Store-Bought Brownie Mixes Ranked By Fudgy Texture

Though there are plenty of options to choose from, finding a proper brownie box mix can be a daunting task. Of course, there are plenty of clever ways to improve a brownie mix, but it's still a good practice to make sure you're starting with the very best base mix. In this instance, the best brownie mix will be decided by one of the greatest qualities a brownie can have: a divinely decadent fudge-like texture. 

First things first, let's break down what I mean when I say fudgy. In its most perfect incarnation, a fudgy brownie is dense and moist not because it's underbaked but because there's a higher ratio of fat to flour and the leavening agent is either minimal or non-existent. As opposed to cakey brownies, which contain more eggs and flour for sturdy structure, the fudgy brownie should have a crumb so rich that it can't really be stacked and frosted. And unlike a standard chewy brownie, there's a denseness to the interior that can only call to mind, well, fudge. 

With this ideal texture in mind, I selected and baked 10 different brands, each one proclaiming that its recipe offers the ultimate fudgy brownie experience. From Pillsbury to Betty Crocker, let's see which box mixes actually deliver on their fudgy promise.

Duncan Hines offers a ridiculous amount of brownie mixes, including a dark chocolate and a milk chocolate variation. Of the eight available, I determined that the Chewy Fudge variation was the most popular and fitting for this fudgy texture test. The instructions called for two eggs, a bit of water, and 2/3 cup of vegetable oil. Speaking of instructions, these were hardly helpful. First, they neglect to mention you should mix your wet ingredients before adding them to the dry mix, which usually keeps you from over-mixing and making tough brownies. Instead, they suggest you keep from over-mixing by counting your stirring strokes — 50 to be exact. That, respectfully, feels like a waste of time.

Visually speaking, this mix baked up into one of the tallest brownies. While height is often seen as a good sign with other baked goods, it worked as a death knell to the supposed fudgy texture I was looking for. These went past chewy and landed firmly in the cakey realm, offering a rather light and airy crumb that would be appreciated in a sponge cake but did no favors to the brownie format. Adding to this disappointing texture was a sweet flavor that seemed to lack any true cocoa richness. I kept taking bites, thinking I was imagining the absence of chocolate, but each time I just came away with bland sweetness. Alas, this brand didn't deliver on either texture or flavor, and fell to the very bottom of my ranking.

Like Duncan Hines, the Pillsbury brand has no shortage of options for brownie mixes. I went with the main option you can find at the grocery stores, which is conveniently titled the Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix. The Pillsbury formula calls for the same amount of oil and eggs as the aforementioned Duncan Hines one, and the two brands shared much more than just the ingredients they called for. Unfortunately, they shared the same dismal texture.

This was the tallest of all the brownies I tested, which, as you already know, was a very bad sign. As expected, these had the texture of a glorified sheet cake masquerading as a batch of brownies. It was super cakey, bordering on dry. You should only dare to eat these with a large glass of milk on hand. I couldn't really distinguish it flavor-wise from the Duncan Hines mix except that it did taste marginally better with a proper hint of chocolate flavor. This slight uptick in cocoa is the only thing that saved it from the bottom rung.

I'm more familiar with Betty Crocker's cookie mixes than the brownie line, but I've had success with the brand either way. Right off the bat, I was annoyed that this brand also neglects to tell bakers to mix the wet ingredients (two eggs, a couple of spoonfuls of water, and ½ cup of vegetable oil) before adding them to the dry ingredients — though at least this one didn't recommend you count your number of stirs. It also seemed like it used less fat in this mix, but I noted that this weighed only 16.3 ounces versus the previous two brands' 18.4-ounce weight, so there was less mix to begin with. 

While not strictly cakey, these were much more chewy than fudgy. And that chewiness felt weirdly sticky, gumming to my teeth like toffee or caramel. I also noted that the edges got rock hard after sitting for a few hours, making them borderline inedible. Flavor-wise, it reminded me of Hershey's chocolate syrup. The cocoa is there, but all of its bittersweet charm is made mind-numbingly bland with excess sugar. Still, it at least hit closer to that true fudgy texture than the previous two options.

As a baking mix included in the Whole Foods Market 365 brand, I expected this to offer an elevated flavor via a higher-quality ingredient list. I will note that this had some of the best instructions on the back of the box. Beyond offering tips on how to make it fudgier (add an extra egg yolk) and a whole slew of tasty mix-in options, it took pains to mention that you should mix the eggs, vegetable oil, and water together first before mixing it into the dry ingredients. This makes the chance that you'll overmix much less probable, and thus will keep your brownies from turning out tough.

Even with these proper instructions, the 365 brownies couldn't deliver a true fudge texture. Like the Betty Crocker brownie mix, these had a sticky chewiness that didn't quite cross over into fudge territory. While I appreciated the more intense cocoa richness that these provided, I could also tell that these used vegetable oil rather than butter, because it seemed to have a flatter overall flavor profile. 

I thought the Miss Jones mix would be very promising for two reasons. The first is that it had actual chocolate pieces in the mix, which I knew would be a nice addition to the texture. The second was that it was gluten-free, meaning that the rigid structure of traditional wheat flour would be traded for alternative ones. Excess gluten, after all, is the enemy of fudgy brownies. As an added bonus, these were the first of the brownies to use melted butter as the fat — a choice that I think massively improves flavor. 

Let's get the bad out of the way. The only problem with gluten-free mixes is that some of the alternative ingredients can taste a little funky after baking. I couldn't quite put my finger on what the strange aftertaste I was getting with these brownies was, but it almost read like cinnamon mixed with artificial sweetener. That being said, I would classify these as properly fudgy brownies, and the addition of chocolate pieces definitely enhanced the moist crumb. Alas, these weren't fudgy enough to overcome the weird taste that ran beneath the rich chocolate.

I guess it's high time that I put some respect on Great Value's name. At first blush, I thought that these would fall right around the same spot as the Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker mixes. Part of that had to do with some prejudice against the perceived quality of Walmart's inexpensive private-label brand, and part of it related to the puffy appearance of these brownies.

While these were definitely fluffier than the ideal fudgy brownie, I was still impressed with the level of tender chew it was able to accomplish. The brownies baked up with a pretty, crackly top and had a nice amount of moistness to the crumb, but the main standout quality here was the rich flavor. These had the cocoa-accented sweetness that made me think of a rich Devil's Food cake with a decadent brownie crumb. Even though I couldn't quite give these a true "fudgy" rating, it was close enough for government work and had a superior flavor to the Miss Jones blend, earning it a middle-of-the-pack ranking. 

This was the first of the brownie mixes that were associated with a specific flour brand. Beyond gaining fame and accolades for being an employee-owned company, Bob's Red Mill is known for its high-quality baking flours and has recently expanded into the realm of dessert baking mixes. One of its top-rated blends is the Fudgy Brownie Baking Mix. Again, top marks for a smart list of instructions, adding a bake time adjustment if you use a glass versus metal pan, a thoughtful note that keeps you from overbaking your brownies. As this gave me the option to use either butter or oil, I went with butter for the sake of flavor. 

As it already had a touch of sea salt added to the mix, my brownies ended up being a hair salty when I added in the salted butter, so I'd recommend using unsalted butter or plain vegetable oil if you do make these. That tasting note aside, these had a rich and nuanced chocolate flavor. Better yet, these landed high on the fudgy meter, giving a good, dense chew worthy of a brownie. My one criticism, and the reason it falls to number four in the ranking, is that the edges got pretty hard after baking, making the real estate that was actually fudgy much smaller in reality.

A classic Southern flour brand, White Lily is more readily associated with supremely tender biscuits rather than with fudgy brownies. But these immediately announced themselves as a major contender. First, the box proclaimed the delicious inclusion of real chocolate chips. Second, I found the instructions peppered with helpful details, like adjusting the oven temperature for light versus dark pans. Finally, I was also excited to see how the signature low-protein White Lily flour would work to create an extra tender, crumbly brownie, as less protein typically leads to less gluten formation. 

All of these details — a low-protein flour, solid instructions, and rich chocolate chips — did make for a pretty scrumptious brownie with a decadent fudgy center. Of course, the key word here is center. The edges of the brownie got pretty rock hard, and I would say that about an inch-wide border would only please chocoholics who like their brownie brittle and crisp. Once you got past this small dry exterior, you are in for a super fudgy treat well deserving of a bronze medal. But there are still two other brownies that offered the fudge interior without the sub-Saharan exterior.

Though I've long been attracted to the Barbie-coded packaging that accompanies Dolly Parton's baking mixes, I'd never actually tried any of them before. Delightfully, I kicked it off with her Fabulously Double Fudge Brownie Mix from Duncan Hines, a rich concoction that included a fudge sauce packet alongside its standard dry mix. Alongside the fudge sauce, I was excited to see that this mix called for butter rather than vegetable oil, ensuring a much richer taste. 

With all of the moisture that went into this, there was no way this brownie wouldn't turn out fudgy. Beyond the half cup of melted butter incorporating some decadent fat, the fudge sauce worked wonders in helping retain liquid. As a liquid sugar, the fudge sauce was hygroscopic, a scientific quality that means it maintains moisture. I got a strong hit of vanilla and a nice, if slightly saccharine, cocoa flavor that complemented the dense texture.

In light of her passing, I was glad that Dolly Parton's namesake brownies were as delicious as they were. I think it would make her proud to know that her likeness is attached to a product that delivered on that double fudge claim. Still, one brownie mix beat it out in the flavor department, so it'll have to stick with a respectful silver.  

King Arthur Baking Company has long offered premium flour blends for the artisan baker, and it has plenty of experience perfecting a gluten-free blend. Enter its Gluten-Free Ultimate Fudge Brownie Mix. Honestly, I shouldn't be surprised that a gluten-free mix took top marks. As noted before, very little flour is needed to make a fudgy brownie in the first place, so an alternative, gluten-free flour works even better than a traditional one. 

These were so obscenely fudgy that it felt like I was biting into cocoa velvet rather than a plain box mix brownie. I could wax poetic about the decadent texture for days, but the main takeaway should be this: Even with all this luxurious moisture, the brownies could be cut and eaten as neat squares. A perfectly fudgy brownie that doesn't disintegrate when it's cut? That's a serious feat in the realm of baking — and I haven't even gotten to how intense and nuanced the chocolate flavor is. That "made with premium cocoa" claim on the box is not an idle boast. Needless to say, this is one King that truly deserves the crown. 

To make the process as fair as possible, I only reviewed brownie mixes with the word "fudge" or "fudgy" included in the title, as that stresses that the dense, chewy texture was what the brand intended. That meant that well-regarded brands like Ghirardelli and Krusteaz didn't get tested because they lacked that "fudge" title distinction. Each brownie mix was baked according to the box instructions in an 8 x 8-inch pan (the one pan that was referenced universally across all packaging). Butter and oil were the two main fats called for, and every mix called for a number of large eggs mixed in.

For the evaluation, the most important feature, of course, was texture. Even if the brownie tasted alright, if it lacked that classic fudge texture, it wouldn't rank very highly on the list. I also considered how fudgy the exterior pieces were compared to the interior, as the sides often get overbaked while the middle stays moist. Besides the texture, chocolate intensity and flavor were considered, as was the brownies' overall appearance and height. If I felt that a box's instructions were vague or genius, then I noted it. I also mentioned the price if it was significantly higher than the rest.