I Tried 14 Brownie Mixes and the Winner Was Fudgy, Rich and a Total 10/10 originally appeared on Parade.
If you tell me that you don’t like brownies, I won’t believe you. Or, more precisely, I’ll put one after another down in front of you until you do. The best brownies, in my opinion, should have a crackly, glossy, almost reflective top. They should have dense, chewy edges and a melt-in-your-mouth fudgy center. The top should be a lighter shade of brown than the interior and, ideally, they’d be studded with chocolate chips.
I’ve made brownies from scratch before and even went so far as to develop my own brownie recipe to mimic the boxed mix. But nothing quite compares to the powdery cocoa mix that you combine with eggs, oil and water to create the lunchbox dessert of your dreams. I firmly believe that a bad brownie is still better than no brownie at all, but I was curious to find the absolute best brownie mix.
To do just that, I scanned the aisles of several local grocery stores and narrowed it down to 14 (yes, 14!) different options. After mixing and baking and cooling and tasting, I found a clear winner. Read on to find out which boxes are worth buying and which ones you should skip.
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How I Tested These Boxed Brownie Mixes
My husband, Evan, and I (Kelly Vaughan, a freelance food writer and recipe developer) tested 14 batches of brownies over the course of three days. I personally baked each box of brownies in identical aluminum baking trays, according to the package instructions—seven on day one and seven on day two.
I then assigned each box a random number (and then subsequently forgot the pairing) to ensure a blind taste test. Evan and I took small bites of each batch of the freshly baked brownies and assessed them based on their appearance, texture and flavor. In the end, we had a clear chocolatey winner that stood above the rest.
If you’ve ever bought a box of brownie mix at the store, then you probably know that there are options. Like, a lot of options. Most brands offered at least two versions of a brownie mix and as many as eleven (looking at you, Betty Crocker). To try and level the playing field, I stuck to plain chocolate brownies. The inclusion of chocolate chips or chocolate syrup was okay, but that’s where I drew the line. No walnuts, no Reese’s, no Oreos, no caramel. I also eliminated any gluten-free, vegan or protein-packed brownie mixes, as I felt that they’d be too different from what most people think of as a traditional store-bought brownie mix.
I stocked up on these mixes at a handful of stores in Fairfield County, Connecticut, including Aldi, Shop Rite, Stop & Shop, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. In the end, I ended up with 14 different contenders that were ready to enter the ring (err, oven). Here’s how they stacked up.
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14 Popular Boxed Brownie Mixes Ranked From Worst to Best
14. 365 by Whole Foods Market Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix
As we established, a good brownie should have a shiny, crinkly, crackly top, chewy edges and a fudgy center. This brownie mix had none of those qualities. The tray had a dark, matte chocolate top that wasn’t exactly easy on the eyes—but I still gave them the benefit of the doubt. Despite the natural-tasting cocoa flavor, this brownie had a weird grainy texture and a texture that more closely resembled a piece of chocolate cake than a brownie. They lacked sweetness and everything good that makes a brownie a brownie. For those reasons, this box ended up in last place.
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13. Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix
Looks can be deceiving—and that was most definitely the case with this dark chocolate batch. With its deep hue and shiny top, we had high hopes for these brownies. However, these were arguably the driest of all the brownies that we tried. While they had a decent cocoa flavor, they weren’t exactly sweet or fudgy, two key brownie attributes.
12. Dolly Parton’s Fabulously Double Fudge Brownie Mix
Dolly Parton is a national treasure. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for her brownie mix. Each bite had a weird artificial vanilla flavor that lingers in your mouth. Evan noted that these didn’t have “the most pronounced chocolate flavor” and we were both underwhelmed by the slightly dry texture, which was a bit surprising considering that an entire packet of chocolate syrup was folded into the batter.
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11. Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix
We were excited to try these shiny, picture-perfect brownies. This tray had a lovely milk chocolate color and tons of cracks (in a good way!). However, the brownies were extremely sweet and artificial tasting, much like the brand’s collaborative baking mix with Dolly Parton. They had a strange flavor and lacked some of the rich chocolate notes that our favorite batches had. Still, they edged out some of our least favorite picks based on their superior appearance.
10. Ghirardelli Chocolate Supreme Premium Brownie Mix
Call her Anastasia. Call her Drizella. Either way, these are definitely the ugly stepsister of the four Ghirardelli brownie mixes that we tried. These brownies had zero shine, hardly any cracks in the surface and were quite dull overall. “The flavor wasn’t that good—I wish they were sweeter and had a better chocolate flavor,” said Evan.
9. Betty Crocker Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix
While these Betty Crocker brownies had a shiny, crackly appearance and a feathery peel-apart top layer, we were disappointed by the flavor and texture. Evan noted that they were “dense and dry.” As someone who prefers a fudgy brownie, I liked the dense and chewy texture, but they were definitely drier than many of our favorites.
8. Pillsbury Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix
The first thing I found odd about this tray was that the brownies baked extremely unevenly—they were mile-high in the center but low and sad along the edges. Still, Evan (who loves a cakey brownie) was excited by the appearance, but they were very dry. “If someone wants a melty, fudgy brownie, this won’t be it,” Evan said. And like some others that we tested, they too had a strange artificial vanilla aftertaste.
7. Betty Crocker Delights Supreme Chocolate Chunk Brownie Mix
We both liked the looks of this one (Shiny? Check! Air bubbles? Check!), plus the soft and fudgy texture. But this batch really missed the mark when it came to flavor. “They have a vague sweetness that’s a little vanilla-y. I wish they were more cocoa-y,” said Evan. There was an off aftertaste that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, except to say that it’s not the way I want a brownie to taste.
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6. Trader Joe’s Brownie Truffle Baking Mix
This is a bit of a Goldilocks brownie in that they will appeal to both fudgy and cakey brownie lovers. That said, they didn’t look great and lacked the shiny, crackly top that most of our favorite brownies had. Evan noted that they looked like a “healthy” brownie. While we both enjoyed the rich cocoa flavor and addition of chocolate chips, we found these to be a tad on the dry side.
5. Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Premium Brownie Mix
This is a very good brownie. That said, it’s not perfect. “A little too sweet and rich for my taste, especially when I hit some of those chips,” said Evan. As someone who has even more of a sweet tooth than my husband, I, too, thought that this batch was just a little too rich. Still, they had a decent loft, cut easily and had a good chocolate flavor. You definitely wouldn’t be disappointed to eat one of these freshly baked.
4. Aldi Specially Selected Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix
This is a nearly identical brownie to the Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Premium Brownie Mix, but it rose through the ranks because it’s about half the price of its fraternal twin. Based on looks alone, these brownies were a little underwhelming—they didn’t rise as much as the other brownies and they lacked some luster. However, they were one of the moistest, fudgiest brownies we tasted over the course of two days. “Ooohh! Very chocolatey. The most chocolatey. (Too chocolatey?),” I wrote during the blind taste test. But I can now confirm that there is no such thing as too much chocolate.
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3. Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Premium Brownie Mix
With its dark, dull color and lack of shine, this brownie won’t be winning any beauty contests, but we think this is a solid choice for people who like a brownie that’s a little cakey and a little fudgy. (Or, if you’re like me, and find yourself in a marriage with someone who prefers a cakey brownie when all you really want is a piece of chocolate fudge.) Studded with tons of melted chocolate chips, they had a really good cocoa flavor that’s plenty pronounced. This Ghirardelli mix took third place because they weren’t the moistest or the softest, but they were pretty dang close.
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2. Bob’s Red Mill Fudgy Brownie Mix
If I were a cartoon character, then my jaw would have hit the dining table upon learning that this was Bob’s Red Mill Fudgy Brownie Mix. I shouldn’t have been surprised, as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed a number of different Bob’s Red Mill products over the years, including their rolled oats and gluten-free baking mixes. I expected that this one would taste like a brownie that’s trying to be healthy. Instead, they were ridiculously fudgy with a genuine cocoa flavor that nearly landed this mix in the top spot.
1. Ghirardelli Ultimate Chocolate Premium Brownie Mix
The name says it all. This is the ultimate brownie mix with a fudgy middle, chewy edges, a deep cocoa flavor and tons of melty chocolate chips. We were super impressed by the glossy top, medium chocolate color and how evenly this batch baked. Ghirardelli Ultimate Chocolate Premium Brownie Mix took our top spot because they were just better in every category compared to all of the others we tested. Given that Ghirardelli took three of the top five spots in our ranking, I understand if you think that this is sponsored by the chocolate giant. However, that’s not the case. They just happen to do brownies better than anyone.
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I Tried 14 Brownie Mixes and the Winner Was Fudgy, Rich and a Total 10/10 first appeared on Parade on Jun 26, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
