunflower oil and that worked from what I could ascertain
Jessica Holmes says
That’s wonderful to hear!