These Strawberry Brownies have all the fudgy, crackly-topped texture of a classic brownie, but they lean entirely on real strawberry flavor, with no chocolate, cake mix, or food dye required!
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Wait, brownies without chocolate? Is that blasphemy or something?
But instead of chocolate, these little bars are fully loaded with sweet and juicy strawberries. They're fudgy, dense, chewy bars that copy the brownie texture but are packed with real strawberry flavor.
Most strawberry brownie recipes I've seen use cake mix or Jello and/or pink food dye. But I wanted to create a from-scratch recipe that tastes natural.
These ones stick to real freeze-dried strawberry powder and fresh strawberries for a jammy swirl. They're easy to make and will make strawberry lovers so happy!
❤️ Why this recipe works
Two kinds of real strawberry flavor: these brownies contain both freeze-dried strawberry powder in the batter for all-over flavor, plus a homemade jammy swirl made with fresh strawberries for bright fruity bites. They don't contain any artificial flavors, boxed mixes, Jell-O, or food dyes.
They have the texture of a brownie: the bars are fudgy and dense, not cakey, with a crackly top and chewy edges... Just like you'd expect a brownie to be!
Freeze-dried strawberry flavor adds lots of fresh flavor without moisture: I tested this recipe a lot before I got to a version I like. Using all fresh strawberries watered down the batter too much and strawberry extract didn't give me the natural flavor I wanted. But ground up freeze-dried strawberries pack in concentrated fruity flavor and color with no added moisture.
Addition of a little cream cheese: I add a small amount of cream cheese to these brownies to give them tenderness and a subtle tang that works really well with the strawberry flavor.
They're naturally pink-hued: I'm not opposed to adding a little food coloring to my treats when it's necessary, but these brownies are naturally colored pink thanks to the fresh strawberries and powder.
🗒 Ingredients
Here's everything you need for the strawberry brownies (be sure to view the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):
- Unsalted butter: melted and slightly cooled
- Granulated sugar
- Large egg + large egg yolk
- Cream cheese: use full-fat, softened to room temp so it blends smoothly
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Freeze-dried strawberry powder: you can order freeze-dried strawberry powder online or you can find freeze-dried strawberries in the dried fruit aisle or with snacks and can crush them in a food processor or blender until powdery. I also recommend sifting out any seeds for the smoothest results
- Salt
- Strawberry swirl: recipe below
Here's what you need for the fresh strawberry swirl:
- Fresh strawberries: finely chopped. I recommend fresh berries for the best flavor, but you can use frozen (thawed and drained) if necessary.
- Granulated sugar
- Lemon juice
- Cornstarch: use to thicken the swirl to a proper jammy consistency so it stays put in the batter instead of sinking
- Water
🍓 Recipe tips
- Make the strawberry swirl first so it has time to cool fully before adding to to the brownie batter.
- If you want, you can make the strawberry swirl mixture up to 3 days in advance. Just be sure to keep it in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Chop berries small and evenly as smaller pieces will break down faster and cook more uniformly.
- Swirl mixture is done when strawberries are thick, glossy, and jam-like. The mixture should hold its shape when you drag a spatula through it; if it runs back together immediately, keep cooking for another minute.
- If you're crushing your own freeze-dried strawberries, you may want to sift out any seeds. I love using freeze-dried strawberry powder because it's already perfectly sifted.
- Be very careful not to over-mix the batter once the flour goes in as this could cause the brownies to be tough and cakey.
- To assemble the bars, spread about ⅔ of the batter on the bottom of a parchment paper lined pan. Then dollop spoonfuls of the strawberry mixture over it and top with dollops of the remaining batter. The batter on top doesn't have to cover all the strawberries.
- Take a bread knife and gently swirl the jam and batter together.
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- Resist the urge to swirl too much. The heat from the oven will soften the edges of the swirl slightly as it bakes, so you want to stop while ribbons still look bold.
- Check the bars on the lower end of the baking time as you definitely don't want to over-bake these. The center should still jiggle slightly when they're done, but the edges should be golden.
- Let strawberry brownies cool completely before slicing as they'll firm up as they cool.
- The brownies are a little gooey, so it may be helpful to wipe your knife with a damp towel in between slices.
Once they're cooled, they are ready to enjoy! I can't describe these are fudgy since there's no chocolate in them. But they really do have a fudgy consistency, just like a typical brownie would have!
But they're absolutely packed with fresh strawberry flavor.
Maybe I should have called them blondies? But blondies are typically made with brown sugar and tend to have caramel and butterscotch flavors.
These bars use granulated sugar and freeze-dried strawberries, so the fruit flavor stays front and center. And the technique for making them is pure brownie: vigorous whisking for the crackly top, an extra yolk for fudgy density, and a slightly underbaked center.
⏲️ How to store
Once the strawberry brownies are cooled, you can either store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for about a week.
I actually love how these taste chilled right out of the fridge.
To freeze the bars, wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and store in a large Ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can thaw them at room temp before serving.
🎉 Recipe variations
I love that these brownies are absolutely packed with pure strawberry flavor with nothing else getting in the way.
But there are also lots of flavors that complement strawberry really well and so many ingredients you can add to these bars. Here are some ideas:
- White chocolate chips
- Chocolate chips (milk or dark)
- Sliced freeze-dried strawberries
- Dollops of cream cheese throughout the batter (for strawberry cheesecake flavor)
- Raspberry powder or blueberry powder to replace the strawberry powder
- Lemon zest
- Toffee bits
- Shredded coconut
🙋♀️ FAQ
🍪 More strawberry recipes
If you're loving treats made with real strawberries, check out some of my other favorite strawberry recipes:
You may also be interested in this guide to when strawberries are in season!
So yes, brownies without chocolate are now totally acceptable! So long as they include fresh strawberry flavor throughout.
If you make these strawberry brownies, I'd love to hear how they turn out! Leave a rating and comment below, or tag @wearenotmartha on Instagram so I can see your swirls.
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Brownies
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Ingredients
- 10 Tbsp (1 stick + 2 Tbsp) unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- ¾ cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tablespoon cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup freeze-dried strawberry powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Strawberry swirl (recipe below)
Strawberry Swirl
- 1 cup finely chopped strawberries
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line an 8"x8" pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter and sugar until glossy and smooth.
- Whisk in whole egg, egg yolk, cream cheese, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Mix in flour, strawberry powder, and salt until just combined, taking care not to over-mix.
- Spread about ⅔ of batter into prepared pan.
- Dollop spoonfuls of strawberry swirl mixture over the batter.
- Top with spoonfuls of remaining batter (don't worry if it doesn't completely cover jam).
- Use a knife to gently swirl batter and jam
- Bake for 34-38 minutes, until edges are just set, but center still has a slight jiggle.
- Let cool completely before removing from pan and slicing.
Strawberry Swirl
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add chopped strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until strawberries are nice and juicy.
- In a separate small bowl, mix together cornstarch and water. Add mixture to saucepan and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until strawberries are thick, glossy, and jam-like.
- Remove from heat and let cool completely before adding to brownie batter (you can put it in fridge to cool faster).
Notes
- Once the strawberry brownies are cooled, you can either store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for about a week.
- To freeze the bars, wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and store in a large Ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can thaw them at room temp before serving.
- You can make strawberry swirl mixture up to 3 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.
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