Though I am a Serious Editor who makes most things from scratch, I do bake the occasional boxed brownie mix for a quick chocolate moment. A good boxed brownie should hit the spot in a way that a scoop of ice cream or slice of cake doesn’t: It’s deeply satisfying, and even better when enjoyed with said scoop of ice cream or a glass of milk. 

In celebration of the delicious necessity that is a brownie from a box, we dedicated our latest taste test to…brownie mixes! I know some of you are going to have strong opinions about this—our editors certainly do! We pulled together 12 brands of brownie mixes you’re likely to find in your local supermarket and very thoughtfully tasted each to find the very best one. It quickly became very obvious that not all brownie mixes are created equal. After tasting a dozen brownies each, we emerged from a sugar haze to crown a winner we’d happily eat at home.

The Contenders

• Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix
• Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix
• Betty Crocker Supreme Original Brownie Mix
• White Lily Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix
• Birch Blenders Ultimate Fudge Brownie Mix
• Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix
• Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Premium Brownie Mix
• Bob’s Red Mill Fudgy Brownie Mix
• 365 by Whole Foods Market Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix
• Ghirardelli Ultimate Chocolate Premium Brownie Mix
• Trader Joe’s Brownie Truffle Baking Mix
• Ghirardelli Chocolate Supreme Brownie Mix

The Criteria

A great brownie should be packed full of intense chocolate flavor, with bittersweet notes of cocoa and a hint of salt. It should be fudgy and moist, with an almost underbaked softness in the center that’s not raw or gloopy. Ideally, it’s so delicious and chocolatey that you want to come back for a second bite or serving without feeling ill.

It should not be light and fluffy like cake, nor should it be crunchy. It should definitely not taste like sugar, corn syrup, or other sweetener or additive. It should not be dry or stale—especially if you’ve just baked it—and it most definitely should not taste like artificial chocolate. Even if a boxed brownie isn’t perfect, its flavor and texture should at least create the illusion that you’ve just made a fantastically fudgy brownie from scratch.

I baked the entirety of each box for each mix, sliced them all up, and allowed editors to choose their brownie portion for each unidentifiable sample. They ate them plain. I asked them to evaluate each one on the intensity of the chocolate flavor, texture, and how enjoyable it was to eat, paying close attention to any hints of artificial notes and salt. As a whole, our team seemed to favor chewy, fudgy brownies that managed to be both crisp and gooey. Nobody liked brownies that were cloyingly sweet or cakey, and instead preferred those heavy on the bittersweet chocolate flavor.

The Rankings

Ghirardelli Ultimate Chocolate Premium Brownie Mix, 3.8/5

Almost every single taster made a note of this brownie’s chocolatey flavor and fudginess. It had a glossy, paper-thin top and an attractive sheen to it. Our art director Sabrina described the corner pieces as having the “perfect crisp to gooey” ratio, and thought it tasted like a “true homemade brownie.” Tess, our executive editorial director and resident chocolate hater, said it tasted like “someone soaked this batter in fudgey syrup first,” which sounds like a win for chocolate lovers everywhere. Another taster found it too sweet, but gave it points for at least tasting like chocolate.

White Lily Chocolate Fudge Flavored Brownie, 3.45/5

This had a shiny, crackly top and was very enticing to look at. Even though this boxed mix was labeled “fudge-flavored,” nobody remarked on it tasting artificial. Both Amanda, our associate visuals art director, and Sabrina complimented this brownie on its chewy, fudgy texture. “It is exactly a perfectly stale bake sale offering,” Tess wrote. Which, if you’re feeling nostalgic, is a pretty good thing?

Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge Brownie, 3.3/5

Two different testers did not think this tasted like chocolate. Our editorial director, Daniel, wondered if there was carob in here, while Tess remarked on its strong marzipan flavor, which “far overpowered any sense of chocolate” that may have come through. Some tasters enjoyed its cake-like texture; Amanda thought it was “pillowy soft” but still a little chewy, and Tess had a nice slice that was “deliciously melt-ily fudgy.”

