These salted olive oil brownies are moist, fudgy, loaded with chocolate chips, and topped with flaky sea salt! The olive oil gives these brownies a slight floral flavor that pair beautifully with the chocolate! Using olive oil instead of butter also makes these brownies dairy free and helps them stay moist for longer!
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Why You'll Love These Olive Oil Brownies
I'm often asked, "can you make brownies with olive oil?" Not only can you, but it's one of my favorite ways to make brownies!
- Subtle olive oil taste - These brownies have a slight floral olive oil taste that pairs so well with dark chocolate!
- Easy to make in one bowl - The olive oil brownies come together super easily in just one bowl aka less dishes!
- Rich, fudgy, texture - The olive oil makes these brownies extra chewy and fudgy and they stay moist for days!
You might also like this pistachio olive oil cake or these triple chocolate brownies!
Ingredient Notes
You just need a few ingredients to make these chewy olive oil brownies!
Olive Oil - Brownies are typically made with melted butter, but using olive oil instead imparts a delicious subtle flavor and makes the brownies extra moist! Depending on how strong of an olive oil flavor you want, you can use anything from a light, neutral olive oil, to a very robust full-bodied olive oil! I prefer extra virgin olive oil that has slightly floral undertones (just be sure not to use one that's too peppery). If you don't wan the flavor of olive oil, you can also use coconut oil or a neutral vegetable oil instead.
Cocoa Powder - My absolute favorite cocoa powder to use in my baking is the King Arthur Flour Triple Cocoa Blend! It's a blend of natural, Dutch, and black cocoa and is perfect for any baking. But this recipe will work great with whatever cocoa you have on hand! You can use either natural cocoa or Dutch processed cocoa!
Chocolate Chips - If you like dark chocolate, I highly recommend the Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate baking chips. You can also just chop up one of your favorite chocolate bars for chocolate chunks instead.
Flaky Sea Salt - This is completely optional, but I love a little sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top of the olive oil brownies.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Olive Oil Brownies
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
Whisk together the olive oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract.
Add in the eggs one at a time and whisk each one until fully incorporated and the batter starts to get lighter in color. To get crinkly brownie tops, be sure to whisk the sugar and eggs for at least 4-5 minutes (a hand mixer is very helpful for this).
Fold in the cocoa powder, flour, and salt and mix until the batter is just combined.
Then gently fold in the chocolate chips if desired.
Cut a parchment paper sling slightly smaller than the width of the cake pan and make sure it fits flatly in the bottom. Then lightly spray the bottom and sides of the pan with a vegetable oil based spray (I love Bakers Joy or Everbake). Place you parchment paper sling in the bottom of the pan and smooth it out so that it sticks to the pan spray (you can use metal binder clips to secure it to the pan). After baking you’ll be able to just slide the brownies right out of the pan!
I love all of my USA Pan cake pans because they are extremely sturdy and truly nonstick. However, I still like to prepare my pans to ensure the olive oil brownies come out easily.
Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan.
Bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out mostly clean.
Remove from the oven and let fully cool in the pan.
Once the olive oil brownies are cool, use the edges of the parchment paper to slide the brownies out of the pan.
Cut in to squares, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and enjoy! [They're also delicious with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!]
Tips for the Best Brownies!
(and blondies too!)
Use room temperature ingredients! Always make sure ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, etc. are at room temperature before baking (unless the recipe indicates otherwise)! This ensures they'll incorporate into the batter more easily and leads to overall better texture. Remove all ingredients from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before baking for best results.
Measure your flour correctly! It's most accurate to use a kitchen scale, but if you're measuring by volume you want to spoon and level! Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, and then spoon flour into the measuring cup. Once it's overflowing, use the back of a knife to level it off. Don't ever pack flour into the measuring cup or you'll end up with way too much! Improperly measured flour can lead to dry, dense baked goods. Same goes for cocoa powder!
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If you oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all baked goods from cakes to macarons! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.
Use a metal baking pan! Not all materials are created equal when it comes to baking. Metal cake pans conduct heat much better than other materials like glass or ceramic, so your baked goods will cook faster and more evenly!
It's better to undercook the brownies slightly, than overcook them! Brownies will dry out quick, so it's best to err on the side of caution when baking brownies! Bake just until an inserted toothpick comes out mostly clean but still a tad gooey. If you aren't sure, just go ahead and take them out because they'll continue to firm up as they cool. Note: the larger the pan, the less time the brownies will take to cook.
Be patient and let them cool. Warm brownies fresh out of the oven are delish, I know. But it's best to let them fully cool before digging in. The brownies will be less likely to crumble when you cut them and the center is more likely to be fully cooked while still being perfectly fudgy.
Recipe FAQ's
Brownies are best eaten within the first 2-3 days, but will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
To get crinkly tops on your brownies, be sure to beat the eggs and sugar together for at least 4-5 minutes! This incorporates extra air into the batter which is what helps form those crinkly tops!
To get clean slices of these salted olive oil brownies, run a super sharp knife under hot water until the blade is warm, then wipe it dry. Then cut a single slice and repeat. It's a bit tedious to clean the knife before every cut, but you get perfect slices every time!
Yes! These olive oil brownies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months! I recommend cutting the brownies into squares before freezing. To thaw, you can place in the fridge overnight or reheat in the microwave.
Yes! Cocoa powder is naturally dairy free and so are most dark chocolate chips! However, you can leave out the chocolate chips to be safe if needed!
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Olive Oil Brownies
Special Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- flaky sea salt, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Whisk together the olive oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Add in the eggs one at a time and whisk each one until fully incorporated and the batter starts to get lighter in color. To get crinkly brownie tops, be sure to whisk the sugar and eggs for at least 4-5 minutes.
- Fold in the cocoa powder, flour, and salt and mix until the batter is just combined.
- Then gently fold in the chocolate chips if desired.
- Cut a parchment paper sling slightly smaller than the width of the cake pan and make sure it fits flatly in the bottom. Then lightly spray the bottom and sides of the pan with a vegetable oil based spray. Place you parchment paper sling in the bottom of the pan and smooth it out so that it sticks to the pan spray (you can use metal binder clips to secure it to the pan). After baking you’ll be able to just slide the brownies right out of the pan!
- Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan.
- Bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out mostly clean.
- Remove from the oven and let fully cool in the pan.
- Once the olive oil brownies are cool, use the edges of the parchment paper to slide the brownies out of the pan.
- Cut in to squares, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and enjoy! [They're also delicious with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!]
- Brownies are best eaten within the first 2-3 days, but will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Kathy Magneson says
These are so good! I add in 1tsp. of espresso powder and use dutch processed cocoa. It ups the richness. My new "go-to" brownie recipe.
Ivy says
This is the recipe to make. I'm telling all my friends and family about it 🤣