Bob’s Red Mill Fudgy Brownie Mix, 3.25/5

Some tasters thought this had a prominent cocoa flavor, while others thought it looked more chocolatey than it tasted. It really looked like what a brownie is supposed to look like: crinkly and fudgy with generous cracks throughout the top. “The brownie looks dark but it doesn’t taste that way,” Daniel wrote. “Imposter!” Almost everyone thought it was nice and chewy, though it was a little too soft for Amanda, who also didn’t think it was chocolate-forward enough. Two tasters described it as “fine.”

Ghirardelli Chocolate Supreme Premium Brownie Mix, 3.2/5

Chocolate supreme? Not for Daniel, who thought it could have been more chocolatey. Tess thought it had hints of cocoa, and correctly guessed that this was Ghirardelli. Amanda thought it was a bit too sweet, but was excited enough about its “decent chew” to give us an exclamation point: “This is an OK brownie!” While the top had nice cracking, it did not have the attractive sheen that so many of us look for in a brownie.

Trader Joe’s Brownie Truffle Baking Mix, 3.08/5

Were we truly all eating the same brownie mix? Were we sure? The only thing in common between all the tasters was that they all thought it was mid. “Kinda tastes like milk chocolate,” Sabrina said. Daniel described it as “tooth-achingly sweet” despite appreciating the “vague hint of fudge,” while Tess thought it was dense enough to sink if you immersed it in liquid. Amanda, on the other hand, thought it was a bit too cake-y. Better luck next time, TJ’s!

Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Premium Brownie Mix, 3.08/5

Too sweet, too rich, but “at least this one starts with chocolate flavor,” Daniel mused.

Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix, 3/5

Several tasters used the word “mild” to describe this brownie, while others thought it tasted artificially sweet. It wasn’t fudgy enough for our editors, who all noted they wanted a bit more chew and chocolate flavor. “Totally basic,” Daniel wrote.

Betty Crocker Supreme Original Brownie Mix, 2.9/5

To be fully transparent: Two of our editors gave this a score of 4 out of 5, but Amanda gave it a 1 and tanked it. This was Daniel’s favorite of the 12 we sampled; he commented on its fudginess and crinkly top and described it as close to what he wanted in a brownie. Tess enthusiastically wrote: “Platonic ideal of boxed brownie texture!!! Gummy and stretchy and substantial and fun.” Unfortunately, Amanda thought it was bad—and said she would not eat it again. Sincerest apologies, Betty! You were robbed!

Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix, 2.75/5

The only person who truly enjoyed this was Amanda, who said she could eat at least two of these and thought it was lovely, chewy, and tasted like chocolate. Everyone else, unfortunately, thought it was dry and much too cake-like, with not enough chocolate.

365 by Whole Foods Fudge Brownie Baking Mix, 2.5/5

365 by Whole Foods has not fared well in many of our taste tests, and their brownie mix was no exception. “Minimal rise, maximum crunch” is generally not what you want in a brownie, nor do you typically look for  “cardboard.” Taste-wise, Daniel thought it reminded him of lowbrow candy, while Tess tasted “not a thing.” It was also one of two brownies we baked that did not have the signature crackly top we were looking for.

Birch Blenders Organic Ultimate Fudge Brownie Mix, 1.5/5

Unfortunately, there was not a single editor who enjoyed the texture of this brownie. Almost everyone described it as dry and dense. Sabrina said she would not eat it again, and Daniel said he’d expect this flavor from a pre-baked “‘brownie’ product,” but certainly not from something you make at home—even if it came from a box.

Our Testing Methodology

All taste tests are conducted with brands completely hidden and without discussion among tasters that could influence results. Tasters taste samples in random order. For example, taster A may taste sample one first, while taster B will taste sample six first. This is to prevent palate fatigue from unfairly giving any one sample an advantage. Tasters are asked to fill out tasting  sheets ranking the samples for various criteria. All data is tabulated and results are calculated with no editorial input in order to give us the most impartial representation of actual results possible